not to let them be corrupted and led astray from the path of the true religion, He made them fall into a deep sleep inside a cave. And so that there would always be total darkness inside the cave, God reversed the course of the sun. They slept for about three hundred and nine years. Also with them was a dog, who slept in front of the entrance, but on guard, with his front legs extended'
He broke off, having noticed that Montalbano had turned very pale and was opening and closing his mouth as if gasping for air.
'What's wrong, signore? Do you feel ill, signore? Do you want me to call a doctor? Signore!'
Frightened by his own reaction, Montalbano felt faint, his head spinning, legs buckling. Apparently he was still feeling the effects of the wound and the operation. A small crowd, meanwhile, had gathered around Rahman and the inspector. The teacher gave a few orders, and an Arab ran off and quickly returned with a glass of water. Another arrived with a wicker chair in which he forced Montalbano, who felt ridiculous, to sit. The water revived him.
'How do you say in your language: God is great and merciful?'
Rahman told him, and Montalbano did his best to imitate the sounds of the words. The small crowd laughed at his pronunciation, but repeated them in chorus.
Rahman shared an apartment with an older colleague named El Madani, who was at home at that moment. Rahman made tea while Montalbano explained the reasons for his malaise. Rahman was entirely unaware of the discovery of the two young murder victims in the Crasticeddru, whereas El Madani had heard mention of it.
'What I'd like to know, if you'd be so kind,' said the inspector, 'is to what extent the objects placed inside the cave correspond to what the sura says. As far as the dog is concerned, there's no doubt whatsoever.'
'The dogs name is Kytmyr,' said El Madani, 'but he's also called Quotmour. Among the Persians, you know, that dog, the one in the cave, became the guardian of written communication.'
'Does the sura say anything about a bowl with money inside?'
'No, there's no bowl, for the simple reason that the sleepers have money in their pockets. When they awake, one of them will be given money to go buy the best food there is. They're hungry. But the one sent on this mission is betrayed by the fact that the coins are not only no longer current, but are now worth a fortune. People follow him back to the cave, hoping to find a treasure, and that is how the sleepers come to be discovered.'
'But in the case that concerns me,' Montalbano said to Rahman, 'the bowl can be explained by the fact that the boy and girl were naked when placed inside the cave, and therefore the money had to be put somewhere.'
'Agreed,' said El Madani, 'but it is not written in the Koran that they were thirsty. The water receptacle has no connection to the sura.'
'I know many legends about sleepers,' Rahman added, 'but none of them says anything about water.'
'How many sleepers were there in the cave?'
'The sura is vague about this, the number is probably not important, three, four, five, six, not counting the dog. But it has become common belief that there were seven sleepers, eight with the dog.'
'If it's of any use to you, 'said El Madani, 'you should know that the sura is a retelling of an old Christian legend, the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus.'
'There's also a modern Egyptian drama, Ahl al-kahf, which means
Therefore, Montalbano concluded, whoever put the bodies in the cave must have known the Koran, and perhaps even the play by this Egyptian.
...
'Mr. Burgio? Montalbano here. I'm calling you from Mazara del Vallo. I'm about to leave for Marsala. Sorry to be in such a rush, but I have to ask you something very important. Did Lillo Rizzitano know Arabic?'
'Lillo? Not a chance.'
'He couldn't perhaps have studied it at university?'
'Impossible.'
'What was his degree in?'
'In Italian, with Professor Aurelio Cotroneo. He may have even told me what his thesis was about, but I can't re
member.'
'Did he have any Arab friends?'
'Not that I know of.'
'Were there any Arabs in Vig around 42-43?'
'Inspector, the Arabs were here at the time of their domination, and now they've returned, poor things, but not as dominators. No, during that period there werent any. But what are the Arabs to you?'
...
It was already dark outside when they left for Marsala. Livia was cheerful and animated. She was very happy to have met Valente's wife. At the first intersection, instead of turning right, Montalbano turned left. Livia noticed immediately, and the inspector was forced to make a difficult U-turn. At the second intersection, Montalbano did the exact opposite: instead of going left, he turned right, and this time Livia was too engrossed in what she was saying to realize it. To their great astonishment, they found themselves back in Mazara. Livia exploded.
'You really try a woman's patience!'
