Stories

The innocent pupil

The bell rang at eight o'clock, the pupils entered hurriedly to their classes. As usual, I took my own place, and kept silent until the teacher had entered. After he had greeted us, he began to explain another lesson from our religious book very seriously.

Now I do not remember the title of the subject, but I know that this was a day after our exam in science with another teacher, who had newly come to our school. At that moment I heard some slow knocks on the door. The door was opened, a small boy came in. the whole class fell into a deep silence, when the boy began uttering some words which none of us could understand him. But, after the teacher had told him to come nearer, the boy repeated: " The pupil number 2 is asked to come down."

After taking permission from my teacher, I got up from desk and went out with the boy. In the way, I felt eager to know the reason behind this call. I was torn at the moment between fear and joy not knowing what is going to happen. I stopped and asked him in a simple way. " Please, can you tell me who sent you to fetch me?"

"The teacher Zuhair ," said the boy in a great delight.

" Are you sure of the number?" I asked.

I was in doubt, perhaps he had forgotten the number, or maybe had put another one because each pupil had a certain number instead of his real name for easiness. But, he responded seriously. " No, I am sure of it, I can count from one to hundred without leaving one uncounted."

So, I laughed at this logic answer and became sure that he was right. Then I asked no more questions in spite of many in my mind, that I dared not to ask him in order not to get him confused. But, I could not control my feelings, so instead of asking one I asked two more questions.

" Boy," I said ." where is the teacher now? And what is he doing there?"

" He is downstairs in our class, he is putting marks on papers ," Answered the boy. He stopped a moment and then he added, " When he came across a paper, he stopped a moment at it frowning, and after that, he put a score on it , because I was the nearest one to him, he ordered me to fetch you."

Now the fact was cleared in front of my eyes, when he said that, but still I was in doubt, whether the result would be amusing or shocking. Buy my being with him in that shaky state, it was as if a criminal taken in the hands of a mighty policeman who was going to take him to the court.

When we reached the other class, I knocked at the door twice, a voice came and then we went in. the door was closed behind us, I turned my face to the class, I saw them all on their desks looking at me on the face. I stopped a while not knowing what to do or where to go because I could not see the teacher at first anywhere, in my opinion, I imagined it was a trick played on me, so I opened my mouth to say something but to my great surprise I saw the teacher sitting on a desk at the end gazing fixedly at me. My face was changed completely. My heart was beating fast, when I went directly to him. There, in front of him I stopped face to face, with my hands behind without uttering a word. The first thing I did observed on the paper was my name, with a big ZERO and a note. The redness of my cheeks increased, my heart's throbs went beyond usual, and my eyes filled with tears. I could say nothing because I felt with a great terror, and shocked to see for the first time something happening to me unexpected which concerned my study.

" Why had you cheated me yesterday in the exam? Said the teacher angrily.

" What sir, what _ do …. You mean by – cheat …by cheating?" said I in a hesitated attitude.

" I mean, you have copied your answers from the book or somewhere else," He repeated it more sharply. Then, he added, thus I decided to give zero and send you to the headmaster to punish you for your wrong deed. But I have brought you here so that you may confess because all your answers are almost as that of the book. When I kept silent, he went on talking more firmly.

" See boy, if you don't give me a certain proof, zero will be your mark."

I stopped a moment, seeing him waiting as a judge for an answer, and seeing the eyes of the other pupils directed on me from all sides as if I were in a court. And to my astonishment, I could not find a witness to defend me from the awaiting decision. But, I was clever enough to save myself, when I said:

" Sir, if you are not sure, let me repeat the exam."

He was surprised to hear such an offer from me, he never expected such an idea because I was trembling all the time before, which certified his suspicion on me.

" Well, well boy," replied the teacher."

I will agree, but with a condition." " See boy," he said, if your answers will not be the same, you know, I will keep the zero, but in opposite you will get a hundred."

When I heard that, I found the threads of hope gleaming in my way, I turned to face the battle for the second time and I was sure I would be the winner because all the answers were still in my head.

Certainly, I could say until then all the class had ignored the truth of our conversation. I saw their heads lifted up disorderly, their eyes fixed on me eagerly, and their mouths opened widely as if each one of them was going to ask the same question. Soon after that I sat down to be tested again.

