Ask anyone from Afghanistan if they have heard this tale, and chances are the answer is yes. Told and retold from one generation to the next as a children's folk tale, 'Buzaak Chinie" has deep meaning for the people of Afghanistan. It also serves as a profound allegory for Afghan society.Presented here for the first time in print, 'Buzaak Chinie' will appeal to new generations of readers.

Asma Salehi is an artist and designer. She is one of a very small number of Afghanistan-born, Western-educated female writers and artists.