THE MONGOL'S SHADOW

"0 undefiled Zoroastrian! KnoUJ that al th(" end 0/ a tllOtUand Y"(lff

the worst era shall begin; that hundreds, thousands, ten rhollSands of
devils tt;/th disheveled hair, born 0/ the race of Evil, fllall overrun the
'Mlion oj iran from the Eu,t. TIII:Y will burn and destmy all: l(w,.',
possession, manliness, generosity, faith, rrlithfulncH, happiness, rau,
cC?mforf, mirth: they (vill violate al! the works do/1.~ in tile name v!
Ahuni M,nda and put <In end /0 tile Afa~d..an religrorl (lnd tfle ,ii/jill!
of (in:. Then they u:ill rule with oppression and fierceness."

Bllhml1,1 Yasht, 22-24.

Pouring with sweat Shahrokh wurked his way through Inc s~mlcd
tangle of ancient trees. His dishevelled hair hung down to his shculders
in mats. His large troubled eyes had the glow of the sick. His hroad
pale forehead was disfigured with scratches. He held his left hand In
front of his right upper arm protectively, so that nothing could touch it.
He hJd lost a IDt Df blDod. His clDthes were in talters :lnd hi, tet:t were
caked in mud.
When he cdught Sight of the stream, his face ch.1,1ged. He: walked
sDftly and cautiDusly to the oak tree and sat down on its root which
jutted up from the ground. The tree trunk was bulky and hollow
inside. He looked about him: it seemed as though he was the first one
to have ever been tlLert~. The place .... ':lS so thickly overgrowll, the way
there h:td been so circuitous .'md full of snarls that no one, no animal
even, could haw, possibly made it belore him. Was he ill Ihc mddle
of the jU:1glc or close to a vilbge? W;lS it norning still or almost dusk?
He wasn't sure uf allYthing, except that it wasn't night and he iadn't
found a ,helter vet.
He thought: 'the place was both ominous and pleasant. There \V<JS
yellowish-green moss on the tree tnitlks about him. The leaves on the
sround had decomposed and become: part of the black earth. :lnd under
them, thmugh them, were bbdes of gr~ss pushing UpW;lr<;!. The smell

%
in the ,llr was that of mu\ty cdhn; It came from Ihe hrowll·(oIOleod
leavES, under which there were hnrues. of insects, black 'lnu bl<lwn
beetlc\, ;lnc! over them large flies with long legs, slender waists and
transparent wings, circling in the sunlight. The pool at the bottom of
the stream was full of black slime and decJying Je:lves. Every so often
tiny bubble., surbccd to Ihe top ;lTld hurst; but the stream itself-a
narrol\' line that ((lursed its way over )lehblcs-w;Js sparkling and c1e<1r.
Shdhrokh leaned forward <1nd dipped hiS ldt hand into the strC:lm.
The coolness shot thro\lbh his skin, rclle\'lllg him for a moment from
the pain in his body.
for five days he h:lJ been lost, wandering through the m;lZe of the
Her:iz[Ji jungle, nursing :l wounded Jrm and going nowhere in par-
ticular. \VJS he trying to stay in hiding or get to :l. viJiage? Village,
wh:ll \'ilbge: Did the Mongols leave anything standing behllld them?
He wo. like thousands of others, had been forced into the )ur:gle, and
thert llfc had washed its hands of h\)11. He had lived up till then to get
his o\\'n hack-;lnd now th;lt W;15 Gone. \Vhat more was there to say?
Perhaps outside the jungle some df those yellow bast:lrds were snIl
looking for him. :\nyway, wlJ.\l dliTercnce did it make whether he
jived or not-or whether hiS carC;lSS W<1S covered with flies, or a Jeopard
sniffed him ovrr, or the ;\Ilts dug their way through his hem? \Vas he
made of any beller mdT th;ln Golsh:id?
What difference did it make if they cut h1m to pieces? Much better
to f.lIl mlo the h;lnds (If thc Mongols. Much better to stare those filthy
anirn:-d, \11 the face ag<1in. The\' j~ad plundered his country. They had
bllcu hi; hetrothed. How CDuld he free himself from those horrors'
The cr~· of his betrothed hell1g q;rhbed W;lS still in his ears.
\\'hen he got there he stoppCt! LI1 the doorway, saw Golsh:-Ll.l strlpped,
lying 11<1kn1. the Mongol (Oil ((Ip ot hcr, thrashing Oll! her Jrms and
legs, stretchin(.: oUt her thin mmcles. screaming: "Shahrokh! Shahrokh!
Where arc you) Get him oJ1 me!" The Mongol's shnted eyes were
glistening. HIS face was crooked ;lnd Aushtd. His nose looked as though
it h;lc! )JW1 thnened by a hammer. His brdidcd hair swayed over the
back of his he;ld, lIke the wil of J cow. Wh:H a hideous laugh he had!
He pulled out his sword and rm)l<:'cl forw;lfd like a m;ldman. Then
some one, he couldn't lell who-whether it W;lS the Mongol's friend or
his brother; they both lookecl ;llikc-grabbed his hands from behind
and before he could take ;lJlother step tied him up with a rope and
shoH:cl a cloth into his mollth. Then the one with the gh~sdy bugh and
f1ushtd ~ppe;HJnCe threw Ihe twisted body of Golsh;ld on the rug, drew
out his sword and pushed it inlo her eyes. God, whJt ;1 fearful cry she
leI out! The room trcmblecl. He w,mhed him cut off her ears and nose.

