The Moon of Masarrah

by Farah Zaman

  Layla sighed. “You know, Aunt Hafza told me and Zahra that the Captain had them do treasure hunts with the gifts he brought back for them. He would hide the gifts and then leave a clue, which he usually made up during the voyage, and it would lead them to where the gifts were hidden. She said that they found no gifts in the house after that last voyage and that the rebels could have taken them or the Captain could have hidden them with the diamond before he was killed. I suppose he didn’t have the time to leave a clue, that’s why…huh!” She let out a startled squeak as Adam grabbed her arm.

  “Why didn’t you tell us this before?” he said accusingly. “On Thursday when we were searching the library, I found a sheet of paper with some English writing on it. It was in a book called Diamond in the Rough. Maybe the Captain did leave it as a clue.”

  “And why,” Layla demanded hotly, “didn’t you tell us about that?”

  “I had no idea it could be a clue,” Adam replied defensively. “If you had told us earlier about what Aunt Hafza said, I might have known. I gave it to Zaid to look at.”

  All eyes turned to Zaid. Pulling out the yellowed sheet of paper from his pocket, he said, “I looked at it on Thursday night. I was able to figure out all the words, but they seemed meaningless. I actually brought the paper to return it to you, Adam.”

  “Can you read what it says?” Layla asked.

  Zaid unfolded the sheet of paper and read, “Take a careful look at important events in the past, for the simple answer why one who always trifles with destiny is the main seeker of honor and glory of any tale.’”

  “It doesn’t sound like a clue,” Layla said in disappointment. “Maybe someone was copying poetry or something.”

  “There’s two letters written at the end of the verse,” Zaid said. “It looks like the initials MA.”

  There were exclamations from Adam and Layla. Then Layla said excitedly, “Are you sure the initials are MA?”

  “Positive,” Zaid said. “Do you know who they belong to?”

  “The Captain,” Adam’s eyes glowed. “Before he became Muslim, he was called Michael Anderson.”

  “It is a clue from him then,” Zahra said. “How wonderful.”

  “It sounds like a riddle that has to be solved,” Layla said. “If only we can figure out what it means and find the Moon.”

  “I will study it a bit more and see if I come up with anything,” Zaid promised.

  Zahra said, “I wonder if Grandpa and Aunt Hafza would be able to figure it out.”

  “They might since they were used to it,” Layla replied. “But let’s try to solve it first. If we run out of time, then we’ll ask them.”

  “Since we found the clue in the library, maybe the Captain also hid the Moon there,” Zahra said.

  “It’s a possibility,” Adam said. “Let’s search some more when everyone’s having their midday rest. I don’t think I can sit still right now.”

  On their way back to the house, they spotted Abbas and Mir in the herb and vegetable garden. As Abbas waved to them and called out a greeting, Mir stared at them moodily. Zaid noted that he still had the bandage on his leg.

  “Oh, boy,” Adam said in an undertone. “Mir looks like a gathering storm.”

  Layla giggled and said, “I sure don’t want to be in the path of that storm.”

  While the household was at rest, the teenagers made straight for the library, where they embarked on a rigorous search. Adam and Zaid took turns with the stepladder on the upper shelves while the girls searched the lower shelves. By the time they halted an hour later, to their disappointment, they had found no hidden compartments or nooks where the diamond might be hidden.

  Before getting into bed that night, Zaid brought out the yellowed sheet of paper and studied it. For fifteen minutes, he concentrated fiercely on what the answer to the riddle could be but without any success. As he put away the paper, he had a niggling feeling that he was missing something he ought to be able to see. Frustrated, he got into bed and tossed and turned restlessly until he finally dozed off.

  He was awakened later by the low hum of a boat. Rising off the bed, he glanced out of the window and saw the boat coming slowly towards the cove. There was no time to lose. He rushed over to the next room to rouse Adam.

  “Adam,” he shook the other boy. “The boat is coming into the cove.”

  Adam bolted upright. “This is it then,” he said, his voice still thick with sleep. “We’re going out to the bluffs.”

