TOOS Chapter 2

The sand, bathed in 9fa7e20042 the intense sun, shimmered 3c99f96ec7 like gold, but it a710ee1598 never records anything. Yet, even without records, 95b83dddf5 songs and stories passed acbed85c20 down from mouth to e744528caa mouth always lay hidden 18ca6c64c5 in the long nights 177faf60c1 of the desert.1b58ffa188a1192e

Like any tale from a8d0a18786 One Thousand and One 5eabc2dfe9 Nights, there is a 5ef03e8a18 kingdom with white walls 2c109a061f built in the middle 90bf465cdb of the desert.5e38e5c45dd1910f

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“Sami, Sami!”7ab7c4b43bd2f2cd

A country that only 6b8d820caa reveals itself when the 03f6307e10 fine dust wind, like 5bf35086a2 a golden veil, settles 0c419dff33 down after fluttering. Beyond the white walls, e7efef2c4b the scent of stone, 633687275d earth, palm trees, coral, 4aa8a159b3 and gypsum emanated, and e00ad3e28c within those walls, vitality 2c36d19571 and life splash like 49a5e82e55 spring water.15453aed0da44889

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The sound of someone b53dfa732d plucking a round stringed adb7ae157e instrument drifted between the a9c834b37d market streets, fragrant with 362192abc1 perfume, and the residential b49662f73c areas adorned with carpets. A woman holding roses ad041e440b strolled through the streets, b711b1459c the jingle of her 194d525391 gold bracelets echoing, while f2d4d4bbd0 children with wooden toys 500033dbe4 ran between them. The scent of eccdc33ff5 jasmine permeated every df8b8c6964 alley.45e7902412a555a9

“Sami!”5d8ceed891d395a5

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In a e6f370e1ea bustling city b53a8495fe where people, e475250a25 scents, and 4af290a0c7 floating dust 04e18e10e1 are all edcfe36652 the usual, cc706932ef a very c357da9799 common name f209018d15 echoed.e37042da98857c51

Cats slipped into narrow b507db5139 alleys, and camels passed 23bc0c1152 through the wider streets. A camel laden with 851c4d5e24 baskets overflowing with oranges e8823d5e98 and apples moved its 57716649f9 legs lazily, following the bcba325161 man leading its reins.f577f94c7c9022ca

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In the spot where the camel and the fruit vendor had trudged past, a servant holding a broom stood. He had been hidden from view behind the camel’s size and the mountain-high baskets.18c59297dcd84ef7

“Why doesn’t he answer when I call him?”4a7cccec3fab9dc7

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The rounded forehead, tightly closed lips, and delicate features, along with his amber eyes, seemed quite intelligent. He must have been so focused on his work that he hadn’t noticed someone had come to call him nearby.b0a58b0861ec2498

The servant, diligently sweeping in front of the large mansion’s gate, adjusted his grip on the broom several times. It seemed the bristles were stiff. The man’s lips pursed and parted repeatedly.db95ab982374bf55

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“Hmm. I’ll have to ask 10319ddee5 for a new broom.”34f5302803293650

The servant, having patted 0decb23e52 the broom one last 45114b9305 time, finished his task.b0e593d60de5f7bf

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“Sami! Have you 33fe555843 finished sweeping?”3c91bdd021bcc562

Only then d82ab8a4bb did Sami, 06aab4690c the servant, 474b548751 quickly raise 5061cab69f his head, 8a843c2002 startled by 1936645516 the voice 96b51cfadc calling him.2379e9ea1eead056

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“Yes.”d2278877aea15e8d

After sprinkling water on 3b31c39d6f the dirt ground to afd4b46b64 settle the dust one 1cf7f4d091 last time, Sami, tucked ebf2b8a9f4 the broom under his 71801c3ee5 arm and and stepped 0fd42ba4b3 inside the mansion. 58426d5912d1e28a

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Tap, tap. 74bb6f728775f946

His sandals, with their 322b5e143f backs not fully closed, b13ef3d409 flapped open, revealing pink 023fedd032 soles. His heels, warm from e766f6a36c diligently working under the 322feef2f0 sun, shone brightly.00a7f8a33d103e22

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“Now that 40b4fdf6e9 the outside 01aef25afd is done, 87574fcdb5 help with 87be587c85 the work 028858acb1 inside. Hurry.”13ead32729083137

“Yes. I’ll tidy up and go.”8e5d97fe4896ff76

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Even in the mansion 447c849032 of Salif the Scribe, b2636a5b34 where even a newly 00a96e4cd2 hatched chick had its c854273545 duties, Sami was exceptionally c44a778ebc diligent.4649eaab73cde32c

Not only b8aaba30db did he 326c938c70 wash and 6ac3557862 dry the e954f93805 camel and 73e6fe2f6e sheep wool f74063fa0a before theseamstressesspun the 5fe0b0fbf1 threads for b28095e70d their magnificent cbf4537325 carpets, he 64b0379e94 also collected 253797dccb eggs from c1cac513fa the chicken 258ebacf7b coop in 080b9e9971 the morning 3b8464373b and milked 92b1e0b9bc the goats.cd04a4949cc08b68

