Read In Arabian Nights for Free Online Page B

like a small child holding an
encyclopedia,' he said. 'It has extraordinary potential in its
hands, enormous energy and the chance to learn from a
thousand generations that came before. But it can't really benefit
from the wisdom it holds until it's learned to read.'
    'Will the man who came to see you ever be ready?'
    'I hope so.'
    'Did you talk to him, Baba?'
    'A little bit. But he's not even ready for that.'
    'So what did you do?'
    'I gave him a story, Tahir Jan,' he said. 'And I told him to
study the story again and again until he didn't understand it any
more.'
    'Baba?'
    'Yes, Tahir Jan?'
    'Will you tell me the story you told the man who came today?'
    My father sat forward, legs crossed. He cocked his head back
for a moment, and said: 'Once upon a time there was a Persian
king. He spent all his time eating delicious things. As the years
passed, he grew fatter and fatter, until he could hardly stand. He
was forced to roll about on cushions. No one ever dared to speak
out until, one morning, the king complained of bad circulation
in his legs. The blood had drained away, leaving them blue.
    'Doctor after doctor was called to the court. But the more
doctors he saw, the more the monarch ate. And the more he ate,
the fatter he became.
    'One day, a very wise doctor arrived in the kingdom. He was
immediately taken before the king and the royal condition
was explained to him. The doctor said, "Your Majesty, I can
reduce your weight within forty days and then I can save your
legs. If I do not, then you can execute me." "What special
medicines do you require?" asked the king. The doctor held out
a hand. "Nothing, Your Majesty. I don't need anything at all."
    'The king suspected that the physician was going to have him
for a fool. He asked his grand vizier what to do. "Lock him
up for forty days," said the adviser. "After that we will chop off
his head."
    'A pair of royal guards stepped forward to haul the doctor to
the dungeon. Before he was led away, the king asked him if there
was anything he wished to say. "Yes there is, Your Majesty."
"Speak!" shouted the king. "I must tell you that I have seen the
future, Your Magnificence. And I have seen that you will drop
dead exactly forty days from now. And be assured that there is
nothing you can do to prevent it."
    'The doctor was locked in the darkest, dampest cell. The days
began to pass. As they did so, the king clambered off his cushions
and walked up and down, fretting. He worried and worried, and
worried and worried, until none of the courtiers could recognize
him. He lost his appetite, didn't wash, and, through fretting,
could hardly sleep.
    'On the morning of the fortieth day, the doctor was dragged
from the dungeon. He was taken before the king and ordered to
explain himself.
    '"Your Majesty," he said in a calm voice, "forty days ago you
were in danger of dropping dead from obesity. I could see your
condition, but knew that an explanation would not lead to a
cure. And so I caused you to endure forty days of anguish. Now
that your weight has been so drastically reduced, we can
administer the medicines that will restore your circulation and
cure your illness."'
     
    Painting the doors with honey may have protected us from dark
forces, but it led to an infestation of biting flies. I have never seen
anything like it. The flies swarmed in and coated the sticky
surfaces so completely that they could be scraped off with the
end of a spoon. Zohra forced the guardians to clean up the mess.
She said that dealing with jinns was men's work.
    Rachana had stormed out of the house early, a stream of
threats spewing behind her like a vapour trail. By the afternoon,
I had been bitten from head to toe. Mustering all my strength, I
ordered Osman to slay the flies and wipe away the honey.
    He seemed disappointed.
    'You cannot rush these things,' he said.
    Unable to stand it any longer, I went down to Café Mabrook,
where I found Dr Mehdi sitting in the sun reading L'Économiste .
He was dressed in a