Stories for Seven Year Olds

by Michele McGrath

  “Take off your cloak. It’s ripped.”

  “I heard it tear when we were crawling beneath the stalls.”

  “Probably. Let me show you how to cover your hair and face with this veil.” Mina wrapped the delicate silk around her. “You’ll pass for Laila now, if they don’t look at you too closely. You’re about the same height, but if anyone sees your face, they’ll realise you're not her. What do you think of my outfit?” Mina had discarded her rags and dressed in trousers and a jacket, with a large turban perched on top of her head.

  “Where did you get those clothes?”

  Mina grinned. “Don’t ask.”

  “Are you sure we should do this?” Shannon felt very nervous.

  “Afraid?” Mina challenged her.

  “Aren’t you?”

  Mina nodded. “I am, but I’m used to these things. I suppose you aren’t?”

  “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “You promised you’d help me.”

  “I did and I will. I don’t like the idea, that’s all.”

  “You don’t have to like it, just do it,” Mina replied. She rushed off across the roof and down the stairs. Shannon took a deep breath and hurried after her.

  “Follow me and step where I step.” Mina led the way through twisting alleyways with ruts and open drains, wooden slats and rubbish piles. At times Shannon couldn’t breathe properly for all the smells. Then, suddenly, Mina stopped and Shannon almost bumped into her.

  “That’s the palace gate,” she said, pointing to a large building with lots of towers. Torches burned in front of the gate, giving plenty of light. People passed in and out. Two big burly soldiers checked them over as they did so. They had long curved swords hanging from their belts.

  “Those soldiers will find out I’m not Laila,” Shannon said in a scared voice.

  “They won’t, if we go in with a crowd. They don’t check everybody as well as they should do. Come on, let’s join that group. Quick.” Mina darted out into the light. Shannon followed her hurriedly and they mingled with the other people waiting to enter the palace. Shannon’s heart was in her mouth all the time, but everything went as Mina said it would. A guard glanced at them and waved them through. Then he turned back to one of the merchants and began to search his cart. Once they passed through the gates, they came into a large courtyard and Mina caught her arm and pulled her out of the crowd.

  “This way.” A couple of short passages led them to a golden gate. Mina tried to open the gate but it was locked. “I hope they keep the key in the same place they used to do,” she whispered. She ran her hands over the wall, pushing and probing with her fingers. Shannon heard a faint clunk and then Mina turned holding up a key and smiling.

  Chapter Seven

  The gate opened into a garden with tall cypress trees and fountains. The air was fresh and clear, unlike the hot dustiness Shannon had breathed in all day.

  “Oh, this is better,” Shannon said, as her skin expanded with the moisture. For a second she remembered the pelting rain at home with affection.

  “Come on, no time to waste.”

  “Where are we going?” Shannon asked.

  “Up there.” Mina pointed to a room with a balcony on the second floor of the building.

  “How can we?”

  “We’ll have to climb. If we go through the corridors, we’re sure to be seen and stopped. Dancers aren’t allowed in this part of the palace.”

  “I can’t climb that!”

  “Yes you can. The vine has plenty of handholds and so does the trellis. Follow me and don’t look down.” Heart in her mouth, Shannon followed. Fortunately, the climb proved easier than she thought. Mina seemed to know the right place to put her feet and which branch to grab hold of. Shannon was puffing when she got to the top and had to stop, bending over to catch her breath. Mina disappeared into the room. Then she came back and said,

  “Come on. No one's here.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Shannon asked.

  “Help me search.”

  “What am I looking for?”

  “Papers.”

  “But I don’t read Arabic, how can I tell if they’re the right ones?”

  “You don’t have to. They’ll be hidden somewhere. If you find anything tucked away, give it to me. I’ll know if it’s what we’re looking for.”

  Mina went over to the closets and started opening the doors. Of the four of them, only one was locked. She brought out a curiously-shaped wire which she put into the lock and fiddled round. Something snapped and the door opened. Mina picked up one of the table lamps. They went into the closet and found they didn’t need it. The light from the torches in the gardens came in through a recessed window.

  “Good,” said Mina and she replaced the lamp on the table. Then she locked the closet after them, “In case anyone comes in.”

  The search took a long time. The closet was large, with racks for clothes and chests which held shoes and trinkets and goods. Nothing seemed to be hidden; everything was on view. Shannon stood back, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

  “I can’t find anything, can you?” she asked.

  “It must be here!” Mina cried. She sounded as if she was going to burst into tears. She had burrowed behind the piled-up chests and started tapping at the walls.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for a hiding place.”

  “I’ll try too.”

  Shannon turned to the walls to start tapping, when something made her freeze.

  “Footsteps. Someone’s coming,” she hissed.

  “Quick, over here.” Shannon dodged behind the chests and Mina threw an embroidered shawl over them both. Shannon lay down shivering with dread. The footsteps came right up to the door and paused. A key jangled in the lock. Someone was in the closet with them! Shannon made herself as small as she possibly could. Mina shivered beside her. Both girls held their breath. He fumbled around with something. A click and a shuffling of paper. Another click, footsteps, the door opened and closed again. Both girls lay still. Eventually Mina raised her head and peeped out beneath the shawl.

