THE FOURTEENTH OFFICER'S STORY
by Unknown · from Tales from the Arabic — Volume 02
Adapted Version
Once, I was Tom. I liked to help. I always tried to be nice.
I helped my friend Sam. He needed things. I shared with him. I gave him food. I shared my toys. Sam was happy. He smiled at me. We were good friends.
One sunny day, I played with friends. We played pretend. I was a king. My friend was a guard. We had fun. We laughed a lot. We wore costumes. I had a crown. The guard had a shield. We played for hours.
A boy named Max came. He did not ask. He just joined our game. He wanted to play too. He looked excited. He ran into our circle. He smiled big. He was new in town.
The king said, "Catch him!" The guard tried. The guard had a toy sword. He swung it. It broke Max's toy. Oh no! The toy was broken. Max cried. We all stopped playing. The toy was special to Max.
We were all scared. We made a big mess. We needed to clean up. We felt bad. Max was sad. We didn't know what to do.
I took the broken toy. I went to the river. I wanted to wash it. I hoped to fix it. The water was cool. I sat by the water. I tried to clean the toy. The sun was setting.
I met a kind man. He saw me. He asked, "What do you have?" He looked friendly. He had a kind face. He wore a blue shirt. He looked strong. He seemed wise.
I told him what happened. I showed him the toy. I said, "It broke." I felt sorry. I explained slowly. He listened carefully. He asked my name.
He looked at it. "This is my brother's toy," he said. "His name is Max." He smiled. He was not angry. He took the toy gently. He looked happy.
He said, "It is okay. It was an accident. You can go." He was kind. He forgave me. He patted my shoulder. He said, "Don't worry." His words made me feel better.
He helped me clean my dirty clothes. He walked me home. We talked along the way. He told me stories. We walked slowly. He pointed at birds. The path was green.
At my house, he smiled. "I am Sam," he said. "You helped me once. Thank you." I was surprised. I remembered him. My mom saw us. She smiled too. My family welcomed him.
He said goodbye and left. I felt happy and safe. I learned a lesson. Kindness comes back. I went inside. I told my mom the story. I thought about kindness.
Kindness helps when you need it. And that is how kindness saved the day. I will always be kind. I will help others. Being kind is good.
Original Story
THE FOURTEENTH OFFICER'S STORY.
Before I entered this corporation,[FN#149] I had a draper's shop and there used to come to me a man whom I knew not, save by his face, and I would give him what he sought and have patience with him, till he could pay me. One day, I foregathered with certain of my friends and we sat down to drink. So we drank and made merry and played at Tab;[FN#150] and we made one of us Vizier and another Sultan and a third headsman.
Presently, there came in upon us a spunger, without leave, and we went on playing, whilst he played with us. Then quoth the Sultan to the Vizier, "Bring the spunger who cometh in to the folk, without leave or bidding, that we may enquire into his case. Then will I cut off his head." So the headsman arose and dragged the spunger before the Sultan, who bade cut off his head. Now there was with them a sword, that would not cut curd;[FN#151] so the headsman smote him therewith and his head flew from his body. When we saw this, the wine fled from our heads and we became in the sorriest of plights. Then my friends took up the body and went out with it, that they might hide it, whilst I took the head and made for the river.
Now I was drunken and my clothes were drenched with the blood; and as I passed along the road, I met a thief. When he saw me, he knew me and said to me, "Harkye, such an one!" "Well?" answered I, and he said, "What is that thou hast with thee?" So I acquainted him with the case and he took the head from me. Then we went on till we came to the river, where he washed the head and considering it straitly, said, "By Allah, this is my brother, my father's son. and he used to spunge upon the folk." Then he threw the head into the river. As for me, I was like a dead man [for fear]; but he said to me, "Fear not neither grieve, for thou art quit of my brother's blood."
Then he took my clothes and washed them and dried them, and put them on me; after which he said to me, "Get thee gone to thy house." So I returned to my house and he accompanied me, till I came thither, when he said to me, "May God not forsake thee! I am thy friend [such an one, who used to take of thee goods on credit,] and I am beholden to thee for kindness; but henceforward thou wilt never see me more."'
The company marvelled at the generosity of this man and his clemency[FN#152] and courtesy, and the Sultan said, 'Tell us another of thy stories.'[FN#153] 'It is well,' answered the officer, 'They avouch that
Story DNA
Moral
Acts of kindness, even small ones, can return to you in unexpected and life-saving ways.
Plot Summary
A former draper recounts a terrifying incident where he and his friends, during a drunken game, accidentally decapitated an uninvited guest with a prop sword that unexpectedly worked. Panicked, the narrator carries the severed head to the river, where he encounters a thief. The thief recognizes the narrator, identifies the head as his own freeloading brother's, and absolves the narrator of guilt. In an act of profound gratitude, the thief cleans the narrator's blood-soaked clothes, escorts him home, and reveals himself to be a past customer to whom the draper had extended credit, thus repaying his kindness before disappearing forever.
