A long time ago, the Moon did not behave as it does today. In those far away times, she did not disappear from the night sky every four weeks. In those far away times, one did not speak of lunar months, because the Moon had no cycles. In those far away times, the Moon always illuminated the shiny, star-spangled welkin, huge jewel amongst magnificent yellow, gold and white gems. In those far away times, the night sky was sublime. Each night, the Moon enlightened the mason who was out late finishing his labor, the fish merchant who was out early arranging his display, and the lovers meeting in the middle of the night. All profited and loved her white and peaceful light that bathed the streets from sunset onwards. A witty young man named Jamhatab could bear it no more however. This splendid Moon who captivated the attention of all who contemplated her, was the only thought of the beautiful princess he secretly loved. His passion had lasted covertly for months, during which she had not even once looked at him. Her eyes were always set on the invasive heavenly body. She got up at sunset to contemplate her beloved Moon, ate under the moonlight, did not go to sleep again before the end of the night, and after that slept all day long. Every night for months, he had come to the royal gardens, hoping that one evening at last, clouds would block the Moon from her sight. But the kingdom was a hot and dry one, and it rarely rained. And the Moon came through all but the thickest of cloud covers. Short of a terrible storm, nothing could mask it completely. However his father was the richest merchant of the Kingdom, and controlled many of the Trader’s Guilds. He saw his son's distress, and wished to help him. He set out to bring magnificent shows of songs, dance and acrobatics to the gardens where the princess spent all her nights. There were dazzling sights of massive elephants, sparkling costumes and splendid sceneries of far away lands, and in all these spectacles his son performed as leading man being a quite gifted artist himself. But never did her eyes deviate from the moon, not even for one second. Finally, Jamhatab’s father could bear it no more : his son was making a fool of himself, and humiliating him in front of his competitors and friends. So he summoned him to his ornately furnished study, and declared to him : “Jamhatab, my dear son. Your love for the princess is great, and you are certainly well worth her love. But she does not love you in return, and my efforts in helping you conquer her heart have got you nowhere. You are appearing foolish, and embarrassing me. I shall disown you unless you find a way to conquer her heart. You must go on a quest to make the moon disappear, for it is only if the Moon is gone that she will look at you. Farewell my son.” Although he heard the truth in the harsh words his father was speaking, Jamhatab could not help but feel pained that his father was banning him from his side. Sad, but determined to return victorious as soon as possible, Jamhatab set out on a journey to regain his self-esteem, his father’s respect, and to earn the princess’ love. He had no idea where to go first, and so he set out early one night, in the direction from which the Moon shone, just above the horizon. He did not wish to travel much at night : the obscurity often hid highwaymen and tigers, but following the direction of the Moon certainly was a good start, he headed across the river, across the Capital, and into the unknown. After an hour or so, he reached the city’s outskirts, a couple of miles away from the river already. He realized that only desert lay in the direction he was taking, but resolved to go on : fate had decided that he should follow this course, and so he would go on, whatever the obstacles. Half muttering to himself, busied by his thoughts, he did not see the herdsman before stumbling into him, a bit violently, hard enough for them to fall on the dusty road. “Oh, I’m... I’m very sorry, my dear sir. My mind was somewhere else and I…” he stammered, “Can I do anything for you to forgive my clumsiness ?” Obviously more amused by the young man’s distress and politeness than hurt or upset, the poor herdsman pointed to the forest on the right side of the road : “Well, as ya’ see, my cows have lost themselves in the woods, scared away by the king’s coach ! I’ve been trying to gather them ‘gain, but it’s gonna take me hours in the dark. Would’ya mind givin’ a hand ? I see ya’ a traveler, and I’ve got an empty bed.” Jamhatab was in luck. He might not be able to catch the haughty princess’ attention, but he was a talented sitar player, and anyone who heard his music