Section 1
Labakan, a skilled tailor who was employed by a respectable employer in Alexandria, believed that experiencing the sensation of being valued is always a source of pleasure. Labakan was undoubtedly skilled with the needle, and nobody could argue otherwise. In fact, he was an exceptional worker. It would be unfair to label Labakan as lazy because he would often sew for hours on end with astonishing speed, causing his needle and thread to swiftly glide through the material. However, there were occasions when Labakan appeared lost in contemplation and would sit with an absent look. He would also exhibit peculiar behavior, prompting his employer and co-workers to comment that "Labakan is putting on his haughty demeanor."
On Fridays, which are considered the holy day for Muslims, while others were heading back to their homes or jobs after attending the Mosque, Labakan, dressed in his finest attire, would walk through the marketplaces and streets of the city with poise and solemnity. As his acquaintances greeted him with phrases like "May peace be upon you, Labakan," or "How are you, my friend?" he would graciously acknowledge them with a wave of his hand or a patronizing nod. Whenever his employer made a playful remark like, "You should be a prince, Labakan!" he would feel overjoyed and respond by saying, "So you have finally recognized it," or "I have had the same thought myself."
Despite his eccentric behavior, Labakan's employer forgave him because he was not only a skilled and valuable employee, but also a decent and good-hearted person.
During a visit to Alexandria, Prince Selim, the Sultan's brother, sent a beautiful coat to be altered, and it was given to Labakan to work on.
After the workday was over and both his employer and colleagues had left, Labakan stayed behind and couldn't resist the temptation to try on the exquisitely embroidered silk coat. To his surprise, it fit him perfectly.
Labakan asked himself, "Am I not just as worthy to be a prince as Selim? Didn't my employer say that I should have been born a prince?"
Putting on the coat gave Labakan a sense of nobility, and he began to imagine that he was the son of an unknown king. This idea consumed him, and he convinced himself that he needed to leave a place where people were too ignorant to recognize his true identity and go out into the world. Labakan believed that the beautiful coat was undoubtedly a gift from a benevolent fairy, and he packed his modest belongings before leaving Alexandria at dusk, passing through its gates.
However, the newly proclaimed Prince soon realized that his elegant coat and dignified bearing were not well-suited for walking, so he purchased an old, worn-out horse for a small sum of money. Being an inexperienced rider, he was afraid of handling a spirited steed.
While he was riding slowly one day, a traveler asked to join him on his journey. The newcomer was a pleasant, handsome young man who was well-built. He asked Labakan many questions about his destination and origin, and discovered that they were headed in the same direction. The young man introduced himself as Omar and claimed to be the nephew of Elfi Bey, the ill- fated Pasha of Cairo. Omar stated that he was traveling to Cairo to fulfill a mission entrusted to him by his dying uncle.
Omar was forthcoming about his purpose for traveling, but Labakan was more guarded. He simply told Omar that he was a person of high social status and was traveling for leisure. On the second day of their journey, Labakan asked Omar for more information about his mission and Omar shared the following:
Omar revealed that Elfi Bey, the Pasha of Cairo, had raised him since he was a young child and he had no knowledge of his biological parents, however, Elfi Bey had been involved in a war recently and after being wounded in several battles, he disclosed to Omar that he was not his real nephew, but rather the son of a powerful ruler who, due to a prophecy made by an astrologer, had sent the young Prince away with the agreement that he would return when he turned twenty-one. Elfi Bey had not revealed the identity of Omar's father to him, but had given him specific instructions to present himself at a designated location called El-Serujah, which was four days away from Alexandria, on the fourth day of Ramadan, which was the day he would turn twenty-one. At El-Serujah, he was to show his dagger to the men he would find there and say, "Here am I whom ye seek!" If they responded with the words, "Praise be the Prophet, who preserved thee!" then it would be safe for Omar to go with them, as they would be the ones to take him to his father.
