Mesopotamia - The Healer, the Slave and the Prince

by Yehuda Israely

  The bleeding lion raised its paws with claws outstretched to strike the king with; but where the king had been a fraction of a second before, the lion now encountered nothing more than his protruding spear. The lion twitched and exhaled his last breaths as the spear penetrated his chest. The king laid his leg on the dying lion and forcefully withdrew the bronze sword from its side. Sweat mixed with the lion's blood flowed down his face. His heart was pounding like the drums of destiny. He was filled with the vigor that he had stolen from the fearsome animal. The feeling of elation temporarily allowed him to forget his troubles. He waved the bloody sword in the air and called out a victory cheer in a loud and clear voice:

  "Long live Uruk".

  "Long live Meskiagasher's dynasty forever and ever," the audience responded.

  After the giant animal had stopped twitching, the king poured over it cows' milk diluted with holy water of the Euphrates, in order to appease its spirit. On the return journey, the king and Eo sat alone in the sedan chair. His Highness was almost friendly. The hunt had released the tension that was built up in him, and he spoke of his movements while giving honor to the brave lion. It was only when they got to the outskirts of the city that the king began to discuss the subject for which he had summoned Eo, and his words came as a complete surprise to Eo.

  While Eo had been watching the king fighting the lion, Rukha had replaced him in the treatment room. For a long time Eo had been trying to persuade him to try out his skills as a healer but Rukha was hesitant. He was afraid that he would harm or, injure, heaven forbid, the people requesting their help, but Eo insisted, and indeed, under Eo's supervision, Rukha had some success. Eo tried to persuade Rukha to treat patients also when he was out of the house on business. But Rukha firmly refused. He agreed to take chances with patients only under Eo's supervision, but this time circumstances forced him to intervene.

  Kishmi greeted the parents with their seventeen-year-old son. They had brought him sitting on a plank of wood that they carried between them while holding it on either side, while the son leaned on their shoulders. Kishmi sent them to the treatment room. Rukha refused to treat them. The great responsibility intimidated him. He asked them to come back in the coming days, when Eo was available to see them. The father of the family, a muscular man with a thick black beard, insisted upon being treated on the spot. Logic drove Rukha to continue to refuse. 'I'm not ready yet,' he said to himself and shook his head.

  "I am not used to begging," said the father with his head bowed. "Master healer, hear the voice of my plea as I cry to you, my son needs your help."

  He placed the chicken he had brought as payment into Rukha's lap.

  'Master healer,' Rukha mumbled the words to himself. The words were sweet and bitter in his mouth like the first almonds. He began to understand the gift he had been given by Eo, the ability to give, the ability to heal. He said to himself that in the worst case scenario, if the treatment was not successful, they would come back to Eo. He decided to take the responsibility.

  "Put him on the stool".

  "Thank you, thank you, Master Healer," the father said. The mother bowed lightly and turned her eyes on him.

  He noted to himself, based on the course linen clothes of the parents, that they were lower class. Their son, on the other hand, wore the uniform of the king's palace honor legion: sandals laced up his legs, a skirt of hardened ox leather, a tightly knitted woolen tunic, and wide leather bracelets on both his wrists. As he had been taught by Eo, he asked the parents to sit on the side, and began to listen to the youth.

  "What is your name"?

  "Khafus, sir," said the boy.

  "I am Rukha." He introduced himself without the title of Healer. The title 'Master' was jarring to him. It appeared that the boy did not know he was a slave. Rukha restrained himself. Part of the power to heal was drawn from the respect that the patient had for the healer.

  "What is the problem?" he asked.

  "I fall".

  "What do you mean"?

  "I try to stand up and fail, and then I fall".

  "Let me see. Try to stand".

  The boy tried to raise himself up on his legs, but crashed to the floor. Rukha helped him return to the stool.

  "What happened?" asked Rukha.

  "I tried to stand on my legs, and each leg went in a different direction".

