“Where is the belt of Orion?” The chief Daii Mustafa asked Peter.
It was the middle of winter and the midnight chill was seeping into our bones. Peter and I were huddled close together with all the boys from our group on the roof of the main building trying to cover ourselves with wool blankets to stay warm. More than a year had pass since Turan’s incident and Ali became our group leader. We had returned to the grilling routine in master Badr’s school and one of our main lessons was to learn about the stars. Chief Daii Mustafa was considered to be an expert scholar in this field so every week he taught us about the science of the stars and of the motion of the planets in the heavens. And today we had an exam.
The Orion constellation was way up high in the night sky and I knew the answer to the question but I didn’t volunteer. I was not the one being asked although I was very eager to show my skills on this subject. I had memorized all what the chief had taught. It was one of my favorite lessons but not every one agreed with me, especially Peter.
“I know you know the answer John but I was making sure Peter knew as well,” Daii Mustafa said as he waited for Peter to reply. The chief knew I was one of his best pupils and he saw my eagerness to blurt out the answer.
“Why do we have to learn about the stars and the constellations chief?” Ali complained yet again to the Daii. He wasn’t so keen to memorize the names and locations of the stars either specially as they kept moving slowly each night.
The chief looked at Ali and asked, “if you are lost in the desert how would you find your way home Corporal?” Ali was pleased the chief had called him by his rank.
“This is easy,” Ali replied, “I look for the North Star which is always located in the direction of the north.”
“That is good,” the chief approved and Ali was pleased he managed to answer correctly.
“But you know that the North Star is a somewhat faint star do you not?” He didn’t wait for Ali’s answer and he continued with his next question, “but what if the weather is bad and you could not find the North Star?”
Ali didn’t answer this time. He knew the chief had set him a trap. He knew why it was important to learn about the stars. Chief Daii Mustafa had grilled us thoroughly on the location of the main stars and how they moved in the heavens. He said that it was important to know the time of year these stars rise and set. This information was essential for knowing the time as well as to navigate anywhere in the world otherwise we were doomed to be lost in the desert or at sea.
“Then you have to look for other bright stars to locate your position do you not?” Daii Mustafa asked one more time and Ali didn’t answer either.
“Ok the lesson is over for tonight,” the chief finally said, “go to your room and make sure you learn the names of the constellations from Abdul Rahman al-Sufi’s book on the stars. We will have another exam next week.”
Abdul Rahman al-Sufi’s book was the first scientific book I was ever given other than the Quran and the Ismaili Book of the Sage and the Disciple of course. We had already memorized the first and read the second but al-Sufi’s book was a wonder to behold. It depicted all the forty eight images of the constellations in colorful details along with charts and tables depicting all the well known stars in the sky. Every night I would read from this book until I could not open my eyes any more. I still keep a copy of this book with me where ever I go. Owning such an elaborate book or any other book for that matter was special. Very few people own books in our time because they were very expensive to obtain. But Daii Mustafa deliberately wanted us to experience the thrill of reading and owning books of our own. The school’s library was also very extensive and we were encouraged to go and read what ever we wished provided we discussed what we read with our instructors.
As we were scrambling to go down to our room the chief called me and said, “John I want to see you in my room before you go.”
It was the first time I was summoned to Chief Daii Mustafa’s room. I kept looking around at all the books stacked on the shelves. He must have had more than a hundred books in his collection. The chief was an old man probably in his late sixties. He was a Persian from Rayy, a province of Fars. It was a great privilege to have been taught by this man and I was now standing in his room. According to Ismaili doctrine a Chief Daii is the highest rank which could be attained before the title of an Imam (leader) and there was only one Imam in the Caliphate and that was the Caliph himself. There were only a few who hold the title of a Chief Daii and I was in the presence of one of them. But what did the chief want with me? I wondered. I was a little apprehensive of what I might have done.
“So John,” he commenced his talk as he was looking at a piece of paper in his hand, “according to your instructors you are progressing well with your military training. You have become a good swordsman and an excellent horse rider. You have already memorized the Quran and thoroughly read the Book of the Sage and the Disciple. You are also proficient in reading and writing of Arabic and you just started to learn Latin. You also know how to speak Greek as well as French. You are also progressing well in your history lessons and of course you like astronomy. So everything is going according to plan.” The chief was stating some facts about my studies but what did he want from me so late at night?
