Arthur roberts’ Keys to Liberty By DA Hal
Chapter 1
The Unexpected Journey
Everything happens for a reason. It’s a common cliché that lots of people believe in. But when a perfect life in disturbed by uncanny misfortunes, the reason has to be good.
It was a cool, fresh morning in the autumn of 1832. While sitting in the garden in front of his big luxurious house in New Orleans, Arthur enjoyed his morning coffee with his mother, Mrs. Angela Roberts.
Mrs. Roberts inherited her big house from her mother. She lives in it with her twenty-five-year-old son, Arthur; her nineteen-year-old daughter, Rosie; Jefferson, the driver; and the housekeeper, Gladys.
Gladys was a freed slave. In fact, she was born in Mrs. Roberts’ house. She is the same age as Mrs. Roberts and considered as one of the family.
“Don’t just drink coffee, eat your breakfast,” said Mrs. Roberts. There were boiled eggs, hotcakes, cornbread, and sausages on the table.
“You know I don’t like eating breakfast, mother,” Arthur replied.
“It’s bad for your health, you know you need energy for working,” Mrs. Roberts countered in an angry tone.
“Okay, mother.” Arthur’s voice was full of humor as he grabbed a piece of cake. “Did you buy a suit for your wedding?”
“Not yet, mother, and it’s driving Charlotte crazy.”
“She has the right to get mad. You are getting married in a month!” Mrs. Roberts furiously said.
“Surly it won’t take me a month to buy a suit. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go to work.” Arthur used the cloth to wipe his face before he stood, dressed in a white, long sleeve collared shirt, an artic waistcoat, and his long navy-blue frock coat. The perfectly tailored navy trousers slightly lay over his shoes. The black leather of his shoes glistened in the light of the morning sun and the artificial gold buckles could be mistaken for a true small fortune.
“Will you take Charlotte to the play tonight?” “Yes, come if you want.”
“No, thanks. I can’t believe you won’t be living with me in this house next month.”
“Oh, please, mother. I bought the house next to ours. You should be thankful the previous owners moved to New York. We will never stop having dinner together. I have to leave now. Good bye.”
Arthur placed his stovepipe hat on his head and got into the carriage. Jefferson drove him to the huge fancy fabric shop he owned downtown so he could handle the shop’s affairs alongside his four trusty assistants. Arthur faithfully worked from nine a.m. to five p.m. On most days, he worked through lunch.
There were a few occasions he’d step away and enjoy lunch in the back, but dinner was always with his family.
After a long, boring day of arguing with customers about types and prices of fabric, Arthur and his assistants finally closed the shop. When he arrived home, he changed into a sandy brown linen shirt with a white cravat tucked inside, peach-colored culottes with brown boots, and a black fork coat. He then headed to his fiancée’s house.
Arthur’s fiancée, Miss Charlotte Anderson, was a twenty-two-years-old, charming lady with a dazzling smile, and curly, soft hair. Her sparkling brown eyes were the first thing Arthur noticed when he saw
her. She was everything he’d wished for. She lived with her older brother, Frank, and her younger sister, Lavinia.
Frank was a very wealthy and powerful man. He owned a big cotton plantation which he built his estate. Frank had twenty-five slaves working in the huge cotton plantation. The low number of slaves demanded each of them worked really hard. The slaves were supervised by two overseers, Adrian and Eric, who were Frank’s employees.
When Arthur’s carriage arrived, Adrian and Eric greeted him with huge respect while he waited for Charlotte. Arthur was considered a very important person, for he was their boss’ best friend. As a matter of a fact, he was the brother he never had. Arthur kept waiting for Charlotte near the carriage. Finally, after ten minutes, Charlotte arrived. She was wearing a sleeveless pink evening gown with long white gloves covering her forearms. Her hair was parted in the center and worn in tight ringlets over her ears. She was holding a decorated fan in her hand. Arthur bowed in front of her and raised his hat.
“Good evening, Lottie. You look lovely as ever,” said Arthur. “Why, thank you,” Charlotte coyly replied.
“You know, honey, we might be late for the play.” Arthur tried to draw a smile on his face to disguise his annoyance.
“You know, honey, ladies need some time to get fully dressed and prepared. I wanted to look my best for today.”
“You certainly do. Don’t worry about it, I hope you will like the play.” “What is it, again?”
“Romeo and Juliet.”
Arthur helped his lady in the carriage. Arthur looked at the slaveworking the plantation as they made their way into town.
Did you get the wedding suit yet?” Charlotte inquired while fanning herself. “Not yet.”
“Not yet! You are killing me, Arthur!”
“I still have a whole month. Why didn’t you invite Lavinia to join us to see the play?”
“She doesn’t want to go, and don’t change the subject.”
“Tomorrow I will pick a design and ask the tailor to make it, I promise.”
“Pick the one I have shown you the other day. You still remember that wedding suit design we have seen together in the fashion plate in the Stay Elegant shop.”
“Yes, yes. How could I forget?”
The carriage finally arrived to the play. The large theater was brightened by gas lighting and oil-lamps illuminated the stage so the audience could see the performance. The actors reenacted the story so brilliantly and with so much passion, Charlotte cried at the end.
“Why did they have to die, Arthur? Why?” Charlotte cried.
“It’s just a play, Lottie. How about I come to your house tomorrow, drink a cup of tea with you, and then take you with me to choose the wedding suit design? Maybe there are new, better designs,” Arthur suggested to cheer her up.
“Yes, that’s better. At least I will guarantee you won’t postpone choosing the suit. We are running out of time, Arthur.”
“Then it’s settled. Now let’s go, my mother is waiting for us to join them for dinner.”
The distance from the Roberts’ home to Frank’s estate was large enough to fill five large cotton plantations. However, Arthur’s family didn’t own a plantation.
Arthur and Charlotte went to the Roberts’ to have dinner with Mrs. Roberts, Gladys, and Rosie. After passing the foyer, they went straight to the dining room. They enjoyed the delicious dinner cooked by Gladys as they held little conversation, mostly regarding the upcoming ceremony.
“Gladys, thank you, dear. The dinner is so delicious,” Charlotte complimented.
“Oh, Charlotte, I wish you, Frank, and Lavinia would have dinner with us every night, but Frank refuses to do that,” Mrs. Roberts interjected.
“Oh, Mrs. Roberts, you don’t give us any chance to feel our mother is dead. You are our living mother, really,” replied Charlotte.
“Oh, dear Charlotte, of course you are my children too, exactly like Arthur and Rosie.”
“Mother, I have received a fabric shipment today from Napoli. Very beautiful colors and textures. Silk, lace, and other types of fabric. Do you want to come tomorrow and check them out?” Arthur asked.
“Well, yes. I want to make new gowns for Rosie, Lavinia, Gladys, and Charlotte. And maybe for me too. I will go downtown tomorrow, and I may stop by to see the fabric, and you, of course.”
“Oh, Mrs. Roberts, we have plenty of gowns,” Charlotte protested.
“I want us to stand out in every assembly. I want Lavinia and Rosie to be noticed by the finest gentlemen. Oh, I hope both can find wealthy, high class and good-mannered suiters so I can finally relax.”
“But, mama, I am too young to think about marriage,” said Rosie.
“Nonsense, I will invite the Johnsonses and the Evanses to the wedding. When the Evanses get settled here in New Orleans, their sons will be great suiters.”
“Mama, I think the Evanses will settle here next summer. Lydia told me that,” Rosie shared.
The dinner wrapped up nicely with the ladies bidding Charlotte a good night before Arthur assisted her into the carriage to return home. The next day, Arthur went directly to the Anderson’s after work. He got out the carriage a little ways from the house to chat with the overseers, Adrian and Eric, who greeted him as usual.
“Good morning, Mr. Arthur,” they said.
“Good morning. Busy day, ha?” Arthur asked while pulling a tobacco cigar out of his pocket. Adrian quickly lit the cigar for Arthur.
“Yes, sir, but it’s not as busy as the scorching cotton picking season in August,” said Eric. “And not as hot as August,” Adrian said laughingly.
“The cotton picking season is backbreaking for the poor slaves,” Eric continued.
“Don’t pity them, Eric,” Adrian chastised. “And don’t let them know you feel sorry for them. They might feel you are too nice and weak and get the idea to rebel.”
“Adrian is right, Eric,” Arthur added after he slowly blew the smoke out of his mouth. “It’s their job to work and work without any complaints. The slaves should always know we are superior, and they should always learn their place is lower than ours so they don’t rebel. Frank told me this.”
“Oh, Mr. Arthur, you have no idea. We face problems with the slaves in the plantation throughout the day. Yesterday, Delmar and Steven, our slaves, attacked Adrian. Luckily, he didn’t get hurt.”
“Oh, this is awful. My heart is with you, dear Adrian. Be careful, guys, those two slaves seem to be aggressive. This is not their first time attacking poor Adrian. Thank god I don’t have to deal with any slaves in my fabric shop,” Arthur said as he sucked in the cigar’s smoke again.
“Even we can’t buy from your shop, boss Arthur. It’s for the elite,” Eric stated, chuckling at his lack of wealth.
“Don’t worry, boss, I know exactly how to deal with this kind of people,” Adrian assured.
“I believe you can, my good friend. Now, excuse me, I need to go and see my fiancé. Goodbye.”
Arthur started walking towards the house on a road made through the plantation. A cute little black girl rushed to him and hugged his legs. Arthur, who was a neat freak, freaked out. His elegant clothes were dirtied, and he was certain Gladys would have a time trying to remove the stains in the washtub. If his assumptions were correct, she’d need to fill the broiler twice to properly remove the handprints and
streaks the child was sure to leave behind. Apparently, she had playing in the field which wasn’t compatible with his fabrics.
He was perturbed, but he attempted to gently pull her away while disguising his annoyance with a fake smile. Her mother quickly followed her.
“Oh, god, Jessica! Oh, am very sorry, sir,” said Frances, a female slave. “It’s okay,” Arthur answered while dusting his clothes.
“She recently developed a nasty habit of hugging everybody entering the plantation,” she complained, embarrassed.
“But, mama, I am allowed to hug Uncle Steven, Uncle Jonathan, Uncle Baxter, Uncle Delmar…” Jessica protested.
“Honey, Mr. Arthur is different, okay? Now go play near the cabin,” Frances maternally directed. Jessica ran along as instructed but not before looking at Mr. Arthur again. The young girl had yet to learn the separation of between herself and her family, the slaves, and affluent members of the community such as Master Frank and Mr. Arthur. The two were never to be mistaken as friends.
“I’m sorry, sir, it won’t happen again,” Frances expressed with regret.
Thankfully, Arthur wasn’t mean-spirited. He could have ordered the overseers to give her a lashing. “It’s okay but please tell her not torepeat it. You know I come here to see my fiancée, so I wear mybest,” he said. Then he smiled and continued walking.
As Arthur passed, he watched as some slaves worked on building a small wooden shed for storing tools and equipment. Other slaves were milking cows, feeding chickens, and planting fall crops like carrots, salary, and cabbage. Luckily, the hard cotton picking season was over.