  "When did it begin"?

  "Four moons ago".

  "Have you tried going to a water healer"?

  "It didn't help".

  "What did he say"?

  "He felt my bones, bent my joints, made me drink potions and fed me powders, tied my legs with a splint, hung me upside down from the ceiling, twisted my torso, knocked on my knees, and finally sent me to an oil healer".

  "Hmm…" said Rukha, and thought to himself, 'I cannot escape this. I'll try and solve this myself'.

  "What had happened four moons ago"?

  "Except for the falling"?

  "Yes, in your life in general, I see you are wearing the uniform of the king's palace honor legion".

  "Yes, four months ago I dropped out of the legion's training program. I was a foot soldier and I requested the opportunity to be tested to join the lines of the legion".

  Rukha was surprised at the tone of indifference in his words and noted the connection between the falling on his legs and his dropping out of the training program. He continued his questioning.

  "Why did you drop out"?

  "The commanders of the legion said I wasn't obedient enough".

  "And what do you say"?

  "It's probably true".

  "And you're still in uniform"?

  The boy sat in uncomfortable silence.

  "Did you know that the discipline in the legion was tough? Tougher than in the regular army"?

  "Yes".

  "And were you ready for it"?

  "I thought so".

  "When you dropped out… of the legion, were you sorry"?

  "Yes, yes, since I was a child my greatest ambition has been to be a soldier in the legion".

  Rukha got the impression that although the boy was talking of sorrow, he was not really sorry. He noticed that the mother's eyes were lowered.

  "Why are you sorry that you dropped out of the legion"?

  "That's obvious, isn't it – the honor, the prestige. The legion is where men are measured," Khafus answered.

  Rukha discerned a tiny flicker of agreement in the father's eyes.

  "And what does your father think"?

  Khafus looked at his father. The father nodded in agreement. "My father always wanted to be recruited into the army and go to the legion, but it wasn't possible".

  "Why"?

  "He had to work his family's land. After the death of his father, there was no one left but him to work the land," he said sadly.

  "And why aren't you working your lands"?

  "My parents are not wealthy, but my two younger brothers work with my parents and they all provide for us together".

  Rukha could feel the tension in the room. He looked at the mother. He saw in her eyes that she could tell where he was headed.

  "So you wanted to be a soldier in the legion, in order to fulfill your father's dream"?

  "Yes… that is… because of that too".

  "But you didn't want it enough," Rukha smiled a knowing smile. "Again, what do you feel about the fact that you dropped out… from the training program".

  "All right, not bad. You don't always succeed in everything you want".

  "It seems like you're not that disappointed".

  "What do you mean"?

  "If you had really longed to serve in the legion, you would be acting and speaking differently".

  "How"?

  "To begin with, you would have explained why you wanted it, and not why your father aspired to it. Secondly, if you had really wanted to stay in the legion you would have been willing to obey orders, you would have preferred to obey orders rather than drop out of the training. You would n
ot have easily come to terms with dropping out. You would say 'it's the greatest disaster that's ever happened to me, it's a disappointment that I don't know how I will ever overcome, it's the future I had intended for myself, and now I'm left without a future'. That's how someone would talk who really wanted the legion".

  The boy was silent.

  "Leave us alone, please," Rukha told the boy's parents in an authoritative tone that surprised even himself. The boy's parents left the room.

  "How do you feel about the fact that you fall… off your legs?" Rukha asked, and it was clear from his voice that his confidence was growing.

  "It's difficult," said Khafus. The tension in his voice had lowered but not dispelled.

  Rukha noticed again the discrepancy between the problem and the feelings being expressed. "Do you want to know what I think?" asked Rukha.

  "Yes," said Khafus.

  "I'm debating. I don't know if you're happy or sad about dropping out of the legion. I don't know if you're happy to be rid of the mission your father set for you, or that you're sad that you didn’t rise up to the task. I think you're not sorry that you won't be a legionnaire, but that you disappointed your father. What would you have done if you could not have joined the ranks of the army and the legion"?