The silence came to an end, it turned to a great noise , each one tried to hand me a paper from his notebook before the other. Everything was made ready for me. Not more than twenty minutes I finished and went to the teacher with my paper in hand. After reading about five lines, he laughed and said:

" Stop, it is enough. Now you can leave."

I left the class and the flag of victory in my hand. To my great delight I reached my own class very quickly carrying with me my mark before my friends, and at the same time I gained my teacher's confidence but alas I lost the religious lesson.

18 / 6 / 1971 AHMED ALI

The repeated image of death

It was known that Oedipus and his likes were predestined to face the destiny which was awaiting them without their perception. But, what Genjo, the Kurdish villager had done was all beyond that. No doubt, he was fully aware of himself when he committed his inhuman crime towards his father.

He was a young married man, over twenty years. He was known to all the villagers as a rude and wicked person. Therefore; they all tried to avoid him for fear of being involved with such naughty person who was always at rage with himself and with his wife at slight cases while he was at home

Adil, the son, told his father Genjo that he would like to take him to hospital the next day as long as his health was getting worse. So, the father slept quietly that night without paying any attention to his painful disease which was hurting him continuously because he heard newly of a successful doctor who had arrived at the small town not very away from their village. In the morning, they prepared themselves and set out. When they reached somewhere near the desired place. Adel stopped suddenly the horse and tried to fasten its rein to a trunk of an oak tree. He turned to his father who kept silent all the time. He asked him gently to get down and he did so, but with a hint of uneasiness, he walked slowly and sat down on the grass.

" Do you know why I brought you here? Adel asked his father.

"No, I don't".

" Briefly, because I had intended to kill you by throwing you from this high cliff down there. But before doing that I will give the chance to smoke your last pipe since you are a heavy smoker as I know and this will be your favorite wish if you are asked to".

The father got out his pipe, filled it with tobacco and lit it without uttering a word. Throughout the smoke, he looked at his son, then he turned to examine the scene carefully. To his surprise it was the same spot where he had thrown his father down there twenty years ago when he was as young as his own son now, he thought it was either a dream or a coincidence but he rejected both of them because he remembered his father's persuasive words which sounded in his ears so clearly as if he was there at the same moment addressing him directly for the second time.

" Son, don't throw me, spare my life, leave me alone here for my destiny. I have done nothing wrong. The world is wide enough to accept me and I promise you not to show my face to the village again. If you let me go to spend the last remained years of my life but if you are determined to do so, don't forget that your son who is now about two years will behave the same if he gets bigger as you intend to do now, so it is your choice".

When he reached this point, he felt deeply shocked for he was undergoing the same situation as his father, and that would be the same consequence that his father had besought him for that deadly action. The father now thought that he and his son perhaps were predestined to do such wrongful deed. So he started to weep, tears fell down on his white beard under the accusing eyes of his son who was waiting for him to finish his pipe which was still in his hand forgetting that it had stopped burning a short time ago, while he was lost in his deep imagination.

"Can you tell me why you are weeping?"

Nothing just a fancy, whispered the father.""

It seems to me that you are afraid of death. He emphasized the last word, so that he might make him remember his past crime and see the effect of the repeated image of death on him and waited for answer because he was quite sure that this repetition of the same scene would cause him confess, otherwise, he would remind him of his terrible action.

"No, I am not afraid of death, but I am frightened that you will pass through my own sin, my son … which I committed with your grandfather when I was as young as you are now. Yes, I killed my father by throwing him down there in spite of his begging me not to do that. I did so, without showing mercy or any kind of sympathy, for I was cruel enough and heartless. Now I am ready to accept my doom. The father admitted his crime to his son gravely".

No father, you will never face your fate in the same way as my grandfather had undergone. In fact, I cannot venture to do such an evil act. But what I aimed to do was only to make you feel your guilt and then declare it to me openly. Adel exclaimed gently.

"But how did you know that I .. I ? His question remained unfinished because he was almost excited and could not bear the clear sight of the situation in front of his eyes in a newly dressed fashion which rebuked his conscience greatly.

