Author: George Todorov
Taleof the Falcon Hunter Dzhazer and the Desert Stones
Under the great shadows of the Phoenix Garden in the Sultan Palace sat Exer himself and talked to the young students of the trade academy of the East. Exer took care and showed attention to all future traders of the Empire.
- Exer, tell us an interesting tale! Tell us about some famous trader! – knowing about his storytelling skills, the younglings eagerly expected a new story.
- Please, Exer, tell us a nice tale!
- Okay, Okay! – laughed dearly the old trader – I will tell you the tale of the desert falcon hunter.
When I was young, the Sultan gave me the task of finding him a falcon with which he could go hunting in the desert. I asked here and there and I talked to many traders and all of them had the same opinion, all of them recommended to me only one thing. To go ten nights time into the heart of the desert and find Dzhazer – the hunter and tamer of desert falcons. So I did it. I found a caravan with rested camels and an experienced leader and I took of to the journey of finding the falcon hunter. The leader of the caravan turned out to be a very good man, who knew the secrets of the sands and understood the windy whisper of the desert. So he took me to the place where the road spits into two and from where I could proceed looking for the mighty tamer alone. After one more day under the golden rays of the Sun I reached the White hill – home of Dzhazer. His home was positioned high on the desert hill, from where he could look far into the desert and see all living creatures moving between the desert hills. As I was walking towards his home, on the hill appeared a man, dresses in white, who carefully observed me.
When I climbed the hill and stood before the proud Dzhazer, instead of greeting me, he started offering me:
- I can offer you a Falcon-Messenger, who can warn you for every living creature in the desert. I also have a Falcon-Hunter, with who you can heart in the sand sea; I can offer you a Falcon-Feeder as well, who can find and bring water from the most distant dunes. I also offer a Falcon-Seeker, who can find any lost caravan or camel in the desert. Choose!
I was stunned! I had not said a single word. He did not know who I were, where I was from, he did not know anything, but still he offered me to buy. This struck me so I answered madly:
- How can you offer me something when you don’t know if I want to buy something at all?
- And how are you so sure that I don’t know what you are looking for and if you have decided to buy?
- And do you? – answered I with a growing anger in my voice.
- Of course I know, otherwise I wouldn’t be wasting my time talking to you.
I was so angry, that I just had to see if he what he said was the truth. So I challenged him:
- Them please tell me what I need. If you guess I will buy two falcons insteas of one.
- No! If I guess you will buy four, do you agree?
- Of course I agree. What, are you a fortuneteller? – I was absolutely sure that Dzhazer will loose the bet. Years later I realized that when two people enter a bet, one of them is smart, and the other is a fool. In this case, he was the smart one, and I was the fool.
- Dear young man, your youth blinds you and stops the flow of your reasoning. While you were walking on the road up the hill, I was studying you and when you reached me, you were already a finished book for me.
- Really Dzhazer?… And why do you think so?
Because every purchase decision is composed of the four desert stones. The first one is the stone of the action, or the actual decision to buy! It happens by asking the question “Do I have to buy something?” When I look at your food supplies and the water on the camel’s back, I don’t believe that you are just walking around the desert. This makes me thing that you just want to buy now! The second element is the Source Stone, or “From who should I buy?” And since there is nobody around me at least 5 nights away in the desert, I don’t think that you are just walking by accident next to my White Hill. You have decided to buy from me, and this is for sure. The third thing, young man, is the Stone of Opportunity, or “Do I have enough money or gold to buy?” And when I look at your golden ornaments, your sewed jewels on your sandals, the rings on your fingers and the silk veils around your neck, I can conclude that you are one of the Sultan’s men. So you probably have enough money to buy. And finally, young friend, the fourth stone is the Stone of Direction, or “What do I want to buy?” And since I know the Sultan’s everyday life, and I am sure that he does need a Feeder, since there are always people around him that take care of his fresh food and water. He also does not need a Seeker, since there are always several trained servants with him who know the desert like the palms of their hands. The Sultan does not need a Messenger as wel, since when he is out of the palace, there are always several well-trained messengers around him that warn him of the possible dangers around. Therefore, if you are here with the decision to buy a falcon from me and you have the gold, then you need a Hunter for the Sultan, with who he can go out hunting in the desert.
And since I sell four kinds of tamed falcons, it would be wrong if I only offer you what you need. This is why I welcomed you with the offer for all of the kinds of falcons.
And as he was explaining, Dzhazer suddenly became silent and started waiting and looking at me in the eyes. Of course, I was stunned by everything he said and for a while I just sat there quietly as well.
After a while, I admitted to him that the Sultan wants a falcon for hunting, and everything he said was the absolute truth. Then I paid for the four falcons and left for Sultan City. Since then, I always remember Dzhazer’s concept of the four desert stones.
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