TOOS Chapter 2

The sand, e357c10e76 bathed in 23358a158b the intense bc9fccdf4e sun, shimmered 51c803da48 like gold, 183bd2348f but it 813d8f475f never records d30de81530 anything. Yet, even without records, a368783b5a songs and stories passed 1386f22dd7 down from mouth to b7fdfa24d5 mouth always lay hidden 07079717c8 in the long nights 4b308525ee of the desert.f473127f2c892044

Like any tale f119e00a84 from One Thousand 91ba3f000f and One Nights, 1422f8cd9b there is a 264953f565 kingdom with white 2e4a23e80d walls built in 1ce4468450 the middle of f3f39be169 the desert.d5dd2959bdc12a67

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“Sami, Sami!”d17efbe7478550f6

A country that only c2a42c053b reveals itself when the 95cca278f8 fine dust wind, like 1a82630b55 a golden veil, settles 41756910b8 down after fluttering. Beyond the white c1fdfddd22 walls, the scent ba7aed5865 of stone, earth, 461c8ab10a palm trees, coral, 0d7884c37e and gypsum emanated, bcd1b40c1a and within those 1620c7b7c2 walls, vitality and 4bb53c4d14 life splash like c5c7fc9344 spring water.b7f196d0ec56c299

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The sound 096e89982d of someone 80bb3a99a0 plucking a 118a0c3da7 round stringed bf2d1e9e2d instrument drifted 7f813f4879 between the 7d599f842e market streets, 38cd5d5429 fragrant with e04db0b936 perfume, and ed79ad405b the residential f10a4f9697 areas adorned 9c9cf8e47b with carpets. A woman 5cd830d593 holding roses 62c3bdc79f strolled through e5c4dea192 the streets, ee4910cda9 the jingle 186102450f of her 078998f6e4 gold bracelets 306a2d2f9f echoing, while 19717296bc children with b7b8c7ef24 wooden toys 3ff68d7cfe ran between cd172e3798 them. The scent of jasmine bc6d31a5b6 permeated every alley.6f520e39679f9e48

“Sami!”7b11660049923e0c

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In a bustling cd778238e6 city where people, 940154818a scents, and floating 1e82c5b392 dust are all 6b6f4b77fc the usual, a d0c281fabc very common name 89cbfacdd4 echoed.d8d2179dcbb44d97

Cats slipped into narrow 775419d808 alleys, and camels passed 4d48895bef through the wider streets. A camel laden with cb0c254d30 baskets overflowing with oranges 525c2893e8 and apples moved its 3f1327ec82 legs lazily, following the b51fa26b6d man leading its reins.9c3a97585264aa67

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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.0da9bc2698816d55

“Why doesn’t he answer when I call him?”1835f2d9420ac94a

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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.0dc15b9b6642c506

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.a0adc4ce848d3f56

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“Hmm. I’ll have to ask 02438ae982 for a new broom.”acd2e91c44af9c75

The servant, having patted 0ecb106de6 the broom one last 6b92c2b688 time, finished his task.b0bf2190d7bec756

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“Sami! Have you 8b838f0e96 finished sweeping?”471d210483e40186

Only then 121cb1b5ee did Sami, c6d2116d2c the servant, e708816087 quickly raise 0b9bcc8bc7 his head, bafe29bfe1 startled by 6b2eaf0e12 the voice 7d454a933d calling him.e34dd3ed6b38d464

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“Yes.”b6ae39656f7388f1

After sprinkling water e8f5f8af46 on the dirt 5f71dcab76 ground to settle 7c71b80aa5 the dust one 208ab700d6 last time, Sami, 8f6e1ecf7c tucked the broom c6a7d7915d under his arm e355c55662 and and stepped 36367a9f90 inside the mansion. f7705bd92322c3e8

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Tap, tap. c3c87e5d3c5e37d8

His sandals, 5009668919 with their b01b0b1139 backs not 91292780d4 fully closed, e3c4c62d89 flapped open, a3264102fe revealing pink 1089c82cbd soles. His heels, warm from 5e515af57c diligently working under the 5741013383 sun, shone brightly.642b663922311961

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“Now that 78a80f7a7d the outside 0a329888b8 is done, b8989f8ab5 help with b37d79bfc6 the work 47830b06fa inside. Hurry.”a7af3f258900d8d6

“Yes. I’ll tidy up and go.”c1197a8e03b6490f

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Even in 7537838f45 the mansion d250b4a439 of Salif 6b0f56a6e1 the Scribe, d7765afaed where even 2629a719fc a newly d15362d3c6 hatched chick 292d6e5dcf had its a6ce5432d9 duties, Sami 2ba68e12dd was exceptionally 9d029f6f6f diligent.d6bbdf50a54927a5