  "I would have bred cattle," said Khafus without delay and his eyes lit up.

  "And let's say you could join the legion and also breed cattle"?

  "Then I don't know where I would go".

  "And so each leg goes in a different direction?" Rukha smiled his thin smile.

  Khafus chuckled and asked: "so what do we do"?

  "We cry".

  "What?" the boy asked in astonishment.

  "It's possible that the problem is in the flesh, and the water healer just didn't find it, but if the problem requires the treatment of the oil healer, in my opinion, you haven't cried yet at all, and if you have, maybe you haven't yet cried enough. Have you cried in the last four moons"?

  "No. About what"?

  "About not being free to focus on cattle breeding, about not succeeding in the legion, in your father's mission, about not being able to choose between the legion and cattle – between your father and yourself, for not being able to direct both of your feet in the same direction, and for falling on your feet".

  Khafus's eyes reddened somewhat but he still didn't cry. Rukha noticed excitement under the affected expression of indifference.

  "How do you feel?" Rukha asked delicately.

  "Fine," lied Khafus.

  "Would you agree to let me speak to your father"?

  "Of course".

  The father came in hesitantly and with reverence, holding his hat in his hand. Rukha gestured for him to sit down on the mat.

  "Your son Khafus wanted very much to serve in the king's honor legion".

  "Yes, he brought great honor on us all".

  "I get the impression that Khafus loves you with all his heart. You must be an exemplary father".

  "Thank you sir." The father took pleasure in this and looked at Khafus with pride.

  "It is possible that due to his great love for you, he wanted so much to bequeath to you the honor of his service to the king".

  The father was pleased.

  "It is my impression that he believes his service in the legion is very important to you, more important than his ability to walk".

  "What?" the father was stunned. His face fell. He lowered his gaze to the leveled dust floor for a long moment. Finally he raised his eyes, looked at his son and asked, "is this true? Is that what you think"?

  Khafus lowered his eyes and wrung his hands. Rukha continued. "Yes, I believe that's what he thinks. He thinks he loves you more than you love him. If he knew how much you love him, he would understand that his health is important to you".

  "What is more important to me in the world than you and your brothers?" said the father to his son sorrowfully.

  Khafus was silent and he lowered his gaze to the ground.

  Rukha turned to the father: "I cannot promise, but I believe your love, a father's love, can cure your son more than anything else," and then he turned to the son. "You so want to please your father, to bring him joy and honor, that I am sorry to see you fail in this."

  Khafus believed that Rukha was talking about serving in the legion and became even more embarrassed, but Rukha surprised him: "I am sorry to see you are causing him sorrow because you do not believe in his love".

  The father and son looked at him, surprised.

  Rukha turned to the son: "What would make your father happier than anything is for you to be happy with your labors. A father's greatest pride is his children accomplishing their desires, even if their greatest desire is to breed cattle. Right?" he turned to the father.

  "Of course, of course." Nodded the father.

  "You must dilute a pinch of this powder in boiled camel's milk, and drink it every night," Rukha told Khafus. He took a handful of the ostrich eggshell powder from the medicine bag in the corner and wrapped it in vine leaves. Khafus nodded in agreement.

  "That's enough for today. If the problem doesn't resolve itself, come back next week. My master and teacher, Eogulades, will be here to greet you".

  "Thank you very much," said the father and bowed his head.

  "You're welcome," answered Rukha, and helped the father to carry the son on the board out of the treatment room.

  "In my harem, there are women from the four corners of the land, Hittites, Elamites, Canaanites and Egyptians, but not one of them could compare in her intelligence or her beauty to my beloved queen, Partakhti, daughter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. I have many sons from my many wives, and my daughters the princesses are wives to the kings of the world, but I have but one heir, the son of Queen Partakhti, Enmerkar," the king said in a broken voice.