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The blood spurted up in f(Jllntains, Then 11<' plunged his sword into
her belly. Aftcr that a d,Hk haze settled over his eyes. He closed them
tight. lIe heard the Mongol's hideous laugh, the mumed mCJJas of
Go]sh3d, the twitching of her hands and feet. ¥lhen he oj'cned his eves
Jgain, he saw the savage-the Mongol-with the drooping mustache
and slanted eyes reeling over her hody. He w:>, in a SI;)te of ecstasy!
Th", sight of blood had made him drllnk!
Sh:ihrokh tried to shake himself loost", hut it was like being C:lUght
under something too heavy to lift. It W;I> getting rbrker. ThIck smoke
blew into the room. A tongue of lire, like molt~'n iron, k:tpt \lP from
the house next door. The Mongol ~ll1(J his cohort plllltd :t sack to the
window; thell hands wcre bloody and their bees glowd in the light
of Ihe fire. One of thCfll turned ~nd started movinh" toward, h~rn with
;l sword. \[ only he Iud been killed rhen, alon.!.; with (;olsh,'iJ; but

there was morc anguish ahe;Jd of him_ He h:1(l ~1l1l to pollute his sword
IH filthy Mongpl blood.
Theil there W;)S a era.,ll and the ,Ioor or tlK j!lfUH bur'! 0j'CIl. The
Mongol who was moving lowJnl~ him 1;111 to the wUldow. helped his
cohort pick up the sack and thrlHV it (JlJt~](I<.:'. Then he ~:l\"- (heir forms,
d:Hkened against the light of t1w Ore, risc li'~e pillar<;, t:lkr· the shape
of a demon and leap down ;)nc! di'~ppear into die <,ll1o!;e Jnd fire.
Four mell entered the room c:lfryillg \\·(':lPOI1, . . \rn(IJ1,C: them was
,\(]lIShe, his cousin, and hi,l old friend P,JSI'\-I(Jn who Clll,~ Uf' to him
and untied his hands. When he was free, he ,<,tl'll'j>ed flll cI"lh('~ and
threw himself on top of GolshJ:d. She wa~ IJ1lJnu',u! ll1 blood. \V Jr'll
,ticky blood spurted from her wOllnds. Ht"f rnanglnl 1",Jr quin>[e'd
Jl:.lll1~t his own. Now and then if [witched. H~ ItlrnnllJL<; Lie .I,,'ay.
'Thick smoke poured in through the window, fillill i! the rnc,m with
du<;t and <l~hes. The fire wa, 'preading. Theil Clnle ILl' ,(ltllte! of a wof
c;I\·jng in fullowed by sere;)nh ,me! mo,lIH. P.\lhl"Han g:lZ;d .H th~ body
of C;ulsh.'id, his f:lct'. Rushed and beaded with .\wut. Then he ttimed to
him bitterly and muttered between his teeth: "You W\Te lwre. r '{au
:t(tually SJW . . . !"
Colshad was his sister. Suddcnly he !o"bJ d,t"I,(d, .11 tht,,>c:h he had
Just rC;l!i;>:ed her lo~s. ! Ie lowered his held ,1l1d Wiped Il:c IWUt elf hi.>
forehc;ld.
It was there in (he midst (I[ the Ilimult, o\'\:r her boch-, (rut Sh:ihrokh
had taken his oath: eit_her to makc them pay f(,r h<:r de-Jlh or d',e in the
process-at the hand, of those b,l,tJnh who hJd nnlhill.l.': III nlind other
than haehng and hewing, killing and pillaging. FrrJI'.' then on he
'0ught thcm OUL It was this (ksire for rewng<' that 1l1,ri\ltd in him
a feeling- for life. From that moment. he wanted to be ;l!:\'('. I-Ie wJnted
to kIll Mongols.