  “He’s gone,” she said thankfully, scrambling out from her hiding place.

  “What did he do?” Shannon asked.

  “He opened something; a hidden panel perhaps, that opens with a click. None of these chests make that sort of sound.”

  “Well the sound came from near the door. He didn’t come very far into the room or move around much,” Shannon said. “You check that wall; I’ll check this one.”

  Shannon found the hidden panel in the end. She traced a diamond pattern with her fingertip, pushing as she did so. Part of the wall swung open, leaving a box-like hollow. She stood on tiptoe and felt inside. The hollow was filled with papers. Mina rushed over to her and grabbed a handful.

  “Bring the rest with you. I need a better light to read them.”

  The girls carried the sheaf of papers into the main room. Mina skimmed through them quickly, shaking her head in disappointment.

  “Nothing here. Did we leave anything behind?”

  “I’ll go and find out.” Shannon picked up the discarded papers and went back into the closet. She put them on one of the chests and groped about in the cavity. The hole was quite deep and she could barely reach. She pushed a chest over and climbed up. She ran her fingers along the side of the hole and suddenly she touched something silky. She thrust her head and shoulders into the cavity until she managed to reach a small packet tied up in a cloth. She climbed down and went towards the door when Mina almost knocked her down.

  “Found anything?” she asked.

  Shannon opened her mouth to tell her and froze. More footsteps, moving closer. “Hush, someone else is coming. Grab the rest of the papers and come in here. If he sees us, we’ve had it”

  Mina made a dash over to the table, grabbed the papers and threw herself into the closet.

  “ Lock the door.”

  “No time. If
I try, he’ll hear me!”

  Both girls huddled behind the door. Mina held it closed with her fingertips. They listened so hard that Shannon thought her ears would burst with the strain. The person came into the main room. He had a heavy step. The footsteps did not stop anywhere this time. They went all round the room and out again.

  “Phew!” said Mina, “just one of the guards checking.”

  “Let’s get out of here before anyone else comes. They might catch us next time.”

  “But we haven’t found anything,” Mina wailed.

  “I found this, right at the far end of the hole.” Shannon thrust the silken packet into her hands. “I was coming to tell you when I heard the guard. You look at it while I put everything else back.”

  When Shannon had tidied up the closet, she found Mina jumping up and down with excitement.

  “This is it! You’ve found the evidence!” she squealed.

  “Hush, someone will hear you. Are those really the right papers?”

  “They are. Here’s the agreement Father was supposed to have signed, but it’s got Mustafa’s name on instead. This is a receipt for the same amount of money Father was accused of stealing and which they never found. It's enough to clear him.”

  “What do we do next?”

  “We give these papers to Prince Hassan. He’ll know what to do with them.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Probably with his father in the banqueting room at this time of night.”

  “Let’s go. How do we get there?”

  “Down into the garden and I’ll show you. We have a problem though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Only men go into the banqueting room. Women don’t, except for dancing girls, of course.”

  “I’m dressed as a dancing girl.”

  “You can’t dance, though. What if they ask you to? I’ll go alone.”

  “You’re a girl too.”

  “I’m dressed as a boy. They won’t look at me too closely, if I’m carrying a jug or a plate of food.”

  “I’d like to watch you give the papers to Prince Hassan.”

  “There might be a way.”

  The two girls climbed out of the window and down the vine. Shannon found climbing down far easier than climbing up. They landed in the garden without mishap. Mina led Shannon through the corridors, being careful to make sure that they were empty first. They went up a set of stairs and walked along a corridor where rich hangings covered the walls. Mina appeared to be counting them. At the fifth one she stopped and pulled back a corner.

  “In here. Be quiet now.”

  An opening lay behind the hanging. Shannon stepped through and found herself on a sort of balcony with more of the latticed windows. She peeped through one of the holes and saw a magnificent marble room. The floor was covered with rich carpets and the walls had silken hangings. Several men sat on cushions, watching some small boys walking on their hands in front of them.

  “The tumblers,” Mina whispered in Shannon’s ear. “I used to come here to watch them when I was little.”

  “Who are those men?”

  “The one with the golden turban is the Sultan. Prince Hassan is wearing white and the man with the purple robes is Mustafa. Stay here, you should be safe enough and you'll be able to see me.”

  “I hope everything goes well for you.”

  “I’ll come back for you as soon as I can. If I don't, try to get out of the palace on your own. Go to my house and wait for me.”

  “Thanks, but you’ll succeed. I know you will,” Shannon said firmly. “You’ve got the papers; all you have to do is give them to the Prince. Good luck.”

  The girls hugged and Mina slipped away through the drapes.

  Chapter Eight

  Shannon waited anxiously, peering down into the banqueting room. The minutes dragged and nothing happened. Then there was a flurry of movement and Mina came in, carrying a pitcher in both hands. The men weren’t paying any attention to her. They were still watching the tumblers, who had now formed themselves into a tall pyramid in front of them. Mina served the Sultan first and then she moved behind Prince Hassan. She pretended to drop the cloth she had been using to catch the drips and knelt down...

