Egypt · Masri · Egypt — the garden quarter and the Red Land desert
The heroes of this story.
Poor in coins, rich in mornings. The clever boy: undoes the gatekeeper with a jasmine petal, and asks only for seed for the widow's garden. Name thin — ASK-RICARDO, consultant-gated.
Purrs when all is well; goes silent when danger is near. Head-butts ankles; insists on adding her paw-print to the cartouche. Never speaks.
Sings the dawn cry: begin, begin, begin. Visits at dusk to drop one long feather for the boy who wakes when she sings. Never speaks — dawn cry is bird song.
Watched Hasan feed her cubs first. Looked at the boy, looked at the calm cat — and allowed it. Kindness, asked for kindly, is usually given.
Sick; healed by lion's milk that smells of jasmine. Grants the seed.
The sultan is sick and only lion's milk will heal him, so Hasan — the gardener's helper — packs dates and walks into the Red Land with his cat Miw. He sits where the lioness can see him, shares his dates with her cubs, and asks kindly; she allows it. At the palace the gatekeeper tries to steal the milk and claim the reward, but Hasan tucked a jasmine petal under the knot: the sultan's milk smells of jasmine, and any other milk does not. He asks only for seed for the widow's garden — and shares the last of the milk with the laughing guards, "for your headaches."
Free coloring pages from this book · how-to-draw the friends · watch the episode on YouTube.
