My Mother’s Persian Stories: Rose and

Marigold

Narrator : Once upon a time, under the purple dome of the sky, there lived a king who had a very
beautiful and clever daughter. But the princess was very sad. Whenever her father said that he
wished to see her happily married, the princess replied

Princess: “My dear father, you know why I am so sad.”

The King: “Among your many suitors, whoever can answer my riddle will be worthy of marrying
you”

Princess: “What is this riddle?”

The King: “What did Rose say to Marigold and what did Marigold say to Rose?”

Narrator: The princess immediately understood the meaning of the riddle and accepted her father’s
suggestion.

Princess: “I hope that a bold and noble man will be able to solve it.”

Narrator: There came a day, when a bold and wise shepherd thought to himself, “This riddle is not
about money and wealth or poetry or beauty. It is about an adventurous journey.” The shepherd
went to the bathhouse, changed into his best clothes, and rode off to the palace.

Shepherd: “Dear Princess, how much time do I have to solve this riddle?”

Princess: “However long it takes.”

Narrator: A journey of hope begins, The next morning, at the break of dawn, he started on his way.
He passed through the beautiful fields of his village. Then, he reached a river and walked along its
banks for many hours. Finally, he came to a point where the water diverted into a small stream.

Narrator: In a branch of the tree, there was a nest with a few baby birds waiting restlessly for the
return of their mother. The shepherd suddenly saw that a big snake was creeping towards the nest,
ready to attack and swallow the poor little birds. The bold shepherd swiftly caught the snake’s
neck with his bare hands, killed it, and flicked it away from the nest.
Bird: “You have saved my children! I owe you their lives!” The bird plucked out one of its feathers
and gave it to the shepherd. “Take this feather and whenever you need my help, burn it. From the
smell, I will know where you are, and come to your aid.

Shepherd: “Who lives behind this dark wall inside of the strange house?”

Bird: “A wicked and cruel ghoul lives there. Beware, for he often captures innocent people and
imprisons them inside of his house!”

Bird: “Every day, early in the morning, the ghoul leaves his house and after the sun sets, he
returns.”

Narrator: The next morning, after the ghoul left, the shepherd asked the bird to take him behind
the dark wall. They flew over the wall into the ghoul’s courtyard. The shepherd got off, looked
around, and saw a half-opened window. He climbed through and entered the huge house.

Narrator: He checked out each room until he heard a moaning voice coming from behind one of
the doors. The shepherd opened the door and saw many people imprisoned inside several cages,
which saddened him greatly.

Rose: “If you have come to rescue us, before doing anything else, find the ghoul’s Bottle of
Life, and break it. Only after you have done this, come back and free us.”

Marigold: The ghoul’s Bottle of Life is not inside the house. It is hidden somewhere in the yard.”

Narrator: Without fear, the shepherd quickly ran outside. He saw a little bird singing beautifully,
and flitting among the trees. The shepherd noticed that one tree had one green branch among many
dry, brown branches.

Narrator: He climbed up the tree and examined the green branch carefully and discovered a hidden
crack. The shepherd kicked the branch and broke it. Lo and behold, the Bottle of Life was hidden
inside! He took it and quickly scrambled down the tree.

Narrator: Soon after, the ghoul came rushing back, snorting like thunder and lightning. he tried to
scare the shepherd but when he saw that the shepherd was not afraid, he tried to fool him. But the
shepherd could not be fooled, either. The shepherd did not waste a minute. He bashed the Bottle
of Life with one sharp hit on a hard stone, breaking a part of it off.

Rose: “Why did you endanger your own life to free us? “Why did you endanger your own life to
free us?

Shepherd: “Could you help me solve the king’s riddle?”

Rose: “The riddle is about the story of my life. Many years ago, my sister and I were two
princesses, happy, and jovial, and carefree. My elder sister’s name is Rose and I am Marigold.
Rose always looked after me. One day, my sister and I went outside to play. I carelessly wandered
outside of the castle grounds. The cruel ghoul was waiting for such a moment. He suddenly
pounced upon me and grabbed me with his ugly claws. The guards of the castle could not release
me from the claws of the ghoul but were successful in saving my sister.

Marigold: “That fateful day, the ghoul screeched to the soldiers in a piercing voice that the king
must give him the throne if he wants his daughter back. But my father, the king, was not ready to
let the lives of all of his people fall into such ruin, even if it meant that he could not save his own
beloved daughter.”

Narrator: “That fateful day, the ghoul screeched to the soldiers in a piercing voice that the king
must give him the throne if he wants his daughter back. But my father, the king, was not ready to
let the lives of all of his people fall into such ruin, even if it meant that he could not save his own
beloved daughter.”