" A shepherd had seen it, but he concealed it because he was afraid of the undesirable results which would lead him into troubles with you. He besought me not to reveal it to anyone." Therefore; I promised him and now since that but because he was dead I took the opportunity to prove whether his acclaim was true or not. Now I am quite certain that he had said the truth.

Adel helped his father to get on the horse and they left the place behind them. They completed their journey to the hospital in time. There he was examined by the doctor and later was received as a patient to be treated for a week or two.

The next day, Adel went to visit his father in the hospital, but unfortunately, he did not see him there in his bed. He stopped for a while and kept silent looking around astonishingly. When the nurse came, he hurried and asked her about his father. She stared at him fixedly for a moment but did not answer him. Then, she turned back and told him to follow her. He obeyed her order willingly knowing that something mysterious had happened behind her silence. He walked slowly as if he did like to face the real fact which was awaiting him. But it did not take long. They reached the doctor's room and there he stood before him waiting for an answer.

When the doctor finished his speech. Adel nodded his head knowing that his action had produced the desired effect which he never thought it would bring out such an end entirely opposite to what he intended to. He tried to hold himself. while he was leaving the doctor's room, signs of uneasiness and discomfort shadowed themselves on his face heavily for he was deeply nonplussed about hearing the unexpected destiny which was as a shock to him.

"Boy, you have to take your father home." The doctor said.

"Why… what happened to him? Adel asked quietly.

"Are you hopeless to cure him?

"No, that is not the reason. His disease was curable but something unusual happened to him last night. He paused and then continued. He was awoken by some fearful nightmares. The nurse heard him shouting loudly. Don't kill me, don't throw me down, leave me alone. I don't want to die. These were repeated several times despite her trying to keep him quiet. The last time he was much scared which made him jump from his bed and fall down on his head on the floor. When the nurse reached there, he was bleeding to death and was still repeating these words: I don't want to die. This was reported by our nurse late last night.

1978 – Mosul - Ahmed Ali

The astounding question

One winter morning, I was going to have my breakfast at the university club. The weather was very cold. The garden grass and the withered flowers and roses were covered with frost. The sun's rays reflected when it fell on the grass which gave beautiful colors to the sight. My cheeks were reddened and my eyes were filled with tears and I was shivering at the time I reached the place.

On my return to attend the first lecture, I witnessed a crowd at the university gate. They were secondary pupils coming for a celebration as usual. They formed a dancing circle there, some were shouting loudly, others were singing and some of the students took part with them. On both side of the side road students were looking at them curiously, group of girls were gathering from here and there to see the scene.

Under the pine trees I stood with some friends. Among the crowd I saw an old man moving slowly and silently raising his hand for money. When he came nearer, he started looking at us very solemnly which made us pity him. Because none of my friends had noticed his being there at that moment. One of them made a big mistake which was not proper to be done. He thought that the old man had come there to share them their happiness, or might be he had for some other intentions. He went to straight to him and put his hands on his shoulders and laughingly said:

" Uncle, why don't you go and dance with them also?"

This question stayed with no answer.

The moment he said that, the old man remained silent, his eyes filled with tears, his lips trembled, his face twisted completely and his whole appearance changed; tears began to flow over his white beard. His words made him remember his past years when he was young at their age. He turned his back to leave the place, so it seemed that he intended not to show his face there again. But, we did not let him go, we gave him money. Then, he left us deeply shocked never forgetting this affected incident for the rest of his life.

5-10-1971- Mosul Ahmed Ali

The judge who hanged himself

While a judge was walking home, he heard a child crying loudly. He wanted to know the reason behind,therefore; he knocked the door and inquired why did they let him cry? They told him we brought him all that he desired but he was very obstinate no one could convince him. The judge blamed them and showed his dissatisfaction of what they said. He volunteered to persuade the child to stop crying.

At first, made some progress to calm down the boy, he gave him what he asked for. Then, the child showed his obstinacy by demanding a dry and soft loaf of bread. He fetched it to him at once, the cunning child dropped it on the ground and broke it to pieces. He started crying and the judge tried to bring him another one instead of the broken one, but he insisted on him to reunite it again, and kept crying more loudly, he found it was hard enough to to do so and it was in vain to change his attitude, he hanged himself at once. After a moment of silence, the whole family felt happy that the judge was capable of fulfilling this tough responsibility. But to their great surprise they entered the room they found both of them silent. The child who managed to defeat the judge, and the hopeless judge who failed in his mission. Therefore; this proverb was said afterwards," you would be as the judge of the child who hanged himself." Really he was so obstinate as a rock.

