HEAT WAVE

Mustafa, a house painter, lay on a coir rope cot in the small one room unit of the slum. It wasn’t yet midday but the sun was already showing how fierce it could be: Following high temperatures of the last two days, a heat wave was predicted and soon the atmosphere would be a cauldron. His ill-health apart, the pandemic  had prevented Mustapha from going out to work as all construction work had come to a standstill. Inside the room the heat was blistering as there wasn’t even a fan. He had to leave the door shut as hot breezes would otherwise sear the eyes. He said to himself “Lucky my wife has passed on escaping the suffering due to the heat. Lucky also we had no children or they would’ve suffered. Recently I had myself slipped and fallen to the ground while painting a first floor window. What a pity I was spared only to suffer this heat! I’ve been baked!” He was frail and would go out only to bring water from a well which would be cool. He had given up even that exertion since the previous day as he was too tired. He reached for the clay pot containing a little water as he reminded himself that water was scarce. He drank a few drops just wetting his tongue. He took off his vest as it was wet with sweat. He was now bare bodied and lay on his back with his hairy sunken stomach showing. He knew that even beyond noon the sun would be a discomfort.  Wanting to forget himself he closed his eyes. What am I seeing? It isn’t a mirage. There is water which is the sea.

Beyond it is the palace. Mustafa wakes up in a bed of carved ebony inlaid on the headboard with a group of elephants in a lake. The elephants have been carved out of ivory. It was a huge bed covered with red velvet. The pillows have cases made of silk. The room is cool. He is sure it is blazing hot outside. Sitting up he sees the bell on the marble topped stool nearby and shakes it. The tinkling noise reaches outside and, in answer, a maid comes in. She is wearing a gossamer cream skirt and over it she has a bodice of the same material.

She says “Master what’s your need? You rang the bell.”

He says “First bring me a large carafe of water. Then bring me a drink made out of fruit juices and honey. And let it be as cold as possible.”

“I hear and I obey” she says as she goes out of sight. In moments she is back with the water for which he eagerly reaches out. Next she brings the drink in a silver goblet which she places on a marble topped stool beside him, and withdraws .He sips it and finding it very tasty empties the goblet in one go. He again summons her and says “Bring me one more goblet of the same juice.”

She is back with the juice and he says “Bring me some grapes.”

She comes in with a large bowl of grapes immersed in water. He tastes them and says “Excellent. I want more grapes.” That is also served. He feels sated, his thirst is quenched, and the coolness in the room makes him relax further and he stretches out on the bed.. He falls asleep once more. Later the maid calls him awake asking what food he needs. He says “No food. Only water. Cool water.” He goes back to sleep. He is awake again when his begum walks in and says “The sultan wants you. Get ready and we’ll go together.”

He looks perplexed when she says “He has an important question to be answered. Think about it. It is ’What bitter thing should be kept hidden?’ If you can answer you’ll be rewarded.”

He is ready in moments after dressing in new clothes and goes with her. The audience hall is full. He pays his obeisance to the sultan who bids him to be seated.

The sultan says “I wanted to know what bitter thing should be kept hidden. All of you have responded, but none of you have given convincing answers. Mustapha who is seated here perhaps has the wisdom to answer. Let him speak.”

Mustafa rises and says “The answer is very simple your majesty. It is poverty. It should be kept hidden as it reveals one is unable to make money or earn a living either by craft or by intellect.”

There is applause all around. The Sultan says “Very well answered. Now tell me to what post I should appoint you. Ask and it will be given.”

“Your majesty, I’m good at painting, I can mix colours or show contrast. I can paint scenes.”

The sultan says “Rise, Chief Painter. The new palace is nearing completion. You will do everything to make it a cynosure of the world.”

Mustafa goes to the new palace and surveys the required beauty facets. He  says “I will make this palace so beautiful that there will be none like it in the world.” Before setting about his task. the colour scheme is explained to the sultan who is impressed.