Not only 63d20f50bd did he 953af03697 wash and 6e3d798b60 dry the 23add3ca25 camel and c8ccabf2e9 sheep wool eee09622db before theseamstressesspun the threads 64c4263901 for their magnificent 00dad1cc2c carpets, he also 6372c786ce collected eggs from a4498a1161 the chicken coop d42bd73cb1 in the morning 9a1befdbd1 and milked the fb2ae585f5 goats.2089f5fd3676a91a

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And that wasn’t all. Even when no one was watching, Sami was always working. ad8a50c1b437a6b0

He would remove cobwebs af4661e386 several times from the 87dc8fc89d rarely used basement storage 04421a29de room, burn tree roots 28f0a4b02b to drive away insects, 5d40922e98 and repeatedly mop the fa352f98c2 hallway floors where guests 42ab497dc1 and workers frequently passed 3f48ad31c2 by.0962d162d40ea958

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He had fdbe08a3be done all 29dfcc1593 sorts of 0df62290a4 chores, but 9125f29f2d he never c9c892baf9 thought of 473f757dcb it as 126de9a893 hardship. Sami was 3ba9c8de39 proud to b48646dba6 be a d513eb143e useful errand 6d58a2f2ff boy, and 2e9bb3744d the workers a5dceeb97d and the d4c70d2301 master and 3c386ed256 mistress of 546bfc8c4a the house badc13e5e7 were very 1802dc3d6b fond of ecfc271717 him.a413a67667b8589c

The plump, elderly cook, 2cf35ec962 the sharp-eyed and experienced 3daf5f7dd7 seamstresses, the nagging head dc3a205211 servant Harna, and even 20e2a8d721 the prim and proper a754d9496c Hebi all liked Sami. The skinny 16b31cb8f9 elephant trainer 016b793e08 and the fe2e648357 traveling merchants 1bccba8278 who occasionally a808b997e4 visited the ef4fa0447d mansion would 727c0801ea call Sami 55d7ed0c93 over and 4af9db0ed3 give him e6ee351af1 handfuls of 06acdcdefd candy. Thus, he was e2bb03d942 far from the c2feb39209 stereotypical mistreated servant 84fb56ad9b found in old a5bacefa43 tales.49f7a473bc037295

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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.38881fac9609a1f3

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.07c3950fa8e13a86

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“Whew….”e48e9de32d96166b

Compared to those One 5e4780d314 Thousand and One Nights, 24dfb4fb3a Sami’s world wouldn’t even 22a6e7571c amount to a small b3e76a7f69 fragment of night, but 8c8fed0ccd for Sami, it was cef962bb72 already vast and overwhelming 7a9ea1cda0 enough.5364eddb771a03e8

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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.c016cd3f83b2f50e

Even though 4ded814bcd he had 90409b0213 been cleaning 31487c7fb0 without feeling ff504af621 the heat, 2e3b68dce9 looking at f0a371fa49 the sun 559a08631e made him 6b9421ebe7 feel as b58473fe40 if all 0545193c10 the heat 3268150bed he had dbd590947d been putting b6991f0c31 off had bd0fbce29b hit him d072d755a7 at once. Sami hid a8bfd47bef in the ca2cc52711 shade of e3e4783192 a white 5a49a0f075 marble pillar, 99967f2922 trying to 08b1b7b5f6 avoid the b59136d7f7 sunlight.bbbc4729125af9f8

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“Sami.”aa5d7be4543ce09d

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.fc3f36f03b58a3c8

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“Young Master Antar.”89cc1101fe246fc6

As Sami approached fa2ef36596 and bowed, the 08d97f0932 young man whose 50b4a457ae name had been 65779c7698 called gently stroked a123bdf4d6 his hair. The “Young Master,” 4832fa9d4d as he looked e23e0af38e up, was dressed 1eeaee90bc in a fine b182edb636 silk robe, his 8f15df30c2 arms cradling a aa85444df8 stack of books.34461a910a68c7cc

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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.2226bbf1a365fe0a

“You’ve sweated 05913bccd4 a lot. You’re very dirty.”30d946ac8fe1465d

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“Why would sweat 4e1b53ec18 from working be a5657c6f77 dirty? It should be something be43860991 to be proud of.”a6e07e2389ddbbcb

