The Moon of Masarrah

by Farah Zaman

  “Jafar was quite a piece of work,” Maymun said disapprovingly. “He may have gotten away with his wickedness in this world, but he will surely get his reckoning in the next.”

  “So, how come Tahir ended up dead in the tunnel?” Mrs. Horani asked.

  Adam answered, “After he finally reached Yemen, Iyad wrote to his father and told him everything. He hoped that Tahir would be able to clear him of the murders, so he could return back to Midan. When Tahir received the letter, he was furious. He signed his own death warrant when he went to confront Jafar. Afraid that his evil deeds would be exposed, Jafar knocked Tahir unconscious and had him taken to the cavern, where he planned to kill him and hide his body. Tahir regained consciousness in the cavern and tried to make a run for it but Jafar caught up with him in the tunnel and shot him dead. When Faruq started the pirate ring, he marked that spot with a large white X and showed it to his men as a lesson for anyone who thought to betray him. Poor Tahir’s remains were finally given a proper resting place in the Bayan Bay Cemetery.”

  “By all logic, Nassif should have hated the Ambreens,” Mrs. Alkurdi commented. “Why did he become their accomplice?”

  “Iyad died over a year ago,” Mir interjected. “It seemed that he had redeemed himself in Yemen, gotten married to a Yemeni woman and lived a law-abiding life thereafter. After his death, when there was no longer any fear of him being accused of the Captain’s murder, his grandson Nassif, who had been told the whole story and was curious about his roots, left his family in Yemen and came over to Midan three months ago. When he found out that the Ambreens were now the richest people in Bayan Bay, he came up with the idea of blackmailing them with the exposure of Jafar’s crimes. So he took up a position as the Ahmeds’ chauffeur,” there came a contemptuous snort from Mr. Ahmed, “and waited for the right moment to confront Faruq. It was the very next night after Shaykh’s Sulaiman’s visit to Bayan Bay.” He smiled as Shaykh Sulaiman gave a heartfelt sigh

  “What happened after that?” Mr. Ahmed asked.

  Layla replied, “On the night that Nassif met with Faruq, Faruq knew of Shaykh Sulaiman’s visit to Bayan House and guessed that he had come in search of the Moon, which his father, Jafar, had never found. This was confirmed when he learned from his grandson, who eavesdropped on us earlier that day at the library, that we were looking for the Moon. His great fear was that we would discover the underground tunnels during our search and find the pirates lair.”

  Zaid said, “When Nassif met with Faruq that night and tried to blackmail him, Faruq realized that Nassif could come in very handy, so he admitted to all Jafar had done and gave Nassif some money. He then showed Nassif the underground tunnels and hidden stairwell, told him that he could search for the Moon, and to do whatever he could to stop us from searching.”

  “We thought that the descendants of the Faithful Five living here were the ones who were searching and trying to scare us away,” Adam confessed sheepishly. Abbas and Luqman looked amused while Maymun just looked surprised.

  “We also thought it had to be one of the Faithful Five who murdered the Captain,” Zaid said. Turning to the curator, he said, “Hud, after your father lost his senses on the day we visited him, he grabbed hold of Adam and said, ‘Rafiq…you must forgive me. You trusted me, and I betrayed you.’ Do you know what he meant?”

  Hud glanced over at his father, whose face wore a customary blank expression. “He said that, did he? I’m afraid, he’s always carried the burden of guilt for the Yuhanza being set on fire. He never stopped believing that he had broken the Captain’s trust.”

  “Poor Nuh,” Mr. Horani looked fondly at the old man. “He had always been one of my father’s most devoted friends.”

  When no one asked any more questions, Adam gave the others a silent signal.

  Zaid grinned and said, “Now that you’ve asked your questions.”

  “And gotten the answers,” Zahra said.

  “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to actually lay eyes on the Moon?” Layla’s dimples appeared as she smiled from ear to ear.

  Instantly, excitement and anticipation charged the air in the living room.

  “So, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Old Bashir, Bringer of Glad Tidings and Keeper of Secret,” Adam announced as he grabbed hold of the horse. “And coming straight from the horse’s mouth, we present to you the Moon of Masarrah!”

  Hassan and Hakeem, beaming like the sun, opened the horse’s jaws, pulled out the oilskin pouch, and handed it to Zaid with due ceremony. Zaid had been given the honor of showing the diamond to everyone because of his brilliant piece of deduction in discovering its hiding place. With great care, he opened the pouch, removed the golden-red stone within and held it out in the palm of his hand. There was an awed silence as everyone stared at the legendary diamond.

  “All these years,” Mr. Horani’s voice was filled with great emotion, “and I never even considered that Papa said ‘horse,’ and not ‘house.’ I’m not sure I would have been able to figure out that clue. The girls were the ones who were good at that sort of thing.”

