Friday Thirteen
Once upon a time in a distant country, a kingdom called Nazur. The king, Nazurino, a righteous and intelligent man, had managed to make his people prosper and all live happy and happy. Nazurino ruled with the help of a counselor. This official was named Badur and was the right hand of the king in matters of state. When the king went out to visit his subjects in distant regions, he left the leadership of his government in the hands of good Badur.
One day, Badur saw that the king's only daughter, Sarina, was of the appropriate age to marry and told the king that the time had come to seek among the royalty, a husband for his daughter Sarina. Since there were no princes in Nazur, the king and his daughter had to embark on a long journey visiting the royal houses of other kingdoms in search of the appropriate candidate.
Sarina was a very beautiful maiden. Besides, she was affectionate and kind. Everyone loved her for her simplicity and cordiality. Sarina was in love with Nazur's only doctor, Jazim. A handsome young man from far away Persia who had studied medicine alongside the most outstanding doctors in the art of healing.
Jazim had settled in Nazur and since then helped pregnant women in childbirth. He plastered the fractured and cured the various diseases that appeared with the help of his masterful recipes.
Jazim lived in a house with thirteen windows very close to the palace. The two-storey house had a staircase with thirteen steps and a gallery surrounded by thirteen columns as it had arrived in Nazur on a thirteen Friday.
I had thirteen dogs howling when there was a full moon. A black cat wandered on the roof and a family of owls nested on his property.
Jazim wore a silk turban with thirteen carmine colored stones. The thirteen was definitely his favorite number as he was the thirteen son of a family of thirteen siblings.
Jazim had also noticed the beauty of Princess Sarina, and although he was in love with the princess, he did not consider himself worthy to propose to her because there was no royal blood flowing through her veins.
One spring day, the king prepared his carriage, and together with his daughter Sarina departed in search of a prince for his daughter's husband and heir to his kingdom. He left then, the government in Badur's hands and walked away without knowing when he would return.
It happened that within a few weeks, Badur became seriously ill. Jazim, the young doctor, used all his knowledge to try to save him, but nothing proved effective and good Badur died.
This circumstance was taken advantage of by Ischilé, the village sorceress, to discredit the young doctor because since Jazim settled in Nazur, Ischilé had lost all of her clientele.
Ischilé began to weave all sorts of gossip and gossip against Jazim.
He spread slander and lies and then devoted himself to installing stupid beliefs and supercherías among the villagers. He blamed Jazim for Badur's death by putting Jazim's preference for number thirteen as cause of death. According to her, the sinister number was provocative of all sorts of misfortunes and misfortunes.
The inhabitants of Nazur, until that moment, a prosperous and intelligent people, transformed overnight into superstitious and agoroso thanks to the inventions of the sorceress.
From there on they lived all on the slopes of bad luck and to counteract it were hung all sorts of talismans and amulets that Ischilé provided for them in exchange for a juicy payment.
The number thirteen, which until then was nothing more than a number, became a symbol of bad luck. There, thirteen people never sat at the table, nor did they build a house with thirteen windows. Women took care not to have garments with thirteen buttons or necklaces with thirteen earrings. Nor did they have thirteen chickens, nor thirteen cows.
When the number thirteen was associated with Friday, the chances of suffering misfortunes multiplied superlatively. At that time, most of the inhabitants of Nazur were locked up in their homes. They weren't going to work. They did not feed the cattle, nor did they take care of their fields.
But Ischilé didn't just hit the number thirteen. The sorceress continued to install new supercherías to provoke fear and gain power over the terrorized villagers.
From that moment on, any event or act no matter how simple it was could have dire consequences: Going under a ladder could have very serious effects. Seeing an owl meant the death of a relative. A black cat, diseases. Spill salt, loss of fortune. Break a mirror, seven years of bad luck. If a dog howled at night, it was because he had seen a soul in sorrow.
No inhabitant of Nazur would get out of bed without first supporting his right foot. He didn't climb a ladder or climb a bench or a carriage with his left foot.
The children were not intoxicated but packed.
No one was suffering from a headache but looked at, because someone with a powerful or envious look had made him the evil eye.
The villagers wore rabbit tails or wolf fangs hanging around their necks. In the houses there were streaks of garlic to scare away vampires. Red ribbons to scare away the envious and rough male plants to counteract calamities. All these absurd superstitions were spread by the cunning Ischilé.
While these changes took place in Nazur, Nazurino and Princess Sarina continued their journey visiting castles and palaces in distant counties without finding a candidate capable of attracting the attention of the princess. The king did not understand why Sarina rejected each of the very rich princes who came to ask for his hand.
When more than a year had passed, Nazurino met a silk merchant who told him about the changes that were affecting his kingdom. The merchant told him of the death of the good Badur, that Jazim was in poverty because of that unfortunate misfortune and that Ischilé dominated the village by installing absurd superstitions.
When Sarina heard the news, she left to mourn and confessed her love for Jazim. The king rejoiced and understood his daughter's feelings. She felt a great sympathy for the doctor and all she cared about was seeing Sarina happy.
The king, neither sluggish nor lazy, decided to hasten his return to his kingdom. But he decided to kill two birds with one stone: marry Sarina to Jazim and put an end to the superstitions of his people.
He chose a day Friday thirteen for his return. The princess placed herself a necklace with thirteen earrings and a crown with thirteen flowers. The king dressed in a suit with thirteen buttons. The carriage was accompanied by thirteen white horses.
He sent messengers to order preparations for his arrival, ordering all the people to stand in front of the palace to celebrate his return. And Jazim dressed in his best clothes to receive him.
The servants panicked just thinking of number thirteen, but an order from the king could not be disobeyed.
The inhabitants of Nazur, scared of death, awaited the arrival of the king. When they saw the carriage with thirteen horses, they trembled in fear at the possibility of an imminent misfortune.
The king and the princess came down from the carriage and settled in front of the palace. They asked Jazim to approach and the king asked him if he would accept Sarina for his wife. Jazim couldn't believe what his ears heard. He replied: “My king, there is nothing in life that can make me happier than having Princess Sarina for his wife.
Then, - said the king, - Today we will celebrate the wedding.
The inhabitants of Nazur slowly abandoned some of the superstitions. Sarina and Jazim got married and lived happily for the rest of their lives.
End