“You are more than thirteen years old and you have been here for more than two years now,” again more facts. “Every year we make our evaluations and we decide on the next batch of lessons to teach you,” now that was when I started to get worried.
“How would you like to learn a new skill?” He asked. I didn’t know what to say. Of course I couldn’t say no to the chief. But was he testing me again?
“Sir, I will do what ever you order me to,” I said. I was trained to be a soldier and that was the only answer I could think of.
“Yes, but this new skill requires a lot of practice and many sleepless nights to perfect,” he explained, “are you sure you are up to it?” Was this another one of his trick questions?
“Sir, I am a soldier in the Fatimid army and I will gladly give up my life in this cause,” I replied. I thought this was another good answer.
“Oh Good, Good,” he replied whilst he wrote something on the same piece of paper in his hand. He wasn’t looking at me but he continued to say “so tomorrow afternoon, and once a week from this day onward you will go to the main house of the estate outside the school grounds and you will report to Madam Maria.”
What? Did I hear correctly what the chief just said? “But Sir,” I tried to object and the chief lifted his head up slowly and looked me in the eyes waiting for me to voice my concern so I did, “but Sir, what military skill would a woman teach me. I am a soldier..” and I was cut of in mid speech.
“Yes, yes, I know you are a soldiers in the Fatimid army,” he continued my sentence, “but we are not training you to be a mere soldier John.” That is when I knew I had made a mistake.
“I am sorry sir,” I said, “I will do what ever you require of me,” but I was still unsure what a woman would add to my training. I was also curious to know what was it that would keep me awake all night practicing, “but Sir, can I ask you what Madam Maria will be teaching me?”
“Oh she has so much to teach, trust me,” he replied, “but she will probably start with music,” and I was shocked one more time.
“MUSIC,” I shouted and this was my second mistake.
The chief remained silent for a few seconds looking directly at me. I was frozen in my place. I just yelled at a chief Daii and in his room. I was either going to be executed for my insolence or I was about to be struck dead instantly by God himself.
“Yes John. It is Music,” he just said, “now go to your room,” and he returned to writing another note on the same piece of paper. I knew I had to run out of his room before I made another fatal mistake.
I didn’t say anything about my conversation with the chief. And of course I could not say anything about having to go to the woman’s quarters to learn music. This was a thing for girls I thought. I was ashamed I was being ordered to do this. I was sure that the chief was testing to see if I would follow his instructions and he will probably make me go back to my usual training schedule. But I was wrong.
The next day I walked to the main house on the other side of master Badr’s estate and I was met with a veiled woman at the door. She knew I was coming and she showed me to a large empty room and bid me sit down on one of the cushions then she left. I waited for a few minutes until three other ladies walked into the room. Even thought I was just a young man but I had already reached puberty a few years ago and my cock immediately sprang to life as it saw the three beautiful women walking towards me.
“So you must be John,” the eldest of the three said. She must have been Madam Maria. The one the chief sent me to see. She was a middle aged woman probably in her late thirties but she was more beautiful then the other two young girls standing behind her. The two girls were older than me but not by much. Their breasts were fully grown and clearly visible behind the transparent material of their gowns. Madam Maria was also wearing a similar attire and her large red nipples were almost the same color as her clothes. The girls were giggling as they sat down pointing at the bulge in my trousers.
“Be Silent,” Madam Maria hushed up the girls and sat on the other set of cushions in front of me, “let us see what the chief has sent us this time. Sit down John before the thing down there does something we both regret,” she said as she looked at my trousers and the girls returned to their giggling once again. So I immediately slumped back down on the cushion trying to hide my erection with my two hands and waited for the madam to begin.
“The chief tells me you are a fast learner and that we should start by teaching you music,” she said, “but I wonder how good you are at that?”
“Mistress,” I tried to reply and the girls started to giggle once again. I didn’t know why they were laughing at this time but I continued, “but Mistress, I don’t know anything about music. Of course I have heard a song or two once in a while but I don’t know anything about music and I have never held any musical instrument in my life.” I hoped that if I told the truth she would kick me out of there and I would go back to my friends.
