Seven brothers and a sister

LONG, LONG AGO there was a family with eight children, seven sons and one daughter, named Aisha. She was the youngest and most cherished child in the family. One day her father and mother drowned in the flooding river while trying to save a cow.

Afterward, her brothers took care of her and provided her with everything she needed. They rebuilt the house in case something happened to her during their absence and put locks on seven doors. Whenever they went out hunting or working on the land, they avoided any risks by firmly locking all the doors. With time she got bored and lonely, but they soon found her a beautiful cat to keep her company.

She named it Minoush. Almost immediately they took to each other and became the best of friends. To seal their friendship they swore to share everything and never betray one another. The brothers were very happy to see their sister and the cat on such good terms. Aisha no longer complained of boredom or loneliness, even when her brothers were out the whole day. They felt sure she was safe with the cat there, but they still locked all seven doors behind them whenever they went out.

One day they decided to travel far away on business. They took every possible precaution to leave their sister in a safe house. They brought her all the provisions she would need during their long absence so that she would not need to go out. Early one morning they woke up, embraced her fondly, and said farewell both to her and to her companion. Then they locked the seven doors and departed.

Days passed, and Aisha and Minoush were happy together, talking and playing. Aisha cleaned the house and prepared the meals that she shared with the cat. Everything was going perfectly well until Aisha came across a chickpea while sweeping the floor.

The cat was resting in bed. Aisha picked the chickpea off the floor and wiped it on her dress. Minoush raised her head and asked for her share, but Aisha was greedy and ate it all.

The cat was angry and went off in a huff, but, even so, she kept quiet and pretended to go to sleep. Later in the day, while Aisha was busy kneading flour to make bread, the cat slipped into the kitchen, pissed on the box of matches, then went back to sleep.

When night fell and it started getting cold, Aisha went into the kitchen to make the fire and heat the food. But, much to her disappointment, she discovered that the matches were soaking wet.

"Oh, Minoush," she said, turning to the cat, "the matches are wet. What can we do?"

The cat acted surprised. "Well," she replied, "why don't you go out and borrow some matches from a neighbor?"

Aisha had no choice. So she opened the seven doors and for the first time went outside. In the dark night she spotted a fire glowing somewhere that seemed not too far away. She kept walking for a long time until she reached a hut. As she approached the door, it opened as if of its own accord. Suddenly, her eyes fell on an old ghoul. His eyes were flashing at her like twin embers. For a chair he was using a donkey's head, and for a turban he had a donkey's intestines wrapped around his head. He kept stirring a large black pot with a donkey's leg. At the very sight of him Aisha froze to the spot in panic, and her tongue stuck to her palate.

The ghoul stared straight at her. "What do you want?" he demanded in a disgruntled tone.

When she could not reply, he repeated his question with more menace.

She started shaking all over. "I need fire, Uncle Ghoul," she managed to say after great effort.

"Oh, so that's what you've come for. Certainly you can have some."

With that he selected a few embers, laid them on a zinc plate, and handed it to her. As she came close, he scratched her soft arm with his sharp claws as though by accident. She whispered her thanks and started walking home; blood was dripping from her arm all the way.

After a while, the ghoul went out and sniffed the ground. He followed the scent of blood until he found where Aisha was living.

He knocked on the door and waited, licking his lips. Aisha was still shaking with fear when she heard the knock. She imagined her brothers had returned and took heart.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"O Aisha, dear heart," he intoned in his resounding voice,

"open the door for me."

She felt numb and did not open the door.

"Tell me," he asked her after a long pause, "how did you find me sitting?"

"O Uncle Ghoul, you were sitting on a chair of gold."

"What did you see on my head?"

"A silk turban."

"And what was I doing?"

"Stirring soup."

"With what?"

"With a silver spoon."

The ghoul was flattered. He only knocked the first door down, then went away satisfied.

Thus, every night at the same hour he came back and asked her the same questions. Aisha gave him the same answers, and he broke one door every night.

On the seventh day she found herself in real trouble; she was beside herself with worry because there was only one door left to separate her from the ghoul. When night fell, his visiting hour was drawing near. Her fear intensified with every passing minute; her heart kept beating faster and faster, its thumping like the drum of fate. She found no consolation in the cat, which simply remained silent and sat resting in a corner and watching her with shining eyes. Aisha wished her brothers had never gone away and blamed them for what was happening to her. She wrapped herself in a thick cloth and curled up in a corner, trembling with fear, hunger, and cold. Finally, she gave up all hope and yielded herself to her imminent demise. When she heard stumbling foot-steps, her heart almost stopped beating. She tried holding her breath to listen carefully, but her heartbeats deafened her ears.

What was written was written, and she could do nothing to alter her fate.

Suddenly, her ears distinguished many voices outside; to her, they sounded like her brothers' voices. Her heart began to beat with a different rhythm. Or was it just her imagination? She took off the cover and stood close to the door listening. She could clearly make out her brothers talking among themselves, expressing their shock at the discovery of the six broken doors.

They had just returned from their journey after a long absence.

They knocked cautiously on the door, not knowing what they would find. Aisha rushed to open it. Overwhelmed with joy at seeing them, she fell in their arms crying. They, too, were extremely delighted that she was still alive. When she remembered that it was almost time for the ghoul's visit, she started thinking fast. She locked the door and told her brothers what had happened. In just a matter of minutes the ghoul would be there to eat them all. She wasted no time on details. The seven brothers moved fast. They immediately dug a large hole beneath the door, covered it with hay and stood inside, waiting silently. Aisha stood glowing among her seven brothers, enjoying their protection.

At that moment the ghoul arrived and knocked at the last door. When she did not open it, he asked her as usual, "O Aisha, dear heart, what was I sitting on?"

"A donkey's head," she now replied in a defiant tone.

"What was on my head?"

"A turban made from a donkey's bowels."

"And what was I doing?"

"Stirring rotten water."

"With what?"

"With a donkey's leg."

With each answer the ghoul became more angry, and with the last one his wrath reached its climax. Taking a step back, he charged forward with all his might. The door flew open, and he fell right into the hole. Instantly, the seven brothers dumped firewood over him and set the fire. They gathered around the hole to watch him burn to ashes. Aisha stood over him, watching with pride and triumph.

As the ghoul was dying, he stuck his arm out from the middle of embers and shook his hand toward Aisha. "Remember, Aisha," he yelled, "you shall die at my hands!"

When the flames swallowed him, she simply gave a mocking laugh.

One day several years later, when the ghoul was almost completely forgotten, Aisha was sitting on the roof of the house watching her brothers at work in the nearby field. That very day Minoush had died of old age, but Aisha did not mourn her; the cat was always in a bad mood and withdrawn within herself. Aisha was greasing her hair with olive oil and combing it. As she was singing to herself, a shadow came between her and the sun. Looking up, she saw a raven. He hovered around her, then landed on the ground and started searching for food. He went on digging with his beak and claws until he reached the spot where the ghoul had burned to death and was buried. The black bird fished for a bone, then picked it up in his beak and flew over her head. Sud-denly, the bone slipped from the raven's beak and fell on her, piercing her head like an arrow. She dropped dead on the spot.