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"I can't read from your tablet," said Adel to his  son Sami, a 20-year-old sitting next to him on the plane. The flight from  Cairo to Istanbul would last four hours. Adel had forgotten his books in the  suitcase, which was already in the luggage compartment, and he didn't manage to  put one in his bag before boarding.

"How will I spend four hours on the plane doing  "Nothing?" Adel said.

"Sleep, Dad," replied Sami, his eyes closed.

"How can I sleep when the plane is about to take  off?"

"Just close your eyes."

"I can't. Planes make me nervous."

"Here, take my tablet. It has an app for reading books.  You'll like it."

"I told you, I'm a man in his fifties, I can't read on  screens. I only like paper books."

"Alright then," said Sami, placing the tablet in  the seat pocket in front of his father. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

 The  plane took off. Adel tensed in his seat. When the plane reached cruising  altitude and the turbulence eased, he tried to relax but couldn't.  There was a screen in front of him showing movies and music.

He tried watching, but nothing interested him. He tried to sleep, but he  couldn't. The only thing he really wanted to do was read a book—he had planned  to do that for this flight. Bored, he shifted around, stood up for a short  walk, then came back to his seat.

 The tablet caught his eye—it lit up, probably a notification  from one of Sami's apps. The light faded, but Adel's curiosity did not. He  picked up the tablet, put on his reading glasses, adjusted them, and started  exploring. A reading app drew his attention. He opened it, and suddenly  hundreds of books appeared before him—written ones, audio ones. He searched
among the titles and found the very book he had wanted to read. A smile spread  across his face—the smile only readers know.

 An hour after takeoff, the food cart stopped by Adel's seat.  He woke up his son, and they ate together. Sami noticed his father reading on  the tablet and smiled too. His father was drinking his coffee and reading at  the same time. Without disturbing his father's focus, Sami finished his meal,  adjusted his tray table, and went back to sleep—still smiling, as if saving  some words for later.

 Three hours later, during landing, Sami woke up. He looked  at his father, who was still fully absorbed in the glowing screen. The tablet's  light reflected off his glasses and calm face.

 When the plane landed, Adel looked at his son, who was  smiling warmly.

"Why are you smiling?" asked Adel.

"I thought you didn't read on electronic devices,"  replied Sami.

Adel took off his glasses, handed back the tablet, and said:  "The important thing is to read, my son."

 Sami laughed: "Looks like my tablet is in danger  now!"

Adel replied, "Yes, it is." They both laughed as  they unbuckled their seatbelts.

It seemed Adel had just discovered something new.

#Taha

In the city of poverty and wealth, there are two  neighborhoods: the rich neighborhood and the poor neighborhood.

The Poor Neighborhood

The poor neighborhood is a big place where dirt is everywhere. There is a lot  of noise and shouting. Children play under the buildings, in the yards, and even in the streets. Sometimes, they shout bad words that can be heard through  the windows and even through the call to prayer. Young people sit in corners  and by the walls. They talk and share cigarettes and other bad habits for many  hours.

Because of these bad habits and fights between families  living in different buildings, sometimes windows and cars get broken. Throwing  stones is common here. People also play roughly and shout a lot all day.

The neighborhood is mostly quiet only for a few hours after  midnight. Can we say this poor neighborhood is safe? No, not at all.

Some parents work different jobs during the day. In the  evening, they go out with friends, and at night, they eat while watching TV.

Other parents do not work. They spend most of their time in  cafes, relying on housework or whatever help they get.

Many families here suffer from poverty like a disease. Some  live with hard poverty, while others hope for a better life, especially for  their children.

Middle-class families can buy some food and clothes for  their children, but they cannot leave this neighborhood. So, they share the  hard life, bad habits, and few resources with everyone here.

The Rich Neighborhood
The rich neighborhood is where people live who have money from family or good  jobs like doctors and business owners.

There are parks green and playgrounds on the streets. The  area is safe and quiet because cameras watch all corners. Safety brings more  safety, and calm brings calm. You only hear noise near the playgrounds, where  children laugh and play happily with their brothers, sisters, friends, and  parents. There are rules for the parks written on big boards. The rules ask  people to keep clean and be quiet. They also tell the times when people can use
the parks.

People living here are different in culture, but even the  less educated learn from the more educated neighbors. Some rich neighbors do  not care about planting trees or cleaning the neighborhood, but kindness and  hard work help make the place better.

Every Friday morning, the people join together to clean.
Fathers and children wear work clothes and gloves. They carry bags and clean  the neighborhood.

Mr. Haruto
Many people in the poor neighborhood want to move to the rich one, especially  workers. They want their children to have a better place to live. They try to  teach their children well, hoping someday their children will move to a better  place.  Some parents give up and live with the hard life they have.

Mr. Haruto teaches math in a high school. He has a son and a  daughter. He and his wife work hard to teach their children to love good things  and right values. They live in the poor neighborhood because it is close to the  school. Haruto does not have a car or a big house or enough money to move to  the rich neighborhood. All he can do is dream of a better tomorrow and work  hard to give his children a better life.

Every day, Mr. Haruto tries to make this dream come true. In  his office, he has two notebooks. One is for his students, and the other is  called "Moving Toward a Better Life."

#Taha

The key is one word: "Drama."

 If you want to share a story—any  story—go ahead and do it. But in literature, a story has to be special. It  needs a main idea (what's the point or the message?), events, one or more
characters, and, of course, drama.

 What you see in a movie or a series  is not just ordinary events; otherwise, no one would watch it! A story must  have a clear idea. The events should match this idea, the characters should  serve it, and the story must contain a problem—or several. We then watch the
characters trying to grow, face challenges, and solve these problems. Maybe  they succeed, maybe not. This struggle, shown in a logical way and built around  a main idea, is what we call a story. And that's what storytelling really is.

 Sometimes people watching a movie  say, “How can this character's life be so full of extraordinary events?”

 Take a Columbo movie, for example:  it begins with a murder, followed by Columbo's clever investigation and plenty  of action and drama. Then someone might think, “This isn't real—life isn't that  exciting.

 But that's the point. A story  includes special events—moments worth telling. If you think about your own  life, you'll find unusual events you still remember. Those experiences, filled
with drama, action, magic, or even fear, are the ones worth sharing in what we  call a story.

The picture shows the stages of a short story. 

#Taha