mercredi 6 août 2008
Three Stories
Here's three stories inspired by the wildlife of Mauritania. (And no, they have nothing do with this morning's the Coup d'Etat.)
The Call of the Donkey
Why does the donkey bray? Because the donkey remembers a time when he had no master. In packs a thousand strong, donkey roamed the land alongside his cousin, horse. Horse was faster over short distances, but donkey was smaller, stronger, and braver and could go farther than any other creature. Donkey explored the mountains, the desert, and the forests and found a home everywhere he went.
Man came to the lower steppes and all the creatures moved away from their loud, foul smelling village. Donkey moved too, but donkey was brave and curious, so when a creature that was like a wolf but not a wolf came to donkey with his tongue hanging out, donkey didn't run but listened to all the noise he made.
“I live with my master! He feeds me everyday! He gives me the best food from his table, my master does! We go everywhere together, master and me!”
“Where is your master now?” Donkey asked.
“Oh, master had a bad day and was angry, so I left. But I must go back now, it's nearly dinner time and there will be food for me!”
After dog left, donkey talked about him and said he was a silly creature, with his tongue hanging out and making so much noise. But some donkeys were curious about dog’s master, who gave him food twice a day. Some donkeys didn't like running across the deserts, over the mountains, and through forests. Some days were long and difficult and no food was to be found. And in the winter it was cold and in the summer it was hot and sometimes there was no water and sometimes there was only ice and they were thirsty when night came.
One donkey said they should leave man to their village and follow the other creatures. “We don't need a master to feed us; we can go further than all other creatures and we always find what we need.” This donkey was nearly as big as a horse and just as fast, so some donkeys listened to him -- but not many.
"You’re just scared of man. Real donkeys are always brave,” said another donkey.
The next day, most of the donkeys went down to visit man. They walked through his village and peered into his houses, and man hid under their blankets because the donkeys were big and strong. But all the dogs came out and made lots of noise. There were many dogs in the village, more dogs than men, and they circled the donkeys and barked at them.
Hearing their dogs outside, man crawled out from under his blankets and joined them. The donkeys thought they were very funny and they rubbed their noses over man and let them scratch their backs like they did to the dogs. Man gave the donkeys carrots and apples and grass, and the donkeys ate them all until they were fat and round and tired and happy. Right there, in the middle of the village, they lay down and slept on the ground, which they had never done before.
In the morning they woke up to the roosters’ calls and found that a fence had been built around them and that ropes had been tied over their necks. They kicked and screamed, but could not escape. Soon they were tired and thirsty, because man did not feed them when they fought.
They were given kitchen scraps which made them fat and round and tired and slow. And man favored the smallest donkeys, who were slower, but could go farther and carry more weight and rarely ever fought with them. And in time, the village donkeys became timid shadows of the creatures they had once been.
Many winters passed until the donkeys that had stayed away from man returned to the high steppes and peered down on their captured brothers. The village donkeys saw them high on the ridge and remembered how it felt to run across the fields and over the mountains and through the forests and they kicked and screamed and even broke their fences to escape. But man had ropes around their feet and necks and quickly brought the donkeys back.
Man had seen the great donkeys on the ridge and knew that they would cause problems. Each time they came, the village donkeys went mad with the desire to escape, so man decided to capture the last of the great donkeys.
They tried to chase them on their village donkeys, who were much too slow now. Man remembered the giant horses they'd seen long before who were faster than donkeys over short distances. They agreed, “That's what we'll need to capture these bothersome donkeys.”
Man hunted horses for many days and while his donkey was much slower, it could keep going, all day and all night, until the horses couldn’t run any further. Man tied ropes around the horses’ necks, gave them nothing to eat or drink, and when they were almost too weak to stand, slowly dragged the horses back to their village.
When the great donkeys returned to the high steppes, the village donkeys kicked and screamed and tried to warn them to run away. But man heard the commotion, climbed on his horses, and chased the donkeys across the high steppes. He knew the great donkeys were almost as fast as the horses and could go much further, so he made a plan to surround them, like he'd seen the dogs do to the village donkeys long before.
