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Afghanistan
Ethiopia
Peru
The Magic Carpet
High in the cold, old Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan there was a man who lived alone execept for his floxk of sheep. No one ever visited him, but he wasn't lonely. For the old man was making a magic carpet. Now everyone knows that in Afghanistan they make truly beautiful and woderful carpets. But only one of them ever was or ever eill be a magic carpet. This is its story.
Every year the old man would shear the wool from his sheep. He spun it into thread, and he dyed it in many beautiful colors. Then he would take all the wool to his loom. There he sat, and closed his eyes, and dreamed. And as he dreamed, his hands moved over the loom, weaving wool into the pictures of his dreams. His dreams were magic dreams, for what he saw was real - real people and real things in real places all over the world. They were dreams of the past and the future. Many years he sat there dreaming and weaving his wonderful pictures, until at last the carpet was done.
The old man woke from his dream, he smiled happily to himself. He picked up the beautiful magic carpet carried it to a cave high up,on the mountain. There he hid the carpet, and went away and never came back again. Many years later a boy named Sham and his sister, Fatima, came to the cave. It was winter time, and very cold, and the were lost in a snow storm. They were very happy to find the cave and even happier tyo find the carpet. They sat down on it, and wrapped the edges around them, and at once they felt warm again.
They were surprised at the wonderful places woven into the carpet. "They look like wonderful places," said little Fatima. She pointed out one picture and said,"I would liket to go there." It being a magic carpet suddenly took of heading towards the place which Fatima had pointed to....