Part Nine
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The jailer sits on the floor of the cell. He is drinking barley beer. Nut’s feet are tied and his arms are bound behind his back. A mongoose darts between the crevasses in the wall. Scorpions crawl in the corners.
“They are going to –urp– execute you,” says the jailer. “And that is a shame. But –urp– what can be done?”
“Yes, it is a shame.”
“Just between you and –urp– me, I thought that your friend Ganj was a –urp– fine fellow. I was sorry to see him go. But –urp– what can be done?”
“You might loosen these ropes.”
“This is what Ganj said to me. He said–urp–, he said, ‘He who was born yesterday –urp– dies tomorrow. One moment a man will sing for joy, –urp– the next he will be cast into gloom. Between morning and nightfall –urp– the wheel of fate will spin.’”
“Excellent words,” says Nut. “Will you loosen these ropes so that I might drink with you?” Using a flat rock, he crushes another scorpion behind his back.
The jailer continues. “He spoke the truth! When men are hungry they behave like animals, and –urp– when they are fed they rival the gods! When blessed with luck, they –urp– sing of heaven, when troubles arise they rant of –urp– hell.’”
“Will you loosen these ropes?” asks Nut. “A request from a condemned man?”
The jailer shrugs. “Why not?! Tomorrow you die. And who –urp– likes to drink alone?”
The jailer loosens the ropes and frees Nut’s hands. He passes the jug.
Nut takes a big drink. As he wipes his mouth he drops something into the jug, and passes it back to the jailer.
The jailor takes a sip.
Nut says, “What? A fully grown man like you?”
The jailer takes a big swallow and belches.
Nut laughs. “Infant! Girl child!”
The jailer frowns. He hoists the jug and chugs. He shakes his head. He sets down the jug. He raises his hands. He speaks, slurring his words, “You see, my –urp– condemned friend, if it were not you, –urp–, it might be me. No one can –urp–….”
The jailer’s eyes glaze. He topples over and hits his head on the ground.
* * *
Nut slips through the dark streets, muttering, “I have no time to waste.” But, as he nears the western gate of the city, he is confronted from behind.
It is the boy he had met in the gardens, the King’s messenger, the one who said that he knew Inni.
“What is the hurry, my friend?” the boy asks.
“There is no hurry.”
“You appear to be in a hurry.”
“Are you still a messenger for the King?
“Certainly not! The King did not appreciate my skills. I have moved up to a position in the stables!” He puffs out his chest.
Nut grabs him by his cloak and drags him into a dark doorway. He holds him tight and speaks with urgency. “I will trust you because I have no choice. You must go to the temple, to Inni. Tell her that I am going to the Islands in the West. She must get free and follow. I will wait outside the city for her. On the west bank. She must get free! Do you understand?”
The boy glances over his shoulder. He nods and runs off down the street.
= =
That night, beneath the round moon, Nut finds a boatman who agrees to take him across the Buranun River to the western shore of the Land Between the Two Rivers.
There he waits.
* * *
​
​
​
[Go to Part Ten​]