  The boys hurriedly got dressed in jeans, sweaters and socks, before grabbing up their sneakers and a flashlight each, which they had gotten from the storeroom in readiness for this eventuality. They ventured cautiously out of their rooms to the floor below, creeping quietly along the hallway and down the stairs. Crossing the great hall, they moved silently down the passageway to the vestibule, and out the back door. They stood for a few moments to don their sneakers and accustom their eyes to the gloom.

  The sickle shape of a waxing crescent moon hung from the sky, its light barely visible through the thin mist that had crept in from the bay. It was distinctly cooler and Zaid was glad for his sweater as a stream of air blew straight into his face. The quiet stillness of the night was broken only by the wind whispering through the foliage and the far-off murmur of breaking waves. Adam touched Zaid’s shoulder and the boys headed down the pathway, past Abbas’s dark cottage and into the acacia grove.

  To Zaid, the oft-trodden path seemed like unfamiliar territory in the dark. The acacias looked like massive giants with outstretched arms, sighing and creaking like living beings. The mist had obscured the faint moonlight and they were enveloped in a world of black and gray as they felt their way towards the wall.

  “I can hardly see anything,” Adam whispered. “And I’m afraid to use the flashlight in case anyone sees the light.”

  “We’ll just have to feel our way along,” Zaid said. “We should be coming to the wall soon.”

  The youths moved slowly forward, their hands outstretched like blind men groping their way. They bumped into a few tree trunks along the path until Adam gave a soft exclamation. “We’ve reached the wall. Can you feel it?”

  As Zaid touched his back, he chuckled and said, “No, that’s me. Here, this is it,” he took Zaid’s hand and placed it on the abrasive stone surface. “We’ve got to feel around for the door now. I hope the boat’s still there and we’re not too late to see it.”

  Zaid’s fingers touched the bolt across the door. “I’ve found the door.” As his fingers moved to open the bolt, he paused in surprise. “The door’s open.”

  “That’s strange. It was definitely locked the other day when we looked at it. Maybe Abbas used it and forgot to lock it back.”

  “I suppose so.”

  The boys went out of the door, pulled it shut behind them and stared in dismay at the fog-enshrouded bluffs. The mist swirled around them, thicker than ever, its clamminess feeling like slimy cobwebs on their faces. Even though the youths had never set foot on the steep bluffs, they knew how treacherous they could be. Now they were made even more so by the veils of vapor which hung like a spectral curtain over the bay. Taking a tumble down would be infinitely worse than running into an unyielding tree trunk.

  “I can’t see a blessed thing,” Adam said in disgust. “If only the mist would clear, we would be able to see right down into the cove.”

  “Let’s go down a little,” Zaid suggested. “Maybe the mist will be thinner.”

  “Okay, but let’s take it very slowly,” Adam said.

  The boys cautiously began to descend from the peak of the bluffs, with nothing else to guide them but their sense of touch. They were careful not to lose their handhold or footing, and this made their progress all the more painstaking. Zaid stubbed his toe on an outcrop of rock and grimacing with the pain, he gritted his teeth and continued down, gravity pushing at his
body and making his legs move faster than he wanted them to. All of a sudden, the quiet was broken by the sound of an engine. Startled, Adam lost his footing and went rolling down the bluffs with a soft gasp.

  Zaid stood still in dismay, his hand clutching at bare rock to keep his balance.

  As the engine pulsed in the cove, Zaid stood frozen, cold icicles of fear creeping down his back. Was Adam hurt? He could be lying there unconscious and bleeding. And it would be all my fault, Zaid thought. We shouldn’t have climbed down. Mr. Horani will skin me alive if anything happened to Adam. His heart thudded heavily, his breath coming in wheezing, choppy gasps. Knowing that he was on the verge of panic, he forced himself to take deep, calming breaths. Okay, he told himself. Adam probably hit his head against a rock and knocked himself out. He must be lying somewhere along the way. The best course of action is to continue climbing down until I find him. I only hope he hasn’t broken anything.

