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The Tale of Kareem al-Malak, Friend of Sinbad: Part One
- The Tale of Kareem al-Malak, Friend of Sinbad: Part One -
In the ancient days, though perhaps not quite so ancient as all that, wherein the city of Baghdad was ruled by the great and grand caliph known to antiquity for his fame by the name of Harun al-Rashid... there did once live in that magnificent city a poor and struggling little girl whose name was Nulah. Her family was poor, and she was the strongest of their number, so she worked as an assistant maidservant in the employ of a lazy porter whose name was Ahmed. Ahmed took advantage of the girl's strength and caring personality in order to make her do for him any tasks that he found distasteful or difficult. For, it was known that Nulah was a child of uncommon strength indeed, and a heart that made her feel unable to say no when asked to do things. Oh, of course Ahmed did not so make a little girl carry heavy things! He had his man-servants for that. But he made her carry his most precious commodities, and where her strength came into play was when she had to bring such things from one end of the city to another in a speedy span of time. Something a weak individual... and even some strong ones... would find daunting. Even so, Nulah was good at it and never complained nor even so much as questioned what she did for Ahmed. And so it was, that upon a certain day, in the warmest season of the year, when the weather was excessively hot and the air was particularly dry whilst the roads were dusty and difficult, she was sent by Ahmed at the orders of his latest client to carry a box filled with expensive jewels and valuables that had been purchased from Ahmed's business for a hefty price. As was usual, she had to bring them from one end of the city to the other. For Ahmed's place of business was in the farthest corner of Baghdad as was possible from the Great Bazaar, which was where his clients oft agreed to have Ahmed's goods be delivered to. It was far from being a herculean task, but even so Nulah despite her strength and desire to do a good job for her master found the day's heat to be bordering on intolerable. However, she had not ever failed in any task assigned to her thus far, and being eleven years of age she was nearing that time in a child's life when sheer determination oft gets the better of reason or logic. And so, she decided to do the task assigned to her without complaint. However, before long she became fatigued by the heat... enough that she felt that she needed to rest for a time at the middle stage of her journey to the bazaar. For there was still a long way to go, and she needed to be at her strongest! She came at length to a side street where a cool and refreshing breeze blew upon her weary face, and the very pavement of the back streets there were sprinkled with a sweet smelling perfumed rose water. She could never have desired a better place to rest and recuperate for a time, and so she sat down the things she had been carrying and thereupon sat down upon the cool ground, near to a very large and opulent looking mansion such as in truth was of a like her youthful eyes had never beheld before. For a back part of town, this was a nice section! And she noticed there were few people present, and thus she found it to be somewhat private.
She was much pleased indeed, that she had stopped for a bit in this pleasant place; for the agreeable to her nostrils scent of wood of aloes, and of the petals of blossoms from nearby trees mixed in such a way that from the house there came smells that were easily as enrapturing to this child as had been the scent of the rose water outside. The air was heady with these perfumed scents, and the moment was so magical to Nulah! She had heard from within the mansion the sound of instrumental music playing, of harp and flute and other instruments of similar variety, the sound of drums and tambourines causing the beat to increase and the music to play faster and faster, so that the sound of it was like a whirlwind of varied melodies that contained great beauty within the music being made. There were, added to this, the sound of nightingales and other birds particular to the local climate. And so, this blending of things... all those pleasing scents, the music, and birdsong, and promises of savory dishes being cooked if Nulah's keen nose did not deceive her... all of that made the little girl conclude that there was a great celebratory feast with a lot of great rejoicings going on within the house. Her business was hectic, and seldom led her this way at all. She had no way of knowing to whom the mansion belonged, but she felt inquisitive.
And so, to satisfy her curiosity she sped over towards two of the many servants who were working in the gardens outside, near to the main gates of the house. The servants, tall women both of them... wore magnificent apparel of the finest silks and other materials of high quality. And they wore adornments fit for women of the highest social standing! Their manner was of a pleasant sort, and they did not turn the child away when she approached them. So did the stranger seek to ask of them that which was upon her mind to learn: “Good women, might either of you know who it is that owns this very mansion? Surely, it must be a man of great wealth and no small influence!” to which one of them replied with a surprised expression upon her face: “However have you lived in Baghdad for so long, little girl, it must surely be wondered... and never come to know that this house is the residence of Kareem al-Malak the merchant prince? He who is that same legendary sailor, navigator, explorer and treasure hunter who has claimed to have sailed with the legendary Sinbad the Sailor in his voyages around the world's entire confines! If anything, his fame precedes him in every civilized port in the world where he is known.” The little girl, who had heard of the great Sinbad's successes, and of his legendary riches, could not help but to in her own way envy him and any who so were associated with him greatly. Since... both Sinbad and his crew, including Kareem al-Malak who was indeed also known to her, lived in an opulent and decadent sort of splendor that made all the more evident the deplorable conditions in which people such as Nulah lived. Thus, her mind was being fretted and bothered with these vexing reflections. She lifted her eyes up unto the azure skies high above, as if she might behold Heaven itself, and she said loudly enough and clearly so as to be certain of being heard by any within the mansion: “Almighty Allah, most kind and merciful creator of all things, consider now the difference between this great Kareem and myself! I am every day exposed to fatigue and hard laboring, and calamities of many sorts, and abuses at the hands of my cruel employer... and I can scarcely obtain even the least healthy fruits for myself. And for the suffering of my family, I know only of shame. Whilst happy Kareem profusely expands his immense riches, and leads a life of continual blissful pleasures. Oh, what have I so done to deserve a lot in life this wretched? I have never been a wicked girl, nor in any ways impious.” And so... she finished this attempt at a dire prayer.
She then stuck her foot against the ground with a kick, and fell into sheer grief and despair... there on the spot. Whilst the child was thus beset with melancholy, a young girl who clearly was a maidservant came out of the house, and she took Nulah by the arm and bade her to follow her within. Though but a maidservant, it was clear she was attired in clothing that would have been the envy of even the women of the harem of the Caliph himself. Her master, Kareem, wished to speak with Nulah, she explained... for he could as expected not have helped but to have heard the little girl's desperate prayer unto Allah. And who is to say, in that moment... that Allah had not chosen Kareem, to so be the one to answer that prayer! For her part, it can be said that Nulah was greatly surprised at this turn of events, and she saw it was a compliment of sorts at first. However, the further the young girl ushered her into the house, the more she began to fear that perhaps Kareem meant to punish her for her jealousy of his good fortune in life. Nulah tried to excuse herself then, saying that she could not leave her burdens unattended back in the street. But the other child, the one leading her onward told her with assurance that the male worker servants, who were strong, mighty men indeed being former members of both Sinbad's and Kareem's most recent crews, would look after what Nulah had left behind her. So was Nulah obliged simply to accompany the other little girl to see the great man Kareem himself. At length, she was brought into a great hall. To speak of its' splendors would be quite the undertaking! It was a grand place, a place filled with the kind of decorations that could be seen as either displays of one's wealth or the favorite things of a man who had quite good and perhaps expensive tastes. It was boggling to Nulah's mind how any man, or woman, could hope to afford such luxury and grandeur as what she beheld within the interior of the mansion. Her eyes were wide as she looked about her, even as her hands were twitchy and nervous.
A number of people, sat there around a grand table that was covered with all varieties of fruits and of savory dishes as well. At the upper end, sat a comely gentleman of fifty years of age with a handsomely friendly round face, a ready smile upon his small mouth, and a polite disposition. The man had a shaven head and face, except for a high ponytail tied up with a gold hair cone that cascaded down his back. His hair was silvery, but had hints of former color to it still. He had the blue eyes of a foreigner, somewhat pronounced cheekbones, and an aquiline nose that looked quite regal. He was of an average build and it was clear he had been living mostly a life of luxury for at least a decade. Behind him stood a number of personal officers and domestic servants, all ready and willing to do his bidding. Nearby, women in the attire of dancing girls waited upon the man's pleasure. And this older gentleman was the great Kareem to whom this place belonged. Nulah was frightened by the largeness of the gathering around her, but in spite of that she bowed and then saluted the gathered people politely even though she was trembling in a very visible way. Kareem bade her to draw near unto him and thus be seated in peace. So did the child sit at the man's left hand, and Kareem served Nulah personally as he gave her excellent tasting wine, of which there was an abundance upon the sideboard. Then, one of the dancing girls smiled in a friendly manner at the little girl, but Kareem gave her a certain look that made her blush and turn her eyes away from the stranger. When the feast had concluded, Kareem addressed his conversation to his new guest, and he called her his little sister. This was viewed as a welcoming custom in Baghdad's culture during those days when one is trying to become familiar with another person and wishing to make them feel more at ease. He then asked the stranger her name and what her choice of employment was. So did the little girl reply: “My lord and master, my name is Nulah.” to which Kareem said: “I am pleasured in my heart to meet you, Nulah. And I dare to say the same on behalf of all within my household. But... I wish to hear, from your own lips, what it was you loudly said in the street outside my home.” Kareem had so heard the girl complaining in prayer through the nearby window, and this was the proving of that fact.