Some men rode towards the mountains, others towards the forests and the deserts, and then they turned in towards each other and closed their giant circle on the great donkeys. In this way, the great donkeys were caught. Even the horse, which is a very arrogant creature, was amazed at the strength and beauty of the great donkey, with his thick, striped hair and his rich, brown eyes; he was so unlike the dull, tired, lifeless creatures they saw in the village.
Man wanted to capture the great donkeys, since they were even better than the horses, but the great donkeys would not stop fighting. Man said “We cannot capture these creatures, they're much too strong; but we cannot let them go free, they make our donkeys angry and then our donkeys fight with us.” So man lifted his spears and brought the last of the great donkeys down. And far away, the village donkeys heard their brother's final screams and took this call as their own.
Man came to the lower steppes and all the creatures moved away from their loud, foul smelling village. Donkey moved too, but donkey was brave and curious, so when a creature that was like a wolf but not a wolf came to donkey with his tongue hanging out, donkey didn't run but listened to all the noise he made.
“I live with my master! He feeds me everyday! He gives me the best food from his table, my master does! We go everywhere together, master and me!”
“Where is your master now?” Donkey asked.
“Oh, master had a bad day and was angry, so I left. But I must go back now, it's nearly dinner time and there will be food for me!”
After dog left, donkey talked about him and said he was a silly creature, with his tongue hanging out and making so much noise. But some donkeys were curious about dog’s master, who gave him food twice a day. Some donkeys didn't like running across the deserts, over the mountains, and through forests. Some days were long and difficult and no food was to be found. And in the winter it was cold and in the summer it was hot and sometimes there was no water and sometimes there was only ice and they were thirsty when night came.
One donkey said they should leave man to their village and follow the other creatures. “We don't need a master to feed us; we can go further than all other creatures and we always find what we need.” This donkey was nearly as big as a horse and just as fast, so some donkeys listened to him -- but not many.
"You’re just scared of man. Real donkeys are always brave,” said another donkey.
The next day, most of the donkeys went down to visit man. They walked through his village and peered into his houses, and man hid under their blankets because the donkeys were big and strong. But all the dogs came out and made lots of noise. There were many dogs in the village, more dogs than men, and they circled the donkeys and barked at them.
Hearing their dogs outside, man crawled out from under his blankets and joined them. The donkeys thought they were very funny and they rubbed their noses over man and let them scratch their backs like they did to the dogs. Man gave the donkeys carrots and apples and grass, and the donkeys ate them all until they were fat and round and tired and happy. Right there, in the middle of the village, they lay down and slept on the ground, which they had never done before.
In the morning they woke up to the roosters’ calls and found that a fence had been built around them and that ropes had been tied over their necks. They kicked and screamed, but could not escape. Soon they were tired and thirsty, because man did not feed them when they fought.
They were given kitchen scraps which made them fat and round and tired and slow. And man favored the smallest donkeys, who were slower, but could go farther and carry more weight and rarely ever fought with them. And in time, the village donkeys became timid shadows of the creatures they had once been.
Many winters passed until the donkeys that had stayed away from man returned to the high steppes and peered down on their captured brothers. The village donkeys saw them high on the ridge and remembered how it felt to run across the fields and over the mountains and through the forests and they kicked and screamed and even broke their fences to escape. But man had ropes around their feet and necks and quickly brought the donkeys back.
Man had seen the great donkeys on the ridge and knew that they would cause problems. Each time they came, the village donkeys went mad with the desire to escape, so man decided to capture the last of the great donkeys.
They tried to chase them on their village donkeys, who were much too slow now. Man remembered the giant horses they'd seen long before who were faster than donkeys over short distances. They agreed, “That's what we'll need to capture these bothersome donkeys.”
Man hunted horses for many days and while his donkey was much slower, it could keep going, all day and all night, until the horses couldn’t run any further. Man tied ropes around the horses’ necks, gave them nothing to eat or drink, and when they were almost too weak to stand, slowly dragged the horses back to their village.
