Written by Reem Hamad Salem Khamis Salem Al Junaibi
Illustrated by Amna Mohamed Al Saleh Al Tunaiji
Hamid was a smart boy who lived with his parents in his grandfather’s house. Having no brothers and sisters, he liked to sit with old people and listen to their stories. Every afternoon, he sat with his grandmother. “Hamid, I remember a story that I’ve never told you before,” she said. Hamid was excited.
“When I was a child, I lived in my grandfather’s house. It was a simple home but we were happy. My father and grandfather were both divers, and the people of the town had a problem – Shanag bin Anag. He was a gentle giant, but when he came to town he destroyed the houses and ships. The villagers hated him.
Suddenly, one of them had a great idea. “We all know the giant is very kind, so I suggest that every man in this town donate a wezar (traditional clothes). Then the women can use them to sew a huge wezar. We’ll give it to Shanag bin Anag as a gift.
When Shanag came to the town, he was surprised. All the people were waiting for him. The people gave him the big wezar and he put it on. When he wanted to enter the town, the people said, “We gave you a gift. You should give us something now.” Shanag didn’t have anything to give the villagers and died of sadness.”
Hamid felt sad for Shanag. Had he lived at that time, he would have made Shanag feel better. From then on, he prayed for the giant. One day, when Hamid was sitting at the beach, a big man came along wearing a huge wezar. “I am Shanag bin Anag,” he said. “I thought that no one loved me. Thank you for making me happy.” He gave Hamid a small piece of a ship’s sail as a gift.
Then Hamid woke up. He felt sad when he realized it was a dream. He looked at the end of his bed and saw Shanag’s gift. Hamid was happy because Shanag still lives.
