MY KILLER

CHAPTER 18

The sound of the bell for morning prayers woke me. It was strange to hear the morning bells in my sleep. I was used to being awake two to three hours before, and by this time, I would have been done with my morning chores and began to proceed to another chore. I guess being demoted to stable servant had its perks, if it was a demotion at all.

I rose from the floor and sniffed the blanket a bid to try and calm my nerves and take my mind from the awful stench of the stables and the pain I was feeling all over my body. Then I tucked the blanket and cloth neatly to one side of the stall. I needed to find the owner of the cologne or ask Z'ev if he changed his.
Then I paused and asked myself if any of that was necessary. All I had to do was be grateful to Asad for his help and care.

I stood up after taking my tooth brush and paste from my bag. I left my stall and a few steps away, I find a tap and rush over, brush my teeth and observe my ablution. I wondered if I should say my morning prayers. The place was still deserted and people were probably praying in their rooms and so, no one would notice if I did pray or not.
Still, I didn't want to lie unnecessarily. I went back to my stall, and taking out my praying mat, I said my morning prayers, again to a god that didn't exist.
Or did he?

I went back out, this time, the stable was coming to life. The horses had began to wake, people had started leaving the building and heading towards the stables. I was waiting outside, maybe for someone to direct me to a bathroom. I really needed a bath, it had been a while since I last had a bath and in a weather such as this, it was unacceptable. A bath was needed, at least thrice a day and yet, here I was, going two days without one.
I really, really needed one.
And so, I waited.

The place got busier. More people were moving around, carrying things here and there. I wondered if this was typical of the stable servants. Where they always this busy?
And I saw sire Ali.

"Excuse me, excuse me sire," I called after him and he turned to look at me. It took a while before he recognized me.

"Ah, Sahiba Oman," he called my surname again.

"Yes sire." I said and in the usual greeting position, I continue "Greetings in the name of Allah."

"Ah Yes. Any problem?"

"Yes, actually, I haven't been told my job."

"Oh yes, I had forgotten about that. Farah," he turned calling an Arabian girl carrying a long wood near us.

"Yes sire," she said as she drew closer to us in difficulty trying in so many ways to adjust the wood in different ways.

"Farah, this is Sahiba. From today henceforth, she is your responsibility. Teach her the ways of the stables and train her well."

"Yes sire." She replied.

"I hope everything's settled now."

"Yes sire. Allah's blessings," I said. He shook his head slightly in agreement before entering the stables.

She dropped the wood on the floor and turned to look at me. I silently hoped that this was not another enemy.
But she smiled with arms stretched out towards me.
"Hello, I'm Farah. Nice to meet you."

I stretched out my hands suspiciously as I stared at her and taking her hands in mine, We shook hands. I uttered not a word.

"So, you're the one that was assigned to sleep in the stall beside Lord Asad's horse," she said as she released her hands from mine.

"Lord Asad's horse?"

"Yes. The two stalls on either side of his horse has been empty for a while. Sidqi hates people sleeping beside him. It's amazing how he was quiet with you beside him." I smiled.
They were both so alike, Asad and his horse.