Sami was d352ae2c16 the son f40d810e2f of a 3675875dcb woman who 470c7e2a91 had been 699a2d6e8d the head 46c6632529 seamstress in 28823b107f this mansion. His parents were 9a0d36d7b5 born and died 96ccf94a74 in this house. Perhaps because Sami had 10f83dcdcb lost his parents early, afef37f9d5 Antar treated him like 2983c36631 a younger brother. And Sami, in turn, d6fefc66da respected and followed Antar 3df5ad0652 like an older brother.1ae26d3cea7037a4

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Sami wiped adc3b12bab the sweat 466f897d9a from his 0bb6e80c05 forehead with 1eef36ef3e a piece e5ff18501e of cloth 9d07000516 tied around 051a8619c1 his waist. Since the 57d8d1625d young master f4fbdcd182 had personally 21d5b87bc6 greeted him, 874a2b9625 he wanted 720678804f to say 0e4958952f something, but 2ab435ee77 having only bbd5354616 worked all 6afaf22f0b day, he fb8df2d1fe had nothing 7aa8dd1e50 to say.8c71c0d27eb0e839

Sami fidgeted with 071bbbfe40 his hands, and 54ef161c43 ended up just cf2b33331f spouting random words.2d27b6b76a130bdd

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“Um, Young Master. The sun is strong.”a6730011182dfa15

“Indeed it is. Why don’t 87fc6fd3c7 you finish bac75dfb68 cleaning the 33603154ae hallway later dee0bb2d28 and do 0c31b219ad something else 7a7eda95fa inside to b500b3b7b4 cool down?”808598329aae2c14

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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.”deead3df73867f4c

“Sami, you’re 8606c68b05 so diligent.”26535291205b261e

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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.953308221046d234

“By the 2dbc1cb299 way, what 83704e5138 kind of abbf658d83 medicine did 8a3231d21b you spread?”8771cd5bc53141d8

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“Harna-nim said e4adc0c82f it was bfc4b63c91 a medicine 5070bf8f15 to chase 8e24e6f737 away djinn.”ed0e4b846eb3d9f7

“Ah, I’ve 2d7c1d6192 heard rumors 56db90c855 of djinn 1d8fdc9976 swarming recently. It’s been said that 12583dc447 there are thieves stealingMaruteverywhere…”74162c4fd7671152

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Antar, who had been 62a21860f3 muttering to himself, nodded.7d3ab1df4d89adfd

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.296f042b9ba44bb1

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“With the grand banquet f9540aea34 approaching, head servant Harna c03c777be6 is probably taking precautions f1fbc2ff74 against bad luck.”82cfd0eb05a0fe86

“A banquet?”13ed21a7eb841235

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“Yes. It’s the day when b55b193129 the nobleHarutilluminates the nights c0b5d89e10 for three days f4d6c8af2d and nights for 02333d1871 the people.”d960925061c7437b

“If it’s da1b199582 hosted byHarut, does it bb75cf9811 mean is it d0a82cd26a held at the 6e15d1c87e royal palace?”b306c12fcd0cb7b7

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“That’s right.”ba9e1693b535115c

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.b78be2afd1ca5087

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‘Harut’s banquet.’07df0a0635d4046d

Antar, watching Sami lost f7ad321b7b in thought, smiled faintly, 565fc8fde9 as if finding him 7e949141e0 adorable.8e137bbff5dddd72

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“I may b26dee1eca even attend 9dad195dc6 this time, 05095ac46b so perhaps 936caa68f9 that is fea7efef59 why things 962ad3f85a are even 8f6adc57b6 busier.”67e03f0d9253c34e

“……! Really? Are you attending this time, Young Master?”b357544850c7c207

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“I am twenty-four 65b251a747 now, so it dc450fa7d8 seems my father 28ccc2be1a will be entrusting 6b87100056 me with things cc42016cba little by little. Even though 4a1c670d5b I still cddb785184 have much 3389087b0d to learn.”160f7f82895ed50d

“Not at all. I have never seen anyone as good and wise as you, Young Master Antar.”d4413a0ae6cc4404

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It was sincere 2a6c1ee4dc praise. Antar, knowing Sami’s words 5907e3ac47 weren’t empty flattery, smiled.bb75766f2aecd1b5

“Thank you.”2504a244be385800

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“Anyway, Young c171bfc8a8 Master, you’ve d765ee55b3 really become b3556a1d7e an adult.”2f6464511271c714

Sami, too, would 54aa0e5af1 become an adult cc57be0846 after eleven more 55036342d0 nights, reaching his 9a2286b226 twentieth birthday.5badb76a8d695bb6

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