Tales in the sand by Neil Gaiman

I love tales! True or imaginary ones, transport my soul into other places, into remote times.

I enjoy being in a cosy room and listening to tales from the elders. My parents used to tell me vivid stories about their childhood; they were full of images and sweet memories.

During kindergarten years, I usually read fairy tales to my little daughters at bed-time; they looked at the colourful pictures with delight and as I turned over the pages of the book and magical things happened, they closed their eyes and fell asleep dreaming of a fantastic world.

Neil Gaiman refers to the tales that are transmitted from one generation to another and let the members of a community be united by strong feelings, under a common culture. Through his lines we can notice that the elders' opinions and rights are respected as coming from knowledge and wisdom.

In this story tale addressed to teenagers entering manhood, different themes are developed: love, dreams, destiny, death, destruction ...