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ibrahim al-koni
dust cloud. The advocate of
envy smirked while fashioning
snares behind his back. The
advocate of hatred was taking
advantage of his two foes’
distraction while bracing to
deliver his own blow with a
hand held out of sight.
The advocate of revenge
chuckled, then the summit
trembled, and the mountain’s
rocks shook. This wi ly
strategist told himself that his
adversaries posed no threat
to him, because they had only
been provided with a limited
knowledge of the science of
duplicity. He characterized
them out loud as playful tikes
and empty puppets the winds
tossed about. Then...
Then the cunning strategist
decided to enter the playing
field to teach these fools some
tricky moves.
He donned a slave’s tattered
rags and approached his rivals
at noon, when they were
hugging and pretending to like
each other while performing
rituals of mutual respect. He
told them he was a mamluk of
the leader and had come as a
messenger from His Majesty
to deliver an invitation to
a banquet grander than
any the desert had ever
witnessed throughout its long
history. They stared at him
suspiciously at first. Then the
advocate of anger darted at
this messenger, demanding a
sign from him. Before the wily
strategist responded to this
demand, the advocate of envy
jumped up and pointed at the
mount ’s bridle, which was
embellishedwith gold galloons
and set with rows of precious
stones. He asked, “How could
a slave have a treasure like
that bridle? When have slaves
ridden beasts adorned with
treasures? I wager, wretch, the