When the great donkeys returned to the high steppes, the village donkeys kicked and screamed and tried to warn them to run away. But man heard the commotion, climbed on his horses, and chased the donkeys across the high steppes. He knew the great donkeys were almost as fast as the horses and could go much further, so he made a plan to surround them, like he'd seen the dogs do to the village donkeys long before.
Some men rode towards the mountains, others towards the forests and the deserts, and then they turned in towards each other and closed their giant circle on the great donkeys. In this way, the great donkeys were caught. Even the horse, which is a very arrogant creature, was amazed at the strength and beauty of the great donkey, with his thick, striped hair and his rich, brown eyes; he was so unlike the dull, tired, lifeless creatures they saw in the village.
Man wanted to capture the great donkeys, since they were even better than the horses, but the great donkeys would not stop fighting. Man said “We cannot capture these creatures, they're much too strong; but we cannot let them go free, they make our donkeys angry and then our donkeys fight with us.” So man lifted his spears and brought the last of the great donkeys down. And far away, the village donkeys heard their brother's final screams and took this call as their own.
Fish Bones
I will tell you why the fish has so many bones, but first you must know why the fish floats to the surface when he dies. That story begins long ago, when polar bears left the sea and became alligators and alligators left the land and became butterflies and there was much confusion in who was who and what was what and whether one creature was your brother or your cousin and another was your sister or your aunt. Because of these strange and complicated relations, an unspoken law existed that everyone, even the most vicious creatures, would control their baser instincts and avoid eating anything but eggplane and cabbage, which had been carried to earth on solar winds from another galaxy and were not members of anyone’s family. At this time, fish had not a single bone in his body and his flesh was white and tender from silvery tip to tail.
On the banks of the primordial sea where creatures were daily dragging themselves out of the water or sinking back in, a sandy-colored creature called man was having a hard time deciding whether to stay on the shore or return to the water. The sea was always a pleasant temperature and filled with eggplant and cabbage, which was certainly not the case on land, where it was hot all day, cold all night, and one often had to eat sand.
The problem was that man was very forgetful and he had forgotten how to breathe underwater. He would dive into the primordial sea, fill his lungs with water, and begin to splash around and make all sorts of noise, which could be heard for many miles in the sea.
Fish took pity on man, who, he was embarrassed to admit, was a not-so-distant cousin. He wanted to help man remember how to swim and maybe stop drawing so much attention to himself. So, when man made another attempt at returning to the water, fish swam beside him and whispered in his ear.
“Watch me, it’s easy!
“Just move your tail back and forth!”
Soon man was moving through the water in an awkward fashion. But he kept his head high and tried not to sink below the surface.
“That will never do,” said fish, “you have to go under and breathe!”
Man did as he was told. The rich, salty water washed over his head, stung his eyes, and pressed deep into his ears. He exhaled his last breath and bravely sucked water into his lungs -- as much as he could possibly hold. For a moment, he remembered dashing back and forth in endless schools of extended relatives, spinning in the ocean spray and crashing back into the sea, diving so deep the cabbage glowed in the dark and the eggplant was blind.
Then he started to drown. He thrashed and coughed and clawed for the surface. Fish tried to calm him down. “Breathe! It's okay.” But man wouldn't listen.
Man woke up in the surf. He coughed and coughed, until all the water left his lungs.
“Man,” fish asked, “why do you want to return to the sea? Is it so bad there on land?”
“Oh, it's terrible. It's always too hot or too cold and there's so little to eat, some days I have to fill myself with sand to stop the pain.”
Fish had an idea. “Man, when I die, I have no need for this body. I will fill myself with air and float to the surface and the sea will wash me to the shore. You can take of my flesh and feed yourself as easily as I fill myself with eggplant and cabbage.”
Man thanked his distant cousin and in the days to come he would find many fish washed up on the shore. And fish was so good man could eat it whole, straight from the sea, and he thought he would never be hungry again.
