The Moon of Masarrah

by Farah Zaman

  Mr. Horani, Luqman, and Abbas climbed off the rock ledge and began wading in the quickening current towards the prisoners. The men worked swiftly, using the knife to cut them free of their bonds and helping them to stand up. The water was almost to their upper thighs, but the current was strong and swift, threatening to knock them off their feet in their weakened state. The men kept them upright and steady as they towed them over to the ledge.

  Zaid and Adam soon realized that their rescuers had used the underground tunnel to get to the cove. The girls must have told them about it, Zaid thought dimly. When time was of the essence, it was the fastest and easiest way to the cove after all.

  The girls and twins were standing by the entrance of the tunnel, looks of anxiety on their faces.

  “Adam! Zaid!” Layla cried out in relief. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” Adam smiled wanly. “Thank Allah you reached us in time.”

  They all trudged silently back through the tunnel to the large chamber and up the hidden stairwell into the twins’ room. Luqman, Abbas and Mir headed immediately out the door while Mr. Horani stood next to the closet, looking dazed. The teenagers and twins stared warily at him, waiting for the inevitable reckoning. Zaid felt a surge of guilt that he and Adam had brought such distress to their host. It must have been a nasty shock for him to learn that they had been captured by the pirates when they were supposed to have been sleeping in their beds.

  As his grandfather remained silent, Adam glanced nervously at him and said, “I guess we should go and change out of these wet clothes.”

  Mr. Horani seemed not to have heard him as he murmured to himself, “This was her room. She must have found the stairwell and used it to get there. She was always looking at the water and wishing she could swim there. And she said nothing to us.”

  “Who are you talking about, Grandpa?” Layla asked, looking with concern at her grandfather.

  Mr. Horani blinked and seemed to come out of his reverie.

  “Your Great-Aunt Hanifa,” he replied, his eyes filled with sadness. “She drowned in the cove.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three:

  The Moon at Last

  Today is destined to be a day of shocks, Zaid thought after Mr. Horani’s startling revelation. Pulling himself together, Mr. Horani said to the youths, “You had better go and change out of those wet clothes. I will have Luqman bring up a tray of food for you. Get some rest and I will see you both in my study at two o’clock.”

  As he and Adam headed up to the turret, Zaid sighed in relief that they were being given a temporary reprieve from the reckoning. A few minutes to two, the youths headed apprehensively to Mr. Horani’s study. After bidding them to be seated, he looked at them sternly for a long moment.

  “Mir told me what’s been going on,” he said heavily. “I don’t know how you boys discovered those tunnels and I don’t have the heart to scold you for exploring them. However, I am very displeased that you kept it a secret and took it upon yourself to investigate what was rightfully the task of adults. You acted very rashly and unwisely and placed yourselves in great danger. You might have drowned there today. One family member drowning there was enough…,” his voice broke and Zaid saw the sheen of tears in his eyes.

  “We had no idea Aunt Hanifa drowned in the cove,” Adam said in a small voice. “We thought she died of some illness.”

  “That’s what Mama wanted everyone to believe,” Mr. Horani sighed. “Hanifa’s drowning in the cove was such a mystery, you see. She didn’t leave the house through a door or window because they were still bolted from the inside when we found that she was missing. And she couldn’t have gone through the door in the wall because I had seen with my own eyes that it had been bolted and there had been no one else living here besides Mama and us. After we found her body in the cove, I was sent to fetch Mama’s cousin who was a doctor; the same one who had helped us on the Night of Catastrophe. Mama pleaded with him to give a verdict of death due to sudden illness because she feared if the police found out that Hanifa had drowned under such circumstances, it would lead to a lot of unpleasant suspicions. Things were much laxer in those days, so he agreed. That stairwell in the closet explains so much…,” Mr. Horani’s voice trailed off.

  “Was that why you didn’t want us swimming in the bay?” Adam asked.

  “Yes, but I couldn’t tell you why,” Mr. Horani looked regretful. “Mama made us promise not to tell a single soul that Hanifa drowned in the cove. I suppose the need for secrecy is gone now.”