  As Zaid laboriously made his way downward, he heard voices blending with the sound of the engine. He paused for a moment, hugging a thick slab of rock as he peered through the fog. He saw the blurry outline of a boat with two figures sitting inside. As the boat drifted towards the mouth of the cove, he caught a glimpse of an emblem before it disappeared into the mist-enshrouded waters. Zaid was filled with bitter disappointment. They had not learned what the boat was doing in the cove and Adam could very well be lying injured with a broken leg or arm.

  Zaid continued doggedly down the incline, wincing as he jabbed his head against a spike. Rubbing the now-painful little bump, he was about to continue when two hands came out from behind him and closed over his mouth. Zaid struggled against his unknown adversary, kicking him in the shin as he wrestled to break loose.

  “Shh, it’s me,” came Adam’s whisper. “Keep quiet. I think someone’s all the way down at the bottom of the bluffs. I heard him earlier.”

  “Are you all right?” Zaid whispered, intensely relieved to find his friend conscious and on his feet.

  “Yes. I think I’ll have a bruise from your kick though.”

  The youths heard a slight scrabbling sound from below and Adam laid a warning hand on Zaid’s arm. Whoever had been lurking at the bottom of the bluffs was now climbing up. They flattened themselves next to a rocky outcrop and listened with bated breath as a shadowy figure clambered past them minutes later, breathing heavily from the exertion.

  When he was a safe distance away, Adam whispered, “Let’s go now. He’s too far away to hear us.”

  When they finally reached the top, they spied the shadowy figure entering through the door in the wall. The next moment, the door banged shut and they heard the sound of the bolt sliding home. The youths realized their predicament at once.

  “Oh, no,” Adam said in dismay. “Our mystery man bolted the door. We won’t be able to get in.”

  A quick check verified that they were indeed locked out and stranded on the bluffs.

  As they stood there grappling with the shock of their plight, an idea came to Zaid. “I know what we can do,” he said excitedly to Adam. “You can climb onto my shoulders and reach over to open the bolt. You’re a little taller than me.”

  “You’re right,” Adam said in relief. “Hope you’ll be able to take my weight though.”

  The boys wasted no time in putting their plan into action. Zaid sat down on the balls of his feet, planting his palms firmly on the ground in front of him. Adam took off his sneakers and climbed carefully onto Zaid’s shoulders, clutching at the door to steady himself. When Adam was securely in position, Zaid took a deep breath and slowly began to rise, using the wall as leverage as he strained to bear his friend’s weight. His breathing accelerated, his shoulders throbbed, and the muscles in his lower leg contracted painfully as he gradually rose to standing height. Thankfully, Adam had maintained his balance and was leaning forward, his hand feeling for the bolt on the other side of the door. Zaid thought he had never heard a sweeter sound than the slight scrape of the bolt opening.

  The youths hastened through the door, closing the bolt softly behind them. The mist had cleared up a little and with one thought in mind, they hurried down the path. They wanted to identify the man who had climbed up the bluffs. As they came to the edge of the acacia grove, they saw a figure opening the door of Abbas’s cottage. In the faint light, they caught a glimpse of a familiar profile as the figure disappeared inside.

  “Mir,” Adam said fiercely. “I might have known it was him.”

  Back at the house, the youths helped themselves to hot chocolate in the kitchen and crept up to the turret with their steaming mugs. After they had changed out of their damp clothes, Adam came into Zaid’s room, hot chocolate in hand. “Mmm. Just the drink to end a crazy night out.”

  “It’s too bad we didn’t find out what the boat was doing in the cove,” Zaid lamented. “I couldn’t even hear what those men were saying.”

  “I was further down, so I heard bits and pieces of what they said,” Adam’s eyes shone. “Like, ‘close call with the Coast Guard…nice haul…will bring in quite a few fishes.’

  “So they are working with the pirates,” Zaid said excitedly. “And Mir must be working with them too, that’s why he’s here. Maybe they were coming to meet with him.”

  Adam had a queer look on his face. “They may be. But I could swear I saw that boat coming out of the cliffs.”

  “Out of the cliffs?” Zaid said in puzzlement. “What do you mean?”

  “I think there’s an opening in the cliffs that the boat goes through and hides in.”