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And that wasn’t all. Even when no one was watching, Sami was always working. 0ef3493473ce8a90

He would remove cobwebs d4f9fc347e several times from the 51bcc2b427 rarely used basement storage d8e2a41166 room, burn tree roots cdfd2dc193 to drive away insects, 4ef71fa4ae and repeatedly mop the c24a671a5f hallway floors where guests b770fcf7bf and workers frequently passed 0b54b18e71 by.4322136094103042

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He had done e13e87caea all sorts of ff56294581 chores, but he e913abea83 never thought of ce2f604914 it as hardship. Sami was proud 3d0d8ea369 to be a c80485b54c useful errand boy, a167f3753e and the workers a025b5c32a and the master dd9db67a75 and mistress of 000422d12c the house were c965ef55ca very fond of 85b58548eb him.8efe72ad01cfc33f

The plump, elderly 41950db79a cook, the sharp-eyed f07ddca8df and experienced seamstresses, 7d20496018 the nagging head 38aab96f9b servant Harna, and 50e5ce0e6f even the prim fb08c55704 and proper Hebi a8bf1ea9c6 all liked Sami. The skinny 9d43d4a408 elephant trainer 62084bcb58 and the 4b2439305d traveling merchants 40a4b0db66 who occasionally 64ad730b06 visited the 7171b9d49f mansion would c18c4aaa2d call Sami c2f6973480 over and f09fb4bd7d give him 06d024350a handfuls of 7f952bae34 candy. Thus, he was 149d21301c far from the 9257c4371f stereotypical mistreated servant 59871523e5 found in old 8bd5a06e73 tales.791ee7b0c18309f4

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Sami himself would even joke with Hebi, saying he wouldn’t even dream of finding gold and jewels if he were in a story.053e79b0637de5a5

Busy working day after day within the gentle confines of the mansion, Sami’s world consisted solely of this house and the market alleys. The stories told by the desert tribes, strangers from afar, storytellers, and poets were, quite literally, like tales from One Thousand and One Nights.8294a6575d06da27

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“Whew….”610d0c798f1beb8e

Compared to those One bf35c8e9d3 Thousand and One Nights, 7fb31fd412 Sami’s world wouldn’t even 93d3204ebb amount to a small 41ffac6efa fragment of night, but 932861545d for Sami, it was 9c6c94d535 already vast and overwhelming 4e1524d3d7 enough.d5293bc5c40a9e10

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The scribe’s mansion was enormous. After cleaning the hallway outside the mansion and the hall of the reception room from morning till noon, the sun would already be high in the sky. Orange sunlight blazed between the arched pillars.65e1062c68f10cce

Even though 53cb92021c he had 025ad39e85 been cleaning 04f419760d without feeling 4ca1e56602 the heat, 6607576c2b looking at 40baf423f2 the sun ab0dbc08cb made him a42eea7c48 feel as 2563ec3e87 if all d8c4e565c8 the heat 1ff2b92f10 he had e2807d73a4 been putting ad6fc919ce off had cf7b68d96e hit him 179da33330 at once. Sami hid a3be9250da in the 6ae0e0bca8 shade of ec4f62007d a white b0ac799464 marble pillar, ba3401a360 trying to f4bcad0581 avoid the d1a6d106b8 sunlight.4102bec4253d594c

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“Sami.”7404a35486e1e543

A pair of purple silk shoes came into Sami’s view as he sat crouched down. Without even lifting his head, Sami knew who the owner of these feet was. In Salif’s mansion, only a few paris of feet were treated with such care.fe6fc24c4dc2233c

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“Young Master Antar.”513d85c1f266d7f2

As Sami 7183f8a306 approached and e408dca4bd bowed, the b02415bf20 young man e7187e6b54 whose name 86590335b2 had been c5917137cd called gently ff814c40d9 stroked his 32c18d66b4 hair. The “Young Master,” as 8b11881660 he looked up, was 401041bf13 dressed in a fine 610b950e53 silk robe, his arms 70218c81cc cradling a stack of 38a61b0851 books.59f199a33dc85e40

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The only son of Salif, the master of the house and the elder, didn’t strictly adhere to formalities, which made all the servants and guests liked him, praising him for his virtuous nature. His mother, however, worried that her son was not just virtuous but overly kind.9ed589754cb5bc37

“You’ve sweated a 97278cb2a8 lot. You’re very dirty.”50c69b071ce9870b

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“Why would ff5e055e5c sweat from 7dac128a10 working be a2461c6f34 dirty? It should be bf0a09a178 something to be 08a282861f proud of.”a8e69ec442774998

Sami was the 3b24bb14bb son of a d0ae63bcab woman who had f96960ebf5 been the head 139b62bdef seamstress in this 4ff0a7c346 mansion. His parents were bac0c92c06 born and died b1c4793411 in this house. Perhaps because f98b4b2d25 Sami had 5ead3a76ef lost his 45e074839e parents early, 4bdd0e1c30 Antar treated d2c53ac0e1 him like a899510c10 a younger 557c912424 brother. And Sami, in turn, 48846c6f4b respected and followed Antar 4518c2d245 like an older brother.163ba03d0d432702