Nulah hung down her head in shame, and she replied humbly: “Master, I confess that my fatigue, as is brought on by my difficult job, put me in a very black humor, and it occasioned me to utter words that it pains me to admit were indiscreet and unworthy for even the ears of Allah on high. I beg... your pardon, for this.” And Kareem told her: “Do not believe I am an unjust man! I do not resent those complaints as you voiced. I consider that your condition is a dreadful one, and instead of further shaming you for it... I would be instead pleased to rectify your errors concerning myself. You believe that I have acquired all that I own today, and all that I have, without great pains and even greater troubles. You think me a man of ease and of decadent indulgence, but you err! Your mistake, is that I did not attain to this most happy condition without enduring many years of trouble both of body and of mind... and more of that than you could imagine. Yes, gentlemen!” he then addressed not only that little girl, but all around him, adding: “And, lovely women... and children who are present as well, of whom I am fondest of all... I can assure everyone present, that my troubles were ridiculous and extraordinary, calculated to discourage the most hardy souls from undertaking the tasks I endured. And the first of them all, was the one in which I made the fortunes that have sustained me most throughout the years since. You are a maidservant, it so seems. So, you will appreciate the laborious difficulty that oft one finds themselves in when attempting to start out in life. Though I was not nearly so young as yourself, Nulah, when my troubles began. It hurts me to both see a child your age in such a position that she needs to work unto exhaustion... and to see that this circumstance has led you to envy me wrongly. Before the night is over, I intend to satisfy your curiosity as to how I came to such wealth and ease as is now mine... and if you will allow me, I will do all that I can to ease your burdens in life both physical and otherwise, so that you too will know a life of comfort and ease. As befitting so pretty a little girl as yourself! Does your employer ever compliment you thus? If he does not, then he is a sinful man, and Allah surely frowns upon his treatment of you. Now, then!”
He then elaborated, stating: “I gained my riches, through difficulty, and perhaps you have never prior to today heard a distinctly accurate accounting of my fabulous adventures and the dangers that I faced, the horrors I encountered, and all that happened during the voyage that made my fortune. I have a new crew now, and I rarely go to sea any longer! Sinbad is still my friend, although we are not as close as in years past. But I have other friends now, and they need me more! But I digress. I shall give all present a faithful accounting of that voyage of which I have spoken, with no doubt in my mind that you will find this acceptable to hear.” And Kareem wished to relate all this, chiefly on Nulah's account, so he ordered that the little girl's burden be carried to its' right destination. In the moment following his certainty that the task was being carried out, he proceeded to tell his tale. Nulah leaned back on some cushions, and smiled as she sipped some wine and allowed her imagination to conjure all that Kareem told her about.
'I had inherited my initial wealth from my grandfather, considerable property for any man to possess. But the greatest parts of it, my own foolish father had squandered away in his youth without thinking. I knew it was wrong, and I realized to my shame by witnessing this that riches were all too fleeting and at times so perishable, quickly consumed by fools such as my father who are ill in all their management of things. I further considered that by my own extravagant tastes in living, I was truly just as wretched in the misspending my time. And time is the most valuable of all mortal riches! It was the noble Solomon I believe, as my father once told me, who said that death itself is more tolerable than is poverty. One of my father's few moments of wisdom, and that he borrowed from another! Struck as I so was with these reflections, I collected to myself the vestiges of my once fabulous fortune, any of it that my father was not of a mind to claim for himself, and I sold all my effects by way of a public auction at the bazaar. I then signed a contract with some merchants, who traded by sea, and I took the advice of such men as I thought most capable of assisting me, giving no ear to anything my father advised me. I resolved to thus improve what money I had, and I went to Basra one day to embark with several of these merchants on board a ship which we had jointly fitted out. We set sail that day from port, and steered our course ever towards India, through the Persian gulf that is formed by the coasts of Arabia on the right and Persia on the left as one leaves for the open waters by that manner. Some claim the gulf is seventy leagues wide at the broadest place! The eastern sea, as well as that of the Indies, is very spacious for sailors. Bounded as it is on one side by the coasts of Abyssinia, it is I believe 4,500 leagues in length unto the islands of Vakvak. At first, I was troubled by being seasick, but I speedily recovered of my health, and so I was as not afterwards subject to that difficulty. The captain was the famous Sinbad, who had made this journey in his youth and he wished for it to be my first experience at sea in his employ, since this route had been good to him. During this voyage, we touched at several major islands, where we sold or exchanged our goods to make a profit. Buy low, sell high... that is the merchant's creed, and we followed it to the letter of what laws we followed. One day, as we were under sail, we were becalmed near unto a small island which was only somewhat visible at a first glancing... for it was elevated only slightly above the level of the water, resembling a green meadow laid out across the water's surface. Sinbad ordered his sails to be furled, and he permitted any crew members who were thus inclined to go ashore to do so, in order to see what this island had to offer us. He warned that it might be a sea monster in disguise, and I laughed at this thinking him to merely be superstitious as many sailors are inclined to be. I decided to go ashore with those seeking such leave. But whilst we were so enjoying ourselves in eating and drinking, and singing as well... relaxing to recover from the fatigue of the sea... and this we did during our shore leave upon the island, which we at first found to contain not a thing worthy of note; whilst we did all of this, the island began to quake and tremble, and shake us as we stood upon it. Those aboard the ship saw this calamity, and the captain called to us from aboard it to be swift in our return so that we might reembark speedily lest we should all be lost. It is ridiculous to admit that Sinbad had been correct in his warning!'
'For what we took to be an ordinary island was presently revealed unto us as the back of an enormous sea monster like unto a gigantic fish only larger by far... and more massive. The nimblest of us ran back to our vessel with haste, whilst others betook to swimming like fishes themselves in order to reach our sloop in one piece. I, being a bit slower, was left on the back of the creature, and when it dived into the sea I had only time to catch a hold of a piece of wood that we had brought from our ship to make a fire. I was reminded of tales I had heard of Sinbad's similar fate during an excursion on these waters. And I admonished myself for being a fool and not having heeded better. Meanwhile, the captain saw to those back on board, and he resolved to make use of the sudden favorable gale that had just arisen. The sails were hoisted, and the voyage so pursed, but I found it impossible to return to the ship myself. I knew in that instant, that Sinbad believed me dead, and so was I exposed to the mercies of the waves, struggling for my life throughout the rest of the day. Night fell quickly as I persisted in my survival, praying for no sharks if any there be in those waters... for I knew not, being new to the sea... to find me a tempting and easy meal. And by this time I found my strength going! I despaired for my life, but then a pleasant wave tossed me against a nearby island. The bank was high and rugged, and I could in truth but barely have gotten to my feet if not for some roots of trees which fortune seemed to have saw fit to preserve in this place for my safety. I grabbed a hold, clambered up unto shore, and lay down tired, staring at the skies.'
'I may as well have been half dead! The sun appeared, and though feeble from these labors and lack of food or drink, I crept along to find some herbs that might be edible. I had the good fortune to procure a bit of them, but even better did I discover a spring of clean and excellent water to drink. Between these two finds, I recovered greatly compared to my previous state. After this, I advanced inland until I came to a fine plain where I spied a horse feeding. I walked towards it, not sure if I should be hopeful, or if I should be afraid. I know not if I was more likely to endanger myself, or preserve my life. But... as I did approach the animal, I saw it was a strong mare tied to a wooden stake set into the ground. As I stood in admiration of that beast's beauty, having come a great distance across that plain, I heard the sound of a man's voice calling to me from down at the bottom of a nearby ravine. At the bottom of that ravine, the camp of a richly attired man was laid out, and he bade me come down to meet with him. Nearby, there was a cave where several other people were gathered, all of them likewise richly dressed. They were all surprised to see me, and I was grateful to see them. The man who had called to me led me by the hand to the back of the cave, where he bade me to so partake of some provisions that they had an excess of. I asked what these people were doing in such a remote and desolate place as this, and they told me that they were grooms in service to the local maharajah who was the sovereign of the island on which I so was. Another facet from the stories of Sinbad that I had half doubted but now found to be in fact true.'
'Every year, during the current season, they brought forth one of the king's mares and fastened it to the ground even as I had noticed. A seahorse the size of a stallion would come forth from the waters of the sea to mate with the mare, but in its' zeal it would try to kill it once this was so done. But... a handful of other mares, which I had yet to see, made such a frightful noise that it deterred the horse of the sea from remaining to enact the now pregnant mare's end, causing it to return unto the sea. The then-impregnated mare would then be taken back unto the king's domain, and its' offspring was always to be born in the form of a seahorse that grew to be the size of a stallion but which could live upon land. The people then told me that they did need to be leaving for home on the morrow, at the first light of dawn, and that had I come a day later I surely would have died in my attempts to reach a civilized place. For this part of the island was wild, and rugged, and devoid of all life for the most part. Without a guide, there was simply no way to reach civilization! Whilst I stayed, and was delightfully entertained by dancing girls brought along to help pass the time with entertainment, the hours passed until the moment the seahorse arrived.'
'The great seahorse emerged at last from the water with a mighty splashing sound... looking exactly as a great stallion but green in color with gills like a fish and webbed clawed feet instead of hooves. I shall say that all proceeded between it and the mare as was expected. I heard the sound of many mares crying out, which scared the seahorse away when it tried to kill the one that was bound at its' mercy, but I saw the other animals not. I asked my hosts why this strangeness was, and they told me that the other mares brought along for this ritual were spirit animals who were some of the ancestors of the mare chosen for this rite. I did not believe this, until one of the dancing girls kissed me upon my mouth, and after that I could see the spectral mares as clearly as I could the living one. Upon the very next morning following this event, the grooms returned with the mare and all its' spirit companions, and I journeyed with them to the city of the maharajah, determined not to be left behind. I was presented unto the great king, and beheld his splendid majesty and all the riches of his court. The king asked me who I was, and by what misfortune I had come to be in such an obvious state of wretchedness within his dominions. I satisfied his curiosity and concerns, and he told me that he was fearful for my present state. He proclaimed that because he was a generous man to excess, then I should want for nothing. He so commanded his most loyal of officers to be generous and careful in seeing that all of my needs and desires should be fulfilled to my utmost satisfaction. Being a merchant, I chose during my stay in that king's domain to frequent others of my chosen profession, and I kept inquiring to see if there might be any other strangers about who had heard news from distant Baghdad. I hoped for an opportunity to return home, for that island was part of a larger domain also ruled over by this king I was the guest of... and that domain was further situated across a mighty coastline; the capital city had a grand harbor, where ships arrived daily from many quarters of the known world, and it was not foolish to so believe it possible to return whence I had come. I lived for a time among the people of India who did call this place their home, and I took a delight in the fact that all those I conversed with were pleasant. I was granted titles for what services I had to offer the royal court, and I quickly became a favorite new fixture of that court. It was very good!'
