Father’s Binoculars|دوربین پدر

By ( 137 )

“43rd story”

First published: June.14.2018

A story by Laleh Chini:

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I remember once we were having a picnic on a beautiful cliff called “Heleylah” with a great view of the Persian Gulf in Bushehr-Iran. As usual, we were gathered by our big family and we’re having a great time.

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I recall that on our left side in a very far distance, there was a Nuclear Power Plant surrounded by barbed wire.

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Bushehr’s Nuclear Power Plant is one of the most important and critical points in Iran. It was established in 1973.

My father had cool binoculars and was showing each one of us the new Nuclear Power Plant and was explaining that Shah has established it for a great cause.

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He said that the Nuclear Power Plant would easily filter the Persian Gulf’s water some day in the future, and that would be amazing for farming.

Iran would be green and independent in many farming products. We also looked at the beautiful seagulls flying over the fantastic dark blue water which made the scene unforgettable.

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We were all eating, playing and enjoying the moment when we noticed that six army cars were driving towards us with a very fast speed which caused a thick cloud of dust behind them.

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In a very short time, all six cars surrounded all our cars in such a way where no one could run away. Many army officers and soldiers jumped out of those cars with big guns pointed at us. We were so shocked and scared.

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One of the officers said: “You are under arrest.”

My father’s face was white as chalk. “Why? What did we do?” He asked with a startled voice.

The officer responded: “For taking illegal pictures of a forbidden zone. Taking pictures of a government-protected and prohibited area is a huge crime.”

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My father said: “But we don’t have a camera with us. I had no idea that it was illegal to look at the Nuclear Power Plant with binoculars. I was just explaining to my kids what good it would do for our country. I am so sorry.”

It was obvious that he believed my father as there was no one but many children and women. He believed that we were not spies or any secret agents, but he had to act professionally and searched all the cars inch by inch. After two straight hours, they didn’t find any camera and just saw the binoculars.

We were not arrested in the end, but the picnic turned into an unforgettable memory.

Dear friends:

You can purchase my book “Climbing Over Grit” Winner of “Canada Book Award” at;

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Categories: bedtime story, fable, fiction, folk tale, moral, parable, Short Story, Storytelling, taleTags: , , , , , ,

137 comments ›

  1. Eleanor Burns
    June 14, 2018 • 11:50 am

    That was a tense twist in the tale … I was just so glad that the officer showed reason in the end.

    Liked by 7 people

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  3. DutchIl
    June 14, 2018 • 12:13 pm

    Thanks for sharing!… the soldiers obviously did not see the wonderful world you father saw, perhaps the soldiers should have spent more time looking through your fathers binoculars… 🙂

    “Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow them.” Louisa May Alcott

    Liked by 8 people

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    • Laleh Chini
      June 14, 2018 • 12:26 pm

      What a beautiful quote, thanks for sharing 😍 I guess we all should take a better look at this world. We’re turning it into a madness and chaos 😔

      Liked by 3 people

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      • DutchIl
        June 14, 2018 • 1:06 pm

        There seems to be conflict, yes, but sometimes some rain must fall in ones life for one to know and appreciate sunshine… 🙂 there are those with closed minds the world over who live in fear and deny change, but with good people like you sharing there are many seeing the world through your fathers binoculars and you have given them hope, one day they will be in charge and the world will be a better place… hope is the last to die, you see….. 🙂

        “The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt. “ Friedrich Buechner

        Liked by 2 people

      • Laleh Chini
        June 14, 2018 • 1:15 pm

        Thanks dear for sharing your thoughts and that great quote. I absolutely agree with you ❤️

        Liked by 1 person

      • DutchIl
        June 14, 2018 • 2:12 pm

        Just keep typing and you GO girl!!… 🙂 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      • Laleh Chini
        June 14, 2018 • 2:16 pm

        😂thanks for the boost ❤️

        Like

  4. lynnetteok
    June 14, 2018 • 12:29 pm

    What a shame that such a wonderful memory turned into a memory of fear. Very thankful it turned out okay in the end.