  “We were exploring one day and found Aunt Hanifa’s grave in the grounds,” Adam said. “We didn’t know the family was buried here.”

  Mr. Horani looked a trifle surprised. “I suppose it never occurred to me or your father to mention it. It was Papa’s idea to use that space there. Abbas is the one who keeps it clear of weeds and bushes.”

  There came a knock on the study door and Layla burst into the room, a frightened look on her face.

  “Aunt Hafza’s having an asthma attack,” she cried. “She can hardly breathe.”

  “Where is she?” Mr. Horani sprang to his feet, his face turning pale.

  “In her room,” Layla answered. “Zahra heard her coughing. When we went to check on her, she was wheezing really badly, and the inhaler doesn’t seem to be helping her.”

  “All the excitement has been too much for her,” Mr. Horani shook his head. “I’ll have to take her to the hospital.” Turning to Adam, he said, “Tell Maymun and Luqman to meet me by the car.”

  Minutes later, they all watched worriedly as Mr. Horani helped Aunt Hafza down the stairs and through the front door. She was still gasping and wheezing horribly and several times she broke out into dry, hacking coughs that made her twist up in agony. In the courtyard, Luqman already had the Toyota up and running.

  After seating Aunt Hafza in the car, Mr. Horani turned to the teenagers and twins who had followed them out into the courtyard. “Luqman and Maymun are coming with me to the hospital and Mir and Abbas have gone into town to meet with the TCBI. I want you all to stay inside the house until we come back, okay? Promise me you won’t go into the tunnels.”

  “We promise,” they all pledged solemnly.

  “Poor Grandpa,” Layla said as they returned inside and gathered in the living room. “It’s been a difficult day for him and it only keeps getting worse.”

  “A day destined for shocks,” Zaid murmured.

  “You should have told us where you were going this morning,” Layla said reproachfully to the youths. “If Gul hadn’t brought that message, I don’t even want to think what might have happened.”

  “That bird is a hero,” Zahra declared.

  “Yeah, he is,” Hassan agreed.

  “We knew that ever since we got him,” Hakeem beamed, proud of their pet.

  “I’ll have to ask Maymun to bake him his own pie,” Adam grinned, telling the girls and twins of his promise on the beach.

  “Gul will enjoy that,” Zahra smiled. “He will be in bird heaven when he gets a whole pie to himself.”

  “I wonder what Grandpa’s going to do about the tunnels,” Layla remarked.

  “Probably seal them of,” Zaid said regretfully. “They’ve caused nothing but trouble.”

  “I can’t believe Aunt Hanifa drowned in the cove and we never knew about it all these years,” Adam said. “I guess it’s the Horani’s version of a skeleton in the closet.” He went on to tell the girls some of the details his grandfather had told them in the study.

  “Well, we now know what Aunt Hanifa’s exciting secret was,” Layla said sadly. “That was her first and last swim in the cove.”

  They all lapsed into silence, vividly imagining a young girl crying out in terror as she battled against the cruel currents that ended her life that fateful day. Zaid and Adam, having firsthand knowledge of those dangerous undertows, had an idea of how she mus
t have felt.

  Zahra finally broke the silence to ask, “How come Mir’s the good guy all of a sudden? Wasn’t he supposed to be working with the pirates?”

  “He had us fooled, all right,” Adam shook his head ruefully. “He’s actually with the TCBI.”

  “Does that stand for The Country’s Best Idiots?” Layla asked drolly.

  Adam chuckled and said, “Well, that idiot was the one who cleared Grandpa when the TCBI suspected him of being in league with the pirates. It seemed that the Coast Guard received a tip-off about Bayan Cove and their main suspects were Grandpa, Luqman and Abbas. Mir was chosen to investigate since his uncle lived here and the pirates wouldn’t suspect him of spying on them. Being a newly married man, he was unhappy that he had to leave his wife and tell his uncle a lame story about doing research here, that’s why he was so bad-tempered. He had cleared Abbas of suspicion by the time he took a tumble on the bluffs and hurt his leg but he pretended that it would be embarrassing if anyone found out, hence the secrecy. The real reason of course was that Grandpa was still a suspect and Mir didn’t want him to know that he had been going out to the bluffs.”