  Shannon was so intent on the scene below her, that she was blind and deaf to anything else. A hand suddenly grabbed her arm and she almost jumped out of her skin. She spun round. One of the palace guards loomed over her. She took one frightened glance at his hairy belly and jewelled belt, then she twisted violently. She was slippery with sweat and pure terror gave her a strength she did not know she had. For an instant his hand slipped and she tore herself free. She dodged him and bolted through the hangings and out into the corridor. She had no idea which way to go, she just ran. The guard came after her, his feet pounding closer and closer. She shot down a flight of stairs, jumping down several steps at a time. The guard couldn’t manage that. He wasn’t frightened and she was. On the straight he nearly reached her, but she rounded the corners more quickly than he did.

  Another flight of stairs and another. Down and down. A long tunnel-like passageway lit by flickering torches. The guard was still behind her, but had fallen back, as if he was tiring. Openings in the passage wall, bars and a glimpse of dirty human faces. Cells with prisoners in them! The dungeons! She had run right down to them. No wonder the guard had slowed down. She was in a trap! She kept running forward, looking about her wildly. Was there anywhere to hide? The passageway was empty. She threw herself around a sharp corner. Another twist, another corridor, but this time a trunk stood beside one of the walls. The guard could not see her, hidden by the last corner. Hardly daring to hope, she grabbed the trunk’s lid. It opened! She dived inside on top of some rusting weapons and iron chains which stuck into her ribs. She stopped herself yelling out and held her breath. The lid had barely closed when the guard’s footsteps charged past her. They faded and she hopped out, running back the way she had come. She reached the prison cells, before she heard the footsteps once again. A couple of the prisoners watched and cheered her on. Her breath came in gasps and she felt dreadfully tired, but the guard had begun to wheeze and was losing ground.

  Shannon threw herself up the stairs, panting, her legs aching with the strain. At the top, she turned in the opposite direction to the way she had come before. She rushed around another corner and there, blocking her way, she saw two more guards. They stood in front of a curtained doorway and they had their swords drawn!

  The guard following her yelled some words she did not understand and one of the others came towards her. Shannon swerved round him, but his companion dropped his sword and seized her in his arms. She screamed, at the top of her voice,

  “Help me! Oh help me!”

  The guard’s arms tightened around her and squeezed. Her cries weakened. The curtain was thrust aside and a figure dressed in white stood in the archway. Shannon’s vision blurred. The squeezing had almost stopped her breathing, but she heard the man say,

  “What’s going on here?”

  “One of the dancing girls, Master,” the guard who had been chasing her replied. “I caught her on the balcony, spying on you.”

  “You did, did you? Let her go. She can’t escape now.”

  The arms released Shannon and she took several shuddering breaths. She staggered. Her legs didn’t seem to want to hold her up any more and one of the guards had to support her.

  “What were you doing, girl?” the figure in white asked her.

  “Watching the tumblers,” Shannon replied, thinking of the best excuse she could.

  The guard gave her a shake, “Say ‘Master’ when you speak to His Highness Prince Hassan.”

  “Oh, are you Prince Hassan?” Shannon asked, looking up into a pair of startlingly blue eyes.

  The Prince had smiled when she mentioned the tumblers but now he seemed puzzled. “I am. Don't you recognise me? You're a bit like Laila, but she knows me well, so you cannot be her.”

  “I’ve never
seen you before.” Another hard shake from the guard and she remembered to say, “Master.”

  “Why did you spy on us?”

  “I wasn’t spying...”

  “She came with me.” Mina appeared through the curtains.

  “And you are?”

  “Don't you recognise me, Hussain?”

  A guard moved threateningly but the Prince motioned him to stop.

  “Only my friends call me that.” He stooped and looked closely at Mina. “I know you, don’t I?”

  “You do.” With a quick pull, Mina swept off her turban and dropped it on the floor. Her long black hair came tumbling down and she smiled at him.

  “You know me better like this.”

  “Mina!” She nodded.

  “You had better come in and tell me what this is all about. Your friend too.”

  “Pardon, Master.” One of the guards tried to stop him. “These girls may be carrying weapons and intend to harm you.”

  “Nonsense!” the Prince said. “Mina would never harm me. She is a friend. We played together as children.” He led the way back into the banqueting room and the girls followed him obediently.

  The Sultan stood up at their entrance. He made a curt gesture. The music immediately ceased and the tumblers ran out of the room.

  “What's happening, Hussain?”

  “That is what I want to find out, Father. You remember Mina, Abdul’s daughter and Yasmeen’s younger sister?”

  “I remember her and her family well.” The Sultan frowned. “A nice child, but she should not be here in the banqueting room, even if she is dressed like a boy. Neither should the other girl be here. This part of the palace is forbidden to females. What do you mean by it, hey?” he asked them in a loud voice.

  Both Mina and Shannon were trembling, but Mina managed to say,

  “Please, Majesty, I came to bring you this.” She reached into her cummerbund and pulled out the silken package. She held the package out to the Sultan, but he did not take it from her.