| One Night in Umma A Story of Ancient Sumeria by James W. Bell © 2001 The sharp sound of a slap was followed by a woman’s cry of pain. Tambourines abruptly ceased jingling and dancers stopped. The tavern filled with silence. Dashan quit sipping beer and looked around, concentrating on the back corner where the slap and cry had come from. He saw a woman, hand to cheek, sprawled on the built-in bench. An angry man on the adjacent bench faced her. Dashan surveyed the room. The taverness stood motionless at the storeroom door. No patron gave any indication of moving so, in spite of his small size, Dashan picked up his staff and walked back to the corner. He ignored the angry man and spoke to the woman. “Is this man troubling you?” The man got up, wedged himself between Dashan and the woman. “Hands off,” he said. “She’s mine for tonight.” “I wasn’t talking to you.” “If you talk, you’ll damned well talk to me.” “I heard the woman cry out in pain.” “She’s a whore,” the man replied. “Deserved what she got.” “That’s for her to say,” Dashan said and tried to push him aside. The man was swift to react. He swung a heavy fist at Dashan’s head. The goatherd ducked his swing and poked the staff in his stomach. “Ooof!” The man went down. “You Kaldee sonuvabitch.” “Want more?” Dashan asked and feinted with his staff. “Stop it!” the taverness called from the storeroom doorway. “Please.” “I didn’t mean to make trouble,” the woman pleaded. The man got up and scowled at Dashan. “What’s a damned Kaldee like you doing up here anyways? Why don’t you stay in the marshes where your type belongs? We’re going to cut you down to size one of these days.” “You’d better leave,” Dashan responded. “You’re speaking loudly and making a disturbance.” “You don’t know who I am.” “I know you’re not behaving yourself.” “Listen, I bought this whore for the night. She’s mine to do with as I please.” Dashan shook his head. “I say not.” “Piety from a Kaldee?” He wrinkled his nose. “You stink.” “I’m a goatherd.” “By the gods. Then, go herd. Get out of here. You don’t belong in a place like this.” “My money spends as good as yours.” “Please – ” the woman said. “You heard the whore, Kaldee. Shut up and go.” “I don’t want to make trouble,” the woman said. “I wish I’d never come here.” Dashan turned to the woman. “Do you want to leave?” “She isn’t leaving!” the man roared. “I told you. I’ve hired her for the night.” Dashan faced the irate man head on. “I say she leaves if she wishes.” “The hell she does.” The man reached out, grabbed one of the three-legged stools and swung it at Dashan’s head. Dashan ducked, but not enough, and the stool gave his head a glancing blow. “By the gods!” the woman screamed. “I never meant to cause all this.” The man swung the stool again. This time, Dashan fended it off with his staff. “Your head’s bleeding,” the woman shouted at Dashan. When the man swung the stool yet again, Dashan batted it out of his hand with his staff and sent it flying across the room. “Ow!” the man grabbed the hand that had been holding a leg of the stool. “Bastard! You’ve broken my hand!” The taverness came over. “This fighting must stop now,” she said. “I insist.” “You’d best get the waterfront patrol,” Dashan said. The man quick-stepped and kicked at Dashan’s groin. Dashan whacked his leg with his staff and then, as the man went down, gave his butt a whack that sent him sprawling. Using his good hand, the man raised up from the floor. Breathing heavily, he growled, “You’ll pay, you bastard.” Turning to the taverness, he said, “Go, get the waterfront patrol.” “Yes, my lord,” she responded and scurried out. Dashan’s eyes opened wide. “Who is this man?” he asked the woman. She glanced at the man on the floor before daring to answer. “He is Kilat-Ninurta, Supervisor of the Canals here in Umma.” “Ah. I’ve tangled with someone important.” She nodded and the man on the floor guffawed. “As you’ll soon find out.” Dashan ignored him. “After the patrol arrives,” he told the woman, “we’ll leave if you wish.” She shook her head. “I’m afraid they will most likely arrest you for striking a municipal officer.