Man is a forgetful creature. He stared at the dull, sunken eyes of a fish washed up on the shore. He poked the soft, mushy flesh. He smelled the putrid remains before him and thought, “Dead fish is better than sand, but not by much.” Man forgot everything fish had done for him. Man wanted fresh fish.
Man waded into the sea and splashed around in his efforts to stay afloat. Fish swam to his side and whispered in his ear, “You still want to come back to the sea?”
“Fish, the water here is too deep. Come closer to the shore and teach me how to swim.”
Fish followed man and gave him all the advice he could. Many hours passed before fish realized the tides had shifted and he was flopping around in a small puddle in the sand. “Man, take me back to the sea. It's too hot here on land and I can't breathe!”
Man lifted the firm-fleshed fish and stared at his bright, shining eyes. Fish smelled so fresh. Fresh fish must taste so good.
“Yikes! What are you doing?” screamed fish.
Man couldn't respond—his mouth was full of tender white meat.
“You tricked me after everything I did for you!” Fish closed his eyes and focused on his soft, supple flesh. He thought of the great coral reefs and deep stone spires. He thought of the alligators teeth and polar bears claws. “You'll regret this, man. I promise you that.”
Man ignored fish and took another bite of his flesh. Maybe, if he hadn't been so hungry, he would have noticed something different But he bit, chewed, and swallowed without a second thought.
Then he started to drown. He thrashed and coughed and clawed for air.
“Now I have thousands of bones and every time you eat me you they will lodge in your throat and choke you and you will drown on land just as if you were in the sea.”
On the banks of the primordial sea where creatures were daily dragging themselves out of the water or sinking back in, a sandy-colored creature called man was having a hard time deciding whether to stay on the shore or return to the water. The sea was always a pleasant temperature and filled with eggplant and cabbage, which was certainly not the case on land, where it was hot all day, cold all night, and one often had to eat sand.
The problem was that man was very forgetful and he had forgotten how to breathe underwater. He would dive into the primordial sea, fill his lungs with water, and begin to splash around and make all sorts of noise, which could be heard for many miles in the sea.
Fish took pity on man, who, he was embarrassed to admit, was a not-so-distant cousin. He wanted to help man remember how to swim and maybe stop drawing so much attention to himself. So, when man made another attempt at returning to the water, fish swam beside him and whispered in his ear.
“Watch me, it’s easy!
“Just move your tail back and forth!”
Soon man was moving through the water in an awkward fashion. But he kept his head high and tried not to sink below the surface.
“That will never do,” said fish, “you have to go under and breathe!”
Man did as he was told. The rich, salty water washed over his head, stung his eyes, and pressed deep into his ears. He exhaled his last breath and bravely sucked water into his lungs -- as much as he could possibly hold. For a moment, he remembered dashing back and forth in endless schools of extended relatives, spinning in the ocean spray and crashing back into the sea, diving so deep the cabbage glowed in the dark and the eggplant was blind.
Then he started to drown. He thrashed and coughed and clawed for the surface. Fish tried to calm him down. “Breathe! It's okay.” But man wouldn't listen.
Man woke up in the surf. He coughed and coughed, until all the water left his lungs.
“Man,” fish asked, “why do you want to return to the sea? Is it so bad there on land?”
“Oh, it's terrible. It's always too hot or too cold and there's so little to eat, some days I have to fill myself with sand to stop the pain.”
Fish had an idea. “Man, when I die, I have no need for this body. I will fill myself with air and float to the surface and the sea will wash me to the shore. You can take of my flesh and feed yourself as easily as I fill myself with eggplant and cabbage.”
Man thanked his distant cousin and in the days to come he would find many fish washed up on the shore. And fish was so good man could eat it whole, straight from the sea, and he thought he would never be hungry again.
Man is a forgetful creature. He stared at the dull, sunken eyes of a fish washed up on the shore. He poked the soft, mushy flesh. He smelled the putrid remains before him and thought, “Dead fish is better than sand, but not by much.” Man forgot everything fish had done for him. Man wanted fresh fish.
