Ahmed is a very bright and inquisitive six-year-old boy who lives in a
city called Bordj El Kiffan—shortened as Bordj—which has amazing sand
beaches and a formidable fortress.
The old fortress was built beside the sea centuries ago, during the Ottoman Empire. It was erected by soldiers and was once guarded by sentries who would squat down beside the majestic cannons that still crown the fortress today. Their snouts stick out of the bastion’s crenelated walls in order to deter outsiders from approaching.
In truth, the fortress looks snotty, standing there all high and mighty against the celestial blue backdrop that merges with the marine one. However, it probably deserves to feel smug after having gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect the burghers who hid behind its walls back in the day. At that time, the fortress deterred the enemy ships that had crossed the seas in hopes of getting a shot at desecrating the jewels ashore from approaching any further. It still stands to this day—well, “stand” is perhaps not the most appropriate word, given that its walls lean precariously against one another. Yet, its silhouette against the dark sky still manages to give the owls of Bordj the shivers every time they wing their way past it at night.
Ahmed often asked his dad, “What is that? Who built it and why?”
“It was built by our forefathers to keep the land safe.”
Ahmed could barely rein back his indomitable spirit of inquiry, but his dad’s replies would satisfy him for the nonce so that he could run off and play with his cousins. They would scamper wildly all around the place, and for some strange reason, his dad would feel like he could relax, knowing that no harm would come to them as long as they stayed in the fortress’ shade. It was as if the fortress were actually watching over them.
The boy feels close to the castle, as in emotionally attached to it. He loves everything about it: its yellowish walls, its smashed windows, its wooden doors . . .
He is deeply fascinated in everything related to it in any way, such as the squawking white gulls that skim its surface every morning during their flights, the lizards that hide within its walls, and the flowers that grow in close proximity to it and bloom in the summer. Read More...
The old fortress was built beside the sea centuries ago, during the Ottoman Empire. It was erected by soldiers and was once guarded by sentries who would squat down beside the majestic cannons that still crown the fortress today. Their snouts stick out of the bastion’s crenelated walls in order to deter outsiders from approaching.
In truth, the fortress looks snotty, standing there all high and mighty against the celestial blue backdrop that merges with the marine one. However, it probably deserves to feel smug after having gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect the burghers who hid behind its walls back in the day. At that time, the fortress deterred the enemy ships that had crossed the seas in hopes of getting a shot at desecrating the jewels ashore from approaching any further. It still stands to this day—well, “stand” is perhaps not the most appropriate word, given that its walls lean precariously against one another. Yet, its silhouette against the dark sky still manages to give the owls of Bordj the shivers every time they wing their way past it at night.
Ahmed often asked his dad, “What is that? Who built it and why?”
“It was built by our forefathers to keep the land safe.”
Ahmed could barely rein back his indomitable spirit of inquiry, but his dad’s replies would satisfy him for the nonce so that he could run off and play with his cousins. They would scamper wildly all around the place, and for some strange reason, his dad would feel like he could relax, knowing that no harm would come to them as long as they stayed in the fortress’ shade. It was as if the fortress were actually watching over them.
The boy feels close to the castle, as in emotionally attached to it. He loves everything about it: its yellowish walls, its smashed windows, its wooden doors . . .
He is deeply fascinated in everything related to it in any way, such as the squawking white gulls that skim its surface every morning during their flights, the lizards that hide within its walls, and the flowers that grow in close proximity to it and bloom in the summer. Read More...
