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Chapter 6 - The Sixth Night

Dunyazad said to her sister:

"Pray, finish for us this story."

Scheherazade replied:

"I will do it, if the king gives me permission."

The king said:

"Say on…"

And she continued with the tale.

Continuation of the story of the fifth night

Oh great king! When the fisherman said to the efrit:

"If this has been spared for me, I would have spared you, but nothing would satisfy you to avoid my death, so now, I jailed you in this jar and I will hurl it into this sea."

Then, the efrit roared aloud and cried:

"By Allah upon you!"

"Oh fisherman!"

"Don´t do this! Forgive me, and pardon my past doings, and as I have been tyrannous, you should be generous, for it is said among sayings that: 'Who does good to the one who had done him evil, has enough for the evildoer and the evil deeds, and do not deal with me as Umamah to Atikah.' "

The fisherman asked:

"And what was their case?"

And the efrit answered:

"This is not the time for story-telling."

"I am suffering in this prison."

"But, set me free and I will tell the tale of the fisherman."

The fisherman said:

"No way!"

"It is necessary to throw you back into the sea and you should not get out of there."

"Vainly, I placed myself under your protection, and I humbled myself to you with weeping, while you were slaying me, who had done no harm to you, neither deserving this at your hands."

"You were not only going to injury me, rather this was an evil act of murder."

"I worked hard, in order to release you from that jail."

"Now, I know that you are an evildoer!"

"Considering that you told me what you did, when I will cast you back into this sea, I will warn whoever may fish there, about what had befallen me, and I will advise them to go back again."

"So, you shall abide here in these waters until the End of Times, so the Judgment Day shall make your end."

But, the efrit cried aloud:

"Set me free!"

"This is a noble occasion for demonstrating your generosity."

"I will make a covenant with you, promising never to hurt and harm others."

"I will help you if you put me out of here."

The fisherman accepted his promises with two conditions: first, not to trouble him as before, and second, serve him. After making him understand the plight and swearing a solemn oath to Allah, the Most High, he opened the vase.

Next, the pillar of smoke rose up, until all of it was fully out, then it thickened and once more became an efrit of dangerous presence, who kicked the bottle and sent it flying into the sea. The fisherman, seeing how the efrit was acting and expecting his own death, piddled in his clothes and said to himself:

"This one promised badly."

But, he fortified his heart and cried:

"Oh efrit!"

"Allah had said: 'Perform your covenant. The fulfillment of your covenant shall be demanded. You made a vow to me and had sworn an oath not to play me false, or Allah will punish you. I am a jealous God, who despise the sinner, and will not let him escape. I say to you as the Dr. Ruyan told to king Yunan - Preserve my life, and Allah will preserve yours!- ' "

The efrit burst into laughter and stalked away, saying to the fisherman:

"Follow me."

And the man paced after him at a safe distance (he was not sure of being able to escape), until they had passed round the suburbs of the city. Next, they struck into the uncultivated grounds, and crossing them descended into a broad wilderness, and in the midst of it, stood a mountain, with a huge lake.

The efrit waded into the middle and cried again:

"Follow me."

And when this was done, the fisherman took his stand in the centre, cast his net and catch many fish.

He looked into the water and was astonished to see there too much colored fishes, white, red, blue and yellow. However, when hauling the net, he only saw four fishes, one of each color. Therefore, he rejoiced greatly and even more when the efrit said to him:

"Carry these to the sultan and set them in his presence."

"Then, he will give you what shall make you a wealthy man."

"And now accept my excuse, by Allah at this time, I have none other way of benefiting you, in as much I have been in the sea more than eighteen hundred years and have not seen the face of the world save within this hour."

"But, I would not have all the fish here, only once a day."

The efrit then gave him good luck, saying:

"Allah will grant us to meet again!"

The efrit struck the earth with each foot, whereupon the ground swallowed him. While the fisherman was marveled at what had happened to him with the efrit, took the fish and went to the city, and as soon as he reached home, he filled an earthen bowl with water and there threw the fish, which began to struggle and wriggle about.

Then, he bore off the bowl upon his head and went to the king's palace (as the efrit had told him), laid the fish before his presence, and the king was wondered with what he was seeing, for never in his lifetime, he had he seen fishes like these, in quality or in conformation.

So, the king said:

"Give those fish to the stranger slave-girl who now cooks for us."

He was referring to the bond-maiden, whom the king of Rum had sent to him only three days before, so that he had not yet made trial of her talents in the kitchen. Therefore, the wazir carried the fish to the cook and bade her fry them, saying:

"O damsel, the king sent these, expressing: 'I have not treasured them. Oh tears for me! Save tears for stress-time, prepare them for us this day, so, your delicate handwork and thy savory cooking, in this dish of fish, is a gift sent to the sultan and evidently a rarity.' "

After the wazir had carefully given the instructions to her, he returned with the king, who commanded him to give the fisherman four hundred dinars. The wazir gave them accordingly, and the man took them and ran off home, stumbling, falling and rising again and deeming the whole thing to be a dream.

However, he bought for his family all they wanted, and lastly he went to his wife in huge joy and gladness. So far concerning him. But at regards of the cook maid, she took the fish, cleaned and set them in the frying-pan, basting them with oil till one side was dressed. Then, she turned them over and behold. Nonetheless, the kitchen wall split in two, and there came a young lady, fair of form, oval of face, perfect in grace, with eyelids kohl-lines enchased. Her dress was a silken head-kerchief, fringed and tasseled with a large blue ring hung from either ear, a pair of bracelets that adorned her wrists, rings with bezels of priceless gems were on her fingers, and she had in her hand a long rod of rattan cane, which she thrust into the frying-pan, saying:

"Oh fish!"

"Oh fish!"

"Will you fulfill your promise?"

When the cook maiden saw this apparition, she swooned away. The young lady repeated her words a second and a third time, and at last, the fishes raised their heads from the pan, and said, in an articulate speech:

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

And they began to recite with one voice:

"Come back and we will imitate you!"

"Keep your promise and we will keep ours!"

"If you want to quit, we will not cease until you declare yourself defeated!"

After this, the young lady upset the frying-pan and the kitchen wall closed upon her. When the cook-maiden recovered from her fainting-fit, she saw the four fishes charred black as charcoal, and crying out:

"His staff brake in his first bout!"

Again, she fell swooning to the ground, while the wazir came for the fish, and looking upon her as she laid, not knowing Sunday from Thursday, he shoved her with his foot and said:

"Bring the fish for the sultan!"

Upon recovering from her fainting, she wept and informed him of what happened and all that had befallen her. Although, the wazir was marveled and exclaimed:

"This is a right strange matter!"

He sent after the fisherman and told him:

"Oh fisherman!"

"We need four fish like those you brought before."

Therefore, the man repaired the tarn and cast his net, and when he landed it, there were four fishes, exactly like the first ones.

At once, he carried them to the wazir, who went in with these to the cook maiden and said:

"Fry these in my presence, that I may see this business!"

The lady arose and cleaned the fish, and set them in the frying-pan over the fire. However, they remained there, but, in few moments, the wall split in two and the young woman appeared, clad as before, and holding in her hand the wand, which she thrust again into the frying-pan, saying:

"Oh fish!"

"Oh fish!"

"Will you fulfill your promise?"

And the fish lifted their heads, and repeated:

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

They recited this couplet:

"Come back and we will imitate you!"

"Keep your promise and we will keep ours!"

"If you want to quit, we will not cease until you declare yourself defeated!"

And Scheherazade perceived the dawn of the new day and ceased saying what she had permitted to say.

To be continued during the seventh night…