    Liked by 5 people

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  5. Caffe
    June 14, 2018 • 12:35 pm

    Wow, terrible history, especially for a child. Everything is good what ends well 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

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  7. Rainsinn
    June 14, 2018 • 1:14 pm

    I was so tensed reading this story. It must have been terrifying for everyone. I am so happy that the ending was good and no one was hurt even though the memory is scary. 😊

    Liked by 5 people

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  8. hassanmosleh
    June 14, 2018 • 1:16 pm

    Dear Laleh thank you for sharing this beautiful story with us , what a huge nuclear project for filtering Persian Gulf water for cultivating in Sahara in 1973.

    Liked by 3 people

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  9. simplywendi
    June 14, 2018 • 1:17 pm

    what a very scary moment, especially in your father’s life who must have felt responsible for all of the women and children. thank you for sharing such beautifully unforgettable stories.

    Liked by 4 people

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  10. Laura M Bailey
    June 14, 2018 • 1:55 pm

    We have places like that too that can recieve a similar response. While a shocking addition to your outing, it created a lasting and vivid memory to a day that may otherwise have faded with time. 😊

    Liked by 3 people

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  11. Roos Ruse
    June 14, 2018 • 2:30 pm

    In my family of we see how sometimes to do their jobs well, members of militaries can sometimes lose sight of who and what they protect. What an excellent story, Laleh.

    Liked by 4 people

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  12. Peter Klopp
    June 14, 2018 • 3:23 pm

    This most have been one of the terrifying moments of your life. Unfortunately, these conflicts and confrontations with police and military happen all the time on our planet.

    Liked by 6 people

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  13. Piyali
    June 14, 2018 • 4:51 pm

    Such a beautiful experience marred by a scary incident. No wonder it left an indelible mark on your mind. Great post. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

    Liked by 4 people

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  14. Rosaliene Bacchus
    June 14, 2018 • 4:57 pm

    Terrifying moments no child should have to live through. The simple act of taking a closer look at a distant object can result in dire consequences. I thank the gods that the situation ended well for you and your family.

    Even in the simple and innocent activities of our lives, we are being watched.

    Liked by 4 people

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  15. Atifa.
    June 14, 2018 • 5:09 pm

    wow. i felt my heart break and become whole again whilst reading this.

    Liked by 3 people

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  16. mainepaperpusher
    June 14, 2018 • 5:52 pm

    What a scary event! Thank goodness you didn’t have a camera with you!

    Liked by 4 people

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  17. Blogging_with_Bojana
    June 14, 2018 • 9:50 pm

    A scary story. Thanks for sharing.

    Liked by 3 people

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  18. natuurfreak
    June 15, 2018 • 12:03 am

    Al te gek.Gelukkig liep het goed af

    Liked by 2 people

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  19. Kurian
    June 15, 2018 • 12:38 am

    Hello Laleh, nice to get connected. And your story here and experience have been narrated with beautiful skills and I am happy to be a follower

    Liked by 3 people

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  20. corneliaweberphotography
    June 15, 2018 • 1:29 am

    Laleh, your father responded humbled and kind, with no anger or accusations towards the soldier, I believe kindness in the heart often turns situations around in a positive way. Your father must be a great man.

    Liked by 4 people

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  22. Crissy
    June 15, 2018 • 10:05 am

    Memories that we treasure are made in frightening times as well as beautiful moments!
    Thank you dear Laleh for sharing one of your special moments
    💗🌹

    Liked by 3 people

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  24. Luke Smith
    June 15, 2018 • 10:49 pm

    This sounds like a truly intense experience. Thanks for sharing and giving us a little window into it.

    Liked by 3 people

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  25. ren
    June 16, 2018 • 3:30 pm

    I understand how the new ‘power plant’ would be of benefit to the land. However, Nuclear Power is so very dangerous and has anyone asked, “Why? Why was a simple ‘power plant’ under such heavy surveillance? I am grateful you had no camera that day.
    I am forever grateful that those days of greed and dangerous ways are done with. There are safer ways now to produce the same or better results.
    As always, what a wonderful sharing from you.
    Thank you!

    Liked by 3 people

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  26. Christopher Lindsay
    June 16, 2018 • 4:22 pm

    A very startling story!

    minor edit– “was [a] Nuclear Power…”

    Liked by 3 people

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  27. Sean D. Layton
    June 17, 2018 • 11:11 pm

    Never fun to attract the attention of authorities. By the time you realize it, it’s usually too late and you have to hope for the best.

