Qabihah Tells How The Lady Of The Oleander Became A Legend In Cairo
Dear Readers,
The Sultan that I served reigned for thirty years. For thirty years I ruled Cairo through him. But after that length of time he was overthrown and murdered by a new king who wanted to have nothing to do with me. By then I was no longer a nubile young thing, and I was told never to show my face at the Palace again.
Still the people held me in such superstitious awe that though I was proscribed, no one dared to lay a hand on me. I retired to my house in the Arab Quarter and continued to be an object of Fear and Dread as the Lady Of The Oleander.
My income was invested in foreign enterprises mostly tied up with the British. But in case I needed pocket change I hardly needed to do a thing. Almost every day someone knocked on my garden gate seeking the relief that the oleander promised. Some sought to rid themselves of their husbands or wives. Others wanted to free themselves from a business partner that they despised. Still others longed to be free of a hated government official who did nothing besides persecute them. I could afford to pick and choose, but in many cases I decided to oblige them.
I continued in this capacity for many years. I was still the Lady Of The Oleander when my story intersected with that of Dora, Lady Ware, during the Second World War.
Sincerely yours,
Qabihah, Witch of Cairo
P.S. You may read of my adventures in the memoir authored by Dora, Lady Ware, called Hitler's Daughter. And no, I am not she. I was born long before the great Dictator of World War II.
The Sultan that I served reigned for thirty years. For thirty years I ruled Cairo through him. But after that length of time he was overthrown and murdered by a new king who wanted to have nothing to do with me. By then I was no longer a nubile young thing, and I was told never to show my face at the Palace again.
Still the people held me in such superstitious awe that though I was proscribed, no one dared to lay a hand on me. I retired to my house in the Arab Quarter and continued to be an object of Fear and Dread as the Lady Of The Oleander.
My income was invested in foreign enterprises mostly tied up with the British. But in case I needed pocket change I hardly needed to do a thing. Almost every day someone knocked on my garden gate seeking the relief that the oleander promised. Some sought to rid themselves of their husbands or wives. Others wanted to free themselves from a business partner that they despised. Still others longed to be free of a hated government official who did nothing besides persecute them. I could afford to pick and choose, but in many cases I decided to oblige them.
I continued in this capacity for many years. I was still the Lady Of The Oleander when my story intersected with that of Dora, Lady Ware, during the Second World War.
Sincerely yours,
Qabihah, Witch of Cairo
P.S. You may read of my adventures in the memoir authored by Dora, Lady Ware, called Hitler's Daughter. And no, I am not she. I was born long before the great Dictator of World War II.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Qabihah Tells How The Lady Of The Oleander Became A Legend In Cairo.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.cheopsbooks.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/479
Leave a comment