“The Children of the SADRA”
“The Green Bird”
Once upon a time, there was a family with two daughters and a slave who tended their herds. The elder daughter was cruel and heartless, while the younger one was kind and beautiful. Moroccan Nomads Culture Foum Zguid Desert Folktales.
The elder daughter, a divorced woman, had a secret relationship with the slave. Knowing their parents would never approve of the union, she devised a wicked plan to eliminate her father and take over the family’s wealth. She conspired with the slave, promising him freedom and marriage once they achieved their dark goal.
One day, as the slave led the camels to the well, he threw a newborn camel into it. The father, concerned, climbed into the well to rescue the animal. As planned, the slave let go of the rope, leaving the father to drown. They pretended it was a tragic accident.
With her father gone, the elder daughter married the slave and took control of the family’s herds. Soon after, she decided to move to a new place, taking her mother, sister, and their possessions with them. But she had another sinister plan.
The Mother’s Tragic Fate
On their journey, Moroccan Nomads Culture Foum Zguid Desert Folktales , the elder daughter whispered to her new husband, “We’ll make my mother ride the wildest camel and agitate it so she falls off.” Her plan worked; the mother fell and suffered fatal injuries while pregnant.
The kind younger sister, following behind with the sheep, discovered her mother lying on the sand. Overwhelmed with grief, she helped deliver her mother’s twins, two beautiful baby boys. She buried her mother, milked a sheep to feed the twins, and made a small nest under a tree to keep them safe. Every day, she visited them secretly, nourishing them with milk and caring for them.
To avoid suspicion, the younger sister pretended to know nothing about her mother’s fate. However, her cruel sister and her husband grew suspicious of her frequent trips with the sheep and forced her to change her routine. They also noticed her tattered clothes, as she had used pieces of them to cover the twins. Out of jealousy, the elder sister made her wear a fresh sheep’s skin as punishment.
The Twins’ Discovery
Years passed, and the twins grew into healthy boys. One day, a caravan stopped under their tree, and the travelers found the twins. A childless couple, believing the boys were a gift from God, adopted them. When the kind sister returned to the tree, she found it empty. She followed the caravan’s trail but couldn’t catch up. Heartbroken, she mourned the loss of her brothers.
Meanwhile, the twins lived with their adoptive parents. One day, during an argument with a relative, they learned the truth about their origins. “You’re nothing but the children of a tree!” the nephew sneered. Determined to uncover their past, the twins found their way back to the tree where they had been left.
Under the tree, they found the kind sister, now a woman in despair, still wearing the sheep’s skin. She shared her story with them, and they revealed the scars she had marked on them as babies—one on the arm, the other on the forehead. Reunited, they embraced with tears of joy.
The Revenge
The kind sister led the twins to the cruel elder sister’s tent, where they pretended to be travelers seeking shelter. The elder sister and her husband, known for their unkindness to strangers, reluctantly allowed them to stay.
At dawn, when the husband was milking the camels, the twins attacked him, cutting his feet and leaving him helpless. They spared their elder sister but freed their kind sister from the sheep’s skin by using hot water.
A New Beginning
The family took the herds and left the cruel sister behind. Together, the kind sister and her brothers started a new life filled with love, harmony, and peace. Their journey of suffering ended in a place of happiness and unity, proving that kindness and resilience triumph over cruelty and greed.