Childhood friends Bijan and Zahid finally located the Al-Qarawiyyin Library. Fes, an extremely populous sprawling city, concealed it from them, despite the building being quite large. Now that they finally found it, they were both impressed by how immense it was. "About my payment?" the tifl alshaarie (street child) who had guided them there inquired. "uh, we are looking for the famed adventurer Dervish Sanders" Zahid remarked. The boy's face lit up. "I have heard he can be found here at the library quite often".
The child held out his hand, expecting payment. "Uh, don't you want to meet the mashhur Dervish Sanders?" Bijan asked. "We are friends of his" Zahid added, which was a tiny fib. The child looked intrigued. Suddenly there was a loud grumble. "Please, sir, I am very hungry. Do you have any food?". Bijan felt very guilty. "No. Also, we can't pay you as promised until we locate Majstir Sanders".
The boy's expression changed. Now he appeared to be very angry. "You lied to me?" he asked. "You don't even have a single copper Habb? I don't know if I should cut my losses or continue helping you liars". The child was visibly enraged. "I doubt you have even ever met Majstir Sanders" the boy declared.
"Yes, we do know him" Zahid insisted. "We fought side by side with him to defeat a goblin horde". The boy looked Bijan and Zahid up and down. "Hara'. I don't believe you. Where are your weapons?" the boy asked, incredulous. We were beset by bandits and all our belongings were stolen on the road from Abu Qilyub" Bijan explained. "There must have been at least 20 of them. We were outnumbered".
Zahid could see the boy didn't believe his friend. "My friend Bijan exaggerates. There were not 20 bandits. I think it was four or five. Though they did ambush us. We surrendered our belongings in order to avoid being killed. Including our barb, Nina". "I don't give a ghayit about your horse's name" the boy interjected. "Stupid falahs".
"Stick with us and you'll get paid" Bijan fibbed. He had no idea if they'd even be able to find Dervish Sanders. He was now very worried they would not. "He is very wealthy. He can pay you double" Bijan lied. Though maybe Dervish would pay a mere 2 copper Habbs. It would surely be nothing to him. Therefore he did not lie. Or so he convinced himself. If they could only find him he'd probably pay. He was a very generous man. He would almost certainly be very happy to help this poor street child.
The child produced a small knife from his pocket. "I could be shoplifting a piece of fruit for my lunch" the boy complained while handling the knife. He thrust it forward a few times, stabbing an imaginary foe. "I'll stick this in your gut if you screw me" the boy promised. "I want 5 copper Habbs" he declared.
"Majstir Sanders will pay you one silver dirham" Bijan promised. The boy's eyes grew wide. That was lot of money. For him, at least. "OK" he agreed. "But you'll regret it if you nakah me" the boy said, waving his small knife around to frighten the two stupid falahs. "You can call me Adin, by the way".
People were coming and going from the library entrance. "Let's go", Bijan decided, starting to walk in the direction of the library on the other side of the busy street. "Where are you going, stupid falah?" Adin asked. What was this dumb kid talking about? "The library" he said. "To inquire about Dervish Sanders". "The library is that building" Adin stated, pointing at a building on the side of the street they had been standing on. "That building is the University".
"Right. Of course" Bijan said, embarrassed. He turned around and came back. A young man wearing silk robes almost ran into him. "Watch where you're going, ghabi" the young man remarked. "I'm sorry, sir" Bihjan apologized. The three crossed the courtyard and approached the library doors. "They don't allow in riffraff" Adin remarked. Zahid looked in. "I don't see any security".
He walked into a large vestibule. The place seemed empty. He saw a woman sitting behind a counter. "Can I help you?" the woman inquired. "I'm looking for a man" Zahid began. "He isn't here" the woman exclaimed abruptly. Ever so often people came looking for the famed adventurer Dervish Sanders. She always told them he was not there. Whether he was or not. This man looked like a person of no importance.
"The library isn't open to the public" the woman said as Zahid approached the desk. "I am a personal friend of Majstir Sanders" Zahid informed her. "Do you have an ID or a pass" the middle-aged woman with graying black hair asked. "I am Zahid, a very good friend of Dervish Sanders" he said, repeating himself.
"I tell you what, you can leave a message and I'll make sure he gets it". "You're sure he isn't here? Maybe we can wait outside and he will show up later today?". Zahid had no idea how they were going to locate Sanders. He didn't think about it too much before departing on the journey, but now he was wondering how in jahim they were going to find him.
"I heard he was here yesterday, but prior to that it was a few months. I wouldn't count on him showing up today". She answered honestly. Though she would have said the same if she knew Dervish would be coming today. He had previously spent a lot of time at the library. Not recently, however. She had no idea why.
"I guess I'll leave a note then" Zahid concluded. "Though I don't write good. Let me get my friend". The woman sighed. In the meantime a group of students entered the room and they showed some badges. The woman waved them in. Seeing what happened Zahid asked if he could go in a take a look around. "You? No, you can't go in". Zahid could feel the woman's eyes on him. She was staring at him. With disgust, he felt.
Though, as it turned out, that look in her eyes was not disgust. It was another emotion. The lady, whose name it turned out was Amina, invited Zahid and Bijan back to her home. "You are a very handsome strong young man" Amina remarked as she began undressing. This was after they entered her bedroom. She appeared to be in her 40s, yet still in excellent shape.
Zahid admired her lithe nude body. "I have not been with a man for some time" Amina confessed. "I have never lain with a woman" Zahid replied sheepishly. "Really?" Amina remarked. She was definitely intrigued. "Make love to me" Amina implored. She approached Zahid. Zahid embraced and began kissing her.
"Nakah me again" Amina demanded, kissing Zahid gently as they lay in bed together, their bodies intertwined. "Again?" Zahid replied. Honestly, he was exhausted. And very hungry. "It's been almost two days since I have eaten" he complained. "You just ate me" Amina said, smiling. "I enjoyed it very much" Zahid confessed.
"The baba ghanoush and shawarma are very tasty" Bijan remarked when he saw his friend. Where had Zahid been for the last hour, he wondered. Zahid joined his friend at the table and began to devour the plate of food Bijan pushed in front of him. Aidn was there as well, shoveling food into his open maw.
Finally, the little boy slowed down. "I was so hungry" Adin exclaimed. "I've never eaten so much food in my entire life". The boy leaned back in his chair and started groaning. "I don't feel so well" Adin moaned. Then he threw up on his plate.
swtd-434. dsa-14. Previous. Next.
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