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “I mean,” she hurried to explain, “you being just a common goatherd.” The taverness returned with two members of the waterfront patrol in their leather kilts. “What’s going on here?” the big officer asked. The man on the floor pointed at Dashan. “That Kaldee goatherd attacked me. Broke my hand. I think he may have broken my leg too.” The patrolman recognized the speaker immediately. “Supervisor Kilat-Ninurta!” He bowed. “My lord.” “Arrest that Kaldee scoundrel,” Kilat commanded him. The officer motioned at his partner to grab Dashan’s arms behind. Then he took away Dashan’s staff. “You won’t be needing this for quite a while,” he said. “You’re under arrest.” Dashan nodded, offering no resistance. “And my goat herd? What becomes of it?” “Where is your herd?” “Outside the city,” Dashan answered. “Shedded by the East Gate.” “Well, you’ve attacked Lord Kilat-Ninurta,” the big officer said. “Even if the judge feels lenient, you’ll spend time in the claypits. Your herd, I suspect, will be forfeited.” “Ah,” Dashan commented. “That will be too bad.” “For you perhaps,” the patrolman said. Then he asked, “I don’t recognize you. Who are you and where are you from, goatherd?” “Dashan. Dashan of Zabalam.” The officer’s eyes narrowed. “You look Kaldee to me.” “I am, but I’ve long called Zabalam my home.” “You live there?” Dashan shook his head. “I live on the Frontier, with my goats.” The officer’s eyes widened. “You mean you are the Dashan of the Frontier?” Dashan nodded. The officer turned to Kilat-Ninurta, still on the floor, and stared hard at him. “I didn’t know,” Kilat said. “I had no idea. I swear. I’ve known the Defender of the Frontier was a resident of Zabalam. But I had no idea he might be here in Umma.” It warmed Dashan’s heart to hear himself referred to as Defender of the Frontier. He knew the odds had turned and were now in his favor. It took but a moment for him to recall the section of Karum code that read, long term gain comes from not pressing temporary advantage too hard. “Maybe I can explain what happened,” he told the officer. “I’d appreciate it.” “This woman, who the supervisor hired for the night, changed her mind and wanted to leave. Perhaps she felt ill. I offered to walk her home but, since my lord felt he had employed her for the night, there came to be a misunderstanding between us.” The officer looked skeptical. “Yes, a misunderstanding,” Kilat-Ninurta said. “An incident.” He got to his feet. “But, my lord,” the officer said, “you said he had broken your hand.” Kilat flexed his hand with some pain. “Sprained, yes. But not broken. See?” He flexed his hand again. “I must admit I was overwrought when you arrived.” The officer turned to the woman. “You wish to leave?” he asked her. She nodded. “Yes,” she said, “it’s been a terrible night. Really, I don’t feel well.” He turned back to Kilat-Ninurta. “My lord, - ” “By all means, officer, let her go on her way. It’s best we all forget this.” The officer nodded to the woman. She turned to Dashan and asked, “Would – would you escort me?” “Gladly,” he said and put out his hand for his staff. The officer returned it and he walked out of the tavern with the woman. * * * “I’ll walk you home,” he told her. “Surely you realize what the supervisor said was true. I am a prostitute. I live in the wall.” “I guessed as much. But if you’d prefer, we can sit down here on the corniche and talk. What’s your name anyway.” “Lila,” she answered as she seated herself on the flood wall. “Actually, it’s Lila-Enlil but my family disowned me when I ran away from home.” “Ah. You ran away?” “Yes, to come to the city. You see, we lived on the Frontier and I found life dull and boring there.” Suddenly, she realized she the man she was talking to was Defender of the Frontier, a goatherd who spent most of his life on the Frontier with his goats, protecting the cities of the Iturungal. She giggled. “I guess you already know about the Frontier, don’t you?” “It’s why I like coming into town once in a while.” “To visit prostitutes?” she asked. “No. I have. But generally, I’m too shy and I feel uncomfortable.” “You?” Lila giggled. “As Defender of the Frontier, you’re famous! Any prostitute in this town would jump at the chance to service you.” “Any?” Lila grinned at him and nodded. “Yes. If you must know, me too. Are you so surprised?” She took hold of his hand and asked, “Did you tell the others who you were?” Dashan shook his head. “Silly. Why not? Don’t you know prostitutes like to go out with