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ibrahim al-koni
area, and the mysterious
being returned from his exile
to govern the oasis. Then
the creatures restrained
their tongues so they could
eavesdrop on this creature’s
whispers in a pantomime
of lost time. The detestable
guffaws, the lethal laughter,
and the suppressed cackling
that people of the oasis had
often heard when they passed
the scarecrow in the fields
and that they glossed as the
voice of the Unknown—this
mysterious, mischievous
rattle—immediately burst
from the chest of the twilight
specter. Then the stillness
was at once shaken, and the
place became chaotic. The
mysterious being, whom
people had known but never
seen, fled and settled in the
farthest cornerof the austere
tract spread beneath the
moon.
3
In the oasis, griots and gossips
have related the story of the
scarecrow. They said that an
alien migrant sorcerer, when
he came from the Unknown
and settled in the oasis,
disguised himself in rough
haircloth—as members of
this coterie always like to do.
Then he claimed he was a
metalsmith whose specialties
were using metal tools to
carve poles, saw planks,
and turn trees into saddles.
Not long af ter the new
immigrant rented a workshop
in the metalsmiths’ market,
residents became convinced
that the man’s boast was not
only accurate but that he was
even being modest, because
his saddles differed from any
they knew in markets in the
oases or had purchased from
blacksmith shops. His were
unique for their captivating