The Turtle of Oman

Sidi and Aref drive to the beach, where fishermen have nets spread across the sound. Sidi approaches a fisherman named Moussa and asks if they can go out in his boat with him for an hour, even though it is unusual for a fisherman to go out for such a short period of time. Sidi explains that Aref is going to the US soon. Moussa agrees. His boat is called Mabsoot, which means “happy.” Aref dons a life jacket, and they set out. Moussa asks if Aref has ever been to India and encourages him to visit the country sometime. The water is rough at first, so Sidi puts on a life jacket too. Moussa says that he is secretly a dolphin. Aref has never seen a dolphin, but he tells Moussa about the many turtles they saw the day before. Moussa praises turtles.

Sidi grows nervous and asks Moussa to slow down, but Aref enjoys how fast they are going. Moussa compares Aref to Sinbad the Sailor and says that although some people think that Sinbad came from Iraq, Moussa believes that he came from Oman. Then he asks Sidi if he is afraid of water.