The Girl and the Swans

Maya adores the lake above all places, and one bright Saturday she sets off down the gravel path in her yellow rain boots with her sketchbook and pencils, eager to draw something special. At the water's edge she discovers a swan family: a large white cob with a curved neck, a gentle pen swan wearing a thin silver band on her leg, and three fluffy grey cygnets paddling in a line. Sitting on a flat rock, Maya begins to sketch and whispers that they are a family, while the swans drift like soft white clouds and ignore her.

The calm is broken when a family arrives with a barking dog. The cob spreads his wings and hisses, the pen gathers the cygnets toward the reeds, and the frightened little ones peek from the tall grass. Maya wishes everyone would be quieter and give the swans room. This tale by Çınar BİBER, which can be read on Masalcı Baba, shows how observation, patience and simple rules help wild animals and people share a place.