Arthur walked towards a big outdoor garden table covered with a light blue cloth and sat down. A porcelain tea pot set and chocolate cake were set neatly on the table. Arthur removed a bottle of chic
eau de cologne from his coat’s pocket and lightly applied some to his neck then put the bottle back in his pocket. Moments later, Charlotte came down and joined him. Arthur stood and quickly threw the cigar on the ground, using the sole of his shoe to extinguish the fire.
“Good evening, my lady,” Arthur greeted with a smile. Taking hersmall, delicate hand into his, he gently caressed it before he kissed the back of her hand then the palm.
“Good evening, honey,” she replied.
Arthur pulled out a chair for Charlotte to sit down before he retook his seat at the table. After gazing into her beautiful face, he reached into his pocket once again and retrieved a present. He watched as Charlotte’s eyes filled with glee. The small leather oval box had gold detailing and a delicate gold clasp. The velvet interior held a ring with a solid gold band and a square cut ruby in the center.
“Oh, its lovely! Thank you very much, honey. It matches my ruby earrings.”
“I ordered it from Italy, it was designed especially for you. My Italian friend brought it for me yesterday.”
“I will be the envy of every woman at the ladies’ assembly tomorrow. You are spoiling me, Arthur, by showering me with all these expensive gifts.”
“You deserve more, Lottie. Won’t you show me the wedding dress?” “No, I want it to be a surprise.”
“Please, Lottie.” “No, no way.”
“It better be something amazing, Lottie. I gave you a lot of money because I wanted you to design a unique dress. I want everybody to talk about your wedding dress for generations.”
“Don’t worry, you know your fiancée is fashionable and classy.”
“I know, that’s why I singled you out from the twenty women who wanted me,” Arthur laughingly said. “Easy, proud man, you should be thankful I accepted your proposal,” Charlotte countered with a smile. “After we drink tea, we’ll go and pick the suit. The tailor won’t close his shop until after two hours.” “Then we’ll pick a good florist and an exquisite orchestra for a fancy after wedding ceremony.”
“Don’t worry, me and Frank will handle it.”
Martha, the maid, came and poured tea in the cups. Arthur immediately noticed Martha had a bruise around her eye.
“Martha! Who did this to you?” he asked.
“Martha, thank you. You can leave now,” Charlotte interfered. Without responding, Martha went inside the house.
“This is horrible! You know I can’t stand seeing a woman being hit,” he said while sipping the hot tea. He did his best to remain composed, but he was furious.
“Oh, Arthur, it’s my unstable sister, Lavinia. She did that to Martha.”
“Lavinia? I thought she was a calm and well-mannered lady. Why? Why would she do such thing!” “She has temper issues. She punched Martha for being a little late preparing breakfast.”
“Oh, you must speak with her, Lottie. She can’t do this to Martha. I despise the thought of striking a female and despise anyone who does it.”
“I tried once and she yelled at me. My sister is very weird. Sometimes she pretends she is from another culture, and it scares me.”
“This is horrible, Lottie. I mean, I barely see or speak to Lavinia, but I didn’t expect such dreadful behavior from her. Your sister needs urgent treatment. Soon you will live away from her, my pretty bride-to-be,” said Arthur.
“I am worried about her, Arthur. She is aloof and she might never get married to a good man if she keeps isolating herself like this,” Charlotte expressed with concern.
“Maybe she prefers to isolate herself because she is unstable. Don’t worry, Charlotte, I’ll send a mental physician for her soon. I consider Lavinia as my little sister, just like Rosie.”
Arthur’s word brought Charlotte some comfort, and soon, they were enjoying tea together. Suddenly, they heard Rosie yelling. “ARTHUR… ARTHUR!”
Arthur examined his younger sister with a bewildered expression. “Rosie, why are you here? Is there something wrong?” he wondered fearfully.
“It’s mama, she is very tiered and she looks strange. I came by the Carters’ carriage. Quickly, come with me,” Rosie replied, fright evident in her voice.
Arthur, Rosie, and Charlotte rushed to the awaiting carriage. Theneighbor’s carriage had left, so they got into Arthur’s carriage and Jefferson guided them to the Roberts’ as swiftly as he could. Once they arrived, Arthur, Charlotte, and Rosie hurriedly climbed thestairs and went directly to Mrs. Roberts’
bedroom. It didn’t require a thorough observation for Arthur to realize his mother was ill. She appeared very weak as she lay in her bed with green blisters on her face, neck, and hands. Her nose and her ears were noticeably discolored with a yellowish tint.
“Oh, mother, don’t worry. I’ll bring a physician now,” Arthur promised.
Thirty minutes after his departure, Arthur returned with the town’s most trusted physician. He examined Mrs. Roberts but couldn’t diagnose the strange signs.
“How do you feel, Mrs. Roberts?’’ asked the physician. “Fatigued,” she replied.
The physician pressed Mrs. Roberts’ wrest firmly but gently between two of his fingertips. Then he put a thermometer in her mouth.
“Her pulse and her temperature are normal,” he declared. “I suspected small pox, but she has no fever.” “So?” Arthur asked.
“I am sorry, I have never seen a case like this before. I recommend you meet Dr. John Hanks in Brooklyn, NY. I’ll send you his address.”
“Don’t worry, mother, we’ll figure this thing out.” Arthur tried to sound as confident as possible in front of his mother, but he wasn’t sure how things would turn out.
Word quickly spread and curious physicians from different statescame to see Mrs. Roberts during the next two weeks. None of them could figure out what was wrong with her.
Arthur became very depressed. He was so desperate to find a cure for his mother his ability to work in his shop was affected. “You should go home,” Thomas, one of his assistants, suggested. “Don’t worry, we will take care of everything. Go rest now.”
Arthur went home, climbed the stairs, and went to his mother’s room straightaway. When he approached the cracked door, he saw his mother lying in her bed, covered with her blanket while looking pale and weak. As Charlotte sat next to her wearing a mask and gloves, Lavinia weirdly touched his mother’s face, passing her fingers all over the green blisters.
Arthur became furious as he stepped into the room. “Lavinia, please, step away from my mother. You are hurting her and possibly hurting yourself,” he snapped.
“Don’t worry, Arthur, your mother isn’t sick. She is cursed but I know the cure,” she replied. “Excuse me! Are you mocking my mother’s illness?” he angrily questioned.
“No, no, I am serious. It’s all in this book, The Wonders of the Arabian Desert,” she said. She handed Arthur a red book with the title carved in gold on its hard cover.
Charlotte approached Arthur and whispered in his ears. “You know, my sister imagines unrealistic things but listen to her please. It will elevate her self-esteem if we pretend we believe her.”
“I’ll do that only for you,” replied Arthur. “Okay, Lavinia, but I won’t read anything. You tell us, please.”
Lavinia took a deep breath before she recited what she’d read. “Once upon a time, in a faraway village called Ankaba located in the northern Arabian Desert, an evil wizard by the name Morazak decided to curse his enemies in the village. He sent each of them a black box as a gift but when they opened it, it was empty. However, a strange smell came out of the box and within an hour the victims became sick.”
“Did they recover?” asked Mrs. Roberts.
“Most of them, yes,” replied Lavinia. “Fortunately, a wise man in the village, Amajeed, succeeded in synthesizing a curing formula for the curse.”
Arthur’s lips pressed as he tapped his fingers on the wooden table behind him. He was fighting to control his temper.
“Seven victims were cured but, sadly, two died after one year.”
Did they arrest the wizard?” Charlotte inquired, enthralled by her sister’s story.
“Yes, apparently, he was stupid,” Lavinia replied. “He carved a symbol of an eagle catching a snake with its beak on each box, but people found the same symbol carved in a tree near his house. He admitted everything, but he ensured them one last box had not been opened yet. The last man sold the box instead of using it. Luckily, the villagers killed the mean wizard.”
“Yes, yes, and my mother flew to that remote desert by her magical wings and stole the last unopened box,” Arthur snapped.
“I am not lying! It’s all in the red book I just gave to you,” replied Lavinia.
Arthur threw the book on the ground. “Did you come here to mock my mother’s illness? You’re unstable, girl!”
“Arthur! How rude! You are not acting like a high-class gentleman,” Mrs. Roberts shrieked.
“Because she is not acting like a high-class lady,” Arthur replied.
“You’re the unstable, arrogantly rude person. I pity my sister for being engaged to someone like you,” cried Lavinia.
“Please leave, Lavinia. I don’t want to lay my eyes on you again. Take your stupid book and let Jefferson send you back home. Now!”
Lavinia grabbed her book and left quickly after she gave Arthur a look full of hatred.
“Arthur! How could you do this to my sister? I asked you to respect her condition, but you didn’t,” Charlotte cried.
“She was making fun of us!” Arthur replied angrily. “I am truly sorry, honey, but I couldn’t control my temper.”
“She may hurt Gladys, you know. Now after you’ve unleashed her anger dragon,” Charlotte warned.
If she touches Gladys, I will kill her. Do you understand, Charlotte?” Arthur, who also had temper problems, quickly responded with rage.
“Arthur, you were rude and… Oh, an eagle catching a snake... I-I have seen the symbol before,” Mrs. Roberts said astounded.
Arthur turned to his mother. “What?”
“I am telling you I have seen the symbol before,” she said. “Where? Try to remember,” Charlotte encouraged.
“It’s...it’s... engraved in that box!” Mrs. Roberts answered while pointing to a black antique box encrusted with sparkling gems on a small round table in the corner of the room.
Arthur quickly went to the box, grabbed it, and turned it around with shaking hands. He found the symbol, an eagle catching a snake!
Arthur’s eyes bulged as his mouth hung open widely. “Where did you get this box from, mother?” “From an antique shop downtown, here in New Orleans,” she said.
“What’s its name?” asked Charlotte. “And where is it?”
“The Charm of the East. It’s next to the court,” Mrs. Roberts tiredly replied. It was obvious the excitement of their discovery had taken a great toll on her.
Arthur and Charlotte hurried downtown after Jefferson returned from taking Lavinia home. They looked for the shop. Luckily, they were able to catch the shop’s owner just as he was closing. Arthur held the box and inquired the man about it.
The merchant was Turkish. His name was Mercan. He said, “Ibought it from an Arabic man at a market place in Lebanon. The man was Bedouin. He lives in the desert. It wasn’t originally his box, he bought it from a friend.”
“Did he tell you about his friend?” asked Arthur.
Yes, we talked a lot. His friend was a farmer from a village called Ankaba.” Arthur was completely shocked. “Was Lavinia right?” he asked Charlotte.
“Come to our house tomorrow morning, Arthur, and talk to Frank. He will find a solution for you. You know he is ready to do anything for you. You can count on him.”
“I will do just that.”
📷
The next morning, Arthur went to Frank. He found him and Charlotte sitting around the garden table waiting for him.
“I’ve decided to travel to Ankaba, where ever that place is,” Arthur announced.
“I know some merchants travelling to Lebanon week after next. It’s in the middle east, not far from the Arabian Desert. I’ve arranged for them to take care of you, five of them agreed to continue escorting you until you reach Ankaba. They can’t refuse, they owe me a lot,” Frank responded. Charlotte went inside to look for Martha.
“Thank you, my best friend. I am so grateful for your generosity.” “I will send Delmar with you as well.”