important men, men who are famous. Word gets around and they get talked about. It’s very pleasant and, besides,” she confided, “it’s good for business.” “Is that why you went out with Kilat-Ninurta? “Oh yes. At least that’s why I started going out with him. I’ve been with him a number of times. It was nice at first but now he’s become more demanding. If I don’t do everything he says, he hurts me, like when he slapped me in the tavern tonight.” “Why don’t you stop going out with him?” Lila looked at Dashan. “My reputation. An important official like the Supervisor of Canals can ruin a prostitute’s reputation overnight, if he wishes.” “Reputation?” Lila nodded. “Prostitutes have reputations. No one dares date a prostitute with a bad reputation. Might get arrested by the shore patrol. If the supervisor puts out the word, my business will be ruined. It probably is, anyway.” “Why?” “Because,” Lila said. “The disturbance at the tavern.” “When I intervened?” “If you must know—yes.” “You’re saying I ruined your reputation tonight?” Lila nodded. “Probably. At least here in Umma. I’ll have to go somewhere else.” “Ever thought of going back home?” “They wouldn’t have me now. You men don’t understand. A fallen woman, once down, has no way back up.” “We have a textile mill at Larsa. We’re on the lookout for workers.” “Who’s we?” Dashan laughed. “I may be a goatherd, Lila, and Defender of the Frontier, but I’m also a trader—a member of the Karum. We operate a number of workshops in the south. Our textile shop at Larsa is one of the largest in the Land. Has lots of jobs.” “What type of jobs?” Lila asked. “Is it like working in a temple shop?” “Yes, somewhat. Only we pay a little better and there are fewer restrictions on what you can and cannot do. But, work starts at the call of the morning watch and quits when the evening watch is called.” “Every day?” “Except Feast Days.” “Monotonous,” she said. “I’d get bored, Dashan. I mean, doing the same thing over and over, day after day.” “That’s the way life is, Lila. Occasionally, a surprise or a change comes along and livens things up. We traders are trying to make the changes happen more often.” “A life like that wouldn’t do for me. I’m not ready to settle down.” “Ah.” Dashan felt a keen sense of disappointment. “I see. I shouldn’t have interfered at the tavern.” Lila paused and he could tell it was to think of a nice way to answer him. “Perhaps it might have been better if you hadn’t.” “Now, because of me, you’re going to have to leave Umma.” “Probably,” Lila responded. Then she added, “But, I really appreciate what you tried to do. It just didn’t work.” “Many things I try don’t work.” “Don’t feel bad. Now that you know I’m a prostitute, why don’t you come to the wall with me. I live near the East Gate. You could pick up your herd first thing in the morning and be gone.” “I have no money,” Dashan said. “What I earned, I’ve already spent on supplies and what was left over, I used to acquire more goats. By the time I reached the tavern tonight, I had only enough left for a pot of beer.” “Oh,” Lila said, “don’t worry about that. I would never make you pay.” Dashan looked puzzled. “You’re Defender of the Frontier. If you came to my place, word would get around. You’d enhance my reputation and maybe I wouldn’t have to leave town after all.” “If you put it that way – ” Lila stood and tugged at his hand. “Come on. Let’s go.” Dashan got up and joined her. * * * The next morning, when the Morning Watch was called and the East Gate opened, Lila came out of the wall with Dashan. “Goodbye, Lila,” he told her. “Thanks for a wonderful night.” “I can’t let the Defender of the Frontier leave like that,” she proclaimed in a loud voice and threw her arms around his neck to give him a kiss. “What’s all this for?” Dashan asked. Lila answered in a soft voice. “Look around. Everybody’s looking out their windows. I think you’ve just helped me re-establish my reputation.” “Lila,” Dashan protested, “that’s a – ” “Slutty thing to say,” she finished the sentence for him. “I know, but that’s what I am.” Dashan sighed. “I wish you well,” he said and turned to wave goodbye as he left. “And you,” she called after him. Then she turned and, with a smile, faced her new admirers looking out their windows. Yes, she thought, business was going to be good. The End |