dramatic as that of a great orator.
“Permit me to introduce my nephew, John, and my niece, Philippa,” said Nimrod.
“I am your servant,” said Mr. Barkhiya, and he bowed again. “May both of you continue to live happily until the very distant hour of your death.”
“You too,” said Philippa.
“May I also present Lady Silvia Stone and my servant, Groanin.”
“The honor is all mine,” said Mr. Barkhiya.
“We’ve come about a carpet,” said Nimrod.
Mr. Barkhiya smiled as if such a thing was obvious. He bowed again and then lifted his arms.
“And when Solomon sat upon the carpet he was caught up by the wind and sailed through the air so quickly that hebreakfasted at Damascus and dined in Medina,” said Mr. Barkhiya. “And the wind followed Solomon’s commands.” The carpet seller grinned happily. “Of course you have come about carpets, my dear fellow. Why else would you be here? Just the one carpet, is it? I could perhaps let you have a discount for three. A very special price.”
While he talked, Mr. Barkhiya stroked one of the great blue carpet pillars, which rippled and undulated under his touch like a hide of some great beast. He nodded at John and Philippa. “Come, children, touch it.”
John and Philippa glanced at their uncle, who nodded his assent, and the twins stepped forward to rub their hands up and down the smooth surface of the blue carpet pillar. At the same time, Nimrod lifted the sesquipedalian binding that stopped the twins using their focus words. He wanted to make sure that they would feel the djinn power that was present in every fiber of the carpet.
“Is it not smooth?” Mr. Barkhiya asked John. “Is it not silky?” he asked Philippa. “Is it not marvelous? Is it not very special?”
The twins nodded.
“Very,” said Philippa.
“It’s like something alive,” observed John.
“There’s a vibration in every fiber,” added Philippa.
“Truly,” said Mr. Barkhiya. “But only a djinn such as yourself can feel this special vibration. I have never felt this sensation myself. I am merely the great carpet’s custodian. Not its master.”
“To weave such a carpet,” said Moo, “that must have taken a very long thread.”
“It is said that the thread used to make the first great flying carpet of Solomon was as long as eternity,” said Mr. Barkhiya. “And the carpet was handwoven by a thousand djinn.”
“And do you only sell to djinn?” said Moo. “Or to human beings, also?”
Mr. Barkhiya smiled his gap-toothed smile. “I regret, dear Lady Silvia, that only a djinn may control such a carpet as this, otherwise I should be delighted to sell you one, too. The tiny fragment of rug you saw me appear on earlier is as much as I am able to safely control myself. And even that is only thanks to my having been granted wishes by another grateful customer. Each knot of the carpet contains an uttered word of djinn power. What the djinn themselves call a focus word. Is it not so, Nimrod? And that this is where the power of the flying comes from. From the djinn power over mathematics and physics and the great Golden Ratio and the secret meaning of 1.61803.”
Nimrod nodded. “That’s quite right,” he said. “Many human beings have been killed trying to ride a flying carpet.”
“That’s a comforting thought,” remarked Groanin.
“I think an extra-large one for the great Nimrod, and two junior models, one each for your two young friends.”
“Very generous of you, Asaf,” said Nimrod.
Mr. Barkhiya said, “But you have not yet heard my price, O great one.”
“I’m listening, old friend.”
“Three wishes.”
“That is fair.”
“From each of you.”
Nimrod shook his head. “No. That is too much.” He nodded. “But the three wishes shall come from me.”
“Very well, I agree.”
“One more thing,” said Nimrod. “I know you to be a religious man, Asaf. And a man of your word. So, you must state your three wishes in advance and
“Permit me to introduce my nephew, John, and my niece, Philippa,” said Nimrod.
“I am your servant,” said Mr. Barkhiya, and he bowed again. “May both of you continue to live happily until the very distant hour of your death.”
“You too,” said Philippa.
“May I also present Lady Silvia Stone and my servant, Groanin.”
“The honor is all mine,” said Mr. Barkhiya.
“We’ve come about a carpet,” said Nimrod.
Mr. Barkhiya smiled as if such a thing was obvious. He bowed again and then lifted his arms.
“And when Solomon sat upon the carpet he was caught up by the wind and sailed through the air so quickly that hebreakfasted at Damascus and dined in Medina,” said Mr. Barkhiya. “And the wind followed Solomon’s commands.” The carpet seller grinned happily. “Of course you have come about carpets, my dear fellow. Why else would you be here? Just the one carpet, is it? I could perhaps let you have a discount for three. A very special price.”
While he talked, Mr. Barkhiya stroked one of the great blue carpet pillars, which rippled and undulated under his touch like a hide of some great beast. He nodded at John and Philippa. “Come, children, touch it.”
John and Philippa glanced at their uncle, who nodded his assent, and the twins stepped forward to rub their hands up and down the smooth surface of the blue carpet pillar. At the same time, Nimrod lifted the sesquipedalian binding that stopped the twins using their focus words. He wanted to make sure that they would feel the djinn power that was present in every fiber of the carpet.
“Is it not smooth?” Mr. Barkhiya asked John. “Is it not silky?” he asked Philippa. “Is it not marvelous? Is it not very special?”
The twins nodded.
“Very,” said Philippa.
“It’s like something alive,” observed John.
“There’s a vibration in every fiber,” added Philippa.
“Truly,” said Mr. Barkhiya. “But only a djinn such as yourself can feel this special vibration. I have never felt this sensation myself. I am merely the great carpet’s custodian. Not its master.”
“To weave such a carpet,” said Moo, “that must have taken a very long thread.”
“It is said that the thread used to make the first great flying carpet of Solomon was as long as eternity,” said Mr. Barkhiya. “And the carpet was handwoven by a thousand djinn.”
“And do you only sell to djinn?” said Moo. “Or to human beings, also?”
Mr. Barkhiya smiled his gap-toothed smile. “I regret, dear Lady Silvia, that only a djinn may control such a carpet as this, otherwise I should be delighted to sell you one, too. The tiny fragment of rug you saw me appear on earlier is as much as I am able to safely control myself. And even that is only thanks to my having been granted wishes by another grateful customer. Each knot of the carpet contains an uttered word of djinn power. What the djinn themselves call a focus word. Is it not so, Nimrod? And that this is where the power of the flying comes from. From the djinn power over mathematics and physics and the great Golden Ratio and the secret meaning of 1.61803.”
Nimrod nodded. “That’s quite right,” he said. “Many human beings have been killed trying to ride a flying carpet.”
“That’s a comforting thought,” remarked Groanin.
“I think an extra-large one for the great Nimrod, and two junior models, one each for your two young friends.”
“Very generous of you, Asaf,” said Nimrod.
Mr. Barkhiya said, “But you have not yet heard my price, O great one.”
“I’m listening, old friend.”
“Three wishes.”
“That is fair.”
“From each of you.”
Nimrod shook his head. “No. That is too much.” He nodded. “But the three wishes shall come from me.”
“Very well, I agree.”
“One more thing,” said Nimrod. “I know you to be a religious man, Asaf. And a man of your word. So, you must state your three wishes in advance and
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