  Zaid continued, “That night when Adam and I went out to the bluffs, Mir was finally able to clear Grandpa of suspicion when he heard those men in the boat laughing about using Grandpa’s property right under his nose. Mir also saw the emblem on the boat and knew that it belonged to the Ambreens. It wasn’t until we were captured together that he learned about the tunnels and the cavern. He also thought that we were annoying kids who would get in the way of his investigation. He apologized to us, of course.”

  “Poor man, it must have been hard to leave his wife,” said Zahra, ever quick to forgive and forget. “No wonder he was always moody.”

  “So how did you all manage to get captured together?” Layla asked.

  Zaid briefly related their adventure that morning. “So, when Mir heard a helicopter taking off from Bayan Woods last night, he went to investigate this morning. He was looking around when he heard those men coming. As he was running to hide from them, he ran into us. We thought he was with the pirates, so we ran away from him and straight into the pirates. Mir came to our rescue, but the pirates overpowered us,” he concluded.

  “I’m hungry,” Hassan suddenly whined.

  “Me too,” Hakeem said. “So hungry, I could eat a house.”

  “You mean a horse, silly,” Layla corrected. “Not that you’ll be eating one anytime soon,” she laughed. “Come on, let’s raid the kitchen. It will soon be time for afternoon tea anyway.”

  Zaid felt a sudden stirring in his brain. I wonder, he thought to himself. Could it really be? No, I don’t see how it could…yes, yes, he could have heard it wrong. If he did, then that changes everything!

  “Zaid?” Adam interrupted his rumination. “Are you alright? You look sort of feverish. You’re not getting sick, are you?”

  “No, no, I’m not,” Zaid said as he stood up. “I’ll be right back.” He rushed out of the living room and up to the turret, where he grabbed the sheet of yellowed paper from the drawer, certain that he had found the missing link which had eluded him so far. He worked diligently for some minutes, until he gave an exclamation of satisfaction. Grabbing a pen, he underlined several words on the paper before rushing back downstairs where he found the others seated at the dining table, tucking into meat pie and macaroons.

  “Zaid, are you sure you’re okay?” Adam asked, his mouth full of pie. “You took off like a bat out of hell just now.”

  “I had a hunch, so I went to get the riddle,” Zaid explained. “I think I’ve solved it.”

  “You have?” Layla exclaimed in delight. “What is it?”

  “Well, I first got the hunch when you corrected Hakeem just now,” Zaid said. “I thought, what if the Captain told Grandpa that the diamond was hidden in the horse, but Grandpa heard it as house? When I studied the words again, it confirmed my idea. It wasn’t really a riddle, but a hidden message.”

  “But how could it be a horse?” Zahra asked in puzzlement.

  “Well, read the underlined words,” Zaid said. “You’ll notice that it’s every fourth word.”

  They all stared at the words on the paper.

  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.

  Layla then read aloud, “Look in the one with main and tale.”

  “I see what you mean,” Adam said thoughtfully. “If the Captain meant horse, then the hidden message is right on the mark because main and tale are homophones with mane and tail, which is found on a horse.”

  “And there was a horse in the house,” Layla said excitedly. “Just not a real one.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Zaid nodded. “It has been there since Grandpa was a young boy. We should check it out.”

  “You mean that old rocking horse upstairs?” Zahra exclaimed incredulously. “You think the Moon is hidden in it?”

  “Well, the message points that way,” Zaid replied. “I think it’s a wonderful stroke of good fortune that it wasn’t thrown out long ago. Imagine if the Moon is really hidden in it.”

  “What moon are you talking about?” Hakeem asked.

  “Yes, what moon?” Hassan demanded.

  “We’ve been searching for a treasure too, just like you,” Layla told them. “It’s a famous diamond called the Moon of Masarrah and it could be that Great-Grandfather, Captain Rafiq, hid it in the old rocking horse upstairs.”