    Liked by 3 people

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  28. Jonathan Caswell
    June 18, 2018 • 11:08 pm

    Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
    WISE, HONEST DAD! GREAT STORY—-WHAT WOULD THE SOLDIERS HAVE DONE WITH A CELL PHONE?

    Liked by 3 people

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  29. Warren Richards
    June 19, 2018 • 3:24 am

    Wow, what a story! Glad to hear that everything turned out okay! Blessings!

    Liked by 3 people

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  30. stopociechblog
    June 19, 2018 • 7:07 am

    An unforgettable experiens with soliders and only binoculars. You describe your family nicely. Dad, a wise man. I greet you.

    Liked by 3 people

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  32. OIKOS™-Redaktion
    June 21, 2018 • 11:13 am

    What a story! but dont worry Laleh, governments all over the world are acting this way.
    In view of all government i remembers these lines

    “There are some who are in darkness
    And the others are in light
    And you see the ones in brightness
    Those in darkness drop from sight.” (“A Theme from The Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife)”) 😉 Michael

    Liked by 2 people

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  33. freiedenkerin
    June 21, 2018 • 12:23 pm

    That’s so sad and weird – a playful picnic turned into a scary scene…

    Liked by 3 people

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  34. Alicia
    June 23, 2018 • 6:21 am

    I can only imagine how scary that was… even traumatic. Even if everything got solved in the end, the memories remain. Thank you for sharing your story with us ❤❤❤🌷

    Liked by 2 people

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  35. Winnie
    June 23, 2018 • 9:32 am

    That was really scary, dear! I’m glad it turned out well.

    Liked by 2 people

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  36. 🌴🌺🇹🇹🌊Tammy7711🌴🌺🇹🇹🌊
    June 27, 2018 • 3:42 am

    😦 wow! That was awfully intense & a scary life and death experience! Thank God for his protecting angels! Blessings ❤ thank you so much for sharing your life with us through these unforgettable stories. We have so much to be grateful to God for.

    Liked by 3 people

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  37. Professor Taboo
    July 4, 2018 • 11:47 pm

    Well, darn it. When I saw the image of the binoculars, I was THRILLED and goose-bumps appeared on my arms! 😮

    You see Laleh, I am a FREAK, a fanatic for anything from the Victorian Era and what myself and my tribe (group) call Steampunk. It is a Neo-Victorian genre of design, fashion, invention, and SyFy literature — my particular passion in it is just the sheer amount of brilliant minds, artists, and inventors during that age, i.e. the POSITIVE side and benefits for humanity. You father’s binoculars are a SPECTACULAR example of the Age of Invention then, much like the Renaissance and Enlightenment Ages.

    Yet, your particular story about them remind me (again) how very fortunate we are in certain parts of the world and the freedoms of expression we sometimes take for granted. Thank you for this reminder Ma’am. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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  38. natuurfreak
    July 17, 2018 • 11:18 pm

    Thanks for this lovely story

    Liked by 2 people

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  39. janetsm
    August 13, 2018 • 4:23 am

    Another unsettling childhood memory for you.You are an extraordinary storyteller/writer!

    Liked by 2 people

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  40. natuurfreak
    October 6, 2018 • 4:45 pm

    Zo zie je maar hoe gauw een situatie kan keren.Gelukkig geloofden de soldaten jullie vader en konden jullie terug naar huis0Het had veel slechter kunnen aflopen

    Liked by 2 people

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  41. Jimmy John
    September 21, 2020 • 9:34 am

    Wow. This is awesome ✌️😊

    Liked by 1 person

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  42. utahan15
    September 21, 2020 • 1:03 pm

    the state desires to educate
    and rather indeed indoctrinate
    you with propaganda
    not truth
    mere lies
    the control
    of you by fear
    is truly why

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  43. anne leueen
    September 21, 2020 • 9:05 pm

    I believe this story to be real. There are countries in the world where taking a picture of the wrong thing an be an offence punishable by death. I once was in Peru and saw someone have their camera taken and the film pulled out and thrown in the garbage because the person had taken a photo of the airport. The man did not argue as he knew he could be in jail if he protested.

    Liked by 1 person

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  44. Crissy
    September 22, 2020 • 6:55 am

    An unforgettable memory indeed ! WOW must’ve been scary seeing all the guns.
    Glad it has a good ending
    😄💜♥️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

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