Man waded into the sea and splashed around in his efforts to stay afloat. Fish swam to his side and whispered in his ear, “You still want to come back to the sea?”
“Fish, the water here is too deep. Come closer to the shore and teach me how to swim.”
Fish followed man and gave him all the advice he could. Many hours passed before fish realized the tides had shifted and he was flopping around in a small puddle in the sand. “Man, take me back to the sea. It's too hot here on land and I can't breathe!”
Man lifted the firm-fleshed fish and stared at his bright, shining eyes. Fish smelled so fresh. Fresh fish must taste so good.
“Yikes! What are you doing?” screamed fish.
Man couldn't respond—his mouth was full of tender white meat.
“You tricked me after everything I did for you!” Fish closed his eyes and focused on his soft, supple flesh. He thought of the great coral reefs and deep stone spires. He thought of the alligators teeth and polar bears claws. “You'll regret this, man. I promise you that.”
Man ignored fish and took another bite of his flesh. Maybe, if he hadn't been so hungry, he would have noticed something different But he bit, chewed, and swallowed without a second thought.
Then he started to drown. He thrashed and coughed and clawed for air.
“Now I have thousands of bones and every time you eat me you they will lodge in your throat and choke you and you will drown on land just as if you were in the sea.”
The Beautiful Cockroach
I once met the most beautiful cockroach in the world. Among her kind, her beauty was a legend, and even I was amazed, for I swore she was a cricket or a beetle, and I couldn’t believe she was the cockroach she claimed to be.
“You are unlike any roach I have seen before. How are you so beautiful?” I asked.
“It is true, I am the most beautiful cockroach in the world,” she said. “And my story is the saddest you will ever hear—but my life has always been one of extremes. My father was the richest and most powerful king the world has ever seen. And I was his most beautiful daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world. No man was worthy of my hand and my father feared that someday one of his enemies might come for me, his most precious treasure, so he kept me hidden away in my tent, under robes and veils.
“My father had more slaves than could be counted in a lifetime. They did everything for me, so that I never had to lift a finger. Every slave had only one task to do and every hair on my head had its own slave. They were fat and well fed; their lives were not difficult. But in return for this, they had to do everything perfectly. Any mistake was cause for death.
“All my slaves were woman but one: a Boy, whom my father did not fear, because he was terribly ugly. He was the smallest creature you have ever seen, bent nearly double with a camel's hump on his back. He could not walk, but crawled on his hands and knees. He was always covered in a black shroud that hid his ugliness. But I did not know this then. I had to hide behind a curtain when he came in and all I knew of him was his voice. His task was the hardest of all—he had to tell me what I wanted to hear.
“What I wanted to hear were stories about beautiful princesses free to leave their tents and see the world. Boy was perfect; he made no mistakes. His stories stretched from before time began until long after the universe ended. He knew every planet circling every star swirling in every galaxy. And he knew every princess that ever was or would be and every single amazing thing they did. Boy's mind was a map of this universe and countless others.
“And his voice... his voice was the perfect instrument.”
“For all his riches, my father was a fool. Could he not hear this instrument? Could he have been so deaf? How could he not see what would happen to a lonely girl, locked away with such a beautiful sound. Yes, I was in love and I had a plan.
“'Boy, tell me the story of a princess, locked away in her tent, under robe and veil. Tell me how she escapes and finds her love.'
“Boy was quiet for a long time. Finally he spoke, ‘That is a story that ends in a dark place. Are you sure you want to hear it Princess?’
“Perhaps I was a fool too, but I was in love. 'Boy, I've told you what I want to hear. If you don't tell me, my father will kill you.'
“‘As you wish. This princess, the richest and most beautiful in the world, was also the poorest, for she had never seen anything but the patterns of her tent and the eyes of her many slaves. But she had fallen in love with a slave she had never seen. And a girl in love thinks nothing of danger.