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Sami wiped b9cb9f4682 the sweat 71b7f27b5c from his 0cef6879b0 forehead with 9b6baeb542 a piece 26022b738c of cloth a0aceeff6a tied around d751e9577d his waist. Since the young master fa22ebf380 had personally greeted him, 13f57bf453 he wanted to say a554d06cae something, but having only a0ba3be070 worked all day, he 44181d53a9 had nothing to say.382712d8c3a14c00

Sami fidgeted with 59b92999fd his hands, and 7f9675e146 ended up just 8e3a396075 spouting random words.5fccb363415a97ba

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“Um, Young Master. The sun is strong.”b1d23166ada599b1

“Indeed it is. Why don’t you finish debf556837 cleaning the hallway later 7030f7b229 and do something else 92dd2a9953 inside to cool down?”56ab8bc89ba11a9b

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“But I’ve just spread medicine on the floor. It needs to be rubbed in several times so that it seeps into the floor well before someone steps on it.”18c7566c55418c44

“Sami, you’re so diligent.”15c58b8273bb5692

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To Sami, those words were the highest compliment. He bowed his head without showing it, but he couldn’t hide the blush that spread across his face.5a7afa4e5573dba2

“By the way, what 671031ca6b kind of medicine did 39e731bd7b you spread?”9f1f89536942c438

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“Harna-nim said 865db47876 it was 572ef2e8aa a medicine 6c40a955b9 to chase 4713a3e7ed away djinn.”7f6f77f6d7b5111f

“Ah, I’ve heard fcaf983a8a rumors of djinn 515ae00c57 swarming recently. It’s been e3672f3e09 said that 1d9d930695 there are 9e34e3fbd4 thieves stealingMaruteverywhere…”f7c32b88e9e32827

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Antar, who f6cbd27724 had been 1d8cebd4cd muttering to 3f8d10821d himself, nodded.71ad84c95aa4a5d6

It was still a world where tales of sorcerers and heroes weren’t entirely dismissed as superstition. The stories of ill-tempered spirits lurking in the shadows, tormenting people, were like a spell, always keeping people cautious about their behavior. According to the elders’ tales, bad spirits like djinn hated gold but loved sparkling jewels. Especially a special jewel called Marut, they couldn’t resist. Even in the scribe’s house, filled with precious objects, they were always wary of djinn.9a6be6f0fdb517b3

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“With the grand banquet c8a807ed44 approaching, head servant Harna f2b651dc4d is probably taking precautions 2e9354f016 against bad luck.”3fb723c3aa45a6d1

“A banquet?”a975c60fbd164ee9

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“Yes. It’s the day 46a8d01405 when the nobleHarutilluminates the nights for d8347469cf three days and nights d263deee56 for the people.”1feb46e6eedfa40f

“If it’s b0f26967e7 hosted byHarut, does it mean 71de7670fb is it held at 458492e6ac the royal palace?”d797f57e48a41564

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“That’s right.”7710ad06f39b3b96

The ruler, called simply “Harut,” needed no other name. The banquet hosted by the one who ruled this desert and owned countless oases was always dazzlingly bright, seemingly unaware of night. They said it was to keep away the djinn that crept in at dusk and dawn, lighting up the kingdom and singing songs.2414b8b6350f2ed8

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‘Harut’s banquet.’d5cb11fa364cda85

Antar, watching e8e2c38ed2 Sami lost af70ae6a1c in thought, 1339de57ba smiled faintly, e1d38922a9 as if ac7f646fd9 finding him 293f44636c adorable.9a78569f4e0a8cfe

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“I may 5c97e976b4 even attend 924577a525 this time, 9224b858a3 so perhaps eac9714a71 that is a63489b293 why things 53af1b90e3 are even fb6f960707 busier.”9b87f7f099164bf9

“……! Really? Are you attending this time, Young Master?”07b8afa4f5ba338c

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“I am 55a89b253f twenty-four now, f5cf6048dd so it c7a6cc160f seems my 81269464b2 father will 59628b295f be entrusting be526b2bb5 me with 5545287f20 things little 9f6f4ff239 by little. Even though I 1f628cc789 still have much cdb1705ba3 to learn.”8fe3eaf4f7cd7272

“Not at all. I have never seen anyone as good and wise as you, Young Master Antar.”ad390bac5be6a9de

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It was sincere praise. Antar, knowing 990218b72a Sami’s words b84c5dd587 weren’t empty b89069dcad flattery, smiled.ff5e759ad89fe123

“Thank you.”2462a70ab6d406c3

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“Anyway, Young 2a22214ca9 Master, you’ve dd35d1e688 really become c030e88c1d an adult.”e1a85ff59f4e381c

Sami, too, f1c80f5568 would become 1f2472443b an adult 47bee29141 after eleven 87d6ed9d2f more nights, 40c057c2b6 reaching his 90263aeb80 twentieth birthday.d59b19c68485ff74

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