Okay but if you could live in any fruit, which would you choose?

Hello fable-fans!

How has your week been?

I'm sorry, this email is really pushing the deadline. I'd planned to do it after dinner today (Saturday--I'm writing at 9:30pm local time) but my dad and I have been working on a mini construction project, and we wanted to work on that instead (a rare opportunity when we were both available and motivated!).

We're turning my old guitar into a set of mini shelves. It broke a few years ago, and I've been thinking of putting the shell to good use since then. We're finally getting around to it!

[The following image may be distressing to some guitarists.]

So yep, instead of figuring out how to segue into today's legend, I was very lazy. I learned how to spell segue, and why it's spelled segue, and that <-- was my segue. 😅

This week's story is Ali of the Crooked Arm, and it's from the Swahili speakers of East Africa.

Long ago, there lived a Sultan and a Wazir, both with seven sons. The seventh son of the Sultan only had one eye, and the seventh son of the Wazir had a crooked arm. This boy was named Ali. The two boys were inseparable and very competitive, and together, they got into all sorts of mischief.

But one day, they were together in a plantation, and they found a pomegranate tree. They both agreed to pick one pomegranate each, and to eat it together, before going back to the palace and riding their horses together. But inside Ali's pomegranate lived an evil Jin, who was known to kidnap children each year.

When they arrived at the stables, the horses were already saddled for them, and as they began to ride, Ali started to fly, higher and higher, until he was soaring above the clouds. The prince tried to keep pace with him, but eventually he lost sight of Ali. Heartbroken, he returned home alone.

Ali found himself at the gates of the evil Jin's house. The Jin took his horse and led Ali into a room, where a giant cooking-pot was boiling. The Jin instructed Ali that it was his job to keep the fire going under the cooking pot.

After three days, the Jin gave Ali a keychain with seven keys on it. 'I'm going away, and will be back tomorrow,' the Jin said. 'While I am gone, you must only use this room. The other six rooms, you cannot enter. Look after the pot, but you mustn't lift the lid.'

After the Jin had left, Ali went to the pot and lifted the lid. He found a stew boiling inside, made of human flesh. The demon eats humans, Ali realised. And I'll be next.

The Jin returned, and after another day, he came to Ali. 'I'm going away again, this time for fourteen days,' he said, then left.

Ali stood in his room, thinking. 'The Jin said not to go into the other rooms,' he told himself. But after what he'd seen inside the pot, he felt that he needed to know what was in the other rooms.

So he went to the first room, and unlocked the door. Inside, he saw an enormous, beautiful horse. When it saw him, it neighed, then began to speak. 'What are you planning?' the horse asked him. 'The Jin said that he would return in fourteen days, but he lied. After only eight days, he will come back and eat you.' He neighed again. 'Open all the other rooms, then come back, and I'll tell you what to do.'

So Ali went into the second room. Opening the door, he found seven young women. They all sat in their own box, and each was reading the Koran. 'We've been put here so that the Jin can eat us altogether,' the women said. 'We've been waiting here for many years.'

He locked the door and went to the next room. There, he found bright swords, flashing as they fought each other.

The fourth room was full of twinkling gemstones, and in the fifth held mountains of grain, which fed the horse. In the sixth room was the horses' saddle, bridle and tack, encrusted with more jewels.

In this room, he also found seven bottles, each holding something different: the first was full of sun, the second held rain, the third held needles, the fourth hail, the fifth thorns, the sixth mud, and the seventh was full of the sea.

After a moment, Ali locked the door and went back to the horse.

'If we stay here,' the horse said, 'we'll all be eaten as soon as the Jin returns.' He then instructed Ali quickly to feed him until he was satisfied, then to put his tack on firmly. Ali then went to the other rooms, filling his saddlebags with gemstones, grain and, yes, the seven women. (There are frustratingly few answers to my questions about that part of the story. Were they all in the same bag? Were the bags magical, or just really big? What did the women think of this??)

Finally, he attached the saddlebags to the horse's saddle, and all was ready.

'Take that crowbar,' the horse said, 'and dig through the floor of the house.'

Ali did as he was told. As he prized up the floor, he found even more gems. These he put in his saddlebags, before climbing onto the horse. Together they rose up, flying higher than the clouds. But before they had gone far, the Jin and his demon-friends found them. Angry to see their dinner flying away, they took up the pursuit!

'Quick, Ali!' the horse cried. 'Take the first bottle and break it!'

Ali found the first bottle, and did as he was told. As soon as the glass had broken, sunlight burst all around them, burning up some of the demons. But most of them escaped, and continued to pursue them.

'The second bottle!' the horse neighed.

The second bottle was broken, and rain poured down on the demons. But still they followed.

Ali found the third bottle and broke it too, and needles ran into the feet of the demons. Many fell and couldn't get up, but there were still some who were able to chase them.

The fourth bottle was broken, and hail beat down on the demons. Many were knocked over, but they got up and kept chasing.

So Ali broke the fifth bottle, and thorns pierced their feet. Some were cast down, but some still kept pursuing.

Ali broke the sixth bottle, and the demons began slipping in the slippery mud, sliding across it until they had reached the other side. And they kept coming.

'Break the seventh bottle!' the horse whinnied.

Ali did so, and ocean poured out of it. Many demons were drowned, and the rest were swept away. A few were unable to cross, so they turned back.

Finally, Ali and his horse were free!

They rested and ate, then continued on their journey home. As they rode, the horse began to advise Ali on what to do when they returned home. 'Don't speak to anyone for seven days,' he said. 'After that, you must ask me first if you want to do anything: if you want to go anywhere, or if you want to marry anyone. Ask me first, because I know everything. I will know what may attract the attention of the Jin.'

Ali agreed.

The people of the town saw dust rising on the road. They went to the Wazir, who stood, watching, on the roof of the palace. He couldn't see--his eyes were blurred by tears, and his hair had overgrown. 'Someone is coming,' the townspeople said. He started to look into the distance.

Finally, the horse came into view, flying above them like a bird. He landed, and Ali slid off his back. The people were ecstatic, but Ali wouldn't say a word. Silently, he went into the palace, and found his rooms.

For the first seven days, Ali ate no food except that which the horse brought him, and drank no water except what the horse gave to him. But on the eighth day, a great feast was held in the whole nation. The Wazir's lost son had returned!

On the tenth day, Ali started to unpack. He took all the gems and riches out of the saddlebags, and filled ninety-nine store rooms with them. He built a seven-storey tower for the seven women he'd brought back from the Jin's house, and called them his sisters. None of them ever married (nor did Ali), but the women continued to read their Korans day and night.

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What was your favourite part of the story of Ali, the Jin and the horse? Where would you like our next legend to come from?

I always love to hear from you, my friends!

Till next time,

PS in case you're curious, 'segue' was originally a Latin musical term. It's not the same as Segway, which is the transport device that looks like what might result if someone tried to describe a scooter to someone who'd never seen one but had to build one. (I always thought it was a funny way to say like we'll "Segway" from one anecdote into the main agenda (*imagine some dinky scootering from A to B*), but apparently the term is actually much classier than that 😂. Who knew?)

(Source: Merriam-Webster)