‘This beautiful Princess devised a plan to escape her father's watchful eye and run away into the desert with her love. She told her slave to cover himself in one of her many robes and veils. He did as he was told. She then came out from behind her curtain and covered herself in his simple black shroud. “I am going to find the witch in the desert that lives beneath the sun; she hates my father and will help me to escape. Wait here, slave. My father will come to see me and when he finds you he will threaten to kill you. Tell him you were following my orders but you know where I am. Tell him I am in the desert near the ancient well. He will take you there, but when he cannot find me, he will tie you up and leave you there to die of heat, thirst, and madness. Do not worry, I will come at sunset and untie your ropes, and you and I shall runaway together. I love you, slave, and wish to be yours as much as you are already mine.’
‘Slave did as he was told. Soon the king entered his daughter's tent. He loved to remove her veil and stare into the eyes of his greatest treasure. But all he found was the face of a poor slave! The king did just as Princess had said he would. They rode to the ancient well and his soldiers searched the land for the Princess.
“Slave,” said the King, “you will die a terrible death out here.” A rope was found, and slave was tied up by his arms. The king lowered him into the well and left him hanging there so that he would live longer and endure even greater pain.
‘Princess found the home of the desert witch, a frightfully old woman she'd heard of in stories all her life. The witch sat in the darkest corner of her hut, chewing on sticks and bones. She had just the slightest wisps of gray hair left on her head, which would sometimes slip into her mouth and rest there until her dark gums had chewed through them.
‘”Princess,” the witch said in a voice like blowing sand, “you have come to find your love."
‘”Yes, he waits for me at the ancient well.”
‘”He will be yours, child, I will promise you that. But you must promise me that you will always love him completely. Always and forever. He is a special boy, and I will never let anyone hurt him.”
‘”I love him more than the entire world. I love his voice completely, and nothing else matters.”
“I told Boy to stop. I'd heard everything I needed to know. He did as he was told and covered himself in a robe and veil. I came out from behind my curtain and covered myself in his black shroud. I crawled from my tent and went towards the dunes. Hidden by the sand, I walked towards the sun, because the desert witch lives directly beneath it. I found her there and made my promise.
“We found the ancient well, and I took hold of the rope that hung over the side. I looked over the edge of the well and, in the last reflections of the setting sun, I finally saw my love.
“I was the daughter of the king and was no less a fool. I saw my love. I saw his terrible face, his worthless legs, his disfigured back and yes, for a moment, I forgot his voice, I forgot his mind. A moment was all it took.
“The desert witch screamed like a storm rising over the endless dunes, ‘You lied, princess, you know nothing of love. My boy is too good for a beautiful cockroach like you. You will become the lowliest of slaves! You will spend your life cleaning up the skin, the hair, and the filth of man. You will live in the darkest shadows of the dirtiest pits, now and forever!’”
“You are unlike any roach I have seen before. How are you so beautiful?” I asked.
“It is true, I am the most beautiful cockroach in the world,” she said. “And my story is the saddest you will ever hear—but my life has always been one of extremes. My father was the richest and most powerful king the world has ever seen. And I was his most beautiful daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world. No man was worthy of my hand and my father feared that someday one of his enemies might come for me, his most precious treasure, so he kept me hidden away in my tent, under robes and veils.
“My father had more slaves than could be counted in a lifetime. They did everything for me, so that I never had to lift a finger. Every slave had only one task to do and every hair on my head had its own slave. They were fat and well fed; their lives were not difficult. But in return for this, they had to do everything perfectly. Any mistake was cause for death.
“All my slaves were woman but one: a Boy, whom my father did not fear, because he was terribly ugly. He was the smallest creature you have ever seen, bent nearly double with a camel's hump on his back. He could not walk, but crawled on his hands and knees. He was always covered in a black shroud that hid his ugliness. But I did not know this then. I had to hide behind a curtain when he came in and all I knew of him was his voice. His task was the hardest of all—he had to tell me what I wanted to hear.
