The Afternoon in the End of Autumn

Low solar heat of the afternoon of autumn shined aslant from behind the glass of door on the table and yellow benches of class and even it cannot decrease from the cold wind that separates the leaves of the trees in the street and also the trees of neighbor’s garden and spread them in the air.
The students had sit in the row behind each other with the fear and beaten face and also with their big and wait eyes looked at the teacher. The building of their face unfinished and it was like that their face needed the act of the creator until become end and become as the same as their father’s face.
Certainly, their body was accomplished with a skillful sculptor who not give allowed that someone remove them from his workshop and put them in front of the people’s watching. Because separate of all thing, It stated his unskilled action and has notorious for him. It was like this that he must change the place of their nose or draw some line in their face. Their look was so dumb and has no light. It was more like puppies rather than a man. Something was a little in their faces.
The last three rows of the table at the end of the classes was empty and plaster and dust was sit on them. A map of Iran and a color image of human skeleton with ill-fitting and hefty bones that its teeth had lied on the each other and his eyes like two endless wells had put in his head bowl hung on this side and on the other side of a broken blackboard which students wrote on it. Some crumpled paper and a bunch chalk and an eraser of blackboard that some part of it was broken, had been poured at the corner of class next to a short edge box which was full of Chad. A photo which was similar to the human Photo with a big nose and a white mustache and evil eyes and heartless and a chest full of medals and Badges that apparently, he had given them to himself, was sitting in his photo frame above board and saw the students.
Teacher's desk was taller than the other tables that on it was seen a large book of present and absent action of student which was written their name in it and a Russian crystal glass Which Was contained two branches of withered amaryllis and also a glass of inkwell. A coal heater with the Grill and Scoops and pliers was smoke at the corner of the room. It was the third grade.
The teacher was teaching and as he was rotating a very old ruler between his fingers, suddenly Held it between the thumb and the palm of his hand and put the palm of both hands in front of his face and said with specific tone.
In the second rak'at, after reading Hamd and Sura (two special verse of Quran), keep our two palm in front of our Face and read some special prayer and we say to this action “qunut”. Apart from this, there are still other prayers that the people read them. But you will not learn others. If you learn that prayer which is in your book. That’s enough. After the first rak'at do bowing and prostration. "
But he suddenly cut his words and as his hands was against his face, He was stunned as statues. He stared a ripped and anger Moment to where the Asghar Siporiyan had sit. Asghar was looking to the alley and did not notice to the angry face of the teacher. But the silence of the class and cutting off the teacher’s lesson which he heard it unconsciously, caused that he pay attention to class. Suddenly he returned his face from the street to the class fast. He saw that all student are looking him. All of them have been stared him with terrified eyes and blameful views.
Teacher slowly put down his hands from his face and pulled out the ruler without the help of other hand through his fingers and got it tightly from the palm of his hand and shouted with dry voice.
"Hey calf Siporiyan! Hey kid of dog! Where was your attention? Where were you watching? I am telling them for you that tomorrow which is the test day do not be as the same as a lame donkey and can answer the question. He saw that I am teaching but he was looking into the alley. What was in the alley, which was more important than the Word of God? I think they did a very significant action, yeah? Well this year went to Fourth grade. Yeah, I am not a foolish man. Tomorrow, you will come and read a complete prayer. If you perform it wrongly, I will pick your nail.
He shook the ruler vertical and threatening in air towards Asghar. It was like this that he beat the air. His eyes due to the force of anger behind his magnifying glasses was round and red as the same as the eyes of rooster and shining tyrannically. His facial and forehead wrinkles waved.
But when he looked at Asghar carefully, suddenly his comment changed about him. It seemed that Asghar was more miserable and poorer than all children who were in the primary school. He had remembered that the Asghar’s Mother does cleaning and washes the clothes in the house of people and brings food for herself, Asghar and his two other little girls and also he was remembered that a few days after this that Asghar had gone to third grade, at noon of the same day that the students had been discharged, he wanted to go home, A woman with the special clothes at the door of the school that was not such a great age, stood in front of him and said.
"Sir, you are so honor for me, This Asghar, My children, does not have dad. One month ago when his dad was cleaning the street, He was hit by a car and gave his life to you. He is playful, he is children. Please do something that he pays attention to his lesson, it has a reward that God will give you. I have nothing to give but whatever you say I become your servant .I wash your clothes. You do something that my son read his lesson. Whenever he meddles you can hit him until picks his nail. He is your slave and I am your servant. He is very happy with you. So please do something that he learn to read.
Then she had bent and had kissed his feet. Now that he looked at Asghar, he was remembered all of these things that he had told to his mother and was so sorry for him.
Class was very quiet, that high and uniformity noise which always schoolboys in the class have, were cut. Each student tried to show an innocent face. There is not any sound of breathing.
Asghar was shocked. He had feared and the stump of his throat and the head of his tongue had been bitter. All students and class swirls around his head. Immediately he thought: Now he hits me. God. That time He threw down his head with shame and fearful and pressed his frozen hands to each other. Teacher yelled up again.
