Ali the Thumb Story

                                     Ali the Thumb

It is mentioned once upon a time that a couple had a boy named Ali.
The child was an unexpected prospect for his parents, as he was no bigger than a thumb when he was born
Both mother and father were very worried at first, but then they thought to themselves,

‘This is God’s religion for us, and one day our son will be a big, strong boy.’
But years passed and Ali did not grow at all. He was left as small as a thumb.
Every evening at dinner, the mother would set a place for her son at the table.
She would place a small plate in front of him and fill it with a teaspoonful of soup.
Ali also had a small bowl which his mother used to fill with a drop of water.
All was well when the family was at home, but the parents were embarrassed by their son, thinking that if anyone saw him, they would tease the young boy. Therefore, they always kept it hidden from view inside the house.
Several more years passed and Ali finally celebrated his twentieth birthday.
He was still as small as a thumb, but his voice had become much deeper and much louder.
In fact, if one ever heard his son speak, he would think it was the voice of a grown man.

Ali was a very sad young man because he had no friends and had to spend all his time hiding inside his parents’ house.
One day Ali’s father was getting ready to go to the market in the next town. The old man decided to spend the night in a hotel as he could not travel there and back before nightfall.

Ali begged his father to accompany him on the journey, but his father seemed very troubled by the idea.
He said, ‘We have never taken you out till now and I am not sure I can do it now.’ ‘How can I protect you and hide you from other people?

‘It will be easy,’ replied Ali in his deep, raspy voice. “You can put me in your pocket and no one will know I’m there.” You can make a little hole in the cloth so I can breathe and I can see what’s going on and enjoy all the new views of the world.’
Ali’s father realized how excited Ali was at the idea of ??leaving home, and therefore found it impossible to say no to his only son.

The old man made a very small hole in his shirt pocket and helped Ali climb in.
Mother handed over the bags for the journey and kissed them both and wished them well. Then Ali and his father left for the market in the neighboring city.
After traveling all day, Ali and his father reached a roadside hotel.
‘We’ll get a room here for the night,’ said father, ‘and tomorrow we’ll go to the market early in the morning before going back home.’
It’s unbelievable that I have to stay at a hotel!’ said Ali.
The young man was very excited because he had seen a lot on his journey and he had not slept anywhere except in his own house.
Ali’s father paid for a room and carried his bag up the stairs to prepare dinner.
After the old man had unpacked and taken a bath, and with Ali still hidden in his pocket, he went into the dining room, hoping that he might bring some food for his younger son as well.

Then something very unexpected happened. As soon as all the guests were sitting down for dinner, a group of thieves entered the hotel.
The ruthless-looking men, three in number, raised their guns and ordered every man and woman to hand over their money and whatever valuables they had.
All the guests were terrified, including Ali’s father, but they did as they were told, and placed their wallets and jewelry on the tables to give to the thieves.
Suddenly, a very loud and very deep voice came from somewhere.
‘Lower your guns!’ the voice ordered. ‘I’m coming over there and I’m going to catch you and hand you over to the police.’

No one knew where the sound was coming from. The thieves looked around the dining room but could not find anyone.
Then came the voice, this time louder than before. I will take revenge on you for your misdeeds. I will make sure that you spend many years in jail.
Since the thieves could not tell where the sound was coming from, they convinced themselves that it belonged to a ghost.
And if thieves feared anything more than the police, it was ghosts.
Suddenly, the thieves drop their guns and run from the hotel and disappear into the darkness.

Although the guests were happy that the robbers had escaped, they too wanted to run to their rooms for fear of the ghosts.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Ali’s father. This is not a ghost that is talking. This is my son.
In order for Ali to climb on his hand, the elderly man then put his hand in his pocket. Then he gently seated Ali at the table so that all the guests could say hello.
‘I’m sure the bandits won’t come back,’ said Ali in his deep, raspy voice, a big smile on his face from all these adventures.
Meeting a boy who was no larger than a thumb astonished and intrigued the guests.

But above all, they were all very grateful to Ali for saving them from the thieves, and they thanked him and shook hands with him and told his father how proud he would be to have such a brave son.
Ali’s father took his young son out of his pocket and placed him on his shoulder as they departed the hotel for the market in the morning.
All morning in the market, and then on his way home, the old man had to stop several times to introduce Ali to passers-by. And he felt very proud and told everyone how his son had saved everyone from the three thieves.
When the father and son arrived home that evening, Ali’s mother appeared extremely concerned about Ali sitting on her husband’s shoulder.
‘What if someone sees it?’ she asked her husband.
However, the elderly man grinned and told his wife about their experiences together in the hotel, including how Ali had frightened off the robbers and saved everyone.

Being ashamed of your son is a big mistake. We shouldn’t have kept it hidden at home for so many years. We ought to be proud of Ali and everything he has accomplished.
When Ali’s mother heard the tale of her son’s valour, she was genuinely proud and vowed never to conceal it or feel guilty about it ever again.
Since that day, Ali has always accompanied his parents wherever they go, seeing, experiencing, and having many adventures.