 The vizier is watching the developments with a burning heart as Mustafa could unseat him and become vizier himself .Try as he might, he finds no flaw in what Mustafa is doing: He has painted fountains with colours. He has painted the scene of a hunt where the sultan is seen triumphant standing over the dead quarry. The sultan is very pleased.

At home Mustafa’s begum who is very unhappy with her husband for many reasons says to him “You haven’t made a painting of the palace which the world is praising.”

He said “I’ve started doing it. The palace will be shown in all its glory.”  

Mustafa is busy at painting the palace when his begum goes to see it. The work is nearing completion. She then speaks to the vizier “If you promise to marry me and make me your principal wife, I’ll tell you how to unseat Mustafa and get rid of him.” He solemnly agrees. She gives her advice.

When the palace is about to be inaugurated the vizier says “Your majesty, you’re now seeing the painting of the palace made on the wall. There’s a serious flaw in it. The painting of the Ka’aba in front has been shown diminished whereas the palace is shown dominant. There can be nothing bigger than the Ka’aba.”

The king agrees and sentences Mustafa to be choked to death. Mustafa is promptly taken to the gallows and his neck is inserted into the contraption. As two jaws start closing on the neck----.

Mustafa opened his eyes as the old woman seated beside him poured a few drops of water between his lips and fanned him with a palm leaf fan. He asked “I have difficulty breathing. Where am I?” His eyes wander around and he says “The palace is gone. I’m back in the slum and the heat!” The woman thought Mustafa had most likely gone into a heat induced trance!  In moments, the gurgling noise which came from him told her he was dead. She beat her chest and wailed loudly “My son Mustafa is gone.”

Slumlord who now joined fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, said “He belongs to a different religion. He isn’t your son.”

Seeing some movement outside Slumlord says “Come in Abdul. You’re in time. The body is ready for your rites. Take it away before it deteriorates due to the heat. I’ve paid the Imam to cover all funeral expenses including the tombstone. I’ll accompany the body to the burial ground when you’re ready.” Two men now carried away  the body wrapped in a sheet.

The old woman said “I’ll also go to the burial place despite the heat. I only hope my knees will cooperate and that I won’t have a sun stroke.”

Slumlord said “Granny, the burial ground is very near. If it comes to that I’ll carry you there with your head covered by a cloth.”

 Left alone with the old woman Slumlord said “Granny, Mustafa was my real friend. He helped me to re-establish myself after I had come out from jail. You may not know that Mustafa survived a fall from the first floor of a building which he was painting. The contractor picked up the hospital expenses but Mustafa hasn’t been well since then. Also he had no place to stay in and I brought him here.” He added pensively “He was hardly 40 and was once handsome. Poverty and illness have had their toll.”

Wiping sweat from her wizened face with a corner of her sari the old woman said “None in this slum cared for us. Here, as his next door neighbour, I cooked for him whenever he couldn’t do it himself.  Since he had no work he lived frugally on savings. The heat wave since the last 2 days has had its toll on him. He hasn’t had food since yesterday.”

Slumlord said “I saw he was in a daze since yesterday and was incoherent in what he was saying. Weak as he was, it was a heat stroke that killed him. I knew he would die and prepared myself for it.”

The old woman said “He had no water yesterday and I got him some in a clay pot. He had then said he was sorry he had no energy to bring water. You know he would regularly bring water for both of us.”

“With none to help him except you, he put up with the heat till this day. The heat wave is said to continue tomorrow as well with temperature rising further. Lucky, Mustafa has been spared further suffering in the heat wave!”

 Slumlord who was about to leave said “Another thing. Last week Mustafa received fifty thousand rupees as accident compensation due to his fall. He has left it with me to be given to you. Besides, he has back wages coming to him. He wanted that amount also to be given to you. I will do it loyally.”

He wiped a tear saying “I’ve never shed a tear even when my parents passed away. But now Mustafa’s passing makes me weep. Mirages have appeared in this heat. I have learnt life itself is nothing but a mirage.”

END

NOTE: The sultan’s question figures in one of the stories in BOOK OF A THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT. That the ka’aba should dominate in a painting is also from a story in the same book.

*