Anyway, Suzie spent a lot of time that
winter in Abydos, wandering around the markets, looking
at the trinkets and local handicrafts.
One day she noticed a new stall in the
market. The stall was built in front of a doorway so that
you stood at the table looking at the things for sale and
could see dimly lit objects and shadowy people through
the strings of beads that hung in the doorway.
The man who stood behind the table was
dressed a bit differently than the locals. Suzie was not
quite sure what it was, maybe his turban, or the cut of
his robe, but she knew that he was not from Abydos. He
spoke with a different accent too. Maybe he wasn't even
from Egypt.
Suzie stopped by the stall several times
looking at the strings of beads with curious pendants
attached, and the small bottles of colored liquid.
She had been to many of the local perfume
sellers whose shops were crowded with bottles of amber
liquid, but she never saw anyone open one of these
bottles to smell. She did see someone buy a bottle from
the man. Shalla the wife of the local donkey seller
bought a bottle one afternoon.
Shalla was a young woman and had been
married for several years, but had no children. It was
rumored that she went on nights of the full moon to bathe
in the sacred pool behind the temple of Seti. Bathing in
the pool was supposed to grant children to those who had
none. The temple guards officially were supposed to stop
them, but they came from the village too and mostly they
would just stand a little ways away and listen to the
women whisper to each other as they glided across the
desert to and from the pool.
The other stall owners would not talk about
the new stall, they only said that the man came and went,
and it was his wife and daughter that she saw dimly in
the room behind the stall.
One day Suzie saw a new girl at the fruit
vendor stand. She was about Suzie's age, dark and pretty.
Suzie approached her and used her best Arabic to
introduce herself. The girl giggled and said something
very quickly. Suzie didn't understand and looked to the
fruit vendor who was watching them.
Suzie knew the fruit vendor very well. She
bought the household fruit for her mother and the other
archaeologists. She did a few other errands and chores
when she visited to repay them for the interruption to
their routine that her visits caused. She chose to do
some of the market chores so that she could practice her
Arabic, and her mother encouraged her to meet the local
people and learn more about them.
The fruit vendor translated for the girl.
"She says her name is Marah, and she has seen you at
her father's stall." When he had finished saying
this to Suzie he turned to the girl and asked her to
speak more slowly, as Suzie was just learning.
Marah then slowly said "My father comes
here every year, but I have not seen you before."
Suzie replied "My mother works with the
Americans, digging in the desert. I come to visit her
when I am not in school."
This made the girls eyes get big and she
grabbed her fruit and turned and ran away.
Suzie was confused, what had she said. The
fruit vendor was not any help. He just shrugged his
shoulders and turned to his next customer.
Several days later Suzie passed the
mysterious new stall. But there was nothing on the table.
The stripped awning was down and the beaded doorway was
in full sun. There were several people behind the beaded
curtain and the little girl suddenly pushed through the
beads, crying.
Suzie heard the swish and clatter of the
beads and turned to see the girl. She reached out and
grabbed the girl's arm saying. "What is the matter,
why did you run away, I just wanted to be friends."
Marah whispered "I cannot talk to you,
my father is cursed, he is very sick. I must go to the
headman to ask for herbs and medicine for him."
"I'll go with you," said Suzie.
"You may have too many things to carry back by
yourself." It was the only excuse she could think of
.
When they reached the Mayor's house, it was
empty. The neighbor said that the Mayor had gone with his
family to visit his daughter in Luxor, she had just had a
baby.
"What am I to do" wailed Marah.
"Come with me, we'll ask my mother, she
will know what to do." replied Suzie, pulling Marah
along the road toward the archaeology work house.
Suzie's mother was sorting pottery pieces in
the workroom. There are hundreds of pottery pieces in any
dig at Abydos because for 5000 years people have brought
offerings in pots to the ghosts of their ancestors and to
Osiris.
She looked up from her work to see the girls
standing in the doorway. "What's wrong. Introduce me
to your friend, Suzie."
