Thousand & One Nights: 37th Night: A Porter & 3 Ladies: The Tale of First Dervish

The mistress of the house wanted each of the seven men to tell their tales, how they happened to come to this house. Those who tell their tale would get a stroke on their head before they leave, and those who refuse would stand to loose their heads. 

The first person who came forward to tell his story was the porter. He said, "Mistress, you know why I came to this house. I was standing in the market with my basket expecting my daily bread. The shopper came to me and said to follow her. I followed her. First to the wine merchant, then the butcher, then the green grocer, then the fruit vendor, and then to the dry grocer, and then the confectioner, and then to the druggist, and finally to this house. This is my tale."

The girl replied, "Stroke your head and go."
The porter replied, "I will not go until I hear tales of others."

The first Dervish came forward and said, "My Lady, the cause of my eye being torn out and my beard being shaved off was as follows: 

My father was a king, and he had a brother who was also a king who had a son and a daughter. As years went by and we grew up, I used to visit my uncle every now and then, staying with him for a month or two and returning to my father. Between my uncle's son and myself there grew a firm friendship and great affection. One day I visited my cousin, and he treated me with unusual kindness. He slaughtered for me many sheep, offered me clear wine, and sat with me to drink. When the wine got better of us, my cousin said, "Cousin, I would like to acquaint you with something that I have been preparing a whole year for, provided that you do not try to hinder me."

"With great pleasure," I replied. Then he made me take an oath, he got up and quickly disappeared, but a while later came back with a woman wearing a cloak, a kerchief and a headdress, and smelling of a perfume so sweet as to make us even more intoxicated. Then he said, "Cousin, take this lady and go before me to a sepulchre in such and such graveyard," describing it so that I knew the place. Then he added, "Enter with her to the Sepulchre, and wait for me there. "Unable to question or protest because of the oath I had taken, I took the lady and walked with her until we entered the grave yard and seated ourselves in the Sepulchre. Soon my cousin arrived, carrying a bowl of water, a bag of mortar, and an iron adze. He went straight to a tomb. He raised the plate, and there appeared below it, a vaulting, winding staircase. Then turning to the lady, he said with a sign, "Make your choice," and she went down to the staircase, and disappeared. Then he turned to me and said, "There is one last favour to ask." 
I asked, "What's it?"
He said, "After I descend into this place, put the iron plate and the earth back over us."

The Break of Dawn

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