I read ‘Ali and his CAMERA’
Ali lives in Istanbul, a big city in Turkey. He lives in an old building near the famous Blue Mosque. After school, Ali comes home and sits at the window. He looks at the boats. They are going out to sea.
‘What are you doing?’ Ali’s mother asks. ‘I’m taking photos of those boats.’ Ali says. His mother looks at him and laughs. ‘Photos? How can you can you take photos? You haven’t got a camera!’ ‘I know that, mother! I’m taking photos in my head. I can see the photos here!’ Ali shows a place near his eyes. His mother laughs again. ‘Stop taking photos and go to your father’s shop.’ She tells him.
Ali’s father sells vegetables and fruit. Ali works in the shop after school.
‘Don’t move. Stand there near the door!’ Ali says suddenly.
‘Why?’ His father asks.
‘I want to take your photo!’
Ali’s father smiles. ‘My photo? First, get a camera. Then you can take my photo!’
‘Buy me a camera!’ Ali says.
Ali’s father stops smiling. ‘I haven’t got any money for cameras.’ He says slowly.
Every afternoon, Ali walks an old city of Istanbul. He looks at the houses near the water. Some houses are very old. He watches the men on the bridge. They are catching fish. He watches the boats. He watches, and he sees photos in his head.
‘How can I get a camera?’ He thinks.
Suddenly, he has the answer. ‘I’m going to work in the market!’
There is an old market near Ali’s school. There are small shops in the market. People buy and sell food there.
Ali goes there ever afternoon after school. He works with a smile. He carries bags for people. People like him and they give him money. He puts it in his pocket.
‘One day, I’m going to have a lot of money.’ Ali says to his mother. ‘
One afternoon, Ali is carrying a heavy bag for an old man.
‘There is a man behind us. Do you know him?’ An old man says.
‘No, I don’t know him. He doesn’t work in the market.’
He was a thief!!
Ali thinks of the money in his pocket.
‘Let’s walk quickly.’ Ali tells the old man.
‘I can’t walk quickly. You are young, but I’m not!’
Suddenly, the big man takes the bag from Ali’s hand and starts to run away. Ali runs after him. The man hits Ali. Ali falls down, and his money falls out of his pocket. The man puts down the bag. Then he takes Ali’s money and run away.
Ali gives the bag to the old man. ‘Thank you very much! You are very good young man!!’
Ali is unhappy, but he doesn’t talk about the money.
That evening, he doesn’t tell his mother and father about it.
‘I can start again.’ He thinks.
The day after that, Ali is at the market. An old woman comes to him and says, ‘Can you carry my bags? I live near the statue of Ataturk.’
Ali carries them for her.
They arrive at the statue of Ataturk.
‘I can take a photo of you and Ataturk.’ Ali says.
‘But where is your camera?’ The old woman asks.
‘I haven’t got a camera.’ Ali says.
The old woman looks at him. Then she smiles.
‘All right. Take my photo without a camera. But wait. First, I’m going to do my hair.’ She says.
They come to the old woman’s street. Ali carries the bags up to her flat. It is a big flat, with a lot of pictures.
‘How much money do you want?’ The old woman says.
‘How much do you want to give me?’ Ali answers.
She goes into a small room and comes back with a camera in her hand.
‘This was my son’s first camera. Take it.’ She says.
Ali looks at the camera for a long time. He takes it in his hand.
Then he gives it back to the old woman.
She takes Ali’s hand and puts the camera in it again.
‘My son doesn’t want it. He has a new camera now.’
‘You are very good to me. How can I thank you?’ Ali says.
‘Come again one day and take my photo. A real photo.’ The old woman says.
‘Good bye, Ali. Take good photos with my son’s camera.’
I think he is a so kind boy!! When I was a child, My family also poor. So I can understand his feeling.
And I think I and Ali are blessed with family and people who is concerned with us.