was irresistibly attracted to his side, men and beast alike. So he started playing a gentle tune whose notes were carried by the breeze into the woods. He sang to the music, and soon enough, all the cattle were gathered. The herder thanked him profusely : “Kind stranger, you have saved my cows from the tigers. Please come to poor Masida’s home tonight, I will give you a pleasant meal and a good bed to rest in so that I might repay you. It is late, you must be tired.” “Masida, my name is Jamhatab, and I am indeed weary. I gratefully accept your invitation. I have walked much today, and still have a long way to go.” The meal was humble, and the bed not as comfortable as those in his father’s home, but it was better than nothing, and Jamhatab knew he would have to get used to harsh bedding during his travels. As they were going to bed, Masida asked : “Jamhatab, ya’ said ya’ had far to go. Why’s that ?” “Its a very long story… The woman I love pays no attention to me, because the Moon is so beautiful in the sky. The sight of it mesmerizes her all night long, and she never takes her eyes off of it. I am unable to declare my love to her : she does not even know I exist. Hence my father has sent me on a quest to find a way to steal her gaze.” Having told his story, Jamhatab lay down on his bed, and rapidly fell asleep, wondering what the future held. “Jamhatab, m’friend, wake up. It’s early, but I know a way for ya’ to make the Moon disappear ! My cousin is more learned than me, and he says that the spirits of the winds can help ya’. It is said they have a palace far away in the desert. They can bring many clouds to hide the Moon. And I’ve got a gift for ya’. Take this sheep skin. It’ll keep ya’ warm at night in the desert, and… ya’ might find other uses for it.” Thanking his host for his generosity, Jamhatab set off, finally knowing where he should go : into the desert, hoping to find the spirits of the winds’ palace. He did not worry about food, because he knew he could call animals to him in the desert, but he took a goatskin flask of water. He finally set off, determined to find the spirits of the winds’ palace, whatever the risks. Crossing the desert to reach the secret tower where they lived, hoping he would somehow stumble upon it, Jamhatab had time to think. And he realized his father had been right to tell him to leave. Taking action was better than living with the vain hope of something that would never happen. The heat was unbearable, and Jamhatab dozed out in the shade of a small cliff, waiting for the sun to set and the dry air to cool. When he woke up, the night had fallen, and the Moon was already high, seemingly scoffing at his efforts. Turning around to gather his meager belongings, he realized with horror that he had not been imagining the hissing sound behind him. He had in front of a him a very dangerous, and very real cobra, his forked tongue stuck out into the young man’s alarmed face. His mind was racing to find a way to dispose of the threat, when suddenly, the snake’s head was no longer in front of him. Looking up, he distinguished a human shape, when something heavy and blunt hit the side of his skull, and he fell into unconsciousness. Later, he woke up, tried to bring his hands to his temples which throbbed painfully, realized that his hands and his feet were tied together and were slightly bruised by the coarse rope. Looking around, he saw he was to the side of a large, tanned-skin tent. He could hear people bustling on the outside, and suddenly the tent’s flap moved aside and three men entered. Dull cloths protected their head from the sun’s glare, its light pouring in through the parted folds of tent skin, blinding Jamhatab who realized he must have been knocked out all night long. “So, this is the intruder?” asked the first man, whose silhouette seemed slightly hunched, as if he was bent by the weight of years. “Yes, it is, Chomaravar, our chief,” said another, whose outline Jamhatab thought might be the one he had seen just before loosing consciousness. “What… what happened, why am I tied up,” Jamhatab stammered, flabbergasted and afraid. He was, indeed, quite terrified, becoming fully aware that he was in a terrible position. “Do not speak, stranger. You have walked on our lands. For this, there may be only one consequence. Death. But you may express one wish. We may, or may not, grant it. If we do grant it, you will suffer a terribly long and painful death, devoured by carnivorous ants. If we do not grant it, we shall be kinder. Our executioner will decapitate you, and your death will be swift. You have until tomorrow morning to give us your wish. Good