“Your slave? Isn’t he aggressive? I mean, Eric told me once he and Steven often cause problems with Adrian.” Arthur hated to deal with slaves and he didn’t want to be pestered with any inconveniences on his journey.
“Yes, but he has a good heart. Don’t worry, just always scare him and don’t be too nice to him. Delmar is diligent worker. He also spent two years in the Sahara Desert when he was a teenager. He will help you and be your loyal servant. Delmar! Delmar, come here immediately.”
Delmar, a skilled carpenter on the plantation, was nailing the clapboard of the shed. He stopped working and came right away as ordered.
“Yes, Master?”
Arthur examined Delmar from his head to his feet. Delmar was a tall, muscular black man with unkempt hair. The blackness of the night left kisses in his eyes. He was sweaty and wearing old, dirty clothes.
“You will go with Mr. Arthur in a long journey to the Arabian Desert to help him save his mother. I want you to be his loyal servant, understood?” Frank asked sternly.
“Understood, Master Frank.”
“Don’t cause any problems for him and don’t try to escape. We have agreements with every single country in the world, and if they catch you, they will kill you immediately because legally you are my slave.” Frank, of course, just wanted to scare Delmar so he wouldn’t escape.
“Understood, Master.”
Frank gave Arthur a cigar, lit the cigar for him, and they started smoking. “Thanks, Delmar. You can continue your work now,” Arthur dismissed. Delmar obeyed Arthur and went back to his work.
“He seems a nice guy, but won’t he be able to escape? I mean, we will be outside America?”
“I’ll prepare a legal document that proves that he is legally your slave abroad. I hope that it will be approved everywhere in the world. I’ll get it as soon as possible. Also, you won’t be alone, some
merchants will be with you too. He can’t escape. And even if he did, I forgive you in advance, my friend.”
Arthur put his hand on Frank’s shoulder. “Thank you. You are not just my best friend, but you are the brother I never had,” he said.
Charlotte came back to join them, and Arthur told her, “I guess we have to postpone the wedding, dear Lottie.”
“Don’t worry about it now. What is important now is saving you mother. And you coming back safe to us,” she replied.
“Arthur, don’t worry. I’ll take care of your work, and your family too. You know, your family is my family,” Frank asserted.
When Arthur went home and told his mother and Rosie about his upcoming journey, they cried. “Where are you going, my son? To the middle of nowhere? What will happen to you?”
“Don’t worry, mother. My American friends are coming with me, I’ll be okay. I don’t know if I can write to you, but I’ll try.”
“Who will cook for you? Who will wash your clothes? Honey, you have never slept away from home before. Well, except once when you went to Rome, but that was with Frank.”
“Mother, am not a little boy anymore! Don’t worry about me. Frank gave me a servant, he’ll help me. Don’t worry.”
After a week, Arthur said goodbye to his family with hugs and tears. Then, he went to the plantation where Frank, Charlotte, and the merchants were waiting for him. Appreciative of his assistance, Arthur didn’t rush Delmar as the slaves hugged and said goodbye to him. Once the others were ordered to return to work, Frank ordered Delmar to stand next to Arthur.
Arthur hugged Charlotte goodbye. “Lottie, take care of yourself and pray for my mother,” he said.
Charlotte became tearful. “Don’t worry, Arthur. Just take care of yourself and come back quickly,” she said.
Frank escorted Arthur, Delmar, and the merchants to the steamboat that would sail through the Mississippi River. He helped them put their luggage in the boat then said his final goodbye to them. Arthur travelled with Delmar and the merchants to the Gulf port then they transferred to a ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Malaga, Spain. The trip in the Atlantic Ocean took nearly three months. Arthur spent the duration of the trip smoking, eating, chatting, and laughing with the merchants and other travelers while Delmar sat alone at the edge of the ship, staring at the huge blue ocean.
Remembering Frank’s instructions, Arthur approached Delmar one evening. “If you think you can escape when we reach Malaga, you are wrong. You will receive the death penalty for sure, do you understand? I have a slavery document that proves you are my property, and it’s approved in every single country in the world. I’m your master now, understood?”
“Understood, Master. Is Africa behind that ocean, Master?” asked Delmar. “Yes,” Arthur replied.
“By the sons of freemen I’m borne, to the land of the free and the brave. From my wife and children I’m torn, to weep—the sad tears of a slave. When I think on mother and friends and the joy their countenance gave, Ah! how my sad bosom it rends, while weeping—the tears of a SLAVE!”
Delmar quoted a poem published by Africus-Freedom’s Journal four years ago.
Arthur felt sorry for Delmar. He knew he was kidnapped five years ago from his village in Nigeria and then sold to Frank in New Orleans. Arthur never spoke with him before, but he knew he was a strong, intelligent, and loyal slave. Delmar didn’t accept he wasn’t free in the beginning; he tried to run away but failed miserably. He received a brutal punishment from Frank and knew, according to the law, he could receive the death penalty.
Arthur stood beside Delmar, looking at the endless ocean. Delmar felt he could speak to Arthur. He didn’t know why. However, he began telling his sad story. “I used to live near the lower Nigerian River in a cozy hut with my wife and two children. I was no slave then. I owned a farm and planted yams, but I was kidnapped five years ago when I was on my way to visit a friend in a nearby village. And—”
“Hey... Hey! I am your master, not your friend. I don’t need to hear anything you say if it’s not
important. And I’m warning you again about trying to escape. Ihave a whip with me on the ship, I’ll give you a hundred lashes if you try to escape. Do you hear me?” Arthur was only trying to threaten Delmar. It was important he showed Delmar he is not a nice person.
“Stay still in your place. I want to join my friends to lunch. We will send you your lunch after we finish,” Arthur continued.
When the ship approached the Spanish coast. Arthur and his new merchant friends took Delmar inside the ship. Arthur handcuffed him and chained him to a wooden column in the ship’s kitchen.
“Why? Master, I won’t attempt to escape. I really want to help you save your mother. Please, don’t handcuff me. Let me accompany you outside the ship,” Delmar requested.
“Shut your mouth, liar!” Arthur harshly replied. “We will stay here until we find a ship to take us from Malaga to the Lebanese coast.”
Arthur and the merchants left the ship when it stopped. When they found another ship departing from Malaga to Beirut-Lebanon, they unchained Delmar and took him with them to the other ship. Before the ship set sail, Arthur chained Delmar again inside the ship’s kitchen to ensure he wouldn’t break away.
When the ship left Malaga and reached the middle of the sea, Arthur unchained Delmar and allowed him to sit near the edge of the ship. “Is the Nigerian River near, Master?”
I don’t know,” replied Arthur.
Delmar quoted another passage from the poem.
“Ah! now, I must labour for gold, to pamper the pride of the knave. Ah! now, I am shackled and sold, to weep—the sad tears of a SLAVE. Keen sorrow so presses my heart, that often I sigh for my grave.
While feeling the lash-cruel smart and weeping—the tears of a SLAVE!”
Arthur again felt sorry for Delmar. It was evident he really missed his family. He hadn’t seen them for five years. Arthur already missed his family too, although less than four months had passed.
Still, Arthur ignored Delmar and walked away.
Chapter 2 The BedouinTribe
After nearly a month, the ship finally arrived at the Lebanese coast where the blue sea embraced the mesmerizing nature. It didn’t take long before they reached Beirut, the crossroad of the world’s cultures. Once on land, they went to a great marketplace where merchants from different parts of the world exchanged goods. The smell of the spices in the marketplace filled the air; cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, and other herbs permeated their nostrils. It was noisy and crowded with people speaking different languages, butmost of them knew English very well and were able tocommunicate with other merchants. Arthur’s friends sold or traded rice, sugar, and cotton fabrics for spices, dates, and different types of fabric and carpets. Five American merchants left back to the United States. The rest continued their journey with Arthur, looking for Arabic merchants who’d traveled from Ankaba.
After an hour of searching, they found Bedouin merchants. Luckily, their leader, Asem, could fluently speak English. He was a tall,muscular Bedouin that wore a long black tunic that reached his feet,known as a ‘Thoub’ and an almost equally long black abaya for men. It was similar to a cloak but didn’t have a hood. Arthur shared his sad story with Asem and his men, and they informed him they were travelling back to their tribe in the Arabian Desert soon, which was between Halab-Basra road.
“Our tribe is not very far from Ankaba village,” said Asem. “You will be all welcomed in our tribe. You will live with us and we will support you with anything you need until you get the cure.”
“Thank you very much,” Arthur replied graciously. “Your hospitability has totally overwhelmed us.” That’s how a real Bedouin would do,” Asem answered with a smile.
“How many merchants are there in the camels’ caravan?” Edmund, an American merchant with Arthur, inquired.
“Fifty merchants from different tribes,” Asem answered with confidence.
“We can’t do this, Arthur. We can’t come with you. It’s too dangerous. Their number is very small, they can’t survive an attack from the desert’s gangsters,” said Edmund.
“Don’t worry,” said Asem. “Gangsters won’t be as many as us. They fear us, they know our tribes will seek revenge if they hurt us.”
“Gangsters!” Arthur was appalled.
“They are thieves that steal from the merchants. But don’t worry, they can’t attack us.”
“We can’t risk our lives, Arthur. Frank is our good friend, and we owe him a lot, but it’s too dangerous. Asem, please take care of Arthur and Delmar,” Edmund requested.
“Of course, I will. Don’t worry, Mr. Edmund,” Asem assured.
Edmund and the other American merchants made their way back to the ship. Arthur didn’t blame them. They were great friends and they supported him a lot along the way, but they had families waiting for
them back home. It was just too dangerous. Honestly, Arthur wasn’t sure he would be willing to take the risk if the shoe was on the other foot either.
Asem asked Arthur and Delmar to ride on camels while he and most of the Arabic merchants walked. The camels that weren’t carrying passengers carried goods on their humps.
After spending five hours in long, boring travel through the hugeendless desert, the sun started to set. They used it as their signal to stop walking and rest beside a huge Sedra tree in the desert. They lit fire and started cooking as they passed around drinking water.
The camels ate from the saltbushes and gnawed at dried leaves. Asem’s friend, Malek, who could also speak English, sat near Arthur.
“Why is your friend always silent, Arthur?” asked Asem. “Ah… He is not my friend, he is my slave.”
“Really? I don’t like this. I mean, the whole idea of slavery,” Asem replied with disdain.
“Me neither,” Arthur replied in a very low voice. He didn’t want Delmar to hear him though Delmar was not sitting beside him. “He is originally my friend’s slave but my friend, Frank, is very nice to his slaves, Asem.”
“Is slavery legal in your country?” Asem curiously asked.
“Only in the south. In the north, black people live freely and have many rights. However, lots of white people are against slavery in the south, but there are free blacks who live in the south and have many
rights. Our neighbors, the Carters, are black. They are our close friends. I don’t know the statistics, but I think most Americans are against slavery,” Arthur replied with a smile.
“I am sure Americans are nice people. I would never misjudgepeople based on their origins, Arthur, nor their color or religion. Some thoughts are sins,” Asem shared.
“Some thoughts are sins?”
“It’s a verse in our holly Quran. Its means you shouldn’t judge people’s actions, thoughts or behaviors before you investigate properly, ask, and try to know the truth.”
“It is a very wise verse. Some thoughts are sins...” “It is indeed.”