'I took care to regularly attend the court of the maharajah therefore, and I spoke often with the king's governors and with the minor kings of smaller domains under the authority of the maharajah himself. They were ever in attendance about him upon the days I attended court, and they asked me a thousand questions about my home country, and if I had ever heard of a man named Sinbad who had arrived in this kingdom under similar circumstances long ago. I told them that he had been my captain, and that I considered it ironic that I was reliving some of the same adventures that he was beset with during his first voyage. As I was eager to learn more of their laws, customs, and ways, I answered them as best as I could in pretty much all that they inquired about... and I asked them to educate me, about any subject I thought worth learning of which I did not already know. There belonged to this great king, still another island called Qassel in our tongue... but in the local language, it was called by a totally different name. They assured me that every night, the sound of drums could be heard there, and so the mariners fancied that it was the residence of the evil devil Dajjal. Not being of so overtly, and ridiculously, superstitious a nature, I became curious to know what took place there in truth, and on my way thither I beheld fishes of 100 or even 200 cubits in length, and they were very skittish and nervous seeming creatures that flee upon the merest rattling of two sticks or boards clacked together. I saw likewise other strange fish about a cubit in length that had heads like owls. I was upon a rowboat, all by myself at the time, and making my way towards the island when I had spotted all those fish of which I just spoke. Upon that island, I saw several primitive peoples gathered at an ancient temple there made from massive stone walls, and the temple had towers carved in the shape of great faces. There was a village on that forsaken island as well, and the people of that village had come unto the temple to beat sacred drums and enact rituals in honor of gods and goddesses that in our part of the world we have no names for. I saw no evil they did.'
'That is, aside from that they knew not of Allah or anything equivalent, and instead worshiped idols of stone and seemed to practice a kind of mysticism bordering on magic. I asked them if they had ever in their history heard of Sinbad the great merchant captain, and they told me that he had visited them long ago but that he fled in haste believing it to be needful for him to depart without associating with them for too long. They said I was a man of uncommon open mindedness, and they praised me for having the courage to speak with them without fear. I stayed to watch them perform animal sacrifices, and tried to not let it appear to bother me when I beheld them perform the ritual defilement of a virgin priestess who willingly subjected herself to rape at the hands of a dozen men of whatever tribe to which these people belonged. They bade me to partake of the priestess myself, to prove that I understood their ways and so was worthy of being granted access to their most sacred of holy places. To my devilish curiosity, and to my utmost shame, I did as they bade me and I had my turn upon the priestess after the first six of those twelve men who partook of her had finished having their way with her. When I was through, the other six did with her as they pleased, and all of this took place in a large hut off to one side of the temple's inner courtyard. Some of the men who had her last must have been rough with her, and the priestess's screams will haunt me well into the next world sometimes I fear. The horror of all this, is that she did not fight any of them, or me... she was willing in her defilement, and remained obedient to the wishes and whims of those who ravished her right up until the last man got out from between her legs. Then, the priestess was tended to by a physician to assure that she was well and would live. The physician so, after a thorough examination of the priestess, exclaimed that not only was she well but that surely out of these carnal festivities she would be pregnant and have a divinely blessed child. It was custom, I was told, for the next leader of the tribe to be such a child born under these circumstances. With this ritual in fact being the manner in which the next leader was always conceived. I shall never know just how much of myself, the child of the priestess would inherit... if anything at all... for I did not remain long upon that island. I was initiated into ancient mysteries that I may not speak of freely, and I was allowed entrance into the temple's holiest of chambers. Therein, I saw a little girl sitting upon several cushions heaped atop a grand altar surrounded by chanting virgin priestesses and attending eunuchs. She wore a gown of soft, transparent fabrics and her entire body save for her undergarments were visible beneath. She spoke unto me, commended me for being the first outsider who was willing to understand and take part in the religious observances of her tribe, and she told me that she was the leader of the tribe and the living goddess of its' people. She would not tell me her name, for she said it was too scared to utter, and she told me that she had seen twelve summers altogether. When the child conceived this day is twelve summers also, they will take her place and she will retire to a life of luxury after that. That was how the politics of this tribe operated, and I knelt at the child goddess's feet and made obeisance to her with as much piety as I do to Allah, whilst in my heart begging Allah to forgive me for this act of blasphemy. I saw no evil in honoring the local customs, however, and so I was certain that I would be forgiven for what I did so as not to anger or offend these people and their ruler. In reward for this, the child goddess gave to me a precious white pearl and a beaded bracelet with solid gold beads. I put on the bracelet, and as you who are gathered today to hear me tell my story can see, I wear it still as a reminder of that day. I sold the pearl for a goodly sum when I got back to the city of the maharajah again, and during the early hours of the dawn... for I had spent the night among those people in that temple... that was when I made my decision to depart after asking the child goddess for permission to take my leave. She granted this, and as soon as I reached the rowboat I made my return to port. Thereupon, I sold the pearl and found it to have been worth a rather decent sum. Thus, did my journey to Qassel prove fruitful after all, and was not as wasteful a pursuit as I had at first suspected it might turn out to be. I told anyone who asked that I had discovered nothing of any worth on that island, and that it was inhabited only by some local tribe or another that would prefer to be left well enough alone. Every night, the drums would continue to play.'
'For there were nightly rituals to please the child goddess, and it was perhaps best to allow those who lived in the maharajah's kingdom to know nothing about it. Let them believe what they will! So long as that tribe was left alone... and it was, if only out of the fear people still held for that island despite my earthly explanation for what was there... it did not matter. Upon my return to the docks the following day, after I had eaten well, rested long, and washed myself clean at least in body... despite my mind and heart feeling soiled, and my soul feeling tainted... I noticed that it was a particularly clear and beautiful day. I also saw, to my good fortune, that a ship had arrived and had just cast its' anchor on coming into port. It was being unloaded at the docks, and the merchants on board commanded all their goods to be carried to the nearby customhouse. As I cast my eye upon some bales of merchandise, in hope to make out the name inscribed upon their labels, I saw that it was my own name written there, and that these goods were the same as those I had brought with me when I had embarked for this journey from Basra. I recognized the captain, Sinbad, for who would not recognized so great a man as he... but being dearly persuaded by my fears that he believed me to be drowned I went and thus asked him whose goods these were. He replied that they belonged to a merchant from Baghdad called Kareem, who came to sea with him but who one day, being near to an island that was actually a monster, had gone ashore thinking that all was well... in the company of many others. But the island was a gigantic fish that had fallen asleep near the surface of the water, and as soon as the fish felt the heat of the bonfire the men had kindled on its' back in order to cook some food, it began to move and it dove under the water. Fortunately, none of those who had been upon the monster's back had perished, but Sinbad was certain that Kareem had died since he never made it back to the ship in time to sail on. Those bales were indeed his, and the captain was resolved to trade them for a decent price... so that if he should chance to meet with any members of Kareem's family upon returning to Baghdad he could give them the wealth so earned in order to help in easing their grief at his passing. But then I said to the captain: “Sinbad, you fool! I am that very Kareem whom you thought to be dead, and these goods are all actually still mine.” When the captain heard me say this, he cried: “Heavens above! Whom can we believe in times such as these that we live in? There is no faith among deceitful men. I saw Kareem perish with my own eyes, as did all those on board, and yet you tell me that you are that very man. What impudence is this? To look upon you, one would take you to be a man of wealth and influence... you appear to be doing well in this place for yourself... but then you speak such a falsehood as this, in order to lay claim to what does not by Allah belong to you. I should kill you on the spot, for you sir are a thief in noble clothing I suspect! And, yet... I was myself in identical sorts of circumstances here many long years ago as you claim and seem to be in, and so I will hear you out and still my sword hand at least for the moment. You do resemble Kareem, at least in your face, though he was certainly not wearing such fine attire as you are. And your hair, which was long and full, is now shaved bald but for that high ponytail... a native fashion, that, I've seen. And so, I took you for a native of this place! But your eyes are actually blue I see, as Kareem's were, and that only so gives me pause to reconsider. No other man I know personally has such color eyes, save for foreigners I have traded with over the years.” I saw then that Sinbad was actually willing to listen to what I had to speak.'
'And I told the captain: “Be patient, good master. Do me the favor to hear what I have to say, and then you may kill me if I should be proven false after I have spoken.” He said: “Very well, then... do speak! I am ready to so hear what you have to say. But it better be the truth! I have no tolerance for liars.” Then, I told him my full tale of how I escaped my end, and by what varied means I had come to meet with the grooms of the maharajah, who took me into his court and lavished upon me wealth and the title of the nobleman merchant I had been living as ever since. The captain's certainty of my death abated upon this declaration of mine, and he was at last persuaded that I was no thief. He saw that my circumstances had been the very mirror of his own once upon a time, and in his eyes I saw tears of long ago remembering.'
