Amanda in Arabia: The Perfume Flask (2 page)

As they drove through town, Amanda was captivated with the Arabic signs on the shops and the people dressed in their traditional robes. She had so many questions to ask and so much to learn about this place. They parked the car and strolled down the street. Her aunt explained that they called the shopping markets,
souqs.
They walked past many fabric shops with rows of silks and cottons in every colour and design imaginable and shop windows dripping with gold jewelry. ‘Wow! Lots of bling,' thought Amanda. She noticed a sweet, spicy scent in the air.

Many people smiled and said, “Hello.” Some stopped and shook her hand and asked her where she was from. They were all so eager to welcome her to their country. Amanda couldn't imagine anyone mean or nasty living there.

They went into a small shop, called
Aladdin's Treasures
, which was so full of stuff you could hardly turn around without bumping into something. Richly patterned prayer rugs in colours of red, green, wine and brown looked like magic carpets. They covered the walls and hung from the ceiling creating a kaleidoscope of colour. Gold ceremonial daggers, called
khanjars,
were secured inside a glass cabinet
.
Rows and rows of wooden, carved camels of all shapes and sizes shared the shelves with shiny, brass Aladdin's lamps. Amanda was enchanted with all the intriguing items, old and new, from many different places.

Just as they were leaving, the merchant behind the counter said, “I have something special for you, Miss.” Amanda glanced behind her to see if he were talking to her or someone else. As her aunt and Leah stepped out into the sunshine, the merchant looked directly at her and added, “I have been saving it for you.”

Something especially for her? With a nervous smile Amanda asked, “What is it?”

The old man pulled out a flat, round, ornate flask, about three inches tall and two inches wide, made of dull, grey pewter. Tiny, turquoise and red stones trimmed the top. A larger red stone sat on the top.

“It is for perfume,” explained the merchant. He lifted the red, stone–topped lid and pulled out a long, thin wand. He took Amanda's hand and showed her how to apply the perfume from the wand on the inside of her wrist. Two pewter chains attached the top to the flask so the wand would never be lost.

Amanda picked up the wand and placed it back in the flask.

“What a beautiful thing,” she exclaimed. “It looks very old.”

“Oh, it is very old, Miss. It belonged to a princess who took it with her always. Very far. Riding on a camel in the desert. It was her most prized possession.” The old gentleman spoke with great sincerity. “She would want you to have it.”

He paused and studied Amanda shaking his head from side to side. “It is worth fifty
dirhams,
but for you, I give it for only twenty
dirhams.
” He spoke like the East Indian janitor at her school.

Amanda decided in an instant that she had to have it. She had some silver coins, with a picture of an Aladdin style coffee pot on them, called
dirhams
in her pocket and counted out twenty of them. The bright sun hurt her eyes after being in the crowded, dark shop but she quickly located her aunt and Leah sitting on a bench waiting for her.

“Did you find something to buy?” her aunt asked.

“Yes, I did. It is very special. I might give it to my friend, or I might keep it for myself.” She showed them the little flask and told them the story about the princess.

Her aunt explained, “That might not be true. He may have told you that just to get you to buy it.”

Amanda looked at Leah who didn't say anything. Amanda was sure the story was true, but why did the man say he was saving it for her? She was starting to get an uneasy feeling.

Later that afternoon, Amanda began to feel hot and sticky and was quite happy when they arrived at the beach where she could change into her bathing suit. The beach was perfect. It was so clean and the fine, cream–coloured sand felt pleasant on her bare feet. They practically had the beach to themselves. The water of the Persian Gulf was the most stunning shade of aquamarine blue she had ever seen. She felt like she was stepping into a postcard as she dipped her toes in the water. It was lovely and warm, so she jumped right in. Leah was right behind her. They splashed each other and giggled. Aunt Ella took pictures from the shore. “We will have to email some back home to your Mom and Dad,” she called out.

When they got tired of swimming Leah and Amanda walked on the beach and collected shells. “Did the man in the shop really say that the perfume carafe used to belong to a princess?” asked Leah.

“Yes, that's what he said and I believe him,” replied Amanda.

