Lessons from the Sea

The work began the very next day, at sunrise.

The two friends rolled the Seagull along palm logs until they had brought her into the shade of a trellis near Grandpa's house. Then Grandpa Salem arrived with his old toolbox and opened it carefully, as if it were a treasure chest.

In the first week, Layan learnt how to plug the holes with wood and tar and how to sand the planks until they were smooth. Her hands grew tired, and sometimes she nicked a finger, but she didn't complain once.

In the second week, Grandpa taught her knots. "This is the captain's knot," he said, twisting the rope between his fingers. "It won't come undone however hard the wind pulls, but you can untie it with a single tug when you want to."

Layan tried twenty times. On the twenty-first try, she did it. Hamad clapped so hard that his paintbrush flew out of his hand — and half his T-shirt turned blue!