'And there came forward people from his ship who knew me and recognized my face, and did pay me great compliments as to my current estate, expressing joy at seeing me alive and seeing at how I had in the meantime prospered. The captain recollected himself, and he then realized his error and embraced me in a friendly way, saying: “Allah be praised, Kareem, for your escape from the jaws of death itself! I cannot express enough the joy this fills me with, my friend. There are all your goods, and you may take them and do with them what pleases you to.” I thanked him, and was happy at his having recognized me at last, and so I offered him a small part of my goods as a gift, taken as I was with his decency and dedication to ensuring that I would not be robbed after my death, but he generously refused. I then took what was most valuable of all my goods, and I presented them to the maharajah who, knowing of what had befallen me, asked me how I had come by such rare and wonderful things. This, I did because the captain had told me he had done the same long ago, and that it was something I would not regret doing. I acquainted the maharajah with the circumstanced of my goods' recovery, and he was pleased by my sudden good fortune. He accepted all the things I presented him with, and in return he gave me one far more considerable indeed, a solid gold chest filled with jewels the like of which in all truth my eyes had never beheld before. “This, is better even by far than that which of old I gave a certain Sinbad!” he did exclaim, adding: “Be thankful for my generosity, as he was.” and I bowed low and thanked him deeply. Then I took my leave of him, and had the golden chest brought back to my quarters aboard the ship. I exchanged my goods, which I had intended to trade for a profit anyway, for some of the most valuable commodities of that country that I could hope to sell at a higher price back home in the varied markets of Baghdad. I now had a great quantity of wood of aloes, sandalwood, precious henna, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, curry powder, and ginger. I had a little girl who was my personal pleasure servant whilst I lived in that city, and she did agree to come with me to Baghdad in order to remain in my service. She grew to become a woman who is in my employ to this very day, and the richness of her company was worth more than all else that I had come to gain during this adventure of mine. After setting sail at the last, we passed by several unremarkable islands until we arrived at Basra from whence I thus journeyed back to Baghdad. I sold the goods from India in the markets, and I made a tremendous fortune selling also the splendid gold chest of jewels. My fortune was now beyond reasonable counting, so that henceforth my family and myself would want for nothing at all. I purchased slaves of both sexes and of all ages, and of many uses both utilitarian and intimate. I bought a landed estate, and built a magnificent house outside of the city. And I had plenty of wealth still left over even after that! Thus did I also purchase for myself this mansion and I did so staff it as you see... save for those of my current crew who were not with me then. I began to put aside from my thoughts the miseries I had suffered, and began to enjoy life's many pleasures. I hope you see! This was the circumstances under which I came to know my present luxury.'
Kareem then stopped his story there, and told the musicians to continue with their playing, which the story had interrupted. The company continued enjoying themselves until the evening, when it was time to retire. Kareem sent for a purse filled with over one hundred golden coins, and he gave this to Nulah, and told her kindly: “Take this, little sister, and return back to your home. Come back to see me on the morrow, and hear more of my adventures... if you wish to.” The little girl then went away, astonished to her core at the honor done her thus. The hearing of this adventurous story had proved very agreeable in the extreme, and her parents and siblings were pleased, giving thanks to Allah for what had been sent to the poor child by the hand of the great Kareem. The little girl put on her finest apparel for the next day, and so she returned to the company of the great merchant, who received her with a pleasant air. She had the day off from her duties, and it was the perfect excuse to once more make her new friend's wondrous acquaintance. There were no festivities taking place this time, and the little girl found Kareem seated in the gardens, beneath a canopy that kept him and those with him shaded from the heat of the brutal sun.
He was sitting on the ground beneath the canopy, upon a pile of soft cushions and blankets laid out there for his comfort, and all around him were the children that also resided in the mansion with him, seated in comfort no less than his own. Beautiful boys and girls, in clothing so fine that they may as well have been the sons and daughters of princes or kings! They were listening to him tell a tale from his past when Nulah was brought into his presence by one of the women servants who as had been the case before were busy working outside when the little girl arrived. When she walked over to Kareem, he stopping the telling of his tale and bade her be seated upon his lap, which she blushed at the notion of but did all the same, not wishing to displease him. Once she had done so, the other children began to giggle and some whispered things that their companions found humorous. Kareem stroked Nulah's hair and said to her in a caring and visibly loving tone: “My precious child! I began to wonder, if you would return. I had offered you the invitation to do so, but I did not think you would take me up on it. Though I must confess, I am well pleased you did! Before I begin the resuming of my story, I thought that first I should give you the chance to know a far better lot in life than was mine of old. So that you shall never have to suffer a lot of the things that I have over the years to come. Last night, I had you followed upon your way home, and after you retired for the evening the woman whom I sent upon this task asked your mother about certain things that concerned me regarding you. Your mother appears to be a good woman and your father a patient and caring man. I learned from the woman whom I sent thus, that you are long in the employ of Ahmed the porter, who has been your master of tasks since you were seven years old. The very first year of your employment to him, he used you to steal for him, and when you did not do the dishonest deeds that he asked you to his utmost satisfaction, he deprived you of your virginity so as to punish you for failing him. Your mother wanted you to stop working for him after that, and much to his credit your father wanted to kill the man for defiling you. Yet, you insisted that you needed to keep on working for him in order to provide for your family since your mother has her hands full with your siblings and your father has been unable to work ever since he lost the use of both of his legs after sadly falling off of the horse he rode back when he served in the army of the Caliph. A very unhappy physical condition, which made it that your father would have been unable to pursue the sort of vengeance he so wished to enact upon Ahmed in any case! But I am not so limited, and even now the head of Ahmed the porter lies at the bottom of a dry well in a ruined caravan outpost in the middle of the desert. The rest of him is likely being consumed by wild beasts native to the sands. I move quickly when pushed to anger, and some of those in my employ move even quicker! Like the messengers of Allah they are, in that way. So, you now find yourself unemployed, my dear... which is why I have decided to allow you to live here with me, alongside these other children who had all met with unfair circumstances in their lives during years past, though none more tragic to hear of than yours. Children should never be forced to toil, and there are some punishments that are too wicked to imagine men resorting to! The punishment I caused Ahmed to suffer is a just one in comparison. I need only to hear that you are willing in this, that you wish it... and with a word, if you give it, I will have your family given lodgings at my other mansion. Whilst you shall stay in this mansion, with me! Naturally, they and you may visit one another as much as you desire, and all of you will live like royalty. What do you say? Please... do consider, saying yes!” And as soon as he had finished this long speech, Nulah thought long and hard about it, but she knew in her heart that this was all she had ever wanted and more for herself and for her family. “Yes!” she said in a delighted voice, after which Kareem kissed her on the mouth passionately whilst the other children giggled at the sight of this. He then sent one of the boys off to deliver a message to the chief of all his servants, in order so that the plans that he had already discussed setting into motion could be enacted. The chief servant knew what to do, and went to the house of Nulah's family in order to tell them how their lot in life had changed for the better. And... to oversee their journey to their new and better home. All, whilst Kareem dismissed the other children so that he could spend some hours alone with Nulah.
“Tell me Nulah...” he asked her, after he had shown her the bliss of intimate love to teach her that not all men do such acts so as to punish, “Do you still think me to have come by my good fortune through a life of ease?” and she said to him, after kissing his lips and caressing his face lovingly: “No, for only a man who has suffered, and who understands suffering, would take pity on a little girl who has nothing.” Then, he asked her: “Why is it, I wonder, that you seem so much wiser than your age? I find that to be incredibly attractive to me!” to which the eleven year old girl answered: “The things I have lived, and the things I have done over these years of my life so far, they have made me wiser than other girls my age, save for moments such as my outburst that you heard.” His hands were still caressing her body, as the two of them had yet to put their clothes back on. For, they had been naked ever since their having made love, and neither was in a hurry to get dressed again at present. She liked how he made her body feel... he was gentle with her, unlike Ahmed. Kareem treated her with respect, and this made her love him deeply. She now knew that this was what she felt for this wonderful man! He said unto her: “You have no need to apologize for that! Or for anything, ever again. Next year, when you turn twelve, I will marry you... since you will be of marrying age... and I will be a goodly husband for you, and provide all that you have ever dreamed of, and more. But only if I have your heart! Do I have it... beloved Nulah?” and once again, it pleased her to say “Yes!” to him, and never after that moment did she ever shed a tear that was not in joy. Then, a singular thought crosses her mind whilst she and her husband to be were in the process of getting dressed once more. Once their clothes were back upon them, she said to him in a sweet manner: “Husband! For I will start calling you that now, if it pleases you... since you were the one to tell me a tale when first I came before you, I would like to return the favor and tell you a story no less incredible to hear.” to which Kareem smiled, intrigued, as he said unto her: “Very well! Go ahead, I am listening raptly. And no, dear wife of my heart, I could never mind hearing you call me whatsoever it moves your heart to call me.” and they began to stroll through the garden whilst Nulah told her tale. And this was what she revealed unto her husband to be in the course of the tale being related... “I was not always the child of those who are my parents now. Once, I was the princess of a tribe of Jinn who live in a fabulous kingdom in an oasis far across the desert and beyond the sight of mortals. I lived to adulthood as a member of their tribe, and upon reaching adulthood I was made to drink the waters of the oasis, which have the power to bestow immortality. One day, the man who would become my father came to the oasis by accident when he had been separated from the rest of his fellow soldiers whilst the Caliph's army were out upon a campaign in the kingdom on the border of the desert that is farthest from the lands you might be familiar with save only in legends. For that, is where our oasis lies! I felt sorry for the lost solider, and out of all my kind I was the only one to show him any kindness. All the others of my people... they only wanted him gone, seeing him as a danger to our solitude. I wanted to learn of him what it was he wished for most in his heart, and when he told me that he wished for a daughter but had resigned himself to not ever having one, since his wife in all the years they were married had never been able to become pregnant, I told him that if he wished hard enough for this... and worded it aloud in the form of a spoken wish... then I could grant him his heart's desire. He did this, seeking to humor me, for he did not truly believe that the Jinn actually had the power to grant wishes. Thereon, I became only a spirit carried upon the wind, and the wind carried me to this man's house where I waited until the next time that he and his wife made love together. Thereafter, my spirit was drawn unseen into her womb, to be born as her first child, the little girl you know as Nulah. After that, the woman was barren no longer, and my other siblings came into the world later... and all of them were human, with only myself having been a Jinn in a previous existence. When I listened as you told me your tale, I sensed in you a growing attraction for me, and a wish for me to become your wife. And so, that wish has been granted! Also now you know the truth about why I seem so wise, for one so young.” Then, her eyes did glow with a bluish light after which they returned to normal. Kareem, seeing she spoke true, loved her all the more for this.
