also said to have a striking appearance. The girl cared more about her tribe than herself and so
she agreed to the marriage.
“However, the girl did not want to give him the land. When the tribe leader then refused to
offer the help he had promised before, the girl grew agitated and pointed out that such a situation
was likely to befall his tribe also and how no one would help them if they did not help her tribe.
“The tribe leader’s son also stood on her side and it was safe to say that after he supported her,
she immediately fell in love with him. The tribe leader, after persistence from his tribe, gave in
and the warriors rode, along with the tribe leader and his son and the girl back to her tribe.
“When they arrived, it was daybreak. The girl sneaked them back in the way she came out,
and presented them to her father.
“Her father barely concealed his shock and fury at his daughter for doing such a thing alone.
But she could tell he was proud