day.” As the three desert-dwellers turned to leave, Jamhatab’s love for the princess, his father, and life helped his mind skim through his meager options. And suddenly, he knew how he would escape: “I do not need all night. I already know. I wish to be decapitated.” Instantly seeing that they were tricked, and would not be able deliver the sentence, the three men stopped. They could not decapitate him without granting his wish, and must then instead have him die painfully, eaten by insects. The one who had spoken first, and had been called Chomaravar, spoke up again : “You are clever, stranger. Who are you, and where do you come from, may I ask ?” “I come from across the water, and accompanied by it I have come to here. I am he who fascinates beasts and seeks the wind across the desert, to free the mind of my true love from a terrible obsession.” “That is hardly your usual name, and barely tells me where you come from. But… Windseeker you shall be. Welcome. You have outwitted our laws, and you shall live, that is my word, and my word is the law.” Astonished that his ruse had saved his life, Jamhatab decided to push his luck : “Chomaravar, magnanimous chief, your men saved me from a cobra's bite earlier today, and you saved mine from your protective laws a moment ago. I am in your debt, and though I have little to offer, please allow me to play the sitar, and sing for you tonight, so that I might show you my gratitude.” And Jamhatab stayed until the following day with the desert-dwellers. They taught him how to survive in the desert, gave him supplies, water and food. And he told them about the capital, the princess, the merchants and their expensive merchandise. And when the night came, he sang with them, desert songs, and songs from the city, their voices blending into one in the cooling night air. In the morning, they woke early, ahead of the sun, to start walking before the heat could build up. As he gathered his belongings, the clan elder came to him, his back even more bent than Chomaravar’s was, and spoke in a slow and slightly rasping voice : “Windseeker, in you we have found a friend. We hope that our paths may cross again one day. You are seeking the spirits of the winds. Travel for three days in the direction the sun rises, walking when the sun is low, and resting when it is high. You will reach high dunes constantly swept by the most violent sandstorms. There, you will find the spirits of the winds’ palace. Take this black cloth, put it around your head, it will protect you from the glare of the sun and from the heat.” Jamhatab set off, now knowing where to look. He walked with a light step to the east, three days and three nights long. The dark cloth and the sheep skin protected him, by day and at night, and he thought of the people he had met so far, of the dangers he had faced. At last, he reached the outskirts of the huge sandstorms. He was at once disheartened. He would never be able to penetrate these savage gusts of wind. Recoiling from a sudden particularly strong blow, Jamhatab sat down a bit further from the tempest when he thought he saw a djinn very close, in the storm. He jumped up, darted after the small creature, into the howling winds, barely managing to keep his balance. His eyes had not been fooled : in the rapidly changing shadows, he could distincly see a petite blue-skinned humanoid form running away from him. He chased it, but was gradually distanced from it. Abruptly, the creature came to a halt, knelt down, and shuffled in the sand. A moment later, just as Jamhatab reached her, she jumped into a hole that had just appeared, and around which the disturbance seemed quelled. Jamhatab jumped in right behind, gliding down over the hot sand on the sheep skin Masida had given to him. He was now in a pitch black tunnel, underneath the earth. The air before him started to glow, and he could distinguish the djinn’s skin radiating a pale blue light around what seemed to be a very long tunnel. The warm air around him passed by at an increasingly alarming speed, when the creature who had up to now been crouching low to glide faster unexpectedly sprang up, away from the slope, and into a vertical tunnel, disappearing from Jamhatab’s eyes. Before him, an abyss revealed itself, and suddenly disappeared as the eerie light that had shown him where he was going was no longer there. He clutched the edges of the skin he was still sliding on, once more no longer master of his own fate. He started plummeting down, a dreadful free fall, and felt the warm air trying to suck him in faster than he was falling. All at once, his descent was stopped, and he felt himself floating