Thousand & One Nights:159th Night: The Barber Tells His Story - 8

Now, the story of Faqfaq, my third brother who was blind by birth. One day God led him to a great house, and he knocked at the door, and expected that the owner of the house would open the door and he could beg from him. But the owner asked, "Who is at the door?"

My brother did not answer. But he knocked again

"Who is there?" The man asked again. No answer.

"Who is there?" A louder voice. No answer. The man came and opened the door.  "What do you want?" the man frowned upon my brother.

"Something for the love of Almighty God."  My brother said.

"Are you blind?" he asked. My brother replied, "Yes."  The man said, "Give me your hand." My brother put out his hand, thinking that something would be given. But the man seized it and, drawing him into the house, carried him up, from stair to stair, and reached the housetop, my brother thinking all the while that the man would give him some food.

Then they sat down, and the man asked him, "What do you want blind man?" My brother replied, "Something for the love of the Almighty God." The man said, "God help you." My brother asked, "Fellow, why didn't you tell me this downstairs?"  The man replied, "You mean man, why didn't you answer me from the beginning?" My brother replied, "What do you want to do with me?"  The man said, "I have nothing to give you."  My brother said, "Then take me downstairs."  But the man replied, "The way is open before you." My brother stood and began to descend the stairs.  There remained only twenty steps between him and the door, when his foot slipped, and he rolled all the way down to the door and cut his head.  He went out, not knowing where he was, and met two of his comrades, who asked him, "How did you do today?"  He replied, "Don't ask!"  

Then he told them what happened to him: "Brothers, I would like to take some of our joint money and spend some of it on myself."  

It happened that the owner of the house had, without the knowledge of my brother, followed him and heard what he said, and my brother went to his house and sat down, waiting his friends.  The owner of the house, without my brother's knowledge entered his house.  When my brother's friends came, he said to them to shut the door and make sure that there was no intruder in the house.  The intruder heard what my brother said. He rose and clung to a rope that hung from the ceiling. My brother's comrades could not find him.  Each of them dug up what he had and placed it before my brother, who counted thousand dirhams, and after he took what he needed, they buried the rest in a corner of the room.

Then they set some food, and when they began to eat, my brother heard a stranger chewing beside him.  He said to his comrades, "By God, there is a stranger among us," and stretching his hand grabbed  the hand of the intruder. While my brother caught hold of him, his comrades fell on the intruder, boxing  and beating him.  After they gave him enough beating, they cried out, "O Muslims, a thief has entered our house to steal our property!"  A large crowd gathered.  

The intruder caught hold of my brother and his comrades, and shutting his eyes, pretended to be blind, so that none would doubt him, accused them of  what they had accused him, saying, "I appeal to the God and the King to judge between us."  

Suddenly the watchman came and seized them, and dragged them all, to the chief of the police, who asked, "What is the matter with you people?"  The intruder, who was not blind, replied, "God bless the King.  Even though you can see, you will not find out anything, except, by torture.  Begin by beating me; then beat this man, who is our chief," pointing to my brother. They threw the man down, O Commander of the Faithful, and gave him four hundred blows.  When he egan to smart under the blows....

Night overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence