STORIES

“Mehmet, come inside!” called out the Mukhtar. “Yes sir, Mukhtar, I’m coming!” Guard Mehmet was wearing a custom outfit made of brown felt, resembling the uniforms of neighborhood night watchmen. The Mukhtar’s eyes locked onto Guard Mehmet. “Mehmet, as you know, our village hasn’t had a midwife for many years. Every time I go to

The children of the school principal, Teacher Süleyman—Alper and Buket—were enjoying their holiday. As darkness fell, Alper, Buket, Mehmet, Ayşe, İsmail, Fatma, and İmdat sat together in a far corner of the schoolyard, chatting and gazing up at the stars in the sky. While the children were carrying on a pleasant conversation among themselves, sudden

I could never get enough of looking at the partridges Grocer Uncle Ahmet kept in reed cages inside his shop. Black rings adorned their gray and beige bodies. Their red beaks resembled human lips. I was always looking forward to being sent to the grocery store. It was early May. In the afternoon, my classmates

“Alper, look who came! Serpil! She brought us figs!” My sister Buket was calling out to me from next to Serpil, who was standing at the door with a basket of fresh figs. Serpil was the tallest and thinnest student in our class. When school started, we would take our places together with Serpil in

All children dream. They see their dreams mostly in their sleep, sometimes while awake, and at the most unexpected times. “What on earth happened to this child? Reading books has turned him into a shut-in! He is sleepwalking in broad daylight!” “Don’t mind him, my dear. It is normal for children to dream. After all,