“Mistress, Eyy. I like the sound of that,” she said, “No one calls me mistress around here but I like that. But you can call me mistress if you like. We will start with music and eventually progress to other things. I will teach you everything about musical technique, musical instruments, musical notes and of course singing.” I guess my plan to be kicked out of this house didn’t work.
“But first let me introduce you to your fellow students,” she turned around to the girls and said, “this is Joel from German and this is Luna from Bosnia.” Joel was a blond slim girl with blue eyes and small breasts while Luna was a little plum brunet with green eyes and large breasts. Of course it was their breasts which I kept staring at the entire night. As I said I was a thirteen year old boy and I could not help myself.
“They are both a little advance than you in music lessons but I am sure you will catch up,” the mistress continued her introduction of the girls, “they will also help you to master your instrument. Please get the Oud from the other room,” she ordered the girls who scrambled to do as she requested.
“We will start with the first instrument and after you master that we can go to another,” she explained, “you will take it with you and practice what I teach you not less than two hours a day. And as the chief informed you I expect you to come here every week.”
The girls came back holding four similar musical instrument one in each hand. Joel gave one to Mistress Maria and Luna handed me mine. I just held it with the tips of my fingers afraid it would brake in my hand.
“This instrument is called a Oud,” the mistress explained, “put it on your lap as we are doing,” I clumsily tried to do what they did but I didn’t succeed.
“Joel, help John adjust his grip on the handle,” the mistress said and Joel came and stood behind me. I was sitting on the cushion on the ground and she bent down and grabbed my hands and showed me where they should be. As she bent down her breasts almost touched my face. My cock sprang up again and pushed the musical instruments upwards. Joel noticed what just happened and she smiled and blinked at me. My face must have turned red as the mistress’s gown. I almost fainted. Oh God this was going to be torture. Why was the chief doing this to me? I wondered.
“Come back and sit down Joel before he explodes,” the mistress smiled as she ordered her female student. Oh God she also knew and the girls started to giggle. Oh God everyone knew and I turned another shade of dark red again.
“You see John, music is not only something you listen to and enjoy. Once you master it you will see that it can be one of the most beautiful of any skills one would ever hope to attain. It is also a skill which can help you open up many doors as well as many hearts. I will teach you that eventually but now just sit and relax. I am sure you will know what I mean when I am done,” and she started to play.
It was the first time I had ever seen anyone playing a musical instrument in my life. The Oud (similar to a guitar) was and would continue to be one of my favorite tools and I eventually learned to play a few more. The Oud was a wooden instrument shaped like a half cut pear with an arms-length piece of staff sticking from it. Four long strings were strapped from one end of the pear to the other end of the staff. The mistress sat down with the half-pear in her lap. She held up the staff with one hand while the other hand strung the cords. The poetry and music which came from her mouth were intoxicating and I was mesmerized.
As she emerged swaying
Full of youth and beauty
My lovers beauty charming
I’ll sacrifice myself. If there is way
Her glance captivating
In the meadows and the shadows
As a glistening branch bending
Gliding in the heavens. During the day
Was I promised? It is mystifying
Who’ll have mercy on me. I wonder
From love and my anxious longing
Except the sovereign of beauty. I pray
By the time she finished the first song I knew that I wanted to learn all I could about music. Her voice went right threw me. It sent ripples of emotion all over my body making my skin tingle with delight from the sounds of the Oud. I can still recite that first song I heard from her that day. She said that it was a song composed by Ziryab who was a famous poet and musician. The rhythm and the words are still engraved in my heart. I hum that song unconsciously every now and then when I am in the mood for love and music. It is strange how such emotions can still be alive in you after all that time.
“So John,” the mistress whispered in my ear, “are you satisfied? what do you think of our music?”
I jumped up on my feet startled to know that I had slept while listening to her. I also remembered that I had been dreaming some strange erotic dreams and I was ashamed of myself. But I was also surprised we were alone in the room. The girls were no where to be seen. How could she have done that? She must be a witch or a demon. But my erection was gone. I wasn’t feeling aroused or excited. I was back to normal. Could she have done what I thought she did? No. That was not possible. But I later learned that she did.
“Can I come back tomorrow mistress?” I dazedly asked her and she laughed at me.
“Oh no John,” she softly said, “go to your friends and come back next week. But I hope you enjoyed what we did?”
Nice
very good