  Eo looked away so as not to see the dampness in his eyes, in order not to shame the king. He continued to listen attentively.

  "Eogulades, you once assisted in banishing a ghost from the halls of the palace. Both the head eunuch Seruf and Vizier Murdoch have named you as a talented oil healer, who negotiates with the creations of Nammu in this world and the Gods and demons in the upper and netherworlds. Please be so kind as to help me, Eogulades," asked the king.

  The king did not command him, but rather requested, but Eo knew that the king's request was a command just as any other. The anxiety that he was feeling did not allow him to enjoy the honor the king had bestowed upon him. The beating of his heart mixed with the sound of the footsteps of those carrying the sedan chair.

  "Since the drought hit our plentiful land, a worry has nested darkly in my heart," the king continued, "and when I heard about a two headed calf that was born to one of my farmers, it was clear that this was an omen, a sign that something bad was about to happen." The king breathed deeply. "A week later, a spirit grabbed hold of Enmerkar, my son and heir." He had trouble speaking. "I do not know if it is a ghost, a demon from the netherworld, a curse that has been cast on him by my enemies or a flesh sickness. The water healer prescribed a herbal potion, grounded up stone dust for him, and decreed that he should eat cooked bone marrow of powerful animals, but nothing has helped. Incoherent voices bubble up from within him in an unknown language, tossing him from side to side like a prophet. He is sick, my son who means more than anything to me, my crown prince Enmerkar." Eo nodded in understanding and sorrow, and the king went on. "Can you return his health, that he might reign over Uruk, and conquer all the fortified cities of the country? If you can save him, Eogulades, I will keep you and your offspring in the employ of the monarchy for generations to come. I will give you slaves to work the great fields I will give you. Your sheep will eat barley and your slaves will drink oil".

  The king did not need to state the obvious, what would happen if he failed. Eo knew that if he disappointed Meskiagasher the cruel, he would be punished in whatever way the king saw fit, from death to slavery. Meskiagasher was merciful and kind to his friends, but was cruel
to his enemies and to all who denied him. The residents of Larsa who had survived after the terrible slaughter spread his name in the streets of the land between the rivers.

  Eo, filled with fear, didn't notice that they had already reached the palace. One of the eunuchs proffered his hand and assisted him in getting out of the sedan car. He walked home in a daze, not even responding to the acquaintances that touched their noses as they passed him.

  Kishmi saw that he had a heavy heart and asked no questions. She silently aided him in removing his clothes; taking off his many pieces of jewelry, and she unraveled the hairs of his beard. After he was wrapped in his favorite house robe, a gift from a grateful patient he had cured, Eo sat down at Kishmi's side and told her everything that had transpired between him and the king.

  "I have never in my life received such a compliment. I never saw myself as a royal healer. Me?! A royal healer?! Kishmi, I don't know if I can do this".

  "Why not? You've already banished demons from the palace".

  "I don't know, but this is the king and the prince, I don't know if I can treat them".

  "Why? Are they not flesh and blood? Are they Gods like the Pharaohs of Egypt? If they were Gods, would they ask for the help of a flesh and blood oil healer"?

  "I don't know. I know they're human, but still, royalty are not normal people".

  "Do you consider the more respectable of your patients to be less worthy of your treatment than the less respectable?

  "I'm scared. Although I know you're right, and I've thought about it myself and come to the conclusion that there is no reason for His Highness to wish to fail me. I'm still scared".

  "Royalty won't make you fail, but your fear might blind your wisdom".

  "How am I going to free myself of it"?

  "What would you say about this to a worried patient"?

  "I would tell him that worrying is something that you turn to when there's nothing to do and you're not willing to admit it".

  "So what do you prefer? Worrying or helplessness"?

  "I’ll do the best that I can. That's what's important," he tried to repeat it to himself. "And if I succeed, we will be granted great wealth".