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 Shahrokh became;] diJtrrtnt penon, all right. Up till then he and
a small group of young Iranians who h:Jd held onto the ways ar,d beliefs
ot their nnce,tors-lhose who hndn't been corrupted-were plotting the
overthrow of Arab rule At fint they welcomed the Mongol advances
as a ~ign of hope, as il f:ll,11 threat to the race of Sam. But when the
Mongols arriH:d. when the yeJluw,skinntd race of bloadthirsty savilgtS
,1CluaU)' iJ,vaded dwir s011-thtse sheep trolters anointed with filth, with
slanted eyes and grubby bces, who h~d mastered the art of the sword
to perfeclion, and who~e nJrrow millds envisioned nothing other than
riding in hordes, setting fire>, butchering and inAlCtlllg misery wherever
they went-then th,,: knew that no matter what they did . . the Mon-
gol WJS the emmy uf all things moving, of man, the enemy of life
itself '
Then Ihe\' .':11\' what h.ld to be done. For Sh:;hrokh it was. first of
all, m:d,ing 1hose yellow bastards p:ry for the (kllh of Golsnad. He
wanted to ~et t!ltir klder-not HJbc Nuy:in , .. Chekh:iqutu . . .
Chekh:igLIIC;'i Kh;IT1, none of those types-but that bloody one: the one'
whose I1Jnw \Vas ,() foul ;ll,J repubve to the tongue that he couldn'l
even brmg him~tlf t'l pronOUllce it. He \v:lnttU to kill that man.
Sh;jhrokh p1hered a force of seven men on horseback; he be-came
..heir leader, Then that d:Jy in the buslles, while their horses were rest"
jng, they set their amhu>h. They knew that the Mungols passrd by that
way. Everv day their leader left his black felt tent and rode into the
village with a det:lchment of ten lllen. They :III looked ;11il.:e. They all
had the S.lnH: colOring and \\'ore dog,kiI15 or he':lfhides Ilcd about them
With ioul-m1dlil1g k:uher, BUl the hC1Chnl.ln had the diHinguishing
:nark (Jf a reel cloth slung over his shoulders.
When they he.:nd the souno of hoofs in the distance, they gOl ready
to spring tiltH .:lttack. ShJhrokh's he:rrt was potllHhng out of fear and
joy. He put t\\'o fingers to his hI'S and let out a whistle, The six of
them that were there hurled themselves at Ihe party passing by. Two of
the Mongols fell to the ground; the other eight were surrounded.
There were yells of surprise. Bhdes flashed in the sunlight. Clouds of
dust enveloped them:l1l. Shiinrokh caught sight of lhe one with the red
elmh and went after him. His first strike caught the Mongol's sword
lull on Jnd hath Iheir weJpons fell from thm h:rllds. Then he felt the
biceps of his right :Irm pierced from behind, He pulled out his second
SWord with his left hand and ran it through the enemy's stomach. The
Mongol howled like a jackal ~nd fell, red doth and all, to the ground.
All these C\'ents came to his mind as though they had happened
b.rely :lrt hour ago. After the Mongol fell, his own horse shied and
carried him ca. Two other Mongols rode after him, yelling like women.

