Agarwood: The Journey

Doors open and close unobtrusively with the deference one would expect as the call to prayer resonates from the towering minaret above. Humble footsteps patter across the boardwalk and the cool lagoon breezes that intoxicate my nostrils are infused with the infinitely opulent scent of sweet fragrant fruits.

The ripples of the water below crash ever so gently upon the rocks and I watch a lonely blue lotus drift to the water’s edge. ‘How the ancient Egyptians would have made an offering of you,’ I whisper quietly as I contemplate its Divine fragrance. Intoxicated by the scents around me I feel that my dreams of discovering the Secret will manifest themselves here. Beneath this vast canopy of peace and contentment I hurry along the boardwalk with conviction placed firmly in my heart. I am standing in front of the mosque with the golden dome in this Venice of the East.

After performing my prayers I reach into my pocket to retrieve Zainab’s necklace and to my despair discover it is gone. I am saddened at my heedlessness and try hard to remember where I had possession of it last but my thoughts are interrupted by an awe inspiring presence in the room. ‘Welcome to the Abode of Peace,’ says the voice. I turn towards the handsome, well-bred man who is donning the kind of robe that is fit for a king, his beard is still wet from ablution and he carries a pair of sandals in his left hand.

‘Whoever will be patient with Us will reach Us,’ he whispers as if reading my mind, and with that he extends his right hand gesturing that I take the extraordinary prayer beads from him.

The man in the robe crosses the room in a few humble strides and looks out of the window overlooking the village. ‘Everyone is facilitated in that for which he has been created for.’ He opens the window as if to reveal the ancient secrets held in the waters of the lagoon. ‘And who could be so lucky? Who comes to a lake for water and sees the reflection of moon.’ And with that he smiles and retreats to the coolness of his prayer.