In the ancient days, though perhaps not quite so ancient as all that, wherein the city of Baghdad was ruled by the great and grand caliph known to antiquity for his fame by the name of Harun al-Rashid... there did once live in that magnificent city a poor and struggling little girl whose name was Nulah. Her family was poor, and she was the strongest of their number, so she worked as an assistant maidservant in the employ of a lazy porter whose name was Ahmed. Ahmed took advantage of the girl's strength and caring personality in order to make her do for him any tasks that he found distasteful or difficult. For, it was known that Nulah was a child of uncommon strength indeed, and a heart that made her feel unable to say no when asked to do things. Oh, of course Ahmed did not so make a little girl carry heavy things! He had his man-servants for that. But he made her carry his most precious commodities, and where her strength came into play was when she had to bring such things from one end of the city to another in a speedy span of time. Something a weak individual... and even some strong ones... would find daunting. Even so, Nulah was good at it and never complained nor even so much as questioned what she did for Ahmed. And so it was, that upon a certain day, in the warmest season of the year, when the weather was excessively hot and the air was particularly dry whilst the roads were dusty and difficult, she was sent by Ahmed at the orders of his latest client to carry a box filled with expensive jewels and valuables that had been purchased from Ahmed's business for a hefty price. As was usual, she had to bring them from one end of the city to the other. For Ahmed's place of business was in the farthest corner of Baghdad as was possible from the Great Bazaar, which was where his clients oft agreed to have Ahmed's goods be delivered to. It was far from being a herculean task, but even so Nulah despite her strength and desire to do a good job for her master found the day's heat to be bordering on intolerable. However, she had not ever failed in any task assigned to her thus far, and being eleven years of age she was nearing that time in a child's life when sheer determination oft gets the better of reason or logic. And so, she decided to do the task assigned to her without complaint. However, before long she became fatigued by the heat... enough that she felt that she needed to rest for a time at the middle stage of her journey to the bazaar. For there was still a long way to go, and she needed to be at her strongest! She came at length to a side street where a cool and refreshing breeze blew upon her weary face, and the very pavement of the back streets there were sprinkled with a sweet smelling perfumed rose water. She could never have desired a better place to rest and recuperate for a time, and so she sat down the things she had been carrying and thereupon sat down upon the cool ground, near to a very large and opulent looking mansion such as in truth was of a like her youthful eyes had never beheld before. For a back part of town, this was a nice section! And she noticed there were few people present, and thus she found it to be somewhat private.
She was much pleased indeed, that she had stopped for a bit in this pleasant place; for the agreeable to her nostrils scent of wood of aloes, and of the petals of blossoms from nearby trees mixed in such a way that from the house there came smells that were easily as enrapturing to this child as had been the scent of the rose water outside. The air was heady with these perfumed scents, and the moment was so magical to Nulah! She had heard from within the mansion the sound of instrumental music playing, of harp and flute and other instruments of similar variety, the sound of drums and tambourines causing the beat to increase and the music to play faster and faster, so that the sound of it was like a whirlwind of varied melodies that contained great beauty within the music being made. There were, added to this, the sound of nightingales and other birds particular to the local climate. And so, this blending of things... all those pleasing scents, the music, and birdsong, and promises of savory dishes being cooked if Nulah's keen nose did not deceive her... all of that made the little girl conclude that there was a great celebratory feast with a lot of great rejoicings going on within the house. Her business was hectic, and seldom led her this way at all. She had no way of knowing to whom the mansion belonged, but she felt inquisitive.
And so, to satisfy her curiosity she sped over towards two of the many servants who were working in the gardens outside, near to the main gates of the house. The servants, tall women both of them... wore magnificent apparel of the finest silks and other materials of high quality. And they wore adornments fit for women of the highest social standing! Their manner was of a pleasant sort, and they did not turn the child away when she approached them. So did the stranger seek to ask of them that which was upon her mind to learn: “Good women, might either of you know who it is that owns this very mansion? Surely, it must be a man of great wealth and no small influence!” to which one of them replied with a surprised expression upon her face: “However have you lived in Baghdad for so long, little girl, it must surely be wondered... and never come to know that this house is the residence of Kareem al-Malak the merchant prince? He who is that same legendary sailor, navigator, explorer and treasure hunter who has claimed to have sailed with the legendary Sinbad the Sailor in his voyages around the world's entire confines! If anything, his fame precedes him in every civilized port in the world where he is known.” The little girl, who had heard of the great Sinbad's successes, and of his legendary riches, could not help but to in her own way envy him and any who so were associated with him greatly. Since... both Sinbad and his crew, including Kareem al-Malak who was indeed also known to her, lived in an opulent and decadent sort of splendor that made all the more evident the deplorable conditions in which people such as Nulah lived. Thus, her mind was being fretted and bothered with these vexing reflections. She lifted her eyes up unto the azure skies high above, as if she might behold Heaven itself, and she said loudly enough and clearly so as to be certain of being heard by any within the mansion: “Almighty Allah, most kind and merciful creator of all things, consider now the difference between this great Kareem and myself! I am every day exposed to fatigue and hard laboring, and calamities of many sorts, and abuses at the hands of my cruel employer... and I can scarcely obtain even the least healthy fruits for myself. And for the suffering of my family, I know only of shame. Whilst happy Kareem profusely expands his immense riches, and leads a life of continual blissful pleasures. Oh, what have I so done to deserve a lot in life this wretched? I have never been a wicked girl, nor in any ways impious.” And so... she finished this attempt at a dire prayer.
She then stuck her foot against the ground with a kick, and fell into sheer grief and despair... there on the spot. Whilst the child was thus beset with melancholy, a young girl who clearly was a maidservant came out of the house, and she took Nulah by the arm and bade her to follow her within. Though but a maidservant, it was clear she was attired in clothing that would have been the envy of even the women of the harem of the Caliph himself. Her master, Kareem, wished to speak with Nulah, she explained... for he could as expected not have helped but to have heard the little girl's desperate prayer unto Allah. And who is to say, in that moment... that Allah had not chosen Kareem, to so be the one to answer that prayer! For her part, it can be said that Nulah was greatly surprised at this turn of events, and she saw it was a compliment of sorts at first. However, the further the young girl ushered her into the house, the more she began to fear that perhaps Kareem meant to punish her for her jealousy of his good fortune in life. Nulah tried to excuse herself then, saying that she could not leave her burdens unattended back in the street. But the other child, the one leading her onward told her with assurance that the male worker servants, who were strong, mighty men indeed being former members of both Sinbad's and Kareem's most recent crews, would look after what Nulah had left behind her. So was Nulah obliged simply to accompany the other little girl to see the great man Kareem himself. At length, she was brought into a great hall. To speak of its' splendors would be quite the undertaking! It was a grand place, a place filled with the kind of decorations that could be seen as either displays of one's wealth or the favorite things of a man who had quite good and perhaps expensive tastes. It was boggling to Nulah's mind how any man, or woman, could hope to afford such luxury and grandeur as what she beheld within the interior of the mansion. Her eyes were wide as she looked about her, even as her hands were twitchy and nervous.
A number of people, sat there around a grand table that was covered with all varieties of fruits and of savory dishes as well. At the upper end, sat a comely gentleman of fifty years of age with a handsomely friendly round face, a ready smile upon his small mouth, and a polite disposition. The man had a shaven head and face, except for a high ponytail tied up with a gold hair cone that cascaded down his back. His hair was silvery, but had hints of former color to it still. He had the blue eyes of a foreigner, somewhat pronounced cheekbones, and an aquiline nose that looked quite regal. He was of an average build and it was clear he had been living mostly a life of luxury for at least a decade. Behind him stood a number of personal officers and domestic servants, all ready and willing to do his bidding. Nearby, women in the attire of dancing girls waited upon the man's pleasure. And this older gentleman was the great Kareem to whom this place belonged. Nulah was frightened by the largeness of the gathering around her, but in spite of that she bowed and then saluted the gathered people politely even though she was trembling in a very visible way. Kareem bade her to draw near unto him and thus be seated in peace. So did the child sit at the man's left hand, and Kareem served Nulah personally as he gave her excellent tasting wine, of which there was an abundance upon the sideboard. Then, one of the dancing girls smiled in a friendly manner at the little girl, but Kareem gave her a certain look that made her blush and turn her eyes away from the stranger. When the feast had concluded, Kareem addressed his conversation to his new guest, and he called her his little sister. This was viewed as a welcoming custom in Baghdad's culture during those days when one is trying to become familiar with another person and wishing to make them feel more at ease. He then asked the stranger her name and what her choice of employment was. So did the little girl reply: “My lord and master, my name is Nulah.” to which Kareem said: “I am pleasured in my heart to meet you, Nulah. And I dare to say the same on behalf of all within my household. But... I wish to hear, from your own lips, what it was you loudly said in the street outside my home.” Kareem had so heard the girl complaining in prayer through the nearby window, and this was the proving of that fact.
