The Sleepers of the Cave

A very long time ago, in a city, there was a cruel king. He forced people to think the way he wanted. In that city lived a few young people; they believed in God and tried to be good. When the king found out, he wanted to punish them.

The young people left the city in secret. On the way a shepherd's dog started following them. "Go home," they said, but the dog did not go; it wagged its tail and followed them. The dog's name was Qitmir. When the young people saw its loyalty, they smiled: "All right, you come with us too."

On a mountain they found a cave. They went inside and lay down, tired. They prayed to God: "Our Lord, grant us mercy from Yourself and make our way easy for us." And they fell into a deep sleep. Qitmir lay down at the mouth of the cave, stretched out his front paws, and slept too; just like a guard.

God let them sleep for a long, long time. In the mornings the sun passed by the right of the cave and in the evenings by its left; it never shone harshly inside. In their sleep the young people turned from one side to the other. Years passed, centuries passed.

One day they woke up. They looked at one another and asked, "How long did we sleep?" "A day, or part of a day," they said. They were hungry. One of them took a silver coin and went to the city to buy bread. When he reached the city, he was astonished: the houses, the streets, the clothes people wore were all completely different. When he held out his coin, the baker was amazed: "This coin belongs to a king who ruled hundreds of years ago!"

It turned out the cruel king was long gone, and the people of the city had come to believe in goodness and in God. The young people's story moved everyone deeply. Everyone saw the power of God and how He protects those who believe.

This story tells us: whoever holds on to goodness is never alone. Loyalty is great, even in a little dog. And sometimes sleep, too, is protection and mercy.

Now close your eyes too. Imagine a guard like Qitmir beside your door. Sleep in peace.