A narrationThe good, bad and ugly [Archives:2003/691/Culture]

By Adil Mahmoud Ahmed Alamin*
For the Yemen Times
Our grandmother Alharam is a women full of wisdom that she gave us when we are young.
During seasons of harvesting dates, we would travel to north by train to Karima, then by steamer; Alzahra, to Mora, our peaceful small town, where she lives in her lonely nest. Her husband Wad Algeed had died long ago, so she declared sadly “I never tie a donkey at a place of a horse”.
Under moonlight, on the soft sands, among dates palms we sat at her feet victim with the marvelous folktales she offers us:
“Once upon a time,” she said, “there was a sultan at the lands of never never, where every thing true is not true. Only fairy tales just like me and you. This sultan was a furious man of a stupid and strange diction. So one day he gathered his false hypogretic followers and ordered them to teach his camel how to write and read!! The were very astonished and frightened too, because this portal man must be obeyed.
“Soon after they held a meeting to discus this Haroklis Task, which fall on their imply minds and full stomcks. After a while their Big Boss shouts, just like Archimdus when he discovers his laws of displacement in bathroom.
– “I found it! I found it!”
They gazed at him in surprise comfortably.
– “What is it? Our genous wizard.”
– “It's Alsheck Farah wad taktouk; our worst enemy, who instigates farmers against us.”
– “How can you do that ?”
He combs his long yellow beard with his dirty claws.
– “I shall tell the sultan that no one can do this job better than Alshekh, then we catch two birds by one stone.” He follows
– “We'll get rid of both, our worst enemy and this terrible job.”
They all agree without exceptions. A day passed the Big Boss told the Sultan, so the plan was settled.
* * *
After many days, Alshakh came to the palace, as the sultan was commanded. He was accompanied with four of his excellent students. He agreed with the job, but he requested to be offer seven years interval. The sultan agreed to this strange appeal. The calm gentile man hold the rope of the camel returned with his followers and the camel to the village of Umdwan-ban*.
Tag Aldeen, who is the best student of Alshekh was so sad, because he had known the dirty games of Junta of the palace, so he asked his teacher.
– “How can you teach this animal?”
– “Oh my son, don't worry about me. After seven year, for any event a speech. Either me or the sultan or the camel may die.”
Tag Aldeen and the other followers seemed to be discontent, but they uttered no word. Then Alshakh follows his pearl dropping “oh good sons. Do not sit among rulers, because they distort your principles more than you enjoy their rich and sick life”.
* * *
After seven years the soldiers of sultan came to the village for Alsheleh. He said his prayers and raise his hands for heaven assistance.
– “Oh Almighty God of all. Let your faithful slave never reach Khartoum.”
The Mercifull Allah fulfills
His poor worshiper will
Between Kartoum and Umdwanban
Alshekh was dead and buried in sands.
In Khartoum the flood drift the sultan
Out of reach of angry hands.
Then the stupid camel rules the lands.
* * *
“It was finished, jumped and inserted in a hole of the youngest of you.”
Alharam, our lovely grand mother, always finishes her stories in this fishy way. That makes my young brother crying while she burst laughing vigrously. God bless her.

* A writter from Sudan live in Yemen.
** A famous small town at the east bank of Blue Nile river, where the fire of holy Qura'an studier/ Hewrien shines all the nights.
Hence the name Um-dwan- ban
——
[archive-e:691-v:13-y:2003-d:2003-12-04-p:culture]