The Sultan, the Teacher and the Donkeys

In a point of time in this world, there was a sultan who owned a group of donkeys. He raised them in his big garden, he had hired a shepherd to take care of them. they used to make great harm to the trees and other plants .One day an idea struck his mind thinking that teachers are able to teach pupils properly, why not they can't do so with donkeys. therefore; he ordered his guards to fetch him one of the best teachers in the town. When he was brought in front of him, he told him to open a class for his donkeys to teach them ethics besides other things. The teacher replied and said," children are mostly in need of such things my dear sultan." The sultan answered him briefly if you don't do so you know all the consequences. You have only three months to manage this task. After the date passed, the teacher returned to him hopeless awaiting his destiny. the sultan told him what he had done, did you fulfill what I had asked you for? The answer was, Yes! He told him how? He said," I taught them these three single words: OR, OR, OR! Then, he said: what do they mean? explain it to me. I want to know what is behind them. The teacher in a very humble way cleared it to him by saying that he besought God either to give brain to these animals or to remove your brain from your head to get mad or to paralyze my tongue in order not to be able to talk and teach and get out of this terrible situation my honorable sultan. It is true who can make donkeys understand!

Don't touch the government's cables" "Salo, the mad said:

" صالویێ دین گوت: "خو ل تێلا حوکمەتێ نەدە"

The time of this incident was after 1961, when the Kurdish revolt broke out against the Iraqi regime. There lived a mad man, his name was Salo the mad. At that time I was about 11 years old. He was not as many other mad persons in Duhok's city, he was somehow calm and never tried to do harm to others who bothered him even the children. I did not see him complain or show outrage most of the time I met him or people who talked about him. Therefore; all loved him and they gave him food when he needed that or they tried to dress him always by force because he almost refused to do so. When he was irritated by the children, he ignored them by leaving the place without beating them. Some old men used to talk to him in aim to have fun. The most words I now remember was those ones that we usually directed to him," where would you go, Salo?". And he had always this ready made answer, who? He would reply to himself. Salo?

One day he went straight to Duhok's valley, he was alone, when he reached Xani's Hill a village beyond the valley near-by a military trench. It happened that the day before a mine was blown up there it had done no harm to any one but some electric wires were cut off. Reaching there, Salo stopped suddenly and began to touch those cut wires for some minutes. The soldiers were seeing him, so some of them came to him thinking that he was the one who did so or the one who was sent to detect what had happened there. Hence, they beat him very harshly, and then they sent him to the brigade in Duhok to be sent to jail. Some good ones knew of his arrest they meditate and set him free because they declared that he was mad.

As a mad person, he did not know the real reason about his being beaten, but what made it stick his mind was that he had come nearer to the authority's cables without knowing it was war time. This incident removed the common words he usually uttered to others" who, Salo?' and replaced them by these warning ones. Beware, beware," Don't touch the wires of the government." It became later, as a famous proverb among people. Wise men usually say," get wisdom from the mouths of the mad". It is indeed, a very sane proverb.

21-2-2017 written : by Ahmed Ali

The cunning blind man

A man and his wife were riding on a horse. Near the town, they met a blind man. He asked him to give him a lift. He agreed at once to his suggestion. On their way, an idea struck his mind. When they reached the town, the husband told him to get down the horse. At that moment, he began to shout loudly, many people gathered to know the reason. A police man at the spot came and told him to tell the truth. He said: this woman behind me is my wife on my horse, and this stranger wants to deprive me from them. Hence, he took them all to the governor, there he knew the whole story. He ordered the police to put each one alone behind locked doors and told them to listen to what they say.

The wife said to herself ," my husband I advised you not to do so but you did not pay attention to my speech."

The husband began to blame himself of not hearing his wife's warning.

But the blind man proudly boasted for his cunning way to get what he wished, he said : " if I gained the horse, then it is Okay, but if I got both the horse and the man's wife surely it will be Okay twice! for me."