“Do you think I will find the cure?”
“I am sure you will. I will go with you to Ankaba myself, and we will meet that wise man, Amajeed, as soon as we get there. He is well known there.”
They slept in small tents that night. Five men stayed guarding the camels’ caravan while the others were sleeping. Then the guards slept after everyone else had woken.
The camels’ caravan walked for several days. When they reached a huge red rock, a big extended hill came into view. Asem ordered the caravan to stop.
“Have you ever seen a desert genie before?” Asem asked Arthur. “Genies don’t exit,” Arthur said laughingly.
“Come with me, I’ll show you.”
“Are you crazy, Asem? No one outside the desert should know. It’s dangerous,” Malek angrily protested. “They can keep a secret. Come, Arthur, and you too, Delmar.”
“May I join you, Master?” Delmar didn’t want to act without Arthur’s approval. “Sure, come. Where are the genies?” asked Arthur with little patience.
“Behind that hill,” Asem answered, using his finger to identify the hidden figures.
Asem, Arthur, and Delmar started climbing the hill while the rest of the camels’ caravan waited. The caravan needed to rest anyway.
Upon the hill, Arthur saw a very strange view. A single small, closed red tent stood alone in the middle of the huge desert. In front of the tent, a man in his mid-sixties and a woman that appeared to be his wife were sitting on a carpet drinking tea but there was no fire.
Although the tent was far from him, Arthur could clearly see their faces. They looked completely normal, dressed in Bedouin customs like normal Arabic humans.
“How on Earth does this man and his wife survive here? There are no sources of food or drink, and no other people are around. Just a huge plain desert…” Arthur was shocked.
“Arthur, I have been seeing this man and his wife sitting in front of that tent and drinking tea since I was a little kid traveling with my father. And my father used to see them when he was a kid travelling with his father too.”
Arthur’s heart leaped to his throat. “What?”
“They are immortals, I guess. And they have never left their places. I think they are confined to their places, somehow,” Asem continued.
The old man saw the three men and waved to them. Using his finger to point toward the tent, he invited them to come and join them.
“M-M-Master, shall we leave?” Delmar asked fearfully.
“What, Delmar, are you scared? He seems like a nice man,” Arthur foolishly replied. “Don’t you dare go and talk to him!” Asem warned.
“Why? Will they kill me?” Arthur asked.
“No, but they will convince you to enter the tent.” “So?”
“No one has entered that tent and came back, Arthur.”
“Whaaaaaat?”
“They are really good at tricking you into entering the tent, Arthur. Thirty men has entered the tent so far, including a dear friend of mine. His name was Saleh. Saleh was a very intelligent man, and he could speak English too. He thought he couldn’t be convinced to enter the tent and went to talk to the genie after he made a bet with his friend although he knew others hadn’t returned. It was the last time we have seen him, Arthur. This is really strange. He was my best friend.” Asem looked sad.
“Didn’t you try to do something?” asked Delmar.
“We tried to dig around the tent. We dug huge tunnels but we didn’t find anything. Talking to the genies is too dangerous because they may use their magic to tempt us too.”
“When did this happen? I mean, Saleh’s accident,” Arthur inquired.
“Ten years ago. His wife was pregnant. He never saw his child. His wife, his parents, and his child are praying daily to see him or at least know anything about him.”
“Did anyone succeed in not being convinced to enter the tent?” Delmar asked. “Yes, but few people.”
“Let’s leave this place now,” Arthur spoke.
He secretly intended to come back to the strange red tent on his way back home, after he retrieved the cure.
After miles of travelling, the caravan finally reached the tribe. Arthur saw many tents as people gathered to welcome them. The men were wearing traditional Bedouin clothes like Asem with thick belts around their waists. The belts where used for carrying useful things like lighters, knives or canes. Because it was winter, their clothes were black, thick, and made of wool. The women were wearing thick, long black dresses that fit loosely but covered all of their body. Long simple necklaces with different colors dangled in front of their dress. Their heads and faces were covered by a black scarf, except their eyes.
“Arthur and Delmar, you are our guests now. Please enter the tent,” said Asem. The huge tent woven from goat’s hair was divided into four sections but only opened from one side.
Arthur, Delmar, Asem, Malek, and other Bedouins sat in the tent’s big welcoming area on carpets woven from wool. A man started to pour Arabic black coffee mixed with cardamom in little cups called Finjan that were distributed amongst people. The smell of the coffee gave Arthur and Delmar a sense of joy and happiness, and it tasted really good. “The women are cooking the meat on fire, and they baked the traditional delicious Arabic bread. You will love our food,” said Asem.
A little child ran towards Asem and sat on his lap. Asem kissed him and hugged him with a great sympathy.
“Who is this boy?” asked Arthur.
“Saleh’s son. You know, Saleh who entered the tent? The boy’s name is Saleh too.” Arthur felt sorry for the child and he hugged him too.
Bedouin men asked Arthur and Delmar about themselves while Asem translated. When lunch was finally served, Arthur noticed they all were eating from one huge plate with their right hand. Delmar enjoyed
eating like them but noble Arthur wasn’t used to eating unless he had his own shiny silverware. Furthermore, Arthur was not used to eat camel meat. Unintentionally, he grimaced.
“What’s the matter, noble boy, don’t you like our food? Don’t worry, Arthur, it’s clean and delicious, and we wash our hands too so dig in,” said Malek.
Arthur knew he had to eat with them using his right hand like everybody else. Once he rid himself of his initial fear, he gathered a helpful serving. To his surprise, the food was very delicious.
“You will be sleeping in my tent,” Asem spoke. “Our tents are big and divided into sections. We have sections for sleeping, storing food and stuff, and the welcoming area. I’ll tell my sister, Zubeida, to sleep in her Aunt’s tent while you are here.”
Arthur and Delmar rested in their section for a while before they decided to go and walk outside. Some Bedouins sat with Delmar, trying to teach him Arabic. While Arthur started to walk with Malek, who chose to be Arthur’s tour guide, Malek showed Arthur the tents and where the Bedouins started the fire. He even told himhow the tents were woven. Arthur noticed that Bedouins used blackliner to tracer the inner lower lids of their eye.
“Do all Bedouin women cover their faces?” Arthur questioned.
“No, in some tribes Bedouin Muslim women just wear decent loose clothes that covers their bodies except their faces and their palms. In other tribes, like our tribe, women prefer to cover their faces.”
“Why?”
“Well, according to our religion, some Muslims believe it is right thing for women to cover their pretty faces in front of men. Other Muslims believe it’s okay for women to show their faces but not their bodies. However, some women cover their faces for cultural reasons rather than religion. Also, she doesn’t cover her face in front of her father, brothers, husband, children, and uncles.”
“I see.”
“But I can recognize the women here, Arthur, from their voices and their unique necklaces. See that woman standing there near the fire? That is Zubeida, Asem’s sister. She is the most intelligent woman in the tribe. She reads a lot and educates other women, and she can even speak English. Her brother taught her. We were best friends when we were kids. I remember she was the most beautiful kid in the tribe. I told my mother to ask her if she accepts to marry me and...”
“And what?”
“Never mind, forget what I just said. Anyway, her wedding is next month. She will marry a leader of a tribe like her brother.”
“She refused to marry you because you are not a leader?” “I think so.”
“Why didn’t you talk to Zubeida about that yourself?”
“No, no, it’s inappropriate in our tribe.” “You can’t talk to women in your tribe?”
“We can, but you can’t talk whatever you want, whenever you want. It’s all about respect and honor.” “Well, it makes sense to me. Ladies should be treated nicely and respectfully.”
“Let’s change the subject, Asem’s coming,” Malek said.
Asem came holding a big sword covered with a beautiful decoratedsheath. He took the sword out of its sheath. It had a beautifully decorated hilt with his name engraved on it and a long, sharp blade. “This is my sword, Arthur,” Asem said. Then he gave it to Arthur.
“It’s really beautiful,” Arthur replied while he was checking out the sword. He handed it back to Asem once he completed his assessment.
“I use it to protect myself and my tribe from the outsider’s attacks. You know, Arthur, although Islam is a religion of peace, sadly, somepeople have gone off the path. We have to advise them and leadthem the right way. But if they attack us, then we have to defendourselves. Life in the desert is very tough,” Asem explained before he returned the sword in its sheath.
“Muslims are really nice. I have seen that by myself here, and my religion also calls for love and peace. I am Christian, Asem, but like you said, some people got off the right path,” replied Arthur.
“I think understanding each other and accepting each other’s opinions and differences will help us survive and live happily together,” Malek said.
Suddenly, Delmar jumped on the ground in front of them skillfully grasped the jaws of a snake in front of them.
“This snake is venomous. Quickly, Mr. Asem, kill it,” Delmar cried.
Asem took the sword out of its sheath. The sword’s flash moved down like a shooting star in the night sky. Living in the desert had allowed Asem to master killing snakes.
“You saved our lives, Delmar. Good boy. Frank did a good job sending you with me,” Arthur commended.
Delmar became happy and proud. Secretly, he started to have a little hope Arthur might free him.
When it got dark, they sat around the fire, chatting before they all grew tired and went to sleep. Arthur couldn’t sleep very well sincehe had left his home because he used to sleep in his comfortablebed and rest his head on a specially crafted silk pillow stuffed with cotton. Somehow, Delmar fell asleep quickly. “Oh, I envy Delmar.He can sleep in a volcano if he wanted to,” Arthur said to himself.
The Next day, Arthur, Asem, and Delmar woke at sunrise to start their journey to Ankaba to see Amajeed. They mounted their saddled horses with hopes of reaching Ankaba before noon.
The way from Asem’s tribe to Ankaba was through the middle of the desert. Arthur cared about memorizing the directions very well.
They walked for several hours, and soon, Arthur realized he ran out of water. “I ran out of water, but I am thirsty. Where can we find a source of water here?” Arthur asked.
“Arthur, we are in the desert. You shouldn’t have drunk all your water so quickly. I am sorry, I should have warned you earlier,” Asem replied.
Delmar gave his bottle to Arthur. “Take my water, Master,” he said. “But what about you, Delmar?” Arthur wondered.
“I can find another source of water here.” “Really? Where?”
“In the cactus, Master. Its stems are full of water. My dad used to give me some when we ran out of water when we stayed in the Sahara Desert.”
“Excellent, Delmar. You are really a desert boy,” Asem commented.
Delmar tried to be a good servant to Arthur. Secretly, he was hoping Arthur may appreciate that and free him.
“So, Delmar, how is your life on your master’s plantation?” Asem inquired.
“Well, it feels like your soul is burning and turning into ashes every day,” replied Delmar.
“Your soul is burning and turning into ashes? Oh my god, Delmar! You should be a poet,” Arthur laughingly said.
“I’m not exaggerating, Master Arthur, it’s the truth.”
“Oh, come on! Frank is a very nice person. He gives his slaves nice food, and he doesn’t make them work when it gets dark.”
“That doesn’t make him a good master,” Delmar replied. “Did you try to escape?” Asem asked.
“Once, and the bastard gave me a hundred lashes for that,” replied Delmar.
“Watch your mouth, Delmar! He wanted to protect you. You would have been killed if you were caught,” replied Arthur.