  “Really?” both boys said in unison, their eyes opening wide.

  “Yes, really,” Adam nodded solemnly.

  “Why didn’t you telled us?” Hakeem said. “We would have helped you to search for it.”

  “Well, we thought that four of us looking was enough,” Layla said diplomatically.

  “No fair,” Hassan grumbled. “If you had telled us, we would have found it for you.”

  “Well, you can help us search the old horsey for it,” Adam promised. “Zaid and I will bring it down to the living room.”

  Minutes later, the youths entered the living room carrying the old rocking horse.

  “Make way for Old Bashir, Bringer of Glad Tidings,” Adam cried out.

  After setting the old horse down in the middle of the living room, Zaid’s certainty wavered as he stared at the disfigured old relic. It had once been covered in plush brown fabric which had become faded and moth-eaten over the decades. The stirrup and reins had long rotted off, while the leather saddle was worn and tattered. Its wooden rockers were cracked and broken in several places, causing it to tilt unevenly to one side. It’s almost a joke to think that this pitiful old toy would conceal a legendary diamond, Zaid thought.

  “Okay, everyone,” Adam instructed. “Gather around and let’s see if Old Bashir has been hiding a huge secret all these years.”

  The teenagers and twins got down on all fours as they began a detailed examination of the horse. But they found no crack or crevice large enough to hide a diamond.

  “Well, there goes that theory,” Layla sighed.

  “Maybe the horse eated up the treasure,” Hakeem remarked.

  “Yeah, open his mouth and see,” Hassan urged, grabbing the muzzle of the misshapen toy and forcing its jaws apart. To their surprise, there was a clicking sound and the jaws parted wide to reveal metal hinges on each side and a dark, hollow cavity for the mouth.

  Layla said, “Let’s see if anything’s inside the mouth.”

  Adam inserted a hand into the opening. Looking disappointed, he pulled it out and said, “Nothing’s there.”

  “The horse must have swallowed up the treasure,” Hassan said. “You got to pull it out from its tummy.”

  “Well, let’s see if my hand can go down its tummy,” Adam said.

  Cauti
ously, he pushed his hand into the horse’s mouth little by little until his wrist disappeared. His eyes widened.

  “I feel something,” he cried out. In breathless excitement, they watched as he carefully pulled out his hand. He clutched a black oilskin pouch.

  “Open it,” he told Layla, his voice tense with suspense as he handed her the pouch.

  With slightly trembling hands, Layla pulled apart the drawstring, turned the pouch upside down and shook it lightly. The contents spilled out onto the wooden floor and they all caught their breath in wonder. Next to two exquisite, gold filigree bracelets, and an intricate brass carving of a ship, a dazzling stone winked up at them. Like the simulated photo in Legends of Gemology, it was a golden-yellow, pear-shaped gem which glowed with bits of luminescent red lights.

  “The Moon at last,” Adam breathed, his voice filled with awe as he picked up the stone and ran his fingers over it.

  Chapter Twenty-Four:

  Bones and Bravery

  “You boys are geniuses,” Layla laughed joyfully, kissing Hassan and Hakeem noisily on their cheeks. She then picked up the carving of the ship and the gold filigree bracelets. “Well, we’ve found all the missing gifts that the Captain brought back. The carving must have been for Grandpa, the bracelets for Aunts Hanifa and Hafza and the Moon of course, for Great-Grandma Saffiyah.”

  Caught up in the excitement of their discovery, no one noticed a panel in the wall sliding noiselessly aside. Neither did they see the figure that emerged, a look of greedy possession in his eyes.

  “Give me that.” The growled command was so unexpected that the teenagers and twins spun around in alarm, staring uncomprehendingly at the man pointing a gun at them, and the wide-open wall panel behind him.

  “Nassif,” Zahra gasped as they all gaped in shock at the Ahmeds’ chauffeur.

  “Give me the diamond,” Nassif demanded again, grabbing hold of Hassan and pointing the gun at the little boy’s head. “Or I’m going to put a bullet in this little imp’s head.”