“What I wanted to hear were stories about beautiful princesses free to leave their tents and see the world. Boy was perfect; he made no mistakes. His stories stretched from before time began until long after the universe ended. He knew every planet circling every star swirling in every galaxy. And he knew every princess that ever was or would be and every single amazing thing they did. Boy's mind was a map of this universe and countless others.
“And his voice... his voice was the perfect instrument.”
“For all his riches, my father was a fool. Could he not hear this instrument? Could he have been so deaf? How could he not see what would happen to a lonely girl, locked away with such a beautiful sound. Yes, I was in love and I had a plan.
“'Boy, tell me the story of a princess, locked away in her tent, under robe and veil. Tell me how she escapes and finds her love.'
“Boy was quiet for a long time. Finally he spoke, ‘That is a story that ends in a dark place. Are you sure you want to hear it Princess?’
“Perhaps I was a fool too, but I was in love. 'Boy, I've told you what I want to hear. If you don't tell me, my father will kill you.'
“‘As you wish. This princess, the richest and most beautiful in the world, was also the poorest, for she had never seen anything but the patterns of her tent and the eyes of her many slaves. But she had fallen in love with a slave she had never seen. And a girl in love thinks nothing of danger.
‘This beautiful Princess devised a plan to escape her father's watchful eye and run away into the desert with her love. She told her slave to cover himself in one of her many robes and veils. He did as he was told. She then came out from behind her curtain and covered herself in his simple black shroud. “I am going to find the witch in the desert that lives beneath the sun; she hates my father and will help me to escape. Wait here, slave. My father will come to see me and when he finds you he will threaten to kill you. Tell him you were following my orders but you know where I am. Tell him I am in the desert near the ancient well. He will take you there, but when he cannot find me, he will tie you up and leave you there to die of heat, thirst, and madness. Do not worry, I will come at sunset and untie your ropes, and you and I shall runaway together. I love you, slave, and wish to be yours as much as you are already mine.’
‘Slave did as he was told. Soon the king entered his daughter's tent. He loved to remove her veil and stare into the eyes of his greatest treasure. But all he found was the face of a poor slave! The king did just as Princess had said he would. They rode to the ancient well and his soldiers searched the land for the Princess.
“Slave,” said the King, “you will die a terrible death out here.” A rope was found, and slave was tied up by his arms. The king lowered him into the well and left him hanging there so that he would live longer and endure even greater pain.
‘Princess found the home of the desert witch, a frightfully old woman she'd heard of in stories all her life. The witch sat in the darkest corner of her hut, chewing on sticks and bones. She had just the slightest wisps of gray hair left on her head, which would sometimes slip into her mouth and rest there until her dark gums had chewed through them.
‘”Princess,” the witch said in a voice like blowing sand, “you have come to find your love."
‘”Yes, he waits for me at the ancient well.”
‘”He will be yours, child, I will promise you that. But you must promise me that you will always love him completely. Always and forever. He is a special boy, and I will never let anyone hurt him.”
‘”I love him more than the entire world. I love his voice completely, and nothing else matters.”
“I told Boy to stop. I'd heard everything I needed to know. He did as he was told and covered himself in a robe and veil. I came out from behind my curtain and covered myself in his black shroud. I crawled from my tent and went towards the dunes. Hidden by the sand, I walked towards the sun, because the desert witch lives directly beneath it. I found her there and made my promise.
“We found the ancient well, and I took hold of the rope that hung over the side. I looked over the edge of the well and, in the last reflections of the setting sun, I finally saw my love.
“I was the daughter of the king and was no less a fool. I saw my love. I saw his terrible face, his worthless legs, his disfigured back and yes, for a moment, I forgot his voice, I forgot his mind. A moment was all it took.
“The desert witch screamed like a storm rising over the endless dunes, ‘You lied, princess, you know nothing of love. My boy is too good for a beautiful cockroach like you. You will become the lowliest of slaves! You will spend your life cleaning up the skin, the hair, and the filth of man. You will live in the darkest shadows of the dirtiest pits, now and forever!’”
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