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 -
Beyond that h,: relllcmbered nothing.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the Jungle, up
in:l tree, caught in a [;logic of vil1l~s. Blood was funning down his arm
and drlpping onto a [hi<,;k LJI:Kk patch on the ground, wh:ch was
swarming with :lots. His head W;l~ ~pillllillg. He [ore the hem at his
shirt, then grappled with one e:1d of it, while holding the ocher b~·
tween his teeth, tying it around ~i<; wound anJ flllJ.lly m.Jking a knot.
The pain this brought on was 50 excruciating that he nearly fainted
again. His forehean W~L~ burning.
He lay back and thought of the skirmish with the Mongols. A smile
came to his lips: he bd beaten his emllly. H,lJ his [,-iCIHh go:ten rid
of the others? Had they shmghtcreJ the ba:itarJs or had they beef}
killed? What had come of Pashlit:ll1 ;ll\d AnGsne)
What difference did it make? Not much ;\hcr wtul he h:ld seen:
Golsh:id being cut to pieces bit hy hit. ,mel after that her m;lnglcJ lM.lI'
catching fire! Well, in spite of all th;ll, he h:1(.1 gutten his olVn back,
He had done his sh~re of the killing. HE' rllJ _Ipillcd Mongol blood.
Hi; cons(icnce was de'H.
Five days had gone by since then. HI'" h:ld been wandering arouIl'l
the jungle like a m,'.dman, working his way through ancient trees,
nursing a wounded arm ane getting nowhere. AI flIght, wnen the junglr
got dark all of a sudden, he coulJn't stop shaking :rom fear. He took
rduge in tree trunks or up in the branches. But he ~nllldn't ~Ieep. H~
wis constantly startled by ,oullds: the cries of Jllim:lls, Ihe leopatd\
cough. dll' rustle of leJ.ves rhe pain in hi~ anTi throhhed. He W:l~
covt:red with mosquito bites. SOr,1ctimes during the day the mornenl
he sat down to rest he would drop orr 10 sIce':). But that day-the day
he anived at the stream-he simply wl\~1'5ed from exhaustion.
He looked about him and saw walls of thick bushy green. Every·
when: there were leaves: broad leaves, :urrow leaves, leaves of differ·
ent colors, light green, dark green, purple, beautiful flowers, slender
branches droupi[\g under the weight et Hower seed~ and fruits. He
listened to the shrieking of birds, the cries of animals, chilling sounds.
But ;)5 it got warmel, all uf a sudden everythng became sull. Looking
up, he ~aw between tbe br~Jnches J pine of azure \ky ~o dnzling bright
th.lt it tired his eyes.
It was hopeless being up against nature! Nature was full of guile,
infinitely resourceful III setting l:aps to torture as vinims. He was
hemmed in on all sides. He was like a dying mJn tJking his last breath.
He drew his sword from its ~hcath. HIS name, which had been in-
scribed on the blade in Pahlavi script, was so faded now that it could
scarcely be seefL He tnought of hi\ LHhn will\ his p;l!e bce and black

