Hakim and The Phantoms

In a certain village stood an
old inn which had long since
been abandoned. Now it was
in ruins and no one ever went
near it for rumours said it was
haunted.

Hakim who lived in thai
village was an opium addict.
His greatest pleasure lay' in
smoking his opium pipe. Once
he had smoked his pipe he
would lie for hours together as
dead as a log. Whatever he
earned he spent on his pipe.

One day he found himself a
pauper. All his money was
gone. Even his stock of opium
was all gone. He went round
the village begging for money
but no one was prepared to
lend him any for they full well
knew what he would do once
he got hold of some money.



Now, a few mischievous lads
of the village decided to' play
a joke on the now desperate
Hakim. They went to him and
said, " Brother, we'll give you
some opium and some food.
But you must spend a night
in the haunted inn. Do you
agree?"

Hakim nodded his head
eagerly and said, " Brothers,
give me but a few ounces of
opium, and I'll even vist the
hell to please you."

The lads gave him a food
packet and some opium. At
night they took him to the
deserted inn and left him in
the silent hall.

Hakim smoked his pipe and
gradually found himself drifting
away from the external world.
In that state it was doubtful



whether he'd notice anything
at all, much less a few ghosts!

Now in that house lived a
host of phantoms who were
surprised and then angry that
their peace had been disturbed.
They came flitting across the
hall silently to look into the
matter and saw Hakim resting
against a pillar. They moved
round him, and jostled each
other in order to get a close
look. They rubbed their icy
fingers on his face, but he made
no movement.

One ghost went near his face
and suddenly screamed in fright.
Hakim's eyes were wide open,
and they seemed like two pin-
points of bright flame, red and




bioodshot. The ghosts thought
that his eyes were spitting fire!
Actually he was under the effect
of opium.

At about this time Hakim
moved, then sat up straight.
He was very much hungry, (n
that darkness he did not know
where the village lads had kept
the food packet. At last his
outstretched fingers touched the
knot of the cloth bundle
containing the food. " Ha, top
knot, I'll eat you first," ex-
claimed Hakim. Then he
opened the bundle and took
but a rice cake. " I'll swallow
you whole, fatty," chuckled
Hakim. A little later his prob-
ing fingers found an egg. He
caressed it with his hand and
said, " Bald Head, you're
next." Finally he took out a
piece of coarse bread, and ex-
claimed, " So there you are
furry fur, I am not going to
leave you either."

Now all the phantom liste-
ners shivered in great fright.
The names of some of them
were Top Knot, Fatty, Bald
Head and Furry Fur. They
thought Hakim meant to eat
them all up. They said to one
another, " This man is no ordi-
nary mortal. He knows who
we are. He says he'll gobble



us up. So let us appease mm
and then run away from here."

So they glided back into the
desolate rooms and from nooks
and corners brought out large
hoards of gold and silver.
These they kept near him. Then
they told Hakim, " Sir, take
these and spare our lives."

At this Hakim's bloodshot
eyes opened wider and he mum-
bled incoherently. " No, that
won't do. I am very hungry.
I must gobble up everything
at once."



At these words, the phantoms
ran for dear life and did not




stop until they had crossed the
borders into another land?

In the morning Hakim came
to his senses and found himself
lying in the midst of a veritable
treasure trove. Naturally he
took all of it home and lived
a happy life. As for the village
folks when they heard how he
had braved the night and the
ghosts at the haunted inn, well,
they made him the next Mayor
in which post he has continued
ever since. You see, as the
Mayor he did not have much
to do and so could smoke his
opium pipe all day long and
lie in the greatest bliss possible.