The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani Page A

of gray and blue, she whispered, "At last we can talk without the old folks!" Her irreverence delighted me.
    Naheed opened a trunk full of paper with black marks on it and pulled out a sheet to show me. I stared at it for a moment before I realized what she could do.
    "God be praised!" I said. "You can write!" Not only was she beautiful, but a scholar, too. Almost no one in my village could read or write; I had never even met a girl who knew how to use a pen.
    "Do you want me to show you how I do it?"
    "Yes!"
    Naheed dipped a reed pen into a vessel of black ink and brushed off the excess. Taking a fresh piece of paper, she wrote a word in large letters with the ease of long practice.
    "There!" she said, showing me the page. "Do you know what that says?"
    I clicked my tongue against my teeth.
    "It's my name," said Naheed.
    I stared at the graceful letters, which had a delicate dot on top and a dash below. It was the first time I had ever seen anyone's name recorded in ink.
    "Take it--it's for you," she said.
    I pressed the paper to my chest, not realizing it would leave a wet mark on my mourning clothes. "How did you learn?"
    "My father taught me. He gives me a lesson every day." She smiled at the mention of him, and I could see that she was very close to her Baba. I felt a pang in my heart and I looked away.
    "What's the matter?" Naheed asked. I told her why we had come to Isfahan from so far away.
    "I'm sorry your luck has been so dark," she said. "But now that you're here, I'm sure things will change for you."
    "God willing."
    "You must miss your friends back home," she said, searching my face.
    "Just Goli," I replied. "We have been friends since we were small. I would do anything at all for her!"
    Naheed had a question in her eyes. "If Goli told you a secret, would you keep it quiet?" she asked.
    "To the grave," I replied.
    Naheed looked satisfied, as if an important concern about my loyalty had been addressed.
    "I hope we can be good friends," she said.
    I smiled, surprised by her swift offer of friendship. "Me, too," I replied. "Can I see more of your writing?"
    "Of course," she said. "Here--take the pen yourself."
    Naheed showed me how to make a few basic letters. I was clumsy and spilled pools of ink on the paper, but she told me everybody did that at first. After I had practiced for a while, Naheed stoppered the vessel of ink and put it away. "Enough writing!" she said imperiously. "Let's talk about other things."
    She smiled so invitingly, I guessed what she wanted to talk about. "Tell me: Are you engaged?"
    "No," I said sadly. "My parents were going to find a husband for me, but then my Baba--"
    I couldn't finish the thought. "How about you?" I asked.
    "Not yet," said Naheed, "but I plan to be soon."
    "Who is the man your parents have chosen?"
    Naheed's smile was victorious. "I've found someone myself."
    "How can you do that?" I asked, astonished.
    "I don't want some old goat that my parents know, not when I've already seen the most handsome man in Isfahan."
    "And where did you find him?" I asked.
    "Promise you won't tell?"
    "I promise."
    "You must swear that you will never breathe a word, or I'll put a curse on you."
    "I swear by the Holy Qur'an," I said, frightened by the idea of a curse. I didn't need any more bad luck.
    Naheed sighed with pleasure. "He's one of the best riders in the polo games at the Image of the World. You should see him on a horse!" She arose and imitated him taming a bucking stallion, which made me laugh.
    "But Naheed," I said with concern, "what if your mother finds out?"
    Naheed sat down again, slightly breathless. "She must never find out," she said, "for she would refuse a man of my own choice."
    "Then how will you ensnare him?"
    "I'll have to be very clever," she said. "But I'm not worried. I always find ways to make my parents do what I want. And most of the time, they think it's their own idea."
    "May Ali, prince among men, fulfill all your hopes!" I replied, surprised by her