  “You could be right,” Zaid mused. “It seems to disappear out of sight every time I see it.”

  “We should go down to the cove tomorrow when everyone is resting and look for that opening.”

  “Okay,” Zaid nodded. “That time is good as the tide won’t be in yet. I still can’t believe that Mir is working with the pirates. He must have cut his leg on the bluffs going down to meet them. I wonder if Abbas is in the gang too.”

  “I’m sure we’ll soon find out,” Adam replied darkly.

  Chapter Seventeen:

  Troublesome Twins

  In Moss Haven the next day, the girls were astounded to hear of the boys’ adventure out on the bluffs.

  “So,” Adam concluded, “We’ll be going to look for that hidden opening when everyone’s having their midday rest.”

  “I’m not surprised in the least about Mir,” Layla declared. “He’s been acting very suspicious.”

  “It’s too bad if Abbas is also working with the pirates,” said Zahra. “It would be a shock to your Grandpa.”

  “Well, we don’t know for sure if he is,” Zaid said. “But it’s possible seeing that they are uncle and nephew.”

  “We should come down to the cove with you,” Layla said. “We could help you to search for the opening.”

  Adam shook his head. “The bluffs are really dangerous to climb. We can’t risk you girls getting hurt. Grandpa’s wrath will know no bounds.”

  Unable to deny the wisdom of her brother’s words, Layla relented and said, “Alright, but you be careful too.”

  Zaid said, “I caught a glimpse of an emblem on the side of the boat. It was a circle, with two interlocking chains in the middle. Perhaps we can go to the wharf tomorrow and see if there are other boats with it and who they belong to.”

  “We’ll have to ask Grandpa where the wharf is,” Adam said. “If it’s not too far away, we can bike over. I wonder if it’s the same one where the Yuhanza was burnt. If so, we’ll have a good reason for visiting it.”

  After leaving Moss Haven, they returned to the house and was greeted by a loud commotion.

  “…NOT TO LET THAT BIRD IN THE HOUSE,” Mr. Horani’s voice was bellowing from the kitchen.

  “I NEARLY GOT HIM,” one of the twins shouted.

  “THE PIE, THE PIE,” Maymun shrieked. “I
t’s pecking the pie.”

  “Yikes, Gul’s in the house,” Layla exclaimed in dismay.

  The teenagers sped inside and met pandemonium. Mr. Horani, Luqman, Maymun, and the twins were racing about the kitchen chasing after Gul, who was flying above their heads screeching for all it was worth as it tried to evade the mob of humans after it. The bird made a sudden beeline for the door leading into the passageway, its band of chasers at its wing tips. The scene was so comical that Zaid could not help grinning as he and the others entered the fray.

  They all followed the bird as it flapped along the passageway, renting the air with shrill screeches as it flew past the living and dining rooms and into the great hall.

  “SOMEONE OPEN THE FRONT DOOR,” Mr. Horani called out. “LET IT FLY OUT.”

  Adam hurriedly ran to open the door. After some clever maneuvering, they finally managed to corner the bird and it flew out of the door with an earsplitting screech.

  “Allah be praised,” Maymun threw her hands up in the air. “That bird is like a whirlwind.”

  “A bird of prey more like it,” Luqman muttered as he and Maymun left the great hall.

  “Don’t let that bird come inside the house again,” Mr. Horani said sternly to the twins before stomping off to his study.

  “What was that bird doing in here?” Layla put her hands to her waist and scowled down at the twins, who wore chagrined looks on their faces.

  “He was hungry,” Hakeem mumbled.

  “We wanted to give him a snack,” Hassan said.

  Adam stared at the twins in exasperation. “There’s dirt on your hands and clothes. What were you doing? Rolling on the ground?”

  “We were trying to dig up some worms for Gul,” Hakeem muttered.

  “Oh, gross,” Layla looked revolted.

  “We couldn’t find any, so we brought him in the house to give him some food,” Hassan said.

  “Hello, there’s a whole ocean with fishes for him to eat,” Layla said. “You’ve got to stop spoiling him. He’s a bird, he has to go catch his own food.”