How the Sahara Desert Came to Be

 

 

WHEN the world was very young and new, people were kind and good. They loved life and they loved each other. At that time there was no such thing as a lie (ложь). People always told the truth.     

     But then, one day, a man named Abdul told his wife a lie. It was a very, very, very small lie. It did not seem important, but soon his wife learned (узнала) that he had not told her the truth and she was very sad. When her neighbors asked her why she was sad, she explained (объяснила) what happened and then they were sad too. The wives went home and told their husbands. After that, everyone was sad.
     Soon, God learned why His happy people were suddenly (вдруг) sad.  He called the people together and said, “Abdul, I forgive you (я прощаю вас) for the lie you told, but none of you must ever lie again!  If anyone ever tells a lie again, I will drop (я положу) one small grain of sand (одна маленькая песчинка) on the earth for every lie that is told!”  

     The people listened (слушали) to God but thought, “A grain of sand? That is nothing! You can hardly (едва) see a grain of sand.”  So, all the people quickly (быстро) forgot (забыли) what God had said. After many years, little by little, lie by lie, the Sahara Desert came to be, but no one remembered why.