100
beard lying in bed, with two canJles over his head. He and his b!O~hers
were grouped around him with tears in their eyes. The old man looked
at them wide-eyed, then wi~h lremenac,us effort pulled himself up.
"Wha~ arc you crying for?" he S<lid. "Tears aft: for women. If I'm
dying in bed, it'.1 not became I want to. I'd father die fighting for our
soil and warer. But the future rests with you flOW. Our ancestors strug-
gled for their freedom with thejr blood. My only wish is that you do
the same. Worship the soil of rr~n :lnd keep it from falling into the
hands of foreigners."
Then he turned to him and said, "Unhook my sword. Take it and
kl it be a reminder III you." This was the sword that had hung ;H his
side all those years and thaI h;1[1 accomplished its purpose.
He shook his head. He wanted to use the sword to cut arT the dress-
ing. BIlt J5 soon as he touched it, the pain he felt! The burning! No,
it couldn't he done. He washed the wound with the dressing on, pour"
iag water oYer it with his eycs dosed. Then he washed his left hand,
sprinkled some water all hiS face and drank :1 mouthful.
He put his left hand imo his pocket and brought OLit a fistful of
berries. He knew about these berries as a child from his old family
servant, E~fdndiyar, who used to take him and his younger brother oUt
on walks and tell them about the places he had been to and stories
about ancient times. One day he showed them these berries. The ones
that were acrid and sweet were called "kons"; the ones that were round,
reddish and sour were CJlbl "valik." When their mother saw the batch
they had picked, she made thtm throw them aWJy. "You shouldn't t,U
them," she SJid, "they'll give you a SlOmJch aelle." When hi~ luother
picked them up :1gain 'll1d put them into his mouth, she slapped lhe
back of his hand.
It had been five days now that he had kept himself .:J1ive on these
herries, :1nd he still hadn't hJd a stomach ache! He raised his hand and
poured J fis~ful of them into his mouth. He chewed, knit his eyebrows
together, spat out the pits and suddenly realized that he wasn't hungry.
HIS head was Jching and hot; hiS arm was burning. He she;J.thed his
sword, then dipped his feet into the stream. With his left hand he
scratched his mosquito bites. If he could have seen a rdlection of him·
self in the water, he would have been horrified. The color had gone
from his face, he had the scruffy makings of a beard, his hair was
tousled and matted and hlS agitated eyes had the glow of the sick. He
sat in a daze, not knowing what to make of his plight. He looked about
him absently,
He saw under a tree a de:ld butterAy being torn apart. Pieces of its
thin multicolored wings were ~cattered about. Swarming over it were

101
hordes of insects, surging in waves and tearing into it with ravenous
appetites.
All around him were trees. Fast-growing vine, were tied around
them, their powerful lips dasped about branches and sucking their
juice with quiet relidl.
For a moment there was a heavy silence; it had become hot. His
head and arm were burning; he was sOJking with sweat. There was
nothing he could do to make him~e1f comfortable. He looked about
him again. H.: shook his head and swore in a grating voice at Ahrlman
and the whole of creation~nature, suil, w:tler, all that kept calamity
thriving: peslllence, sickness, black leprosy ... and along with all these,
the h-longol.
• • •
Insects of various sizes Atw :mmnd in the beam (,L sunlight over the
r,tre.1m, making huzzing sounds with their wings. One would have
thought that they were celebrating a teJst. The damp e;\[th beneath
was covered with leaves, worts and wtllJ sh,)rdived Auwers witholJl
any smell. Shahrokh got up and pulled hImself to the hoilow of Ihe
tree. He peered inside GlUtiously. A person c(,ultl ":lsily fit into it. The
base of it was full of dry leaves. He picked up a stid~ ancl rllmed the
leaves, sweeping out the thorns Jncl odd hits of wood. H~ Jug the end
of the stick into the sandy hottom, which had cither lxen bruught in
with the rising water or aceumuLlted there through lime. Sevcral
crickets with brown backs jumped nut and darted away in fear uf their
lives. When the hollow W;1S cle:Jn to his satisfaction, he stepped inside
Jnd sat down. Scattered about the foot of the tree were llltlShrooms
looking like soft grey-culored umbrellas. This WJ$ ,1 good place to be in
as far as shelters went; he hadn't done badly consiJ"ring his circum·
stances. But then mddenly he was aware that hc wasn't afraid any
more. The leopard was no longer a thr"at. H one were to show up noW,
then so much the e:tsier for him: his end would be quicker.
He was getting weaker, but thoughts came to his minu rapidly.
Again he glanced about him: this tlllle h" felt :IS though he W;lS lrl the
care of something compassion;lle and klllu; he W:lS in the bCJ>()JTI of :;
tree. For a brief moment he sensed Ih:n he was a p;nt of l1:1ture. He
breathed in the damp air which wafted cluwn through the branches,
;lcquiring a fragrance that filled him with pe;lce.
Shiihrokh leaned hIS back against the wall of Ihe hollow. His face
was the color of the d"ad. He gazed in front of him with eyes wide
open. Gradually he felr his blood congealing lllSlde him. His eyelids
began to droop. Red Joci violet spots circled in front of his eyes, danced

