Peter McDonald always considered himself an educated and well-read parent, so one evening many years ago, when his children asked him for a bedtime story, he was surprised to discover he didn’t know any! Oh sure, he was familiar with Paul Bunyan and Aladdin and the Brothers Grimm, but familiarity is not mastery, and it takes mastery to tell a good story. Normally Peter just read to his children at bedtime, but on this particular evening they were “between books” as it were, and there seemed to be nothing on the shelves they could agree on.
Hence the need for a story.
With some effort, Peter put together a passable account of a well-known fable, which to his surprise was well received by his audience. The next day he frittered his time away on various “adult” activities, none of which included buying a new story book, and that evening when another tale was necessary, Peter was out of ideas. Then, somehow, he remembered the ancient and famous adventures of the Thirsty Camel.
It is impossible to say where these stories came from. Peter might have first heard them around a campfire one night in the Sahara, but on the other hand, maybe not. All we can know for certain is that Peter’s children liked the stories, and he told them for many years.