Themes
Emotional Arc
merry to terror to relief
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story is part of 'The Arabian Nights' or 'One Thousand and One Nights,' a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled during the Islamic Golden Age. The social dynamics, roles, and justice systems reflect that era.
Plot Beats (14)
- The narrator, formerly a draper, recalls a customer he often gave credit to.
- He and his friends are drinking, making merry, and playing a game where they assign roles like Sultan, Vizier, and headsman.
- An uninvited 'spunger' joins their game.
- In their drunken play, the 'Sultan' orders the 'headsman' to execute the 'spunger' for intruding.
- The 'headsman' uses a prop sword, which unexpectedly severs the spunger's head.
- The friends are horrified and decide to dispose of the body and head.
- The narrator, drunk and covered in blood, takes the head to the river.
- He encounters a thief who recognizes him and asks what he carries.
- The narrator explains the situation to the thief.
- The thief takes the head, washes it, and identifies it as his brother's, a known spunger.
- The thief absolves the narrator of guilt, stating he is quit of his brother's blood.
- The thief cleans the narrator's bloody clothes and escorts him home.
- At the narrator's house, the thief reveals he is the former customer to whom the narrator had extended credit, repaying his kindness.
- The thief bids farewell, stating the narrator will never see him again.
Characters
The Fourteenth Officer
A man of average height and build, likely with features common to a merchant in a bustling Middle Eastern city. His complexion would be sun-kissed from daily life, and his hands might show the calluses of handling fabrics.
Attire: Initially, the practical, well-maintained attire of a draper: a simple, long-sleeved tunic (qamis) made of linen or cotton, perhaps in a muted color, worn over loose trousers (sirwal). He would wear a simple head covering like a taqiyah or a small turban. After the incident, his clothes are drenched in blood, then washed and returned to him.
Wants: To live a peaceful, respectable life as a merchant; to escape the consequences of the 'murder'.
Flaw: Susceptible to peer pressure and alcohol, leading him into a dangerous situation; easily overwhelmed by fear.
He starts as a carefree merchant enjoying a game, descends into terror and despair after believing he's committed murder, and is then unexpectedly saved by the generosity of a former customer. He learns the value of his past kindness and the unexpected places from which help can come.
Generous (patient with credit), easily swayed by peer pressure (participating in the game), fearful (after the 'murder'), grateful (towards the thief).
The Thief (The Fourteenth Officer's former customer)
A man of lean build, likely agile and quick, with features that suggest a life lived on the streets, perhaps a bit weathered. His height would be average.
Attire: Practical, dark, and somewhat worn clothing suitable for moving unnoticed in the night. Perhaps a dark cotton tunic (qamis) and loose trousers (sirwal), with a simple, dark head covering like a taqiyah or a wrapped cloth. His clothes would be functional, not decorative.
Wants: To protect his brother's reputation (by disposing of the head) and to repay the kindness shown to him by the officer.
Flaw: His past profession as a thief, though in this story it is overshadowed by his positive actions.
He appears as a deus ex machina, transforming from a shadowy figure (thief) into a compassionate savior, revealing his true character and loyalty forged by past kindness.
Resourceful, calm under pressure, loyal (to his brother and the officer), generous (despite his profession), astute, practical.
The Spunger
Likely of average height and build, perhaps slightly unkempt due to his habit of 'spunging' or freeloading. His features would be unremarkable, making him easily forgettable to most.
Attire: Simple, possibly slightly worn or ill-fitting clothing, reflecting his status as someone who lives off others. Perhaps a basic tunic and trousers, not of fine quality.
Wants: To gain free food, drink, or entertainment from others.
Flaw: His lack of respect for social boundaries and his freeloading nature, which ultimately leads to his 'death' in the game.
He serves as a plot device, his 'death' initiating the main conflict for the officer.
Presumptuous, freeloading, uninvited, annoying.
Locations
Draper's Shop
A shop where cloth and dry goods are sold, likely bustling during the day but quiet after hours.
Mood: Initially mundane and commercial, later becomes a place of unexpected, drunken revelry and accidental tragedy.
The narrator's former place of business, where he and his friends gather to drink and play, leading to the accidental beheading of the spunger.
Riverbank at Night
The edge of a river, dark and likely muddy, under the cover of night. The water would be flowing, reflecting the faint moonlight or starlight.
Mood: Eerie, tense, and desperate, then surprisingly calm and redemptive.
The narrator attempts to dispose of the head, encounters the thief, and the thief washes the head before throwing it into the river, absolving the narrator.