“So what? Either my freedom from that oppressor or death.”
“Frank is not an oppressor. It’s your fault you ran away. He just wanted to discipline you,” Arthur snapped.
“My fault? Master Arthur! My fault is I wanted to go home to my wife and children? My fault is that I can never stop thinking about them day and night?”
“But you are his property now. He paid a lot of money for you, and he did nothing against the law,” said Arthur.
“That is a stupid unfair law,” replied Delmar.
“Do you agree with hitting a slave, Arthur?” asked Asem.
“No, although I believe Delmar deserved to be punished. I don’t like hitting the slaves, especially if the slave is a female. That’s why I despise Lavinia, my fiancée’s sister. She punches her maid whenever she gets mad. It’s really horrible. However, Lavinia is a good reader, and she is the one who told us about the curse,” replied Arthur.
“If reading books doesn’t change you into being a better person, then your books have no value,” replied Asem.
“Indeed,” Arthur replied.
“How did you find our life in the desert, Arthur?”
“Well, it’s difficult really. I can’t imagine my life in a tent. I miss my room, my comfortable, huge sky-blue bed. My soft sheets. My huge bathtub. Oh, Gladys used to fill it with hot water and light candles. The first thing I am going to do when I go home is soak myself in the nice, hot soapy water. After I rescue my mother, of course,” replied Arthur.
“Sounds dreamy. I envy you, Master, your life is perfect,” said Delmar. “The spoilt noble boy,” Asem added.
“Hey, I am not spoilt, I just like everything to be perfect,” replied Arthur, smiling. “Look! It’s Ankaba, at last,” said Asem.
The village was small with date tree farms everywhere. Small houses made from clay were inside the farms. They saw farmers working and women baking bread on the fire outside. Other women were holding jars full of water. Asem asked about Amajeed’s house, and they found it easily.
Amajeed was in his house. He welcomed them inside and served them Arabic coffee and dates. Amajeed’s house was full of bags that contained herbs, plants, and strange unknown substances. Amajeed also knew how to speak English. He received visitors from different countries from time to time and was able to synthesize different unique formulas for healing sick people. However, he was not that famous. Arthur told him about his mother’s curse.
“What has happened to your mother is very strange. I mean that she got cursed while she was in America. Fortunately, I still remember how to prepare the formula of the cure, just come after seven days.”
“Seven days? Isn’t that a long time?” Arthur asked with worry.
“I am sorry, but I need this time to prepare the cure. I don’t have all the ingredients right now,” replied Amajeed.
The three men said good bye to Amajeed, mounted their horses, and went back to the tribe.
“Hey, Delmar, go and clean the tent. I don’t want to see any sandparticle in my blankets, understood? And prepare some clean water for me, I want to take a bath. And rearrange my bag. Oh, and wash my clothes, dry them, and spray some cologne over them,” Arthur commanded.
“What a needy master. Don’t worry, I am sure my friends have already recleaned the tent. You are both our guests now,” Asem said with a smile.
Arthur and Delmar spent seven days in Asem’s tribe. They learned little Arabic and were taught some information about Islam and the history of the area.
Arthur spent lots of time with Malek, who told him the life story of every Bedouin in the tribe. Arthur started to recognize Bedouin women from their necklaces, even though he had never seen their faces.
Delmar made himself useful by helping the Bedouins in weaving tents and roasting coffee beans. He liked playing with their children because they reminded him of the small children he was forced to leave behind.
“I’ll go with you tomorrow to Amajeed’s,” Asem said to Arthur.
“No, no, Asem. I will go with Delmar. You helped us enough. Thank you,” replied Arthur. “Arthur, you may get lost,” said Asem.
“Don’t worry, I memorized the directions. Also, you have guests coming from another tribe tomorrow.” “Then I’ll let Malek go with you.”
“Everybody is busy tomorrow. We can go alone. As I told you before, I memorized the directions. Don’t worry.”
“As you wish. But if you need any help, let me know please.” “Of course, my friend. Thank you.”
The next day, Arthur woke up before sunrise. He was very worried and he wanted to go as early as possible. He tried to wake Delmar, but he was shivering and appeared to be ill.
“Oh my god, Delmar, you have fever!”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll ask for help when they wake. Wake Asem now and tell him to go with you, Master Arthur.”
“No, I’ll go alone, but I am worried about you.” “Don’t worry, Master, leave now.”
Arthur washed Delmar’s face and gave him some water then changed his clothes. It was very cold, so Arthur made sure to pull on his coat before he mounted the horse, lit a fire torch, and started his journey. He traveled for one hour before the sun rose. In the bright light, he saw a horse ridden by a woman in the distance. Arthur used the thin crop to instruct the horse to move faster to try to recognize the rider. It was Zubeida.
“Ma’am, what are you doing alone here in the desert?” Arthur asked.
“Leave me alone. It’s not your business,” replied Zubeida.
“I am afraid I can’t do this, ma’am, it’s too dangerous here.” “Then follow me without talking.”
Arthur knew Zubeida was also going to Ankaba, but he didn’t know why and he didn’t dare to ask. When they reached Ankaba, he found out she wanted to see Amajeed too.
“I’ll go and see Amajeed first, Miss Zubeida. You wait outside,” Arthur instructed. Arthur did that
because he didn’t want Zubeida to leave alone in the desert. Arthur entered first and he found Amajeed waiting for him.
“Welcome, young, handsome man. Congratulations, I succeeded in making the curing formula.” Arthur could hardly contain his happiness, he hugged Amajeed.
“Thank you, thank you, sir. I am very grateful. How much do you want?” “Five golden coins, please.”
“There you are.” Arthur didn’t hesitate to hand Amajeed the coins. He would have given ten to carry the curing formula back to his mother.
“Where do you live, son?”
“In Louisiana, sir. New Orleans.” “Is Jackson city nearyou?”
“Yes, it is in Mississippi, the neighboring state. Why do you ask?”
“A man named Michele George Adams sent men to Ankaba to ask me to prepare something for him. He paid me a lot of money, but he didn’t come back to get it. I don’t know why. He is well known in Jackson and he has a great palace. Can you give him the thing?”
“What thing?”
“It’s in this purple box but please don’t open it. It’s very dangerous. And don’t ask me what it is, you can’t know.”
“I’ll deliver it to him, sir. Don’t worry, I won’t open the box.” Arthur took the box and put it in his bag then exited the house and allowed Zubeida to enter. Zubeida went inside for five minutes but came out with tears filling her eyes.
“What’s the matter, ma’am? Why are you crying?” “Don’t speak with me. I have to go home now.” “Does Asem know that you are here?”
“No, I snuck out.” “What!”
“Let’s go, I am sure they are looking for me right now.”
Arthur and Zubeida mounted their horses and headed back home. By noon it became very hot. Arthur took off his coat and put it on the horse. Arthur’s horse was in front of Zubeida’s horse. After two hours of walking, Zubeida screamed “Mr. Arthur!”
Arthur looked behind him, and Zubeida looked very weak. She was about to fall from the horse. Arthur quickly dismounted his horse and stopped Zubeida’s horse.
“We have to rest, ma’am. You look very tiered,” Arthur said with a worried expression. “I can’t. I have to get home now,” she replied.
“Just for ten minutes. You were about to fall from the horse.”
Arthur Laid his coat on the ground and pulled a bottle of water from his coat. “Ma’am, please, sit down and take the cover off your face.”
“Are you crazy? I won’t show you my face.”
“I don’t want to see your face, ma’am, but you need more oxygen. I won’t look, I promise.”
Arthur sat on the sandy ground about three meters from Zubeida with his back to her. To pass the time he used his finger to write the word “LOTTIE” on a thin layer of sand.
Zubeida lay on her side, took off her face cover, and took some deep breaths. Soon, she started to feel better. She knew that Arthur won’t look at her.
“Did you get the cure, Mr. Arthur? Asem told me about your story,” she said.
“Thank god, I did, ma’am. It’s in my bag,” Arthur answered while he was still sitting in the same position. “I hope that your mother gets well soon and then you both come and visit us.”
“I hope so. Pray for her please. How do feel now, ma’am?” “Much better, thank you.”
Arthur lit a cigar and started smoking while looking at the endless desert. Arthur and Zubeida suddenly heard screaming.
Arthur looked back and saw the most terrifying scene in his life. Asem and Malek were riding their horses down the huge hill. Anger and resentment flashed in their eyes.
“Arthur, you pervert snake, I WILL KILL YOU! With the same sword I killed that snake!” Asem shouted. Zubeida quickly sat and covered her face.
“Asem, my friend, please, listen to me,” cried Arthur. Asem got off his horse and took the sword out itssheath.
Malek was going to get off his horse too, but Asem stopped him. “She is my sister, Malek. Only I will seek revenge for her.”
Arthur’s heart leaped to his throat. Asem was blinded with anger.Obviously, he was searching for Zubeida since sunrise.
“That’s why you didn’t want me to accompany you Arthur, right?Because you planned to kidnap my sister?” he screamed.
“What? NO!” Arthur yelled. His whole body began shivering.
“We gave you food, we gave you shelter. We tried to help you as much as we could but you just wanted more than that, didn’t you?”
“Asem, I didn’t kidnap Zubeida, I found her. Zubeida, speak please.” Zubeida was frozen, frozen like a statue in the middle of a city.
Asem lunged towards Arthur, and Arthur had no choice but to run away. But run where? There was nothing but desert. Asem refused to listen, so Arthur was forced to choose between being killed by a furious Asem or dying in the enormous desert.
Arthur ran and ran until his legs finally betrayed him, and he fell on the ground. Asem reached Arthur and raised the sword that glittered under the sun. “Now you, criminal, shall pay.”
Arthur’s body was frozen, but he spontaneously started screaming. “SOME THOUGHTS ARE SINS! SOME THOUGHTS ARE SINS!”
Asem’s hand suddenly froze and he dropped the sword. He didn’t expect for Arthur to remember the verse that he taught him.
“Why should I believe you?” Asem yelled.
“A-a-as-ask y-your…your s-s-sister,” Arthur responded with a shaking voice.
Asem left Arthur and went to Zubeida who was crying. “Did he hurt you? Tell me, don’t be scared,” Asem demanded.
“No, he found me in the desert, I swear. He insisted to accompany me to protect me. Before we could make it back to the tribe I felt sick and he forced me to rest. He didn’t even look at me,” Zubeida replied.
“What were you doing in the desert alone? We have been searching for you since the sunrise!” “Well, I wanted to see Amajeed.”
“Why?”
“To give me a spell to cancel the wedding. I know what I did was totally wrong, but I don’t want to marry a leader, Asem. I want to marry someone from the tribe. I want to stay near you. I don’t want to live away from you. A good man from the tribe has proposed to me through his mother, but I refused
because you told me I could only marry a leader. But the man is really nice,” Zubeida pleaded. “Who?”
“Well he is…ah… Malek,” Zubeida hesitantly replied.
Asem looked back to his friend that accompanied him on his journey. Malek was still on his horse watching with anger and waving his sword.
“Malek? Really? Why couldn’t you just tell me. I would never reject Malek. What you have done today is really horrible, Zubeida. The entire tribe was looking for you the whole day. I almost killed an innocent man because of you!”