102
around. disappeared a moment later and appeared again, leaving a
pamful impression on his nerves.
Slowly he rai.led his left h8nd 811d covered his eyes. His mind became
dark. The r;\in in his upper arm had subsided. He though! back to
lhe lime when he had gone \\':llking with Gohh5d through the rice
paJdies. The sky was heJ\'v with clouds. Golshjd was blowing
through a blade fA grJ,s cupped between her hands and gushed with
laughter at the ludicrous ~ound it made. The laughter in her eyes, her
arched brows. rcd cheeb, her beautiful ,J(hletic build which was visible
through her sdk dres~~all thoe he.\.1w clearly now. He took her hand
and helped her cross the dJ;(he~. Just then the sky rumbled. The mist
settled in. Drops of rain fo.:)l. 'l'la<;hing against the water around them.
Golshad wrapped her arllls lightly about him, .:rfraid of the thunder.
Then both of them ran and took cover uncler a "giilesh-bineh" \',lith
a straw roaf. They looked into e;lch other's eyes and when they spoke
their \,oic(s trembled. Then, for the first time, tht'v kissed; he felt
Gols.~;id·s W:1r11l lips ag;limt hj_~ own. When the rain' stopped he t~ok
her hOtT,e. Her mother C;lme out to meet them w::.)king straight, her
hJir grey, with a meL\!ldorolv smile, worried th:lt her daughter had been
out for sr~ lon~.
These thoughts were still In !lis mind when all of a sudden he saw
the Moogol with the sword io hi, hand laughing ludeously--Golshad
raped and mutilated, lying in hlood. He starled to tremble. Again there
IVne the douds of sl1lokt' al1<1 dust blowing into tbe room, the Mongol
with the hideous laugh, the two men rising up like pillars, taking the
shape of a demon and disappearing into the smoke and fire ....
His left h:l1ld fell and struck the htlt of the sword. He gra_~ped \t
hard. /\5 he squeezed it a p;linful smile came to his hp~: it was with
this sword that he had kdleJ dte bloody bastard with the sbnted eyes
and crooked face~the \Word th;lt his father hnd given lurn on his
deathbed.
Suddenly he fdt a sharp jerk. He pushed his head outside tht hollow,
but the rest uf hlln remained in the stomach o£ the tree. \Vith a smile
un his lips he closed his eyes!

• • •
II was the spring of the following ye:Jf. Two men from Mazenderjn
with large axes over their shoulders wefe making their way through
the jungle. The younger one walked ahead, stoppil1g every l10W al1d
then to hack at the branches that got in their WJy. When they came
to a small stream, they decided to stop for a rest. Suddenly thc older

103
one became pale. He tapped his friend on the elbow and pointed to a
tissue in an oak tree.
"Abra, look at thatl"
In the fissure ot the tree was the skelt'ton ot a man in a sitting po
sition, with the skull poking out and grinning hideously.
They went up to it slowly. Acrms it~ knuckles :lnd shinbones lay a
sword with an ivory handle. "God hav~ mercy on him," the older one
said.
He leaned forward and drew the ~w(lrd over to him with the blade
of his axe, then picked it up. II was as it he was afraid that the skel("ton
would suddenly reach out and grab him by the wrist. Then he tugged
at his friend's elbow again and continued his way. Whell thev got to
the branches blocking their path, they turned around to look .1g;tin.
The skull sticking up through the fissure was grinlling at them with Its
sand-blown teeth....
The older of the two beckoned tht" younger aheaJ: "Let's get Out of
here, brother. It's the Mongol's sh;ldol\'!"
Tehr'ln, 1310/11)31

104