And so Scheherazade begins her tales to save her life and other young maidens. This merchant's tale is a fascinating one. How can pits of dates kill the child of an efreet? π I expected at some point in the story that the Efreet would admit that he made it up but it seems to be true.
This merchant displays honesty and faithfulness. If I was the merchant, I would run far away and never return as promised because it's an issue of death. Since the Efreet gave the merchant the opportunity to put his affairs in order before dying, I guess it's understandable why he returned as promised.
Scheherazade lectures the king on the subject of solidarity and empathy with the tale of three sheikhs who stood by the merchant. I admire that they intervened by trying to convince the Efreet to change his mind with their personal stories. The first sheikh's story is touching. He unknowingly killed the mother of his son whom he believed to be a cow. And the calf! Oh my, I worried at that point and was relieved the sheikh did not kill it.
I'm hoping we see a good ending to the first sheikh's story and hope his wicked wife gets her punishment. This chapter is captivating. It's like stories within stories. Scheherazade used the power of storytelling to convey lessons and values. Hopefully the king takes note of them. Thank you for sharing these stories. ππ