Zubeida burst into tear and Asem did his best to calm her down, even though he was very furious.
Arthur who was watching them realized Asem was like the cactus in this desert, harsh from the outside but soft and sweet from the inside.
Asem went back to Arthur and, without saying any word, he hugged him for a whole minute. Arthur didn’t say anything. He was angry and he felt humiliated.
“I know you may never forgive me, my friend, but I hope you do. You reminded me of what I forgot, Arthur.”
“I can’t believe you thought I would actually do something like this.”
“I don’t know what came on to me. Zubeida has been missing since the sunrise. I was scared and… Please, Arthur, forgive me. You should know that my dreadful behavior doesn’t represent my religion nor my culture.”
“Asem, I know that. It’s okay, my friend,” Arthur replied after a moment passed.
Asem grabbed his sword and put it back in his sheath. Then, he told Arthur and Zubeida to mount their horses and follow him. They met Malek on the hill.
“Why didn’t you kill this criminal, Asem? Do you want me to kill him? I am ready!” Malek spewed. Malek was angry but he used to the situation to boast in front of Zubeida. He wanted to appear as a strong, brave man.
“No, Malek, Arthur found my sister here and helped her.”
“Oh, we are sorry, Arthur. My friend, please forgive us,” Malek rescinded. “It’s okay. I am alive so…” Arthur muttered with a half-smile.
“But why was Zubeida alone in the desert?” asked Malek.
“It’s a long story, Malek, but you will like it very much. Now let’s go.”
The four headed home. Before they reached the tribe, Zubeida decided to tell her aunt that she went to Amajeed to find a cure to her aunt’s arthritis. She’d then depend on her aunt to spread the story amongst women. Asem decided, of course, to cancel the wedding. He was thinking of a way to tell the groom without causing too much upset.
“How is Delmar?”
“He is good now. Don’t worry, our hero,” Malek replied.
Malek and Asem were overly kind to Arthur because they felt guilty. They were grateful he helped Zubeida.
“Then we will leave tomorrow, my friends,” Arthur proclaimed.
“You can’t leave tomorrow alone, Arthur. You have to travel with a caravan. It’s dangerous to travel alone,” Asem advised.
“A caravan from a nearby tribe will leave to Turkey after three days. You can go with them. Plus, we need to see you a little bit more, my friend,” Malek stated.
“Thank you, my friends. I would have never been able to get the cure without your help. Your kindness and hospitability will be carved in my memory forever. I hope one day I will see you again. I will arrange this, I promise.”
When they reached back to the tribe, Asem and Malek prepared a big banquet in the honor of Arthur and Delmar. Men and children stared to dance around the fire as Arabic coffee and dates were distributed amongst everyone. Women also shared in the celebration.
“Did you know, Arthur? I am marrying Zubeida. I...I can’t believe it. I wish you could come to my wedding, Arthur. You and Delmar,” Malek spoke with great joy.
“Congratulations, my dear friend. I wish that too. And I wish all the happiness for both of you. And to see Asem a groom too,” Arthur laughingly replied.
After three days, Asem and Malek took Arthur and Delmar to the walking caravan which wasn’t far from their tribe. The departing tribe was near the main road. The leader of the Caravan was Asem’s friend Hassan. Hassan and Asem were happy to see each other.
“My friend, Hassan, how are you? And how is your family?” asked Asem.
We are fine, my friend. Will your tribe move to another place in the immediate future or is it good here?” Hassan questioned.
“Not in the immediate future. We are near water wells and the amount of water we have is good right now. My friend, Hassan, my American friends want to travel back home. Can they accompany you?”
“Sure, Asem. Anything you ask. Welcome, my friends. We have to walk home but if either of you feel tired you can ride on one of the three available camels. The rest of the camels carry goods on their humps,” said Hassan.
The tribe gathered to say goodbye to Arthur and Delmar. Asem gave Arthur and Delmar beautiful handmade silver bracelets decorated with colorful beads and gold coins. “These bracelets are made by our women. This bracelet is for your fiancée, Arthur. And you, Delmar, this bracelet is for your wife.
Who knows, maybe you will meet her soon.”
“Thank you, guys. I’ll see you again, I promise. I’ll bring my family too,” Arthur vowed.
“Thank you very much, Asem and Malek. I hope I see you again too,” Delmar said with sadness. His time with the tribe was pleasant. Although he voluntarily assisted with the work, he was treated as the rightful free man he was prior to his unfortunate kidnapping.
Malek cried and Asem tried not to as the caravan walked away. Delmar then started singing an African song.
“Delmar! Have a little compassion on my nerves. Your voice is horrible, and I can’t understand the lyrics,” Arthur complained.
“Sorry, Master. I won’t sing. Master, Asem gave me a beautiful bracelet for my wife. Will you free me so I can give it to her?” Delmar asked with a desperate smile.
“What? No, Delmar, I can’t. You are not mine to free. Frank is your real master. You can ask him to free you.”
“But, Master Arthur, we are not far from Africa. Please, Master, I am dying to see my family. My son, Jachiki, is thirteen years old now. And my daughter, Areeta, is eight years old now. My wife, Chinara, is— ”
“Okay, let’s hear the names and the ages of every single person in your village! Forget it, Delmar, I can’t do this. Moreover, I’ll be punished according to our law.”
Delmar didn’t comment. Instead, he started to stare at the endless desert where escaping alone was fatal.
The caravan stopped near the huge red rock. Apparently, something was wrong with one of the camels so the caravan had to stop for a while. “Delmar, that’s the huge red rock. The desert genies are behind that hill,” cried Arthur.
Chapter 3 The Red Tent
“Delmar, let’s go and talk to the genies before the caravan moves,” Arthur insisted. “No, please, Master, they freak me out.”
“What’s the matter, Delmar? Are you scared?”
“Yes, Master. They might convince us to go inside the tent.”
“Don’t be silly. Only stupid, shallow people who want money or women are tempted to enter. Just stand beside me. Don’t speak with them, let me do all the talking. I am your master, and this is an order.”
Arthur and Delmar started walking up the huge hill. “Don’t go there, it’s dangerous!” Hassan yelled. “Don’t worry, Hassan, we are not stupid. It will only take us a few minutes,” Arthur replied.
Arthur and Delmar walked until they reached the elderly man and woman. The male genie looked exactly like a regular sixty-year-old Arabic man. He wore traditional Arabic clothes with a long cloak. The female genie looked like she was no more than ten years his junior, wearing a long black dress and a
head scarf similar to Zubeida’s. Despite the stories told to Arthur, they seemed very nice. “Good evening, sir, ma’am,” Arthur greeted.
“Good evening, son. Do you want to join us for a cup of tea?” replied the old genie. “No, thanks. How long have you been living here?”
“I am ten thousand years old, son, but I have been sitting near this tent for no more than two hundred years,” replied the genie.
“Come with me behind the tent, Arthur. I want to talk to you in private,” said the female genie. “How did you know my name?” Arthur asked with surprise.
“Don’t go, Master. Let’s go back now,” Delmar, who looked pale, pleaded.
“Don’t be scared,” said Arthur. “Just wait for me here. Don’t speak with the genie.”
Arthur went behind the tent with the old woman. “I know everything about you, Arthur. I know exactly your deepest desires and thoughts, and I know you’ve wondered how Bedouin women in the tribe
looked since you’ve arrived. Come with me, my son. Come with me inside the tent and you will have the most beautiful Bedouin wife in this desert,” the female genie promised.
Arthur laughed hysterically. “You are a pathetic, genie. Is this your best attempt? You think you can tempt me with women? Well, I admit I was curious how Bedouin women look but I then realized Arabic women are more than just a pretty face. I admire their intelligence, patience, shyness, and hardworking.
Also, I am engaged to a very nice woman whom I love very much so you can play this game with someone else. Now, excuse me, me and my friend have a long journey ahead of us,” he replied.
Arthur left the woman and went back to the front of the tent but he didn’t find Delmar. Arthur’s heart started beating very fast. “Delmaaaar, where are you?” he cried.
“He is inside the tent,” the genie replied. The genie’s pupils disappeared and his eyes turned red. His smile was no longer friendly but creepy and spread widely.
“No, no, It can’t be! My friend is not stupid. What did you tell him?”
The genie raised the palm of his hand for Arthur to see. Arthur saw a beautiful young black woman washing clothes in a river as two children played around her. The boy was nearly thirteen years old and the girl was around eight. It was all in the palm of the genie’s hand.
“Are those Delmar’s family?” Arthur wondered.
“Exactly. I told him that the tent is a magical shortcut to his village,” said the genie.
“You manipulated my friend’s feelings, you devil! You knew how much he misses his family, and you used this to control him, you CRIMINAL!” Arthur shouted.
“And you too knew how much he misses his family. Yet you refused to set him free. We are both criminals.”
“How...how did you...how did hear us?”
“We have no power over humans away from the tent but we know everything about them,” replied the genie.
“GIVE ME BACK MY FRIEND...NOW!” Arthur angrily roared.
“I am sorry, it’s our rule. He will never see the sunlight again.”
“I don’t care about your stupid rules. Give me back my friend, you bastard!”
Arthur tried to attack the genie but the genie emitted a strong mysterious power from his body that pushed Arthur five meters away.
“Arthur, come back!” Hassan yelled. Hassan and some merchants were standing on the top of the hill, but they didn’t dare to go any further.
Arthur ran towards Hassan with tears streaming his face. “They took Delmar, Hassan. They took him away from me,” he cried.
“I warned you, Arthur, but you didn’t listen to me. Anyway, blaming yourself won’t lead to anything right now. Prepare yourself, we are leaving,” Hassan ordered.
“I can’t leave without Delmar, Hassan. Please, let’s dig around the tent.” “Arthur, we can’t. Let’s go.”
Arthur went back to the caravan and saw Delmar’s bag hanging on the camel’s saddle. He opened the bag and found the bracelet Delmar had been gifted for his wife.
“I’ll make sure your wife gets the bracelet, dear Delmar, I promise,” he said to himself as his eyes flooded with tears.
The caravan started walking a long journey to Turkey. Hassan’s plan was to make sure Arthur arrived to a port in Mersin, Turkey then boarded a ship to America.
“Cheer up, Arthur. Soon you will return to your family and your mother will be cured from this curse. You will then marry and have lots of children. Do you have brothers?” asked Hassan.
“No, just one sister. Her name is Rosie. Oh, I miss her very much,” replied Arthur. He blankly stared at the horizon.
“Soon you will meet her.”
“Pray for my mother, Hassan. Pray that she responds to the cure.” “May God save her and keep her healthy, Arthur.”
“How did you learn English, Hassan? You, Asem, and Malek?”
“We are merchants, Arthur. We met merchants from different parts of the world so learning English is important to us to communicate with them. We know by experience.”
“Do you meet American merchants in Turkey?”
“Sure, I know lots of them. I have American friends from Virginia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, and other states as well. We will meet this year. We meet annually in the Mersin marketplace and exchange goods.”
“Louisiana? I am from Louisiana too.” Arthur’s eyes lit up.
“Great, I’ll introduce you to them, and they can accompany you home.”
“Yes, yes, and I’ll invite them to my wedding too. And you, Hassan, please come,” he smiled. “Oh, dear Arthur, our handsome groom, I wish I could come to your wedding, but I can’t.”