The governor was notified what they heard from them all. Therefore; he was certain that the blind man was a liar. He was accused of betrayal. They put him in jail and set the other two free.

The best woman

Ismail Pasha, the leader, asked Esau the wise: Who is the best woman in your opinion? When the Pasha was unable to understand what the latter clarified to him about them, Esau suggested that they take a tour together, therefore; they disguised themselves as Dervishes. The first house that they became as guests was the home of a man who was the youngest of his three brothers, and he welcomed them. And when they sat down, they noticed that the chin of their host was white, and with an arched back, they asked him in astonishment about the cause of his bad condition despite his being a young man at forties and very rich. He replied: Tomorrow you go to my older brother's house and you would know the truth. The host called his wife to come: Shamelessly she responded what do you want me to do you "red spider, venom of snakes?" He said to her: You had to prepare food for the guests, and she shouted at him loudly: What do you want me to prepare? Do not you know that your ruined house does not contain anything? And so the woman responded to every request from her husband screaming and hearing him obscene words, and when it was time to sleep, the husband said: We had two mattress and covers only, take a mattress and a cover for us, and give the other to our guests, at once she harshly said; you lost your mind! Do not you know that I do not allow you to sleep beside me at all? The guests spent their night grudging, and in the morning went to the house of the middle brother, and found that his chin was fully white, then the Pasha asked him: How old are you? He replied:"I am nearly sixty." The Pasha with great surprise said: "But at this age the chin would not become completely white. The next day you would know the real answer my dear guests. The housewife answered her husband's wishes sometimes, and she was ignoring some others, showing politeness and rudeness at the same time. And at morning they went to the eldest brother's house, and they found that his beard was black though he had reached the age of eighty, and when they explained about the reason, he said to them: stay as guests and you will see the reason. This eldest brother was poorer than his brothers, but his wife was obedient to a great extent. When he uttered a word she would come at once saying:"Yes, I am your slave, what should you ask?" When he asked her if there was anything to eat at home, she replied, "How is it not?"We have everything, eggs , rice , butter and honey! In fact, she prepared a suitable meal for them, and it was time to sleep. The host asked the wife: Do we have enough covers for the guests? She said, "We are under your shadow, and we have all that we need, and our house is like the house of the pasha. Then she went out to the neighbors' houses and fetched the needy things for sleep. The host told her,' Woman, this evening we had guests, and it would not be proper for us to sleep together and she nodded willingly. When the morning came, the Pasha asked his host that his wife was "the best woman." He replied: "Of course she is my wife. She is doing the impossible to relieve me." She serves her guest swell, and when we are in need of something she borrows from neighbors, she loves me, and the old age can not enter our life at all." At that time the Pasha realized the real meaning behind the previous words of Esau, and praised him and rewarded him. He bestowed on the eldest brother money, and ordered the second one to divorce his wife, and asked the younger brother to marry another woman.

Partridge is the enemy of itself

This episode had happened in Iraq when it was colonized by British Army.

Really it is an old and almost new for every time as it concerned Kurdish nation in particular.

It was said that an English commander was once walking through a village, there he came across a Kurdish partridge hunter. He saw him holding some dead partridge in one hand and a living one in the other. Being curious, he asked his translator to tell him if those partridge were for sale.

The hunter told them that the dead ones for two shillings but the alive costs three dollars. The commander inquired why there was a great difference between both of them. They are from the same place, would you tell me what's the reason behind that riddle? Then, the hunter replied ironically, those dead ones in my hands were the outcome of the alive, if not, I wouldn't be able to catch the others and to sell them for you now.

The commander understood what he meant. Therefore; he demanded him to behead the alive saying that his meat perhaps would be more delicious. The hunter was unable to convince him to change his mind and take the dead ones. Unwillingly he obeyed his order not knowing the real intention behind this choice.

The commander at last tried to reveal the purpose behind his preference telling the hunter deliberately that this type of birds which had no sympathy and affiliation to each other and they help the hunters like you to be able to put hands on them. Make haste behead it at once. " I am the enemy of those who betray themselves."

It is the same as the Kurdish Wise man had said before:

"All are enemies of the partridge, and the partridges themselves are enemies to each other".

21- 1- 2018 DUHOK KURDISTAN

Translated from Kurdish: Ahmed Ali