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DREAMS THAT COME TRUE
Abdul was a very poor man who lived in Baghdad.
He never seemed to find work for himself and so, could
never earn enough to feed and clothe his family. He was
always in dire need of money. His wife and their brood
of children often went to bed, hungry. Poor Abdul! He
paid heavily for this, because his wife never let him forget
that he had failed in his duty towards his family.
“You are spineless!” she would fume. “You don’t
even care. Your heart doesn’t beat for us. God will never
forgive you.” And so on and so forth. Till poor Abdul,
already hungry, sallow, and depressed by the sorry
condition of his family, felt as miserable as a worm that
was being danced on by a rogue elephant.
As though suffering the tortures of hunger and his
wife were not bad enough, every night poor Abdul went
through yet another torture. A strange frightening dream!
Every single night it came to him. This very same dream.
He saw himself walking all alone in a wide desert that
seemed to lead nowhere. And every time he tried to stop
for a breath or to snatch a moment of rest, a relentless
loud voice would snap: “Move on, on to Kahira! Your
fortune lies there.” The walk was taxing, the voice harsh.
Poor Abdul would wake up, shivering.
He often wondered whether he should do as the
strange voice said and go to Kahira. But when he tried to
discuss this with his wife, she only screamed at him more
than ever. “Going to Kahira, are you?” she would shriek.
“I’ll Kahira you! You want to escape from our troubles
and run away where we cannot catch you!”
Not a very understanding woman, as you can see.
Sometimes, Abdul would spend the morning
sitting by an old well in the outskirts of Baghdad.
Caravans heading for Baghdad would stop by for water
here. Sometimes Abdul would offer to do odd jobs for
the merchants who came with the caravans, in return for
a few dinars.
One such day, as he sat by the well, mulling over
that terrible dream, a long caravan reached the
place. Abdul got up and busied himself, pulling water for
the men, and feeding the camels. As he pulled out a trough
of water, he overheard two men talk.
“In just two days, we should reach Kahira,” said
one.
“I should hope so,” said the other. “I’m so weary
after this long journey!”
Kahira! The city of his dreams! Abdul pricked his
ears. Maybe he should go along, too. When he requested
them to take him along, they readily agreed. So Abdul
wrapped his turban around his face in such a way that his
wife would not recognise him, if she were to see him with
the caravan.
The caravan winded its weary way over the
blistering sands that led from Baghdad to Kahira.
As they entered the gates of Kahira, the
caravan disbanded and each
merchant went his way. Abdul
stood, watching his friends
vanish into the jostling crowds.
He was tired, travel worn,
hungry and ragged! He sat down
with a groan under a date palm
and soon dropped off to sleep.
Dusk was gathering when
he was shaken awake. Rough
hands were hauling him to his
feet, as he opened his eyes
and looked around. “Here,
a new beggar. Where are
you from?” someone
asked. Abdul tried to
explain that he was not a
beggar, but the men did not
listen. They dragged him,
crying and protesting, and
dumped him in prison.
That night, for the first time in many years, Abdul did
not get his strange dream. The next morning, Abdul was
produced before the judge.
“One more beggar! A new one, too!” frowned the
judge. “Don’t you know that it is a crime to beg in
Kahira?”
“I’m no beggar,” mumbled Abdul, sobbing. “I’ve
come all the way from Baghdad seeking my fortune.”
“Many fortune seekers come here,” replied the judge,
softening a wee bit. “But most of them become penniless
and give up their ghosts. But surely you could have sought
your fortune in Baghdad! Why come to Kahira?”
Distraught, tired, hungry, and disappointed though
he was, Abdul opened his heart out to the judge. He told
him about the strange dream that came to him every night.
The dream that brought him to Kahira.
When the judge heard the story, he burst into a loud
guffaw. “You came here because of a dream?” he cried.
“What a fool you are! Why, the journey to Kahira from
Baghdad is so difficult and full of danger that
you might have even lost your life! Forget
your dream, go back to Baghdad and
look out for work that will earn you
enough to keep body and soul
together!”
The judge pulled out some
dinars from his silken purse and
tossed them to Abdul. “My
friend, never make mistakes like
this again! Never believe in
dreams. They never come
true! Do you know I too get
one such dream....every
night? But I’m no fool. If I
believed it, I would have left
my grand job here and
gone to Baghdad!”
Abdul stared at the
judge. What? This man,
too, had a dream about
fortunes. “What do you
see in your dreams, sir?”
he asked, eagerly.
“Just like you, a strange voice comes to me every
night and says, ‘Go to the old dilapidated mansion in the
eastern end of Baghdad. There, near the old well in its
yard, you will find a loose boulder. Push it aside and dig!
Dig hard and you will find your treasure!’
Abdul gasped. He blabbered his thanks and in great
excitement started back for Baghdad. This time there was
no caravan to take him. But he did not care. The hot
blazing sun could not deter him. The stone cold night
spent shivering in the desert could not dismay him. The
pleasant, breezy oases he came to could not tempt him
to stay.
At last he reached Baghdad. He made his way to
the eastern end of the great city. There, just as the judge
had said, was an old mansion in ruins. He entered its
untidy yard and found the old well. After a little searching,
he found the loose boulder, too. He pushed it aside,was a large goatskin bag. The bag was bulging and heavy.
Shivering with excitement and anticipation, he opened it
– and wonder of wonders! Out rolled rubies, diamonds,
other precious stones, gold and silver jewels...! His
fortune!
Abdul bundled the bag under his arm and made his
way home. His wife opened the door and stared at him.
Her eyebrows knitted themselves in anger and her lips
curled in contempt.
“What? Back home? Where did you run away?
Found your fortune at Kahira?” she demanded nastily.
“Yes,” replied Abdul, his eyes shining like stars. For
once, he was not hurt by her harsh words. He opened
the goatskin bag. The sparkling stones and jewels winked
at her.
She reeled in shock. Not a word escaped her lips –
she did not know what to say. It is said of her that she
remained dumbstruck for the rest of her life. And Abdul
lived happily, prosperous and peaceful ever after!
picked up an old stick that lay nearby and began digging.
Very soon, he hit something hard. He pulled it up. It