Arthur opened his bag, grabbed a slip of paper and a pen, and started writing. He then took the food and the drink out of his bag and put them in Delmar’s. He hung his bag on the camel’s saddle and held Delmar’s bag.
“Hassan, please give my bag to one of your American friends who lives in Louisiana. Let him read the paper inside. I wrote my mother’s full address and Frank’s address too. I also informed the way to prepare the curing powder for my mother. I also left twenty golden coins. Let the American merchant take them as a wage for him,” Arthur requested.
“Arthur, I don’t understand. You are coming with us, why are you giving me the bag?” asked Hassan. “I am going back.”
“Back? Where?” “To rescueDelmar.”
“Are you crazy? Arthur, WAKE UP! Delmar is DEAD! Accept that and go back to your family. Enjoy your life. They need you now.”
“I am sorry, Hassan, but Delmar has a family too. I’m the one who dragged him to that dammed tent, I can’t leave him.”
“What a brave young man. Although I believe you will never see the sunlight again, I will make sure your mother gets the cure. Count on me.”
Arthur left the caravan and walked back to the dammed tent. After thirty minutes, he reached the spot he’d seen the genies since traveling in the desert. Without any hesitation or even talking to the mythical creatures, he went inside. He was so set on rescuing Delmar he hadn’t thought of how he would get out.
Arthur felt himself free falling in total darkness for nearly three minutes before he fell on a hard ground. To his surprise, he wasn’t hurt. He ran and ran but he didn’t see or reach anything. He soon felt thirsty so he drank from his bottle and decided to walk instead of running to avoid excessive thirst. Arthur walked and walked for three days, but he saw nothing.
“Delmaaaaaaaar… Delmaaaaar! Where are you, my friend?” But there was no reply from Delmar. Arthur didn’t know if he was blind or if the lack of light was a trick. His excessive tiredness and thirst made him aware he was alive but he had no food or water left. He started crawling; he didn’t know where he was going but something inside him made him keep moving forward.
“Mother! Oh, mother, forgive me. How much do I miss hugging you. I may never see you again, mother. And my sweet sister, Rosie. I miss sitting with you and taking long walks with you from time to time.
Charlotte, my angel, I never stopped thinking about you since I have left. Please forgive me, only god knows how much I love and miss you,” Arthur uttered.
Arthur finally stopped crawling. He had no power left to move an inch further. Arthur knew it was the end but he just smiled. For the first time in his life, he wished to die. Maybe death would lead him to something known or definite. “Oh god, take me to heaven please. To my dear grandmother,” said Arthur.
Arthur closed his eyes and waited for sweet death.
As he lay in defeat, the sound of dripping water tickled his ears. Arthur opened his eyes and slowly began crawling again. He was shocked by his sudden ability and will to move. The magical effect of the human’s brain on the body was astonishing. The dripping sound became louder and faster until he finally reached the source of water. Arthur filled his hands with water and drank until he was fully satisfied. Then, he smelled freshly baked cookies. He was able to reach them and eat. “Is this a game? Who is here? Please, I don’t want to play this game anymore. Is this how you treated Delmar? Where is he?” Arthur cried furiously.
Arthur started walking again; he knew there was something else. A dimly lit spot came into view, but it seemed so far away. Still, gathering all his strength, Arthur ran towards it. The number of spots increased and grew in size as Arthur walked more and more. The dots started to merge into a huge bright circle.
Arthur entered the circle to find himself in a small room with one red door. He opened it and entered a huge, beautiful garden. Although there was no sky or sun, it was very bright.
Arthur saw lots of men inside the garden, and they all looked miserable. He realized they were the unlucky thirty human prisoners who entered the tent. “Delmar, are you here?” yelled Arthur.
A man stood and made his way to Arthur. “Who are you? You are the second man who arrived here today. We haven’t seen any new men since I entered this dammed tent ten years ago.”
“Are you Saleh?” Arthur asked. “Yes, how do you know me?”
“I am Asem’s friend, I was a guest in his tribe.”
“Oh, oh, you are Asem’s friend? How is he? My wife was pregnant when I made the stupid decision to talk to the genies. Did you see my child?”
“Yes, he is a beautiful boy. They named him Saleh, after you.” Saleh cried. “Don’t worry, Saleh, we will get out of here,” Arthur assured.
“Everybody stopped aging when they arrived here, I guess. I don’t know if we are immortals now or just aging very slowly.”
“My friend Delmar, where is he? Please take me to him.”
Saleh took Arthur across the huge garden. It was full of trees although there was no sunlight. Arthur couldn’t see its end at first but he saw Delmar sitting on a carpet near the end of the garden, crying bitterly. The end of the garden was a huge wall. The whole garden was enclosed with a high ceiling.
“DELMAR!” shouted Arthur. “MASTER!”
Arthur ran towards Delmar and hugged him tightly. “Oh, dear Delmar, I am so sorry. Please forgive me, my friend,” Arthur cried.
“I’m the one who should apologize, Master. I failed to resist the temptation. I’m such a loser, I know. But she was there, Chinara was right there in front of my eyes, washing Areeta’s dress. Areeta and Jachiki were there too. They are grownups now. I-I-I just couldn’t resist anymore.”
“No, no, Delmar. It’s totally my fault, my friend. Stop blaming yourself.” Arthur put his hands on Delmar’s shoulders.
“How did you get here, Master? How did they tempt you to get here?” asked Delmar while he was wiping his tears with the heel of his hand.
“No one succeeded in tempting me here, Delmar. I entered the tent looking for you,” replied Arthur. “You, you sacrificed yourself for me?”
“I came here to rescue you and then send you on a ship to Nigeria.”
“You are his master?” Saleh interrupted.
“No, I’m his friend now. I see a door here, what’s behind it?” asked Arthur.
“It’s locked. We searched for the key for years and years, but we didn’t find it so don’t bother yourself trying. Just accept your fate here,” Saleh hopelessly replied.
“Saleh, stop the negative thinking. You are still here because of your pessimism,” snapped Arthur.
“I was optimistic like you, Arthur, ten years ago. But after you fail and fail in finding a solution, you just give up.”
“I would never give up, Saleh. Stay positive or leave me alone. I don’t want negative people around me. Negative thinking is the typhus of the soul, deadly and contagious.”
“I am with you, boss. I am really sorry. Just tell us your suggestions,” said Saleh. “Saleh, my friend, if there is adoor, then someone has put it to test us,” said Arthur. “Who is he? We haven’t seen anybody other than us.”
“Those sadistic genies. I am sure about that. We are in a big game, Saleh, and we have to win.” “Maybe we can open the door withouta key, maybe something else can open this door,” said Delmar. “Bravo, Delmar! Now there is an idea,” Arthur praised.
“Like in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” Saleh suggested. “What is this?” asked Arthur.
“It’s a story about forty thieves who opened a cave’s door by a password.” Excellent, Saleh! Yes, a password...” Delmar encouraged.
“I have been trying different passwords for ten years, nothing’s worked.” Saleh laughed, becoming discouraged.
“What type of passwords?”
“Random passwords,” Saleh said while smiling.
“This won’t work, there are millions of possibilities out there,” Arthur laughingly said. “How can we know then?” asked Delmar.
“Mmmmm… We have to think, my friend. I need a cup of coffee, is there coffee here?” Arthur asked.
“We have everything here, but it appears magically. We don’t know who cooks and sends the food,” Saleh informed him.
The Arabic prisoners were staring at Arthur, but they couldn’t make any conversation with him because no one knew English but Saleh.
Arthur sat on a huge, comfortable thick carpet and rested his arm on two pillows. Delmar and Saleh came holding three cups of coffee.
“I saw another pink door in this garden. Where does it lead?” asked Delmar. “To a library,” Saleh disclosed.
“A library! Here? Why?” Arthur wondered.
“I don’t know. Maybe they think we are stupid,” Saleh joked.
“I know there are verses in the Quran that asks Muslims to always wonder and learn,” Delmar said. “Indeed, but I don’t think that we will benefit from learning anything here.” Salehrejected the idea. “Who knows,” said Arthur.
“Look at that man, Arthur,” said Saleh. “That man who is sitting under that big apple tree. His name is Rasheed. This man came here forty years ago. He was thirty-five years old when he arrived, but he has never aged…just like the rest of us. He had a beautiful and kind wife who tried to please him and make him proud of her all the time, but all he did was criticize her, telling her he should have married a more beautiful, taller and slimmer wife. He never thanked her. He entered the tent because he was promised by the genies to be given a better wife. Now he regrets everything he has done to her. He told me if he gets out he will go back to his wife, even if she’s grown an old, ugly woman.”
“Sometimes we only appreciate things after we lose them,” Arthur replied. “I always found my work in my fabric shop boring but now I will give anything to work there again.”
“Arthur, let’s think now,” said Delmar.
“Well, guys. I think the password is written somewhere here, eitherdirectly or as a riddle. Search for any word or symbol written, search everywhere. Search the pillows, jars, vases, paintings, even cups,” Arthur directed.
The garden was huge, and full of items. Trees, flowers, tables,carpets, pillows, paintings, ruins, and other items from differentcultures.
It was like the genies had collected things from different cultures and put them in the garden. There were Ancient Egyptian ruins and tools, Phoenician glass plates atop wooden tables, English medieval paintings, and other things. After hours of searching, Saleh found some symbols on a little plate on a faraway neglected table. He carried the plate to Arthur.
“What language is this?” asked Arthur.
“I don’t know,” Saleh replied with a shrug.
“Now I can see the benefit of the library. Saleh, Delmar, follow me to the library please,” said Arthur. “Yes, boss,” Saleh excitedly agreed. Saleh started to have a flicker of hope for the first time in years.
The three men entered the library. It was huge and divided into sections. The history section, the languages section, the economics section… It went on and on. They went to the languages section and
started to search for a dictionary related to the symbols. After an extensive search, they found what they wanted in an Arabic-Phoenician dictionary.
Of course, Saleh had to translate the symbols because he knew Arabic. “It says, ‘it is the source of our living, our strength, and power.’”
“My dad once told me the Phoenicians are the traders of the Mediterranean Sea,” said Delmar.
“That’s it,” Arthur said. “It’s the sea. Yes, that is the password.” Arthur, Saleh, and Delmar ran to the locked door. The three men started yelling, “the sea, the sea, the sea!” but nothing happened.
All the prisoners started laughing. It was the first time they’d done so in a very long time.
“I don’t understand. I’m sure that is the password,” said Arthur. Delmar covered his face with his hands. He was angry and embarrassed.
“Why did you come here, ha, Arthur? To give me false hope? I was much better before you came. Damn you,” Saleh furiously said.
“No, no, I can’t stay here. I will keep looking,” said Arthur. “Come on, guys, let’s keep looking.” But this time, Delmar and Saleh refused to join him. They just didn’t want to be disappointed anymore.
Arthur started searching by himself. He couldn’t tolerate the idea of not seeing his mother, Rosie,
Gladys, Charlotte, and Frank again. His hometown in New Orleans, the fresh air, the sun… Everything. After nearly fifteen hours of searching, Arthur found an inscription on a pillow. At first, Arthur thought it was just a little frame in the middle. When he looked closely, he noticed that they were symbols. Arthur quickly went to the languages section of the library and started the bitter journey of searching. He found the symbols on an English-Ancient Greek dictionary. Arthur started translating alone. He finally read, “It cuddles the Nile.”