"If once again I saw that your attention is not on the lessons, I will hit you such this that your brain come from your head”.
As his head was down, felt that all student were looking at him, especially Fereydoun who was his enemy. He looked over his eyes and saw that Fereydoun without fear of teacher and very friendly rotated on the forward bench and his beautiful big eyes that every eyelashes on his white skin had the shade, looked at him frankly and when his eyes contacted with the Asghar’s eyes, he brought out his tongue from his mouth and raised his eyebrows and quickly return and looked in front of him.
Asghar had been so upset but could do nothing. Fereydoun was respected too much in class. He was more obvious rather than all students in the primary school. He came to school by car and got back by car. In the morning at the time of the second breathing in the school, their servant brought a jar of juice that was a rubber nub and he drinks it and also gave it to his comrades. The teacher did not fight with him. His skin was too white and his hands were always clean and neat and was never the black dirt under his nails. He has a special permission from the director that he does not shave his head like others and always somewhat golden hair like silk with this softness was on his head. These things were that Fereydoun had more than Asghar and each of them had existed fear in Asghar.

Asghar was thinking with himself:

If you're right, tell something to Fereydoun who is doing grimace for me. All saw that he did grimace. I did nothing with him. Oh Gosh, I wish I'd rather Fereydoun. The student who the teacher goes to their house and teach him and get on their car and eats some kind of the best food in their home. These food are like the food that my grandmother had brought for us which had a neck of hen. Like that fatty vegetable stew which that night that businessman who his wife had died gave it and we ate it that five people sat around a big tray on the floor of the yard near the garden. I and my grandmother and a Quran reader with a dervish and two blind man had sit around one of this tray which has stew and rice that this Quran reader wanted to get me off from that tray because said that more than six person must not be around a tray and we are six and this boy is more. And also these two blind man protested that we do not want to sit near some person who can watch. And after that my grandmother brought some kind of dish to fill it but the officer hit her but she could bring half of it for our tomorrow launch…
The Muslim sit after the second prostration and read Tashahod (one of the actions of prayer). Tashahod means the Muslim revise his faith with Allah and his Messenger. After that we came to home. We went to play some special game “Ghale begiri”. Night was so excellent. What the summer is good. Going to school is so awful. How we play some special game. In that day, Ali brought just bad action that he became upset. How Mashti Rasool play with him. I wish now we could play for ourselves. And we go and look on the hands of Ali Mazloom and Taqi Sag dast. As the same as that day that they read the clone and pour large bills in front of themselves. What the summer is good. How we went to “Shah Abdul Azim” with Mashti Rasool (He was thinking about them at the time of reading the Tashahod.) "After reading Tashahod, Stand up and third postures is started.” At that large tower in the Seraj Almolk’s Garden, We ate bread and barbecue and yoghurt with Mashti Rasool. Why the people say this is bad? Why whenever Taqi see me, he rebukes me? What does Mashti Rasool do with me that Taqi become upset? He is kissing me. He does with me as a dear. At the Afternoon, when we get on a black car to come to city, give me money. If at this time, Taqi say me that bad words again, I will tell to Mashti Rasool until he hit Taqi. His power is more than the Taqi’s power. I will tall to Mashti Rasool until that in this time that Taqi come to buy bread for his home, Mashti Rasool cause that he lingers and say some josh to him. "And in the third postures (rak’at), instead of Hamd and Sura (two special verse in the Quran) you must say for three times: “Sobhan Allah and Alhamdo Allah and La elah ela Alaallh and Allah Akbar” (These are some special word that the Muslim say in their prayer.) Until he fear to say in front of Seyed Abbas and Rajab Ali that Rasool put his jug on top of Asghar’s cannikin that the boys laugh a lot which then Seyed Abbas exit a persimmon from his pocket and say If you kiss me I will give it to you. I do not want. If the boys understand. If Fereydoun understands that Mashti Rasool do these action with me. I wish I do not come to school. I do not know how to read prayers then Fereydoun laugh to me and do grimace for me. I'm embarrassed in front of the students to stand and read the prayers. When I wanted to put my head on the soil (some special action in this prayer), in this place that we do not have any thing on it. In the morning that I will come from home, I will bring my books. I will go to that alley where does not have any way, in the behind of that house. I toss with the boys. I can conquer to one of them but Reza can defeat me. He is skillful. After that I tell to Mashti Rasool to come to my school and speak to my moderator that Asghar was unwell and he could not come to school yesterday. My grandmother cannot understand.
After that he entered his finger to his nose and scratched there and he bring out a dried pellet which was stuck to the wall of his nose with his nail and took his hand under the table and Rubbed that dried pellet between fingers but suddenly it fell to the ground and he was so upset.
At this point, he helplessly again slowly turned his head towards the street and looked to the people and carriages and the donkeys that carry things and the carcass meats which had been hanging from the fork of butcher. He wished that he was free and like them, he was going to wherever he wanted.
