+ The elder continued, “When the pharaoh dreamed of cows that +were thin and cows that were fat, this man I’m speaking of rescued +Egypt from famine. His name was Joseph. He, too, was a stranger in +a strange land, like you, and he was probably about your age.” +He paused, and his eyes were still unfriendly. +“We always observe the Tradition. The Tradition saved Egypt +from famine in those days, and made the Egyptians the wealthiest of +peoples. The Tradition teaches men how to cross the desert, and +how their children should marry. The Tradition says that an oasis is +neutral territory, because both sides have oases, and so both are +vulnerable.” +No one said a word as the old man continued. +“But the Tradition also says that we should believe the messages +of the desert. Everything we know was taught to us by the desert.” +The old man gave a signal, and everyone stood. The meeting was +over. The hookahs were extinguished, and the guards stood at +attention. The boy made ready to leave, but the old man spoke +again: +“Tomorrow, we are going to break the agreement that says that +no one at the oasis may carry arms. Throughout the entire day we +will be on the lookout for our enemies. When the sun sets, the men +will once again surrender their arms to me. For every ten dead men +among our enemies, you will receive a piece of gold. +“But arms cannot be drawn unless they also go into battle. Arms +are as capricious as the desert, and, if they are not used, the next +time they might not function. If at least one of them hasn’t been +used by the end of the day tomorrow, one will be used on you.” +When the boy left the tent, the oasis was illuminated only by the +light of the full moon. He was twenty minutes from his tent, and +began to make his way there. +He was alarmed by what had happened. He had succeeded in +reaching through to the Soul of the World, and now the price for +having done so might be his life. It was a frightening bet. But he had +been making risky bets ever since the day he had sold his sheep to +pursue his Personal Legend. And, as the camel driver had said, to +die tomorrow was no worse than dying on any other day. Every day +was there to be lived or to mark one’s departure from this world. +Everything depended on one word: “Maktub.” +Walking along in the silence, he had no regrets. If he died +tomorrow, it would be because God was not willing to change the +future. He would at least have died after having crossed the strait, +after having worked in a crystal shop, and after having known the +silence of the desert and Fatima’s eyes. He had lived every one of his +days intensely since he had left home so long ago. If he died +tomorrow, he would already have seen more than other shepherds, +and he was proud of that. +Suddenly he heard a thundering sound, and he was thrown to +the ground by a wind such as he had never known. The area was +swirling in dust so intense that it hid the moon from view. Before +him was an enormous white horse, rearing over him with a +frightening scream. +When the blinding dust had settled a bit, the boy trembled at +what he saw. Astride the animal was a horseman dressed +completely in black, with a falcon perched on his left shoulder. He +wore a turban and his entire face, except for his eyes, was covered +with a black kerchief. He appeared to be a messenger from the +desert, but his presence was much more powerful than that of a +mere messenger. +The strange horseman drew an enormous, curved sword from a +scabbard mounted on his saddle. The steel of its blade glittered in +the light of the moon. +“Who dares to read the meaning of the flight of the hawks?” he +demanded, so loudly that his words seemed to echo through the +fifty thousand palm trees of Al-Fayoum. +“It is I who dared to do so,” said the boy. He was reminded of the +image of Santiago Matamoros, mounted on his white horse, with the +infidels beneath his hooves. This man looked exactly the same, +except that now the roles were reversed. +“It is I who dared to do so,” he repeated, and he lowered his head +to receive a blow from the sword. “Many lives will be saved, because +I was able to see through to the Soul of the World.” +The sword didn’t fall. Instead, the stranger lowered it slowly, +until the point touched the boy’s forehead. It drew a droplet of +blood. +
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