Nulah hung down her head in shame, and she replied humbly: “Master, I confess that my fatigue, as is brought on by my difficult job, put me in a very black humor, and it occasioned me to utter words that it pains me to admit were indiscreet and unworthy for even the ears of Allah on high. I beg... your pardon, for this.” And Kareem told her: “Do not believe I am an unjust man! I do not resent those complaints as you voiced. I consider that your condition is a dreadful one, and instead of further shaming you for it... I would be instead pleased to rectify your errors concerning myself. You believe that I have acquired all that I own today, and all that I have, without great pains and even greater troubles. You think me a man of ease and of decadent indulgence, but you err! Your mistake, is that I did not attain to this most happy condition without enduring many years of trouble both of body and of mind... and more of that than you could imagine. Yes, gentlemen!” he then addressed not only that little girl, but all around him, adding: “And, lovely women... and children who are present as well, of whom I am fondest of all... I can assure everyone present, that my troubles were ridiculous and extraordinary, calculated to discourage the most hardy souls from undertaking the tasks I endured. And the first of them all, was the one in which I made the fortunes that have sustained me most throughout the years since. You are a maidservant, it so seems. So, you will appreciate the laborious difficulty that oft one finds themselves in when attempting to start out in life. Though I was not nearly so young as yourself, Nulah, when my troubles began. It hurts me to both see a child your age in such a position that she needs to work unto exhaustion... and to see that this circumstance has led you to envy me wrongly. Before the night is over, I intend to satisfy your curiosity as to how I came to such wealth and ease as is now mine... and if you will allow me, I will do all that I can to ease your burdens in life both physical and otherwise, so that you too will know a life of comfort and ease. As befitting so pretty a little girl as yourself! Does your employer ever compliment you thus? If he does not, then he is a sinful man, and Allah surely frowns upon his treatment of you. Now, then!”
He then elaborated, stating: “I gained my riches, through difficulty, and perhaps you have never prior to today heard a distinctly accurate accounting of my fabulous adventures and the dangers that I faced, the horrors I encountered, and all that happened during the voyage that made my fortune. I have a new crew now, and I rarely go to sea any longer! Sinbad is still my friend, although we are not as close as in years past. But I have other friends now, and they need me more! But I digress. I shall give all present a faithful accounting of that voyage of which I have spoken, with no doubt in my mind that you will find this acceptable to hear.” And Kareem wished to relate all this, chiefly on Nulah's account, so he ordered that the little girl's burden be carried to its' right destination. In the moment following his certainty that the task was being carried out, he proceeded to tell his tale. Nulah leaned back on some cushions, and smiled as she sipped some wine and allowed her imagination to conjure all that Kareem told her about.
'I had inherited my initial wealth from my grandfather, considerable property for any man to possess. But the greatest parts of it, my own foolish father had squandered away in his youth without thinking. I knew it was wrong, and I realized to my shame by witnessing this that riches were all too fleeting and at times so perishable, quickly consumed by fools such as my father who are ill in all their management of things. I further considered that by my own extravagant tastes in living, I was truly just as wretched in the misspending my time. And time is the most valuable of all mortal riches! It was the noble Solomon I believe, as my father once told me, who said that death itself is more tolerable than is poverty. One of my father's few moments of wisdom, and that he borrowed from another! Struck as I so was with these reflections, I collected to myself the vestiges of my once fabulous fortune, any of it that my father was not of a mind to claim for himself, and I sold all my effects by way of a public auction at the bazaar. I then signed a contract with some merchants, who traded by sea, and I took the advice of such men as I thought most capable of assisting me, giving no ear to anything my father advised me. I resolved to thus improve what money I had, and I went to Basra one day to embark with several of these merchants on board a ship which we had jointly fitted out. We set sail that day from port, and steered our course ever towards India, through the Persian gulf that is formed by the coasts of Arabia on the right and Persia on the left as one leaves for the open waters by that manner. Some claim the gulf is seventy leagues wide at the broadest place! The eastern sea, as well as that of the Indies, is very spacious for sailors. Bounded as it is on one side by the coasts of Abyssinia, it is I believe 4,500 leagues in length unto the islands of Vakvak. At first, I was troubled by being seasick, but I speedily recovered of my health, and so I was as not afterwards subject to that difficulty. The captain was the famous Sinbad, who had made this journey in his youth and he wished for it to be my first experience at sea in his employ, since this route had been good to him. During this voyage, we touched at several major islands, where we sold or exchanged our goods to make a profit. Buy low, sell high... that is the merchant's creed, and we followed it to the letter of what laws we followed. One day, as we were under sail, we were becalmed near unto a small island which was only somewhat visible at a first glancing... for it was elevated only slightly above the level of the water, resembling a green meadow laid out across the water's surface. Sinbad ordered his sails to be furled, and he permitted any crew members who were thus inclined to go ashore to do so, in order to see what this island had to offer us. He warned that it might be a sea monster in disguise, and I laughed at this thinking him to merely be superstitious as many sailors are inclined to be. I decided to go ashore with those seeking such leave. But whilst we were so enjoying ourselves in eating and drinking, and singing as well... relaxing to recover from the fatigue of the sea... and this we did during our shore leave upon the island, which we at first found to contain not a thing worthy of note; whilst we did all of this, the island began to quake and tremble, and shake us as we stood upon it. Those aboard the ship saw this calamity, and the captain called to us from aboard it to be swift in our return so that we might reembark speedily lest we should all be lost. It is ridiculous to admit that Sinbad had been correct in his warning!'
'For what we took to be an ordinary island was presently revealed unto us as the back of an enormous sea monster like unto a gigantic fish only larger by far... and more massive. The nimblest of us ran back to our vessel with haste, whilst others betook to swimming like fishes themselves in order to reach our sloop in one piece. I, being a bit slower, was left on the back of the creature, and when it dived into the sea I had only time to catch a hold of a piece of wood that we had brought from our ship to make a fire. I was reminded of tales I had heard of Sinbad's similar fate during an excursion on these waters. And I admonished myself for being a fool and not having heeded better. Meanwhile, the captain saw to those back on board, and he resolved to make use of the sudden favorable gale that had just arisen. The sails were hoisted, and the voyage so pursed, but I found it impossible to return to the ship myself. I knew in that instant, that Sinbad believed me dead, and so was I exposed to the mercies of the waves, struggling for my life throughout the rest of the day. Night fell quickly as I persisted in my survival, praying for no sharks if any there be in those waters... for I knew not, being new to the sea... to find me a tempting and easy meal. And by this time I found my strength going! I despaired for my life, but then a pleasant wave tossed me against a nearby island. The bank was high and rugged, and I could in truth but barely have gotten to my feet if not for some roots of trees which fortune seemed to have saw fit to preserve in this place for my safety. I grabbed a hold, clambered up unto shore, and lay down tired, staring at the skies.'
'I may as well have been half dead! The sun appeared, and though feeble from these labors and lack of food or drink, I crept along to find some herbs that might be edible. I had the good fortune to procure a bit of them, but even better did I discover a spring of clean and excellent water to drink. Between these two finds, I recovered greatly compared to my previous state. After this, I advanced inland until I came to a fine plain where I spied a horse feeding. I walked towards it, not sure if I should be hopeful, or if I should be afraid. I know not if I was more likely to endanger myself, or preserve my life. But... as I did approach the animal, I saw it was a strong mare tied to a wooden stake set into the ground. As I stood in admiration of that beast's beauty, having come a great distance across that plain, I heard the sound of a man's voice calling to me from down at the bottom of a nearby ravine. At the bottom of that ravine, the camp of a richly attired man was laid out, and he bade me come down to meet with him. Nearby, there was a cave where several other people were gathered, all of them likewise richly dressed. They were all surprised to see me, and I was grateful to see them. The man who had called to me led me by the hand to the back of the cave, where he bade me to so partake of some provisions that they had an excess of. I asked what these people were doing in such a remote and desolate place as this, and they told me that they were grooms in service to the local maharajah who was the sovereign of the island on which I so was. Another facet from the stories of Sinbad that I had half doubted but now found to be in fact true.'
'Every year, during the current season, they brought forth one of the king's mares and fastened it to the ground even as I had noticed. A seahorse the size of a stallion would come forth from the waters of the sea to mate with the mare, but in its' zeal it would try to kill it once this was so done. But... a handful of other mares, which I had yet to see, made such a frightful noise that it deterred the horse of the sea from remaining to enact the now pregnant mare's end, causing it to return unto the sea. The then-impregnated mare would then be taken back unto the king's domain, and its' offspring was always to be born in the form of a seahorse that grew to be the size of a stallion but which could live upon land. The people then told me that they did need to be leaving for home on the morrow, at the first light of dawn, and that had I come a day later I surely would have died in my attempts to reach a civilized place. For this part of the island was wild, and rugged, and devoid of all life for the most part. Without a guide, there was simply no way to reach civilization! Whilst I stayed, and was delightfully entertained by dancing girls brought along to help pass the time with entertainment, the hours passed until the moment the seahorse arrived.'
'The great seahorse emerged at last from the water with a mighty splashing sound... looking exactly as a great stallion but green in color with gills like a fish and webbed clawed feet instead of hooves. I shall say that all proceeded between it and the mare as was expected. I heard the sound of many mares crying out, which scared the seahorse away when it tried to kill the one that was bound at its' mercy, but I saw the other animals not. I asked my hosts why this strangeness was, and they told me that the other mares brought along for this ritual were spirit animals who were some of the ancestors of the mare chosen for this rite. I did not believe this, until one of the dancing girls kissed me upon my mouth, and after that I could see the spectral mares as clearly as I could the living one. Upon the very next morning following this event, the grooms returned with the mare and all its' spirit companions, and I journeyed with them to the city of the maharajah, determined not to be left behind. I was presented unto the great king, and beheld his splendid majesty and all the riches of his court. The king asked me who I was, and by what misfortune I had come to be in such an obvious state of wretchedness within his dominions. I satisfied his curiosity and concerns, and he told me that he was fearful for my present state. He proclaimed that because he was a generous man to excess, then I should want for nothing. He so commanded his most loyal of officers to be generous and careful in seeing that all of my needs and desires should be fulfilled to my utmost satisfaction. Being a merchant, I chose during my stay in that king's domain to frequent others of my chosen profession, and I kept inquiring to see if there might be any other strangers about who had heard news from distant Baghdad. I hoped for an opportunity to return home, for that island was part of a larger domain also ruled over by this king I was the guest of... and that domain was further situated across a mighty coastline; the capital city had a grand harbor, where ships arrived daily from many quarters of the known world, and it was not foolish to so believe it possible to return whence I had come. I lived for a time among the people of India who did call this place their home, and I took a delight in the fact that all those I conversed with were pleasant. I was granted titles for what services I had to offer the royal court, and I quickly became a favorite new fixture of that court. It was very good!'
