*panting*
"Feraydoon?" Jasmine said with sweat pouring out from her body
"Jasmine, Jasmine!" Bita said shaking Jasmine off from her nightmare's shock. Jasmine looked at the little girl that was grinning from ear to ear.
"Are you ok?" Bita asked , she was confused and scared because Jasmine looked like a walking corpse.
"Yes Bita am ok, I just had a terrible dream" Jasmine explained, dropping her legs towards the ground
"What did you dream about ? Is it scary? If so you have to go meet mama so she can remove the evil eyes off you" Bita retorted, shaking.
'No, no Bita! simmer down ok am all good I promise"Jasmine beckoned "now what exactly brought you in here? " Jasmine asked
"Well, you know how much I love old Haman's play, so I ask for a shekel to go watch one please " Bita said with a puppy eyes that pleaded at Jasmine
"Haven't mama instructed that you stop watching those Bita ?" Jasmine asked with her left eyebrow raised
Bita placed her head on Jasmine's lap and started to plead " yes mama had said so, but these plays are my whole being, my life force, the joy givers I need to escape this boring and unusual house"
"Now please be a good sister and help me out just this once and I'll keep all your secret I promise" she continued and raised her face to look at Jasmine who rolled her eyes and said "well you're actually becoming a great actress and blackmailing me, how smart. Ok I'll help you with a shekel, but you will have to clean Carkas' room for two, no three oh yes a week"
Bita eyes became wide and filled with disgust. "But,but….." she protested
"Do we have ourselves a deal?" Jasmine asked cutting her off.
"How? Why do you always outsmart me ?" Bita asked with confusion
"Well," Jasmine said while raising her own jaw upward and tapping her shoulders with pride "when you've lived up to my age you become more wiser than a tortoise"
She got up from her bed, arranged it and left confused Bita there. Halfway before leaving she turned to the poor little girl "raise my lamp you will see a shekel take it and do what yo must" she smiled and left
Author*******
Well you might be wondering why Bita felt disgusted with the idea of cleaning Carkas' room. Carkas is one of their constant customer-reason: well his wife kicked him out due to his stupidity and excess love for wine-but he is extremely dirty and does disgusting things. One time while he was drunk and the girls were trying to help him to his room, he took mucus from his nose and rubbed it on Bita's hair. And there she concluded that he was her sworn enemy.
Oh! the moment he did that, both girls left him and he stumbled down the wooden stairs
" Is he dead?" Jasmine asked with concern
"I don't care if he's dead. My precious hair is ruined"Bita said with disgust "I so hate him, let's kick him out like his wife did" she suggested "My hair my hair my baby!" she lamented
Jasmine went over to check the fallen man "oh thank heavens! He's ok" then she raised her head toward Bita
"No am not touching that good for nothing lazy man" Bita said as she came down the stairs "Now I'll have to chop my hair off." She kicked him and walked away
Kindly Jasmine took him to his room and went to assist her sister wash off her hair with constant lamentations of course.
And there we have it, pretty sure Bita will never forget such. As she always say "it's a scar for life"
*****
Bita ran off with the shekel to go watch the play.
"Where is your sister off too?" Homa asked pouring a bag of lentils into a bowl of water
"I think to the …." Jasmine said trying to cover up
"Follow her and keep an eye on her. I don't want her watching those plays,it drives her insane" Homa said cutting her off
"Mama she's not insane, she's just making up the scenery in her head during the day" Jasmine protested trying to explain to Homa
"Just follow her, I don't want to hear a thing" Homa blurted and continued washing the lentils
Jasmine wiped her hands and followed her sister. She didn't dare stop Bita from watching the play, because these plays were what her sister loved and what clouded her mind unto the injustice her mother faced due to her father.
She watched closely to see what drew little girls into loving Haman's plays.
Haman took two dolls, male and a female and told a story of how a girl will be able to save the kingdom of Persia, he spoke of how an evil god seek to destroy Persia through an evil general. How if the girl joined forces with the evil general Persia will fall. Haman's of course ended the play but he said that the little children go decide the actual ending for themselves. Jasmine could wrap her head as to why she fell the feeling of her being connected to the story. Bita sighted her sister.
"Don't let Haman get into your head" she said " the stories are not real" she continued as she took her sister's hand to return home
"Oh! but am afraid little Bita that this one in fact is and will be real" Haman said and stared into Jasmine's confused searching eyes. "Hahaha"he laughed "choices my child are hard to make but treasure the right one and you will find success and peace" He said and left.