A woman had sit close to the butchery and a white bundle was in front of her and wore a striped prayer tent. When Asghar looked her, she stayed at that place. It seemed to him that my grandmother like this woman. She had also a striped prayer tent like her. But when he saw her from above, immediately was upset for his grandmother. He never had seen his grandmother from above. His grandmother was so smaller from above. He disliked all person who passed near her and did not pay attention to her. No one paid attention to that woman who was like his grandmother. "If Fereydoun knows that this woman who has sit close to the butchery, is my grandmother, what he says? The Teacher knows my grandmother. He talked to her close to the door of the school. Gassem, she is my grandmother.
Suddenly he felt that the taste of his mouth changed. It was like this that an extra thing had protruded through his teeth. He sucked his teeth. A piece of rotten meat came out from them. He crushed the meat between their teeth and he tasted it. It tasted as a rotten tripe and salty and fresh blood. He remembered that had eaten the tripe two nights ago. He also remembered that they must eat tripe again. They ate tripe in two days of a week.
They ate beet and bread at the rest of the night. When the sound of man who sales the tripe arose, my grandmother brought the pot close to that man. Asghar and Asiya and Zahra also were looking for her. That man put his caldron on the ground and after that took a copper tray white which was on the caldron, a lantern was on the tray too. The extra streams comes from the caldron. That man sliced abomasum and rumen and white liver with a knife and poured them into the pot. Finally, he poured the thick pus water on them. Then we brought it to the room and ate it with bread and vinegar.
Again he looked to that woman who had striped prayer tent and was look like his grandmother. After that he stared to the grocery store where was next to the butchery. He looked to the persimmon and meddler. But he turned his head with fear immediately to the class. The teacher was teaching. Then they was doing bowing and prostration and stand up and fourth postures was done as the same as the third one. He was suddenly worried. He remembered that he must read a prayer from top to bottom tomorrow in front of student. He had never prayed. His grandmother does not pray. One day he had heard that her mother had told her landlord. "If you see that I do not say prayer is for this reason that I am more unclean than a dog. From morning to night, my hands are in the piss and stool of the people. But my belief are cleaner than all people.” After that he was thinking about bowing and prostration. Two shapes, which their sizes were like each other and were like two pieces of clouds and do not have the specific form, danced in front of him. They were bowing and prostration. He imagine for himself that one of them is bowing and other one is prostration. But these form were disappeared instantly. One who had a special voice is this that the people put their head on the soil. It is prostration that the people put their hand to their knee and bow. Then he remembered Mashti Rasool again. He embarrassed and his ears turned red. It is prostration that the people put their hand to their knee and bow.
A pair of flies that had adhered together fell on the table in front of him. They spun around themselves for a while, like two wrestlers in the gymnasium and then one of them was isolated and jumped. Another one that had stayed there, with its legs smoothed its wings for a while, then, took on its antennas with hands. Its shadow long and ugly was dancing on the table and that shadow was doing every the fly was doing it. Asghar slowly brought his hand on the table, but his attention was with the teacher. After that he brought his hand slowly forward and took the fly agilely. He kept his hand on the table as it was fist for a while, but he was pressing his fingers and wanted to kill the fly. He wanted to know that where the fly has hidden in his fist. He was pressing his finger vertically, then raised his hand from the table and put it on his skirt. Again he pressed his fingers together, after that he undermined his fingers slowly and gradually opened them but suddenly the fly jumped from his hand and went into the air.
His fingers were pained. He had opened and had closed them for several times. He looked to the alley again. But that woman who had striped prayer tent and had sit close to the butchery, had gone. In the large garden of the neighbor, a woman was collecting the clothes that she had washed them and were on the cord. Smoke was coming out from the chimneys of the mansion. The man who was look like the cooks came toward the dock of the mansion. He had a long knife in his hand and in the other one, he had gotten the legs of two chickens and had hung them. When he arrived close to the dock and put the knife near it and got the head of the chickens and sunk them under the water. The Chickens brought out their head from the water with fear and acceleration and shacked them. Then he brought them to the edge of the garden and threw the knife on the ground, after that put the chicken's legs under his legs that had black shoes and picked up the knife from the ground and took it to the throat of one of them, But because he took it for several times and it did not cut their throat, Then put a knife on the ground and separated the feathers of the throat of the chicken that he wanted to cut its head, Then picked up the knife and cut off his head from ear to ear and threw his head to one side and its body to another side. He killed the second chicken as the same as the first one.
Still Asghar was watching to the gamboling of killed chickens that he felt that the class became silent again. He feared and his heart was working too fast. He returned his head back to class in agility. But the teacher did not look at him and his head was to the other side. The teacher had put his handkerchief in his hand. His handkerchief was crumpled and dirty. He opened between of it and cleaned his nose. Then he began to teach again. He said “in this postures which is the last one, we must sit after the second prostration and read the Tashahod Then say hello. After that our prayer will end. Say hello is this: “Alsalam Alaikom VA rahmat Allah VA Barakato.”
Taken from the book of puppetry- Sadegh Choobak