“Well, I once heard about a
Bedouin
princess who was stolen from her family by another tribe. She escaped and traveled many miles across the desert and through the mountains to return home.” Leah picked up a white shell that glowed iridescent in the sun. It looked perfect until she turned it over and saw that a small, round hole was bored into the underside. She gave a grunt of annoyance as she tossed it back down.

“Did she get home OK?” Amanda stopped in her tracks and stared at her new friend.

“I'm not sure. I never really heard the end of the story, besides it was along time ago.” Leah found another of the white shells and this time it was unblemished. She added it to the small sack she carried around her neck before adding, “Those things don't happen anymore.”

“Uncle Ben, when can I ride a camel?” asked Amanda a couple of days later.

“How about right now? I have the day off. I could take you to a camel ranch and see if they will let you ride,” Uncle Ben put down the paper he had been reading and went into the hall to fetch his keys and hat. “Let's go.”

“Really? Right now? That's super!” Amanda jumped off her chair and ran towards the door. Her aunt caught her just in time to put a hat on her head and shove a bottle of water in her hand.

Amanda was so excited she could hardly sit still as they drove along the narrow dusty road that led to the camel ranch. “Do they raise the camels on the ranch and sell them to the local people to ride?”

“Oh no,” replied her uncle as he slowed down for a deep pothole. “No one uses camels for transportation anymore. Everyone owns a vehicle now to get around and they transport things by truck or jeep. They no longer need camels to get to where they're going.”

“So what are they used for then?”

“Well, they are now used mostly for racing. Camel racing is very popular in the Emirates. They are also used for the tourist industry. Lots of people, like you, want to ride a camel at least once in their lifetime.” Uncle Ben waved at a driver coming from the opposite direction. Amanda wasn't sure if her uncle knew a lot of people or if they were just all so friendly they waved at everyone. “Camels have an easy life now, most just wander around and nibble on the trees.”

“Is that all they do? Then why have a camel ranch?”

“They do raise them for food as well.”

“Yuck, you mean they eat them?” She was horrified.

“In Canada cows are raised for food. How is that any different?”

“Yeah, I guess,” she mumbled. Somehow it didn't seem quite the same to a city girl like Amanda. “Oh – oh – I think I see some now!” A long line of camels, following each other nose–to–tail, were seen in the distance.

“That's called a camel train,” replied her uncle as he brought his vehicle to a stop in a cloud of dust. “And here we are at the ranch.”

Amanda waited in the Cherokee as her uncle spoke to a couple of men wearing bright red and white checkered headdresses. They looked over at the truck and smiled at her, nodding their heads and gesturing with their hands. Uncle Ben came over to the jeep and told her she was in luck, they had a camel she could ride.

The two men led them over to a pen where three camels lounged about. They caught a sandy–coloured one by the reins and led him out to the open yard. Up close, the camel was much bigger than she had ever imagined. He was odd looking, with his long legs, skinny body, big head and large, hairy hump. His head looked too big for his neck and his mouth was massive. Amanda thought he looked like a creature out of Star Wars.

“This is a good camel for you to ride, Miss,” said one of the men. “His name is Ali Baba. He is a good camel, but you must be careful, as he is strong and could hurt you.”

“Yes,” warned Uncle Ben, “you must always be careful around camels. One kick could knock you out or even kill you. Their teeth are sharp enough to bite off your arm. Do you want to just have a look or do you want to ride?”

Amanda wasn't sure, but said, “I really would like a ride if it's OK.”

The camel tender started to work with the camel to get it to sit down. He tugged downwards on the halter and made a sound in his throat that sounded like, “khhhhh”.

Ali Baba didn't seem to want to sit down, but after the man gave a few sharp tugs on the halter and tapped the sand near his feet, the camel dropped to his front knees and then slowly lowered his back end. He then moved his front feet forward, easing his weight on to the large hairy pad on his chest. The process of sitting down looked awkward and Amanda wondered if it was uncomfortable for him.

The saddle looked like many multi–coloured blankets arranged around the hump. One of the men held Ali Baba tightly by the reins, pulling on his head so it faced away from the side Amanda was about to mount. The other man helped Amanda climb on behind the hump.

