A bit long but it’s a real nice and oddly familiar story:
It is said, though Allah alone knows the truth, that in a time not so long ago, there ruled great kings, both beneath the scorching sun of the east, and, well, the vacillation of the west. Both sides were great, but in very different ways… You see, the kings of the west were affluent, their lands were fertile and they waxed rich: rich enough to lace the wealth which they leeched - as all rulers do - from their populace with not just silver tongues, but gold ones. Yet, whilst the kings of the east were also rich, it was with coarser tongues and sharper swords. However, many of the eastern kings had, like the western kings, adapted so their tongues became smoother but their swords remained sharp for those unwilling to do their duty to their king. And amongst those eastern kings was one whose plunder was not bedecked with the legal finery of his counterparts but whose sword was hard at work, and whose gold was stained with the blood of his subjects. His cruelty was renowned and his subjects quaked with terror at the very name of their Seriph.
Now many of the kings, both of the east and west, possessed demons, tightly imprisoned in metal cells. These demons were powerful, and had the ability to afflict humans in the worst ways imaginable. There were demons that would kill most, and by destroying any crops would starve the surviving and would then afflict those pitiful few left with sickness and disfigured children. There were fire demons who would sear flesh to a crisp, and demons that controlled wind and earth, rippling the ground like a silken flag, whose strength with the winds tore the muscles off your very bones. There were demons who brought disease, who stopped the heart mid-beat, and those who killed people but left buildings standing. These demons were both feared and preserved by many kings, who never truly intended to use them but who kept them as a deterrent to any power who might consider invading their kingdom. Yet many rulers feared lest the rogue king turn his demons loose.
Two kings of the west who feared this most powerfully and who had the strength, so they believed, to destroy the Seriph’s rule, were a Sultan and a Rajah. They believed that the Seriph had been secretly conjuring demons following a war waged against him by their forefathers. They called upon the kings of the world to send djinnis into the Seriph’s kingdom to search for these demons, and this they willingly did, but they found nothing. And the Rajah and the Sultan grew impatient, for they were eager to test the strength of their swords and to show themselves wiser than their ancestors in that they would press their advantage and not allow the Seriph to remain in power.
They summoned their armies and swarmed in for the honour that would be attributed to the one who found and killed the Seriph. Yet the Seriph unleashed no demons, nor did his armies struggle long in his defence. As the Seriph witnessed his armies melt away and desert him, his courage failed, and he fled. The citizens of Baghdad opened the gates to the city and hailed the approaching army as benevolent spirits, sent to release them from the chains of terror that had bound them for generations.
However, the mob’s euphoria at their release was only too quickly followed by their greed. Eventually, the armies re-established control and tried to restrict the lawlessness that held Baghdad in its grip. However, the kings of the west were having problems, not only abroad, but at home. The viziers of Rajah had risen up against him and, fearing that his victory should make him over-mighty and encourage him to invade other kingdoms, demanded proof of the demons that the king had sworn there were, and which were a threat to his kingdom. The viziers were angry lest they had been deceived by their king and the argument between the two parties continues to rage fiercely, even unto this day.
And that brings you, friends, to the current wave, which carries us towards the beach of the future. What will happen to the kings and peoples? Only time will tell. So until we meet again friends, goodnight and may Allah go with you.
This story was performed after a recent staging of The Arabian Nights at the Bristol Old Vic.
Inspired by the ancient stories of The Arabian Nights, 17-year-old Emily Green presents a tale of kings and monsters for our times
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