'I took care to regularly attend the court of the maharajah therefore, and I spoke often with the king's governors and with the minor kings of smaller domains under the authority of the maharajah himself. They were ever in attendance about him upon the days I attended court, and they asked me a thousand questions about my home country, and if I had ever heard of a man named Sinbad who had arrived in this kingdom under similar circumstances long ago. I told them that he had been my captain, and that I considered it ironic that I was reliving some of the same adventures that he was beset with during his first voyage. As I was eager to learn more of their laws, customs, and ways, I answered them as best as I could in pretty much all that they inquired about... and I asked them to educate me, about any subject I thought worth learning of which I did not already know. There belonged to this great king, still another island called Qassel in our tongue... but in the local language, it was called by a totally different name. They assured me that every night, the sound of drums could be heard there, and so the mariners fancied that it was the residence of the evil devil Dajjal. Not being of so overtly, and ridiculously, superstitious a nature, I became curious to know what took place there in truth, and on my way thither I beheld fishes of 100 or even 200 cubits in length, and they were very skittish and nervous seeming creatures that flee upon the merest rattling of two sticks or boards clacked together. I saw likewise other strange fish about a cubit in length that had heads like owls. I was upon a rowboat, all by myself at the time, and making my way towards the island when I had spotted all those fish of which I just spoke. Upon that island, I saw several primitive peoples gathered at an ancient temple there made from massive stone walls, and the temple had towers carved in the shape of great faces. There was a village on that forsaken island as well, and the people of that village had come unto the temple to beat sacred drums and enact rituals in honor of gods and goddesses that in our part of the world we have no names for. I saw no evil they did.'
'That is, aside from that they knew not of Allah or anything equivalent, and instead worshiped idols of stone and seemed to practice a kind of mysticism bordering on magic. I asked them if they had ever in their history heard of Sinbad the great merchant captain, and they told me that he had visited them long ago but that he fled in haste believing it to be needful for him to depart without associating with them for too long. They said I was a man of uncommon open mindedness, and they praised me for having the courage to speak with them without fear. I stayed to watch them perform animal sacrifices, and tried to not let it appear to bother me when I beheld them perform the ritual defilement of a virgin priestess who willingly subjected herself to rape at the hands of a dozen men of whatever tribe to which these people belonged. They bade me to partake of the priestess myself, to prove that I understood their ways and so was worthy of being granted access to their most sacred of holy places. To my devilish curiosity, and to my utmost shame, I did as they bade me and I had my turn upon the priestess after the first six of those twelve men who partook of her had finished having their way with her. When I was through, the other six did with her as they pleased, and all of this took place in a large hut off to one side of the temple's inner courtyard. Some of the men who had her last must have been rough with her, and the priestess's screams will haunt me well into the next world sometimes I fear. The horror of all this, is that she did not fight any of them, or me... she was willing in her defilement, and remained obedient to the wishes and whims of those who ravished her right up until the last man got out from between her legs. Then, the priestess was tended to by a physician to assure that she was well and would live. The physician so, after a thorough examination of the priestess, exclaimed that not only was she well but that surely out of these carnal festivities she would be pregnant and have a divinely blessed child. It was custom, I was told, for the next leader of the tribe to be such a child born under these circumstances. With this ritual in fact being the manner in which the next leader was always conceived. I shall never know just how much of myself, the child of the priestess would inherit... if anything at all... for I did not remain long upon that island. I was initiated into ancient mysteries that I may not speak of freely, and I was allowed entrance into the temple's holiest of chambers. Therein, I saw a little girl sitting upon several cushions heaped atop a grand altar surrounded by chanting virgin priestesses and attending eunuchs. She wore a gown of soft, transparent fabrics and her entire body save for her undergarments were visible beneath. She spoke unto me, commended me for being the first outsider who was willing to understand and take part in the religious observances of her tribe, and she told me that she was the leader of the tribe and the living goddess of its' people. She would not tell me her name, for she said it was too scared to utter, and she told me that she had seen twelve summers altogether. When the child conceived this day is twelve summers also, they will take her place and she will retire to a life of luxury after that. That was how the politics of this tribe operated, and I knelt at the child goddess's feet and made obeisance to her with as much piety as I do to Allah, whilst in my heart begging Allah to forgive me for this act of blasphemy. I saw no evil in honoring the local customs, however, and so I was certain that I would be forgiven for what I did so as not to anger or offend these people and their ruler. In reward for this, the child goddess gave to me a precious white pearl and a beaded bracelet with solid gold beads. I put on the bracelet, and as you who are gathered today to hear me tell my story can see, I wear it still as a reminder of that day. I sold the pearl for a goodly sum when I got back to the city of the maharajah again, and during the early hours of the dawn... for I had spent the night among those people in that temple... that was when I made my decision to depart after asking the child goddess for permission to take my leave. She granted this, and as soon as I reached the rowboat I made my return to port. Thereupon, I sold the pearl and found it to have been worth a rather decent sum. Thus, did my journey to Qassel prove fruitful after all, and was not as wasteful a pursuit as I had at first suspected it might turn out to be. I told anyone who asked that I had discovered nothing of any worth on that island, and that it was inhabited only by some local tribe or another that would prefer to be left well enough alone. Every night, the drums would continue to play.'
'For there were nightly rituals to please the child goddess, and it was perhaps best to allow those who lived in the maharajah's kingdom to know nothing about it. Let them believe what they will! So long as that tribe was left alone... and it was, if only out of the fear people still held for that island despite my earthly explanation for what was there... it did not matter. Upon my return to the docks the following day, after I had eaten well, rested long, and washed myself clean at least in body... despite my mind and heart feeling soiled, and my soul feeling tainted... I noticed that it was a particularly clear and beautiful day. I also saw, to my good fortune, that a ship had arrived and had just cast its' anchor on coming into port. It was being unloaded at the docks, and the merchants on board commanded all their goods to be carried to the nearby customhouse. As I cast my eye upon some bales of merchandise, in hope to make out the name inscribed upon their labels, I saw that it was my own name written there, and that these goods were the same as those I had brought with me when I had embarked for this journey from Basra. I recognized the captain, Sinbad, for who would not recognized so great a man as he... but being dearly persuaded by my fears that he believed me to be drowned I went and thus asked him whose goods these were. He replied that they belonged to a merchant from Baghdad called Kareem, who came to sea with him but who one day, being near to an island that was actually a monster, had gone ashore thinking that all was well... in the company of many others. But the island was a gigantic fish that had fallen asleep near the surface of the water, and as soon as the fish felt the heat of the bonfire the men had kindled on its' back in order to cook some food, it began to move and it dove under the water. Fortunately, none of those who had been upon the monster's back had perished, but Sinbad was certain that Kareem had died since he never made it back to the ship in time to sail on. Those bales were indeed his, and the captain was resolved to trade them for a decent price... so that if he should chance to meet with any members of Kareem's family upon returning to Baghdad he could give them the wealth so earned in order to help in easing their grief at his passing. But then I said to the captain: “Sinbad, you fool! I am that very Kareem whom you thought to be dead, and these goods are all actually still mine.” When the captain heard me say this, he cried: “Heavens above! Whom can we believe in times such as these that we live in? There is no faith among deceitful men. I saw Kareem perish with my own eyes, as did all those on board, and yet you tell me that you are that very man. What impudence is this? To look upon you, one would take you to be a man of wealth and influence... you appear to be doing well in this place for yourself... but then you speak such a falsehood as this, in order to lay claim to what does not by Allah belong to you. I should kill you on the spot, for you sir are a thief in noble clothing I suspect! And, yet... I was myself in identical sorts of circumstances here many long years ago as you claim and seem to be in, and so I will hear you out and still my sword hand at least for the moment. You do resemble Kareem, at least in your face, though he was certainly not wearing such fine attire as you are. And your hair, which was long and full, is now shaved bald but for that high ponytail... a native fashion, that, I've seen. And so, I took you for a native of this place! But your eyes are actually blue I see, as Kareem's were, and that only so gives me pause to reconsider. No other man I know personally has such color eyes, save for foreigners I have traded with over the years.” I saw then that Sinbad was actually willing to listen to what I had to speak.'
'And I told the captain: “Be patient, good master. Do me the favor to hear what I have to say, and then you may kill me if I should be proven false after I have spoken.” He said: “Very well, then... do speak! I am ready to so hear what you have to say. But it better be the truth! I have no tolerance for liars.” Then, I told him my full tale of how I escaped my end, and by what varied means I had come to meet with the grooms of the maharajah, who took me into his court and lavished upon me wealth and the title of the nobleman merchant I had been living as ever since. The captain's certainty of my death abated upon this declaration of mine, and he was at last persuaded that I was no thief. He saw that my circumstances had been the very mirror of his own once upon a time, and in his eyes I saw tears of long ago remembering.'
