On a bench in the garden sat an old woman with white hair, a soft face, and smiling eyes. She leaned on a thin, long staff, and at its end was a golden ball. Suddenly, Amīr, a student in first grade, came running.
Great Anger and Agitation:
Amīr sat on the bench like a bull and said to her: “Move away! There’s no place for you!” The old woman moved aside and saw on his red face the marks of anger. She saw his eyes flashing and tearing. The woman asked him: “What happened to you? Are you angry?” Amīr answered vehemently: “What business is it of yours?” The old woman was not affected by Amīr’s words. She said to him calmly: “I bet you got into an argument a few minutes ago, got angry, cried, and shouted at whom?”
You Have No Right to Be Angry:
He said to her: “I was beaten by Ṣafī’s daughter Raym! And how could I not be angry! I wanted to hit her because she wouldn’t agree to give me her coloring pen.” The old woman said to him: “In truth, you shouldn’t get angry for this reason.” Amīr answered her: “I didn’t only get angry at Raym. My brother Salīm also wouldn’t let me play with him on the computer, shouted in my face, and pushed me out of the room. I will run away, I will run away and that’s it.”
Attempts to Escape:
“Run away from the house? Run away because of a little push?” He said to her: “Not only because of my brother, but also because of my mother. She expelled me from the kitchen because I ate a small piece of cake from the bread tray.” The old woman said to him: “And did you come here after these arguments?” He said to her: “No,” and added: “On my way I entered a nearby shop and wanted to buy sweets, but Sāmir, the shop owner, expelled me and said to me: ‘Go home and learn good manners.’”
The old woman asked: “And why did he say this to you?” Amīr kicked the ground with his foot and said: “Why do you ask all these questions? Is it any of your business? Can you help me?” The old woman looked into Amīr’s eyes and said: “Yes, I can help you. Look, I have a magic staff and a magic word.” Amīr was astonished and said to her: “What?!!”
The Magic Staff:
The old woman bent over Amīr’s ear and said one word. Amīr answered sarcastically: “Is this the magic word?” She said to him: “Yes, this is the magic word, but you must pronounce it in a certain way, otherwise the magic will not take effect. You must look directly into the eyes and say the magic word in a gentle, clear voice.” He said to her: “A simple word like this can help me?!” The old woman said: “Yes, but remember exactly how you say it.”
The Magic Word:
Amīr jumped from his seat and ran to the house. He went directly to the kitchen, where his mother was still standing preparing the cake. He looked into her eyes and said in a gentle, clear voice: “Please, Mother, allow me to taste a piece of cake.” A smile lit up his mother’s face. She chose for him the most beautiful and largest piece of cake and presented it to Amīr, saying to him: “With all happiness and health, my dear son.” Amīr jumped high and said: “Wonderful!! The magic word, its effect works!”
The Magic Word and Salīm:
Then Amīr ran to his brother Salīm’s room, approached him, placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, looked into his brother’s eyes, and said in a soft, gentle, clear voice: “Please, Salīm, allow me to play with you on the computer.” Salīm moved aside a little from his chair to let Amīr sit beside him on the chair and said to Amīr: “Come sit beside me, I will teach you a new game.” Amīr smiled and said to himself: “This old woman is a kind magical jinniyah. Her magic words have proven themselves once again!”
The Magic Word and Raym:
Then the next day Amīr went to school, approached Raym, looked into her eyes, and said to her in a gentle, clear voice: “Please, Raym, may I use your colored pen?” Raym smiled and said to him: “Of course, yes. Here you are.” Amīr repeated to himself: “The magic word, the magic word.”
The Magic Word and Sāmir’s Shop:
On Amīr’s way home, he went to Sāmir’s shop and waited until Sāmir was free from his work. After a while, Amīr looked into Sāmir’s eyes and said to him in a gentle, clear voice: “Please, Mr. Sāmir, can you give me sweets?” Sāmir smiled and said to him: “Of course, with all pleasure.” Then Sāmir chose a red sweet and presented it to Amīr. Amīr said: “The magic word, the magic word!”
The Magic Staff:
Then Amīr headed to the garden to meet the old woman and thank her for what she had given him, but he found no one on the bench. He saw nothing in the garden except some small, circular marks on the sand. Amīr realized they were traces of the magic staff with the golden ball at its end.