Marah looked up as Suzie's mother spoke
because she spoke in a rapid and fluent Arabic. She
looked relieved and burst into an explanation of her
family catastrophe.
Suzie's mother tidied away her tools and
covered the pottery pieces. She said to the girls,
"Come we will take the jeep and get the Mayor's son
who is studying with his father to be a headman."
When they reached the farm of the Mayor's
son and told him of the problem, he agreed to come back
to see Marah's father. As they bumped along the road,
Marah told them more.
"My father could not sleep last night.
He said he was pursued by demons. He sees them crowding
around his bed, trying to drag him away from us."
The Mayor's son nodded wisely.
When they reached the house he entered into
the room behind the bead curtain. He was there for
several minutes and then came back outside. "It is
good that you came for me. I have seen the demons and
have given him some herbs to help him fight them. I will
come back at sunset to sit with him as he struggles
against them. When we hear the call to evening prayers, I
will pray with him."
Marah went inside, and Suzie and her mother
drove back to the workhouse.
The next morning Suzie went to the stall to
see how Marah's father was getting on. She was surprised
to see him standing there behind the table, selling a
necklace to a tourist. He looked a little pale, but he
was bargaining furiously. As she approached, Marah
stepped out of the doorway and beckoned for her to come
with her.
Suzie stepped behind the table and went
through the curtain with Marah. It was cool inside the
room. The sounds of the market were muffled. Her eyes
adjusted to the dim lighting to see a woman sitting on
the bench, propped up on the cushions. There was a small
table sitting before her with a glass and a leather bag
on it.
Marah introduced Suzie to her mother saying
"Mother, this is the girl who took me to the farm to
get the headman." Marah's mother motioned Suzie to
sit on the bench beside her.
Suzie sat down and Marah asked if she would
like mint tea. Suzie accepted and Marah soon returned
with glasses of steaming tea for them all.
Marah's mother spoke softly as she drank her
tea. "We owe you much. If you will let me, I would
like to offer you something for your kindness."
Suzie replied in her best Arabic. "I am
glad to have been able to help, and would be honored to
receive your blessing in return for my poor
efforts."
"Very well," replied Marah's
mother, "Let me have your hand."
Suzie held out her hand and the woman
covered it with both of hers and whispered something
softly in Arabic. She looked deeply into Suzie's eyes and
said "You have a kind heart, and wish always to help
others. I bless you and give you this to help you fulfil
this desire."
She let go of Suzie's hand and reached into
the leather bag. She took out a green carved scarab the
size of her palm. This she handed to Suzie and said,
"Whenever your friends need your help the scarab
will provide." She handed Suzie the bag and motioned
for her to put the scarab back into it. She rose and with
a gesture of goodbye left the room through a doorway in
the back.
Marah sat with Suzie while she finished her
tea. Then, she led Suzie out to the area behind the stall
and said, "We will be leaving Abydos in a few days.
It is time to go further up the river to other towns. My
mother is very grateful for your help. Go with
Allah." And she turned and went back into the house.
Suzie walked back to the workhouse. When she
arrived she told her mother of the afternoon and showed
her the scarab.
Suzie's mother looked at the scarab, and
then to Suzie. "It isn't an antiquity. It was made
rather recently, but it was made of good stone. The
writing on the back is Arabic and it says 'The will of
Allah is changeless like the eternal Nile, but place a
stone in the river and its course is temporarily
changed.' There is no problem with your taking this out
of the country, you can take it home with you. It is a
beautiful souvenir."
Suzie took the stone back and slipped it
into the leather bag. "Yes, I'll pack it in my
backpack to take on the plane. I wouldn't want to lose
it, but what do you suppose she meant about it providing
help to my friends?"
"I don't know, but maybe she is a
mystic or magician. Maybe the stone is blessed with magic
powers," she said playfully. "Perhaps you can
use it with your friends when you get home to grant their
every wish."
And of course she did use it when she got
home, but that's another story