'And there came forward people from his ship who knew me and recognized my face, and did pay me great compliments as to my current estate, expressing joy at seeing me alive and seeing at how I had in the meantime prospered. The captain recollected himself, and he then realized his error and embraced me in a friendly way, saying: “Allah be praised, Kareem, for your escape from the jaws of death itself! I cannot express enough the joy this fills me with, my friend. There are all your goods, and you may take them and do with them what pleases you to.” I thanked him, and was happy at his having recognized me at last, and so I offered him a small part of my goods as a gift, taken as I was with his decency and dedication to ensuring that I would not be robbed after my death, but he generously refused. I then took what was most valuable of all my goods, and I presented them to the maharajah who, knowing of what had befallen me, asked me how I had come by such rare and wonderful things. This, I did because the captain had told me he had done the same long ago, and that it was something I would not regret doing. I acquainted the maharajah with the circumstanced of my goods' recovery, and he was pleased by my sudden good fortune. He accepted all the things I presented him with, and in return he gave me one far more considerable indeed, a solid gold chest filled with jewels the like of which in all truth my eyes had never beheld before. “This, is better even by far than that which of old I gave a certain Sinbad!” he did exclaim, adding: “Be thankful for my generosity, as he was.” and I bowed low and thanked him deeply. Then I took my leave of him, and had the golden chest brought back to my quarters aboard the ship. I exchanged my goods, which I had intended to trade for a profit anyway, for some of the most valuable commodities of that country that I could hope to sell at a higher price back home in the varied markets of Baghdad. I now had a great quantity of wood of aloes, sandalwood, precious henna, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, curry powder, and ginger. I had a little girl who was my personal pleasure servant whilst I lived in that city, and she did agree to come with me to Baghdad in order to remain in my service. She grew to become a woman who is in my employ to this very day, and the richness of her company was worth more than all else that I had come to gain during this adventure of mine. After setting sail at the last, we passed by several unremarkable islands until we arrived at Basra from whence I thus journeyed back to Baghdad. I sold the goods from India in the markets, and I made a tremendous fortune selling also the splendid gold chest of jewels. My fortune was now beyond reasonable counting, so that henceforth my family and myself would want for nothing at all. I purchased slaves of both sexes and of all ages, and of many uses both utilitarian and intimate. I bought a landed estate, and built a magnificent house outside of the city. And I had plenty of wealth still left over even after that! Thus did I also purchase for myself this mansion and I did so staff it as you see... save for those of my current crew who were not with me then. I began to put aside from my thoughts the miseries I had suffered, and began to enjoy life's many pleasures. I hope you see! This was the circumstances under which I came to know my present luxury.'
Kareem then stopped his story there, and told the musicians to continue with their playing, which the story had interrupted. The company continued enjoying themselves until the evening, when it was time to retire. Kareem sent for a purse filled with over one hundred golden coins, and he gave this to Nulah, and told her kindly: “Take this, little sister, and return back to your home. Come back to see me on the morrow, and hear more of my adventures... if you wish to.” The little girl then went away, astonished to her core at the honor done her thus. The hearing of this adventurous story had proved very agreeable in the extreme, and her parents and siblings were pleased, giving thanks to Allah for what had been sent to the poor child by the hand of the great Kareem. The little girl put on her finest apparel for the next day, and so she returned to the company of the great merchant, who received her with a pleasant air. She had the day off from her duties, and it was the perfect excuse to once more make her new friend's wondrous acquaintance. There were no festivities taking place this time, and the little girl found Kareem seated in the gardens, beneath a canopy that kept him and those with him shaded from the heat of the brutal sun.
He was sitting on the ground beneath the canopy, upon a pile of soft cushions and blankets laid out there for his comfort, and all around him were the children that also resided in the mansion with him, seated in comfort no less than his own. Beautiful boys and girls, in clothing so fine that they may as well have been the sons and daughters of princes or kings! They were listening to him tell a tale from his past when Nulah was brought into his presence by one of the women servants who as had been the case before were busy working outside when the little girl arrived. When she walked over to Kareem, he stopping the telling of his tale and bade her be seated upon his lap, which she blushed at the notion of but did all the same, not wishing to displease him. Once she had done so, the other children began to giggle and some whispered things that their companions found humorous. Kareem stroked Nulah's hair and said to her in a caring and visibly loving tone: “My precious child! I began to wonder, if you would return. I had offered you the invitation to do so, but I did not think you would take me up on it. Though I must confess, I am well pleased you did! Before I begin the resuming of my story, I thought that first I should give you the chance to know a far better lot in life than was mine of old. So that you shall never have to suffer a lot of the things that I have over the years to come. Last night, I had you followed upon your way home, and after you retired for the evening the woman whom I sent upon this task asked your mother about certain things that concerned me regarding you. Your mother appears to be a good woman and your father a patient and caring man. I learned from the woman whom I sent thus, that you are long in the employ of Ahmed the porter, who has been your master of tasks since you were seven years old. The very first year of your employment to him, he used you to steal for him, and when you did not do the dishonest deeds that he asked you to his utmost satisfaction, he deprived you of your virginity so as to punish you for failing him. Your mother wanted you to stop working for him after that, and much to his credit your father wanted to kill the man for defiling you. Yet, you insisted that you needed to keep on working for him in order to provide for your family since your mother has her hands full with your siblings and your father has been unable to work ever since he lost the use of both of his legs after sadly falling off of the horse he rode back when he served in the army of the Caliph. A very unhappy physical condition, which made it that your father would have been unable to pursue the sort of vengeance he so wished to enact upon Ahmed in any case! But I am not so limited, and even now the head of Ahmed the porter lies at the bottom of a dry well in a ruined caravan outpost in the middle of the desert. The rest of him is likely being consumed by wild beasts native to the sands. I move quickly when pushed to anger, and some of those in my employ move even quicker! Like the messengers of Allah they are, in that way. So, you now find yourself unemployed, my dear... which is why I have decided to allow you to live here with me, alongside these other children who had all met with unfair circumstances in their lives during years past, though none more tragic to hear of than yours. Children should never be forced to toil, and there are some punishments that are too wicked to imagine men resorting to! The punishment I caused Ahmed to suffer is a just one in comparison. I need only to hear that you are willing in this, that you wish it... and with a word, if you give it, I will have your family given lodgings at my other mansion. Whilst you shall stay in this mansion, with me! Naturally, they and you may visit one another as much as you desire, and all of you will live like royalty. What do you say? Please... do consider, saying yes!” And as soon as he had finished this long speech, Nulah thought long and hard about it, but she knew in her heart that this was all she had ever wanted and more for herself and for her family. “Yes!” she said in a delighted voice, after which Kareem kissed her on the mouth passionately whilst the other children giggled at the sight of this. He then sent one of the boys off to deliver a message to the chief of all his servants, in order so that the plans that he had already discussed setting into motion could be enacted. The chief servant knew what to do, and went to the house of Nulah's family in order to tell them how their lot in life had changed for the better. And... to oversee their journey to their new and better home. All, whilst Kareem dismissed the other children so that he could spend some hours alone with Nulah.
“Tell me Nulah...” he asked her, after he had shown her the bliss of intimate love to teach her that not all men do such acts so as to punish, “Do you still think me to have come by my good fortune through a life of ease?” and she said to him, after kissing his lips and caressing his face lovingly: “No, for only a man who has suffered, and who understands suffering, would take pity on a little girl who has nothing.” Then, he asked her: “Why is it, I wonder, that you seem so much wiser than your age? I find that to be incredibly attractive to me!” to which the eleven year old girl answered: “The things I have lived, and the things I have done over these years of my life so far, they have made me wiser than other girls my age, save for moments such as my outburst that you heard.” His hands were still caressing her body, as the two of them had yet to put their clothes back on. For, they had been naked ever since their having made love, and neither was in a hurry to get dressed again at present. She liked how he made her body feel... he was gentle with her, unlike Ahmed. Kareem treated her with respect, and this made her love him deeply. She now knew that this was what she felt for this wonderful man! He said unto her: “You have no need to apologize for that! Or for anything, ever again. Next year, when you turn twelve, I will marry you... since you will be of marrying age... and I will be a goodly husband for you, and provide all that you have ever dreamed of, and more. But only if I have your heart! Do I have it... beloved Nulah?” and once again, it pleased her to say “Yes!” to him, and never after that moment did she ever shed a tear that was not in joy. Then, a singular thought crosses her mind whilst she and her husband to be were in the process of getting dressed once more. Once their clothes were back upon them, she said to him in a sweet manner: “Husband! For I will start calling you that now, if it pleases you... since you were the one to tell me a tale when first I came before you, I would like to return the favor and tell you a story no less incredible to hear.” to which Kareem smiled, intrigued, as he said unto her: “Very well! Go ahead, I am listening raptly. And no, dear wife of my heart, I could never mind hearing you call me whatsoever it moves your heart to call me.” and they began to stroll through the garden whilst Nulah told her tale. And this was what she revealed unto her husband to be in the course of the tale being related... “I was not always the child of those who are my parents now. Once, I was the princess of a tribe of Jinn who live in a fabulous kingdom in an oasis far across the desert and beyond the sight of mortals. I lived to adulthood as a member of their tribe, and upon reaching adulthood I was made to drink the waters of the oasis, which have the power to bestow immortality. One day, the man who would become my father came to the oasis by accident when he had been separated from the rest of his fellow soldiers whilst the Caliph's army were out upon a campaign in the kingdom on the border of the desert that is farthest from the lands you might be familiar with save only in legends. For that, is where our oasis lies! I felt sorry for the lost solider, and out of all my kind I was the only one to show him any kindness. All the others of my people... they only wanted him gone, seeing him as a danger to our solitude. I wanted to learn of him what it was he wished for most in his heart, and when he told me that he wished for a daughter but had resigned himself to not ever having one, since his wife in all the years they were married had never been able to become pregnant, I told him that if he wished hard enough for this... and worded it aloud in the form of a spoken wish... then I could grant him his heart's desire. He did this, seeking to humor me, for he did not truly believe that the Jinn actually had the power to grant wishes. Thereon, I became only a spirit carried upon the wind, and the wind carried me to this man's house where I waited until the next time that he and his wife made love together. Thereafter, my spirit was drawn unseen into her womb, to be born as her first child, the little girl you know as Nulah. After that, the woman was barren no longer, and my other siblings came into the world later... and all of them were human, with only myself having been a Jinn in a previous existence. When I listened as you told me your tale, I sensed in you a growing attraction for me, and a wish for me to become your wife. And so, that wish has been granted! Also now you know the truth about why I seem so wise, for one so young.” Then, her eyes did glow with a bluish light after which they returned to normal. Kareem, seeing she spoke true, loved her all the more for this.
Published 16th Apr 2024
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