القصة الثالثة:
٣....المشعوذ
آية أبو طالب
ترجمها إلى الإنجليزية عبد اللطيف غسري
داخل خيمته الباليةْ جلس مخلوف المشعوذُ الداهيةْ. يغطي رأسَه بقطعةِ قماشٍ باليةْ. يتمتمُ بجملٍ غريبةٍ وألفاظٍ عجيبةٍ، يتكاثر الدُّخَانُ أسفلَ الغطاءِ ليملأَ الخيمةَ التي لم تسعْهُ ليخرجَ ويملأَ صدورَ أهلِ القريةِ الملتفينَ حولَ الخيمةِ، ليبدأَ الجميعُ في السعالِ ويخرجُ عليهم مخلوف بهيئته الرثة وملابسه المهلهلة يتصبب عرقاً وتخرج الشرر الحمر من عينيه المتسعة، يتهافت أهل القرية عليه مهللين محاولين جذب الكلام من فمه دون جدوى، فلقد جلس على الأرض ومن حوله دائرة من أعوانه يتمايلون ويتراقصون علي مزمارٍ وطبولٍ وفجأةً قام مرتجفاً وهو يقول :بحق القسم الأعظم والعهد الأكرم وميثاق سليمان آمرك يا أبا الأشرم أن تأتي بخبره وبمكان أسره،فإن أطعتني فلك مني السماح وإن لم تطع فسأفعل بك كل ما لم يفعل.... وأخذ يرتل أقاويل ويتمايل ويميل إلى أن حل الظلام التام وخيم علي المكان وأمر بالبلورة المسحورة فأحضرها إليه أحد أعوانه وجلس بجوارها يهذي ويشعل البخور ويتمتم ويقول: انظروا جيداً ها قد أتى الجواب،أتوني بأثرٍ من فقيدِكم. وفي هذه اللحظة مدت سيدة عجوز يدها المرتجفة بغطاء رأس لابنها المفقود أخذه مخلوف ووضعه في النار فخرجت ألسنة اللهب تملأ المكان وظهر علي البلورة خيال لفتىً وحيدٍ مكبلٍ من يديه برباط طويل ممتد، فصاح أهل القرية إنه صفوان وأخذوا في الصياح: أخبرنا أين أنت؟ يا صفوان وقالت العجوز: قلبي ينزف دماً عليك أين أنت؟
فأشار مخلوف بالصمت وأخذ يتمتم ثم قال إنه لا يسمعكم،هو الآن في حضرة أميرة الجان وقد أحكمت عليه الخناق وكبلته بشعرها حتى لا يستطيع الهرب وحتى يقبل بعرضها للزواج والبقاء تحت الأرض. ذهل الناس لما سمعوا وأرادوا معرفة كيفية الخلاص فأمرهم مخلوف بذبح الأضاحي وتركها وراء الجبل كقربان للجان حتى يتركوا صفوان واستمر مخلوف في طلب الأضاحي من أهل القرية حتى فرغت بيوتهم والتصقت بطونهم بظهورهم، واستسلموا للجان وتركوا لهم صفوان. أما مخلوف فظهر عليه الغنى وامتدت بطنه تسبقه في مشيه وبدل الخيمة ببيتٍ كبير وتهافت عليه الكبير والصغير؛ فهو العالم بأمور الغيب والمسخر للجان فلولا هو ما علموا بمكان صفوان.
أما ما كان من أمر صفوان ذلك الفتي المسكين جامع العسل من باطن الجبل فقد ذهب كعادته يتسلق الجبال يبحث عن رزقه وقوت يومه من خلايا النحل الجبلي، فاختل توازنه وخانته قدمه ليسقط في أخدودٍ عميقٍ ويكسر عظمه فلم يستطع الفرار من غدر الأقدار، وظل وحيداً ينتظر أحداً من أهله يبحث عنه ليخرجه من قبره الذي مات به وحيداً مرعوباً من ظلمته. فيما كان أهل قريته يقدمون القرابين لمخلوف الذي استغل غباءهم وذكاءه ليخدعهم بحيله ودهائه.
The warlock
By Aya Abu Taleb
Translated from Arabic by ABDELLATIF RHESRI
Inside his worn out tent, Makhlouf, the shrewd warlock sat, covering his head with a piece of shabby cloth, murmuring strange phrases and bizarre words. Smoke multiplied under the cover until it filled the tent which could not contain it, so it went out and filled the chests of the village inhabitants who were mobbing around the tent. Then, everybody started coughing, and Makhlouf got out perspiring and his wide eyes sending off red sparks. The village inhabitants ran towards him rejoicing and trying to make him speak but in vain. For he sat down on the ground, surrounded by his aides who were swaying and dancing at a flute playing and drums beating. Suddenly, he stood up shuddering and saying; "By the greatest oath and the most honorable pledge, and by Solomon's covenant, I am ordering you, Abu Al Ashram, to bring forth news about him and about the place of his imprisonment. If you obey me, you shall gain my forgiveness, but if you disobey, then I shall do to you everything that has never been done. Then, he began humming some statements, swaying and leaning until it got completely dark. Afterwards, he ordered one of his aides to bring him the bewitched crystal which he placed beside him and started raving, burning incense, and muttering; "look carefully. The reply has come. Bring me a trace of your missing person". At that moment, an old lady stretched out her trembling hand with a head cover that belonged to her missing son. Makhlouf took it and put it on the fire. The flames broke out and filled the place. Then, there appeared on the crystal the spectre of a single boy whose hands were cuffed with a long extended bond. The village inhabitants shouted; "It's Safwan". They kept shouting; "Tell us where you are, Safwan". The old lady said; "My heart is bleeding for you. Where are you?"
Makhlouf made a sign for them to keep silent, and began murmuring something, then said; "He does not hear you. He's now at the presence of the devil princess. She has firmly besieged him and fettered him with her hair so that he cannot run away and so that he can accept her proposal of marriage and stay underground." The people were astounded to hear that and wanted to know the means of salvation. So Makhlouf told them to make slaughtering sacrifices and leave them behind the mountain as offerings to the devils so that they can release Safwan. Makhlouf continued to ask for sacrifices from the village inhabitants until they had no more left for them and became skinny from hunger. Hence, they gave in to the devils and abandoned Safwan for them. As to Makhlouf, signs of richness appeared on him, and he developed a fat belly that protruded forward when he walked. He changed the tent for a big house which became the destination of old and young people. For them, he was an omniscient person who knew the unknown and had the devils at his service. Besides, had it not been for him, they would have known nothing about Safwan's whereabouts.
As for what had happened to Safwan; that poor boy, the honey collecter from the depths of the mountain, he had gone as usual, to climb the mountain and search for his livelihood from the mountain bee hives. He had lost his balance, and his feet had failed him. As a consequence, he had fallen down in a deep groove and broken his bones. He had not been able to escape his treacherous fate, so he had kept waiting alone for one of his family members to look for him and pull him out of his grave where he had died from fear of its darkness. Meanwhile, the village inhabitants continued to present offerings to Makhlouf who took advantage of their stupidity and his own cleverness to deceive them with his tricks and cunning.
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