back up, the air still trying to draw him down. He felt the sheep skin turn under him, and speed back into the tunnel where he had come from, up into the shaft where the blue creature had disappeared. Jamhatab caught a glimpse of the djinn, far away, still in the tunnel, but certainly above ground : he must have found the palace, Jamhatab figured, and must be at the bottom of a very high tower. A flash of light blinded him, and he felt himself falling off the skin before another flash and a horrendous crashing noise stunned him. When he came to, he was lying in ferns, his back sore, his left arm scorched, but his right hand still clutching his fleecy sheep skin. He heard crackling noises, and felt a burning sensation in his left arm. Jumping to his feet, his muscles screaming from the sudden movement, he saw he was on a fern-covered plateau. It was narrow but quite long, certainly very high above the ground which he could not see through the clouds. A vigorous fire was already consuming the ferns at this end of the mesa. “Jamhatab, puny human, you have penetrated our fortress. You shall regret having challenged us so. Three daunting tasks you shall face. If you succeed, we shall help you in your quest. If you do not, you will not leave here alive.” The merchant’s son tried to put out the fire with his flying skin, but only managed to darken it slightly. His mind scrambled for a solution, and one more the thought of the princess cleared his mind. Feeling a steady wind push the flames towards him, he rushed to the burning ferns, unrooted one, and ran to the other end of the tableland, igniting a second fire at the other end. As the fire consumed the ferns at both ends, he was confident that whichever way the wind turned, he could run to already burnt land, and be safe from the raging flames. Even before his second brush fire really started to expand, a flash and crashing sound brought him to an extravagantly decorated room, the many colored gems set into the walls dazzling from the glow of a gigantic being in the center of the room. “You must bring me three huge diamonds a covetous desert-prince has stolen from me, and keeps in a casket with three deadly snakes.” Another flash and crashing sound, and Jamhatab was inside a gloomy tent, and could hear guards speaking outside. In front of him was a low wooden table, on which rested an elaborately engraved casket. As he tipped it, it gave out a hissing sound, reminding him of his encounter with the cobra, numbing his mind. “Ababu, I think I heard a noise in the prince’s tent. I’m checki…” Jamhatab thought of the princess, and he rapidly turned the casket over, sliding the lid just enough the let the diamonds but not the reptiles out. Just as the tent flaps parted and the diamonds fell into his hands, he felt himself whisked away, and in a flash was back in the gem-laden chamber. “Now you only have to answer one last question Jamhatab.” He no longer had the diamonds in his hand, nor his magical skin. He only had the dark cloth the desert-dwellers had given to him and his sitar. Could it get him out of this terrible situation ? “Take two dozen dates from five dozen. How many dates do you have ?” Without hesitation, Jamhatab saw the trick question : “I would have two dozen dates.” “Jamhatab, you have earned our respect. We shall grant you one wish. Choose carefully.” As the cloth on his head unfurled and grew around him like a great black veil, Jamhatab knew what he must do to clear the princess’ mind. “I wish to be able to go to the Moon whenever I wish to.” Staring thoughtfully at Jamhatab, the colossal glowing creature nodded : “Your wish has been granted. Your magical skin can take you all the way to the Moon from now on, whenever you wish.” Jamhatab, elated, jumped onto it and flew through the window to the Moon which was glowing low in the sky. Upon reaching it, he unfolded the dark cloth once more, and covered the brilliant satellite with it. Playing his sitar, he flew down to the palace, drawing the inhabitants out from their homes with his mellifluous and smooth chant, praising the princess’ beauty once more. When he flew out from where the Moon had been moments before, the princess ran to him, seeing him as its avatar come for her, and fell in love with him at last. Jamhatab, of course, could not make the Moon disappear forever. So he devised a way to have the princess for himself even whilst the Moon could keep illuminating the night sky. And that is why, since that time, the Moon disappears every twenty and eight days, and then reappears, forever repeating this cycle, as Jamhatab covers and uncovers the beautiful night sky jewel.