  “Hanifa and I became experts at Papa’s clues,” Aunt Hafza said nostalgically. “He would always sign them with the initials MA so we knew they were from him. Since we weren’t certain that he had brought back a diamond, it never entered our heads to look for a clue.” A shadow came over her face as she added sadly, “Hanifa would have loved that bracelet Papa brought back for her. I’m glad they’re such a perfect fit for you girls.”

  Both Layla and Zahra looked at the bracelet on their wrists, still touched that Mr. Horani and Aunt Hafza had insisted that they have them.

  “Well, what is to become of Old Bashir now?” Basim asked.

  “I hereby decree that Old Bashir should have a new lease on life,” Dr. Horani declared. “He’ll be sent to the rocking horse carpenter and be given a brand-new body.”

  “Yes, yes!” Basim cheered along with the teenagers and twins.

  Finding a teaching moment, Professor Alkurdi said, “This reminds me of the story of the Agra diamond. It was said to have been smuggled out of India and into England in the belly of a horse, which had been forced to swallow it. No doubt, the Captain must have heard of this story and used it as inspiration for his hiding place.”

  Shaykh Sulaiman, who had sat quietly throughout the proceedings finally spoke. “At long last,” he intoned softly, a lone tear coursing down his cheek. “At long last, my search is over, and I can fulfill my promise to my father. I will forever be indebted to you,” he looked at the young people in gratitude. “It would be a great honor if you all come to visit us in Ghassan.”

  “Adam and I would love it,” Layla said enthusiastically.

  “So would Zahra and I,” Zaid said eagerly.

  “What about us?” Hakeem asked.

  “Yeah, what about us?” Hassan echoed.

  “You’re all invited,” the Shaykh’s eyes twinkled, “including your parents. I cannot promise you the excitement you’ve had here. But I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourselves all the same, insha’Allah.”

  And the good folks of Bayan House stayed up late in the night, marveling at the chain of events that had brought them all together.

  Thank you for reading my book.

  I hope it made you guess a little, laugh a little

  and maybe even cry a little.

  I would love to hear your thoughts.

  Please email me at Zefarah@gmail.com.

  Glossary

  Alhamdulillah: Praise be to Allah (God)

  Allah: The Arabic name for God

  Assalaam Alaikum: Peace be unto you; the first greeting that Muslims say to each other

  Asr: The late afternoon prayer

  Ayatul Kursi: The verse of the throne: Chapter 2, Verse 255 of the Qur’an

  Badan: A small type of dhow (ship)

  Boum: A dhow (ship
) with a tapered stern and a high prow

  Dhow: An Arabic lateen-rigged ship with one or two masts

  Dhuhr: The midday prayer

  Eid-ul-Fitr: The festival of celebration upon the ending of the Ramadan fast

  Fajr: The dawn prayer

  Hadith: A report describing the words, actions and habits of the

  Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace).

  Imam: The prayer leader of a mosque

  Insha’Allah: If Allah (God) wills

  Isha: The night prayer

  Jinn: An unseen being created out of fire that can do both good and harm to mankind

  Jumu’ah: The Friday prayer, required for men to be prayed in congregation

  Kamal: A navigating device used centuries ago to allow sailors to determine latitude by measuring how far the Pole Star was above the horizon

  Khanjar: A traditional, curved dagger of Arab origin, now popularly used as a ceremonial ornament

  Maghrib: The sunset prayer

  Masjid: Arabic name for mosque

  Qur’an: The last Revelation of Allah (God), revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace)

  Shaykh: An Arabic title for a knowledgeable and/or respected person

  Shu’ai: The most common type of dhow (ship) in the Persian Gulf

  Souk: Market

  Subhanallah: Glory be to Allah (God); a saying of Muslims to praise God

  Surah Rahman: The 55th chapter of the Qur’an

  Wa Alaikum Assalaam: And unto you, be peace; the return greeting for Assalaam Alaikum

  Get Ready For Book Two:

  THE SIGN OF THE SCORPION

  A desert castle. An evil presence. A thirst for vengeance.

  Four teenagers are about to have a vacation they’ll never forget.

  When Layla, her brother Adam, and their friends Zaid and Zahra, arrive at Dukhan Castle, they anticipate an exciting time exploring the mysteries of nature. They soon find themselves delving into mysteries of a different nature. A cloaked figure, spooky midnight screams, incense being burned in the eerie lookout tower, and startling secrets are just a few. The clues can only lead to one conclusion. Something sinister is simmering beneath the surface and it’s just a matter of time before it breaks loose. A chance encounter with a gypsy woman begins a guessing game of intrigue, pitting the teenagers against a shadowy foe known as Al-Aqrab, the Scorpion. As danger draws closer to the castle, they must race against time to unmask the Scorpion and foil a demonic scheme of revenge.

  The Sign of the Scorpion is the thrilling second book in The Moon of Masarrah Series.

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  Email: Zefarah@gmail.com