The instant Uncle Ben shouted, “Hang on to the hair on his hump.” Ali Baba gave a mournful cry and stood up. Amanda felt herself lurch to one side. She quickly grabbed a handful of coarse stringy hair and held on for dear life. She looked down and her breath stopped. She was a long way up. She felt scared and excited all at the same time. The camel tender began leading her around the yard. Ali Baba swayed in a slow, gentle gait and Amanda felt like she was on a boat, rocked by the waves. She soon forgot about being frightened and loosened her grip.

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, “You are a good camel, Ali Baba. You and I are going to be friends.” The big, old camel nodded his head slightly, blinked his eyes and leisurely chewed his cud as if he had a secret he wasn't willing to share.

Leah was waiting for Amanda when she got back to the apartment. “How did you like the camel ride?”

“It was the most awesome experience of my life,” replied Amanda. “I will never forget it, never!”

Leah followed Amanda down the long, L–shaped hallway. At the end of the hallway was the huge guest room, as large as the living room back home. Amanda felt like a princess every time she stepped into it.

“Weren't you frightened?” asked Leah.

“Yes, at first, but I had a nice camel to ride,” she said as she thought of the gentle, swaying creature she had quickly come to trust. “His name was Ali Baba.”

“Ali Baba! You've got to be joking. That sounds like a fairy tale name.” Leah rolled her eyes as she sat down on the wide bed and flipped open an American fashion magazine Amanda had brought along.

“Maybe we are in a fairy tale and don't know it,” joked Amanda as she lay down on the bed beside Leah. Deep in her heart she thought it might be true.

***

After lunch Leah rang the doorbell. When Amanda opened the door she breezed in as if they had known each other for years instead of a few days. “Hey! Would you like to explore a deserted village this afternoon? My mom can drop us off when she goes grocery shopping.”

Amanda couldn't believe all the interesting things there were to do. In her head she calculated how many days she had left. She had thought maybe a month would be too long and that she'd get bored. Now she was beginning to think a month wasn't going to be long enough and she was way too busy to even think about missing her mom and dad.

“Can I go, Aunt Ella?”

“Of course. Go and have fun,” said her aunt as she tossed a load of laundry into the washer. “Take a hat and some water. It will be hot.”

***

Leah's mother seemed to know a lot about the area and pointed out interesting locations and buildings as they drove along. They drove past a beautiful, large, white house surrounded by a high wall. She explained that it was the winter palace of the local
Sheik
and his family.

“Have you ever been inside?” asked Amanda.

“Yes, I have a couple of times. I used to tutor the Sheik's grandson to improve his English. When he was staying at the palace, I would tutor him there. It is very ornate and beautiful inside.”

They passed some camels in a field, nibbling on the lower leaves of a tree. Amanda waved at them and said, “Hi you guys.”

“You really have a thing for camels, don't you,” commented Leah crinkling her nose.

“Yeah, I really like them.”

“But they are so ugly and smelly and sometimes mean,” said Leah.

“I guess so. But they are so ugly, they are cute,” laughed Amanda. “And Ali Baba isn't smelly or mean at all.”

Leah sighed. Amanda wondered what her new friend thought of her. She really hoped Leah liked her and didn't think she was a weirdo.

“What place is this?” asked Amanda as they turned into a village with streets thick with sand. There didn't seem to be any people around, just a few scraggy goats that scurried past the jeep into some bushes.

“This is Jamal, a deserted village.” Leah's mother stopped her car in front of a weathered mud–brick wall.

“Where are the people who used to live here?” Amanda stared around her.

“They have moved to another village a few miles away.”

“Why?”

“The local people are
Bedouins.
For centuries, they were nomads living on the desert and in the mountains. They would move from place to place looking for food and water. They are used to looking for better places.” Leah's mother checked to make sure they had their hats and water bottles as they left the air conditioned car and went into the hot afternoon sun. “Even now, an entire village will sometimes pick up and move to a new and better location.”

Amanda found it hard to believe but there in front of her was a row of empty mud–brick houses in perfect condition and streets of sand with no people on them. At least – none that she could see.