Arthur went back to Saleh and Delmar and stood before them as they were talking about their families in grief.
“What is the Nile?” Arthur asked as he rubbed his tired eyes. “Arthur, stop. You became obsessed,” said Saleh.
“You don’t know the Nile? It’s a river in Africa. It passes through several countries. Its generosity is the source of life for the different cultures that lived and still live in these countries,” said Delmar.
“I know that it has two branches that rise in Lake Victoria and Lake Tana,” Saleh offered.
“And it flows into the Mediterranean Sea. It’s called the father of the African rivers,” Delmar continued. “That’s it. We have two clues now leading to the same password, the Mediterranean Sea. The
Phoenicians used to trade in the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile flows into the Mediterranean Sea,” said Arthur.
“Whatever,” Saleh dismissively said.
Arthur went to the big door and screamed, “It’s the Mediterranean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea!” But nothing happened.
The prisoners started to laugh again. “Arthur, my friend, come here and sit down. You are making a fool of yourself. Do you want some mangoes? The mangoes are great here,” Saleh spoke.
Arthur sighed and turned to go and sit down next to Saleh when everybody heard a loud sound. The door started to open, and everybody gasped.
“Arthur… The door… Y-Y-Y-You did it,” Saleh cried in astonishment. Delmar jumped happily and hugged Arthur.
All the prisoners gathered as the door completely opened, but there was no open desert behind the door, just a wall. Disappointment flooded through everyone.
“Are you kidding me!” Arthur screamed.
Arthur didn’t wait long enough before his outburst. Seconds later a high magical door with a balcony appeared in the wall. An old genie entered, wearing a Greek costume and holding a cane. It was a major moment to the people entrapped. No genie ever appeared in this garden before.
“Congratulations, our neglected people. You just said the correct password for meeting the royals. The king, the queen, and their lovely princess,” said an elderly genie. Then he repeated what he’d said in Arabic.
“Isn’t this a password for getting out of here?” Delmar cried.
“No, my son, it’s for meeting the royal family. It’s a huge honor,” said the old genie. “But we don’t want to meet the royal family, we want to get out!” Delmar snapped.
Arthur quickly put his hand on Delmar’s mouth. “Of course, we want to meet the Royal family, sir.” Arthur whispered, “Shhh, Delmar. Let me deal with this.”
The old man went inside and returned with the royal family; the king, the queen, and their daughter, the princess. The queen was dressed exactly like Cleopatra, the princess dressed like a Greek princess, and the king wore attire of an English king from the medieval times. It didn’t seem like they had any specific culture or traditions. Their skin was light blue, eyes a soft purple, and their hair a deep purple which looked black in the small sections the light didn’t touch. They had big sharp ears and they were very tall, but they were very handsome. Arthur quickly got down on one knee. Saleh and Delmar did the same, then everybody else.
“Good evening, my neglected people, and congratulations for finding the password. You, Arthur Fredric Roberts, are a great man. I have never seen someone like you before. You are a legend,” said the king.
“Me? Oh, no, Your Majesty, I am not a legend. See, my friends helped me in finding the password.” “Do you mean I’m wrong?” the bizarre king snapped, his skin darkening with his anger.
“No, no, sir. I didn’t mean that,” Arthur replied.
“Arthur, you are the only one who entered this tent without a desire for a personal benefit, and you are the one who guessed the password. That made His Majesty very pleased of you,” the queen spoke.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” said Arthur.
“How old are you, son?” the king asked.
“Me? I am twenty-five years old, Your Majesty.”
“What do you want, Arthur? What do you wish for, son?” asked the queen.
“To go back to the desert, Your Majesty. The garden is very nice, thank you, but we need to go back to our families.”
“You mean you and your friend Delmar, right?” the king questioned. “No, Your Majesty, I meant everybody here.”
Why do you care so much? They are not even your friends.” The king was puzzled. Surely, Arthur would only care for Delmar.
“That’s true, sir. I am not their friend and I don’t fathom their language, but I know they are suffering here. I know they need to get out of here, Your Majesty.”
“Okay, Arthur Fredrick Roberts. I will give you two choices, but you may only pick one of them. The first choice is that you and Delmar leave this garden, alone. The second choice is that everybody leaves,
except for you,” said the king.
“What? But why, Your Majesty? Why can’t we all leave?” asked Arthur.
“We will leave you with your decision. We’ll come back after ten minutes, and you will give us your choice immediately or else…”
“Or else what?”
“We will disappear and close the door forever,” said the king. The king repeated his instructions in Arabic, then the royal family vanished.
Everybody gathered around Arthur, crying and pleading in their native tongue.
“Arthur, they are begging you to let them go. They want to see their families, their children or their children’s children. They want to see the sun, the sand. They want to smell the desert’s air. I want to see my child too, Arthur, please,” Saleh cried.
“Leave him alone!” Delmar shouted. “Arthur, don’t listen to him. You are the one who cracked the password. You are the one who didn’t enter here for a personal benefit. You deserve to get out and go home.”
Arthur covered his ears with his hands. “I feel a headache coming on. I can’t—I can’t decide. Delmar, Saleh, ask them to be quiet, please.”
“They are desperate, Arthur, and I am desperate too. Get me out of here, Arthur. PLEASE. I am dying here every day,” Saleh wept.
“Don’t listen to him, Arthur. I wish that they could leave, but you are the one who figured out the password. It’s your right to leave,” Delmar interfered.
“Of course, you wouldn’t care. You will be out of here anyway!” Saleh shouted.
“Who said I don’t care? That’s not true!”
“Stop it, guys, please. I can’t breathe… I am suffocating, I am suffocating! God, please help me. Please, God!” Arthur cried in agony.
The royal family reappeared. “Silence, everyone!” the king ordered. “Tell us what you decided, Arthur Fredric Roberts. Tell us now or we’ll leave forever.”
“They—they leave, and I stay,” Arthur said with a shivering tone. “No, Arthur. No!” cried Delmar.
Saleh hugged Arthur. “Thank you, my friend. I owe you my life. I owe you my life, Arthur,” he said. The prisoners understood they would leave and the voices of celebrations started to rise.
“Silence!” said the king. “My dear neglected people, you will leave now and be free from our power. But you will be mortals again. Now, please, give Arthur a chance to say goodbye to his friends.”
Delmar and Saleh tightly hugged Arthur with tears falling from their eyes.
“Delmar, guide Saleh to his tribe. It’s two hours from here. And you, Saleh, ask Asem to give Delmar a horse and enough money to travel to his village in Africa. Asem won`t mind. He is generous man,” Arthur said, his voice weak.
“Anything you want, Arthur. Our boss, our hero,” Saleh praised.
“This isn’t fair,” Delmar stated with regret. “You came here to free me, but you ended up the prisoner.” “Everything happens for a reason, my friend. Everything happens for a reason.”
Saleh, Delmar, and the others then vanished. The royal family vanished too. The door Arthur worked so hard to unlock vanished and transformed into a wall again. Arthur found himself in a total loneliness. He started screaming, hoping the genies would hear him. “Please, Your Majesty, let me out. I did nothing wrong. I came here to save my friend. I hurt no one. Please, let me go home to my family like everybody else. My mother is very sick. Get me out of here or turn me into an object like one of these pillows with no life or feelings.”
No one replied. Arthur started to frantically run in the neglected garden, kicking and slamming pillows against the trees. He smashed every glass or a plate he found. He desperately searched for another door but no new door or exit was there. Arthur went inside the library searching for a book that could help him, but he didn’t even know exactly what he was looking for. He started walking aimlessly between the library sections. He then went back searching again for a door, begging and screaming. Finally, Arthur sat on a red-carpet, weeping.
Arthur knew weeping was a blessing from God; it can lessen any anxiety and pain. He even started to hope that a stupid man entered the tent twenty or thirty years later and become his companion. He started to wonder if the man would speak English. Arthur was finally overpowered by sleep, and he slept for a long time.
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“Wake up, son,” the queen whispered while shaking Arthur’s shoulder. “Y-Y-Your Majesty,” Arthur stammered with half closed eyes.
“Oh, my god! Your eyes are swollen. Were you crying?”
“Of course, I was crying, Your Majesty. What do you think? I will stay here alone for eternity!” Who said that?”
“Who said that? You and your husband did!”
“No, we said you wouldn’t get out. We didn’t say that you will stay here in the garden. Come with me, my son.”
“Where?”
“To our world. You will be a genie, just like us. Not just a genie, but the prince of the genies too.” “A genie? A prince?”
“Yes, you have been chosen for the honor of being our son-in-law, and you will be the prince. You will be powerful, my son. Very powerful. You will have absolute control over every genie there. Well, except for me and the king of course.”
“What the hell! I-I mean, thank you for this huge honor, Your Majesty, but I don’t want this. I have a family waiting for me. I am engaged. I—”
“Shhhh, do you want the king to hear you? He will get mad, Arthur, very mad. He will leave you here alone for eternity.”
“NO! No, please, don’t leave me here, Your Majesty. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll marry your daughter if you want. Just don’t leave me here alone, I’m begging you.”
“Good boy. Now come with me,” said the queen.
The magical door and its balcony appeared again with a magicalstair that led from the balcony to the garden. The queen asked Arthur to follow her. At the top of the staircase, Arthur and the queen were met the king and the princess. “Bow for them,” the queen ordered.
Arthur bowed. “Good evening, Your Majesty. Good evening, Your Highness,” Arthur respectfully greeted.
“Good evening, Arthur. Welcome to our kingdom, the Under-Sand Kingdom. This is my daughter, Nourjan,” said the king.
“DAD! Is this the one you have picked for me at last? I mean, look at him! He looks so…so… Human!” cried the princess who was clearly displeased.
“Don’t worry, sweet pie, we’ll change him,” said the king.
“He is shorter than us, dear. Make him taller than Nourjan, you know, to look good together at the wedding today.”
“Today!” Arthur yelled in shock.
“And change his hair color, dad. Its brown like it was soaked in coffee, for god’s sake,” said Nourjan. “Hey, I love the color of my hair,” Arthur combatted.
No one listened to him. They acted like Arthur wasn’t even standing with them.
“Don’t forget to change the ears too, dear. And his skin color too, from white to blue. And his eyes, they must be purple,” said the queen.
“And dress him like an Arabic prince, dad,” said Nourjan.
The king put his hand on Arthur’s forehead and mumbled some magical words. Arthur felt weak as an electrical current flowed from his forehead through his body. He became exactly as they wanted.
“Congratulations, you are a half genie now. I endowed you with the ability to fly like us. Today you will become our son-in-law and crowned to be the prince of the Under-Sand Kingdom. Three days after the wedding you will be transformed into a full desert genieand live here for eternity,” said the king.
“Oh, and we will have lots of grandchildren very soon,” said the queen.
“Everything will be exactly as I planned. Our grandchildren will possess what is best in humans and what is best in elves. Intelligence and power!” said the king.
Arthur sighed and closed his eyes. “Forgive me, Lottie.”
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