“Very well.” The guard buzzed Quraishi’s extension, and explained the visitors.
“Please,” he said, “Mr. Quraishi will see you now.”
“I know where his office, is, thank you.”
Having gotten the ‘formalities’ dispensed with, they headed towards Hammad Quraishi’s office, and knocked on the door. “As-salaam ‘alaykum.”
“Wa ‘alaykum salaam,” he answered. “Please; come in and have a seat.”
“As you can see, Mr. Quraishi, we have brought two young people who are interested in hearing your philosophies.”
“Ah. Very good,” said Quraishi. Looking at the two young people, he said, “Please, friends: have a seat in front of my desk. I am sure Ms. Sāmm and her escort may leave. They know you are in good hands.”
“Let us know how everything works out,” she said, and she and Snakebite left.
The TNC car dropped Poisonous and Snakebite off in front of his condo.
“Shall we?” Snakebite asked.
“Oh, yes. We shall,” she answered.
In the apartment, Snakebite said, “You’re a formidable lady. I like the way you handle things. But I would like to see your fighting skills. Why don’t we do battle? I’m a little rusty – I haven’t sparred with any other demons in a long while.”
“I’m up for that,” she said.
“Great. May the better demon win.”
Transforming back to the demon, her eyes turned bright red with fury—she couldn’t change another demon’s mind—so she lunged at Snakebite with all her strength. Fangs bared, claws and tentacles outstretched and wrapped around his arms and legs, she landed on the man, who quickly turned into a large saw-scaled viper, who slithered out of her tentacles, and slid away fast. His version of the snake was as long and tall as he was, and many times more deadly. His venom was even stronger than a female saw-scaled viper. Snakebite coiled and sprang towards her, inflicting her with a deep bite and a strong amount of venom.
In retaliation, she sank her fangs and claws into Snakebite, while wrapping her tentacles around him like a boa constrictor suffocating its prey, and injected him with her deadly poison. It didn’t kill him, or even stop him. Finished biting and clawing him, she picked him up and threw him against the stone wall in Snakebite’s apartment. With the wind knocked out of him, he lay on the floor, trying to catch his breath. Poisonous used this opportunity to launch another attack, and this time, her fangs sunk deep into his head, she twirled him around with her head and fangs, and threw him again against the stone wall again.
This time, however, he did not lie on the floor; he immediately lunged at her with lightning speed, sunk his fangs into the tender parts of her body, and shook his head, which tore her flesh. She howled in pain, then energized by seething fury, took his head, twirled him around several hundred times, at a speed of twelve hundred revolutions per minute, and threw him out the window. Flying through the air unseen to the human eye, he flailed from lack of balance, and landed about five miles away, in a Park in Montgomery County.
Poisonous could hardly contain herself. “Crazy male thinks he can outdo me. No one challenges Poisonous and wins.” She laughed, cackled and gloated in her victory. About five minutes later, a bedraggled and wobbly Snakebite landed in his apartment.
“So you didn’t think I could fight well, did you?” she taunted.
He turned back into Sam, steadied himself and sat down.
“I concede. You are definitely the better fighter. As the saying goes, ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.’”
“Do you want to go another round?” she asked, face emotionless as stone.
“Yes; but not in a fight. I believe another saying goes, ‘Make love, not war.’”
He walked towards her with that gleam in his eye.
“Really, Snakebite? You want to make love to me? Well at least let me change—”
“No, Poisonous. I want you to stay as you are. I’m very attracted to the demon that just bested me.”
“But…but…”
Snakebite as Sam put his finger to her lips, and said, “Shhhh…”
“Sam…”
Sam continued kissing her, and made her weak in the knees, her tentacles undulating faster.
“Oh, Sam…,” she managed. “Oh, Sam…Mmmm…”
Later, sitting on his couch and drinking cocktails, Sam said, “I must admit: your venom reminds me a lot of a good Chardonnay: lightly oaked, crisp and dry with notes of peach, citrus and honeysuckle, and a touch of carbonation. I find it makes me mellow, indeed.”
At first Poisonous laughed. “Oh, Sam. You’re so silly.” But she pondered what he said for a while, and finally said, “You know; your venom reminds me of a good Cabernet Sauvignon: fruit notes of black cherry, black currant and blackberry; spice notes of black pepper, tobacco, licorice, vanilla and violet. All aged to perfection in Oak for a year or so.”
The both looked each other and broke out laughing. Finally she said, “Here’s a toast to your venom.”
“And likewise to yours,” Sam replied.
* * *
Wednesday, September 17th
Mahmud Ghannam left the Islamic Center and began his twenty plus minute walk to the Woodley Park/Zoo Metro Station. He thought of many things as he walked, but mostly about how an uneasy dissatisfaction had plagued him of late. He had lost faith in Sharia Law, especially the kind that demanded the use and abuse of anybody who didn’t agree with it. He wasn’t too keen on the Western Way of life, either. It seemed so complicated: with all the freedoms came lewd and hedonistic behavior, and everyone striving for power and wealth. What he really wanted was to be at peace in his heart, but he didn’t know how.
However, he had noticed in recent days, that his friend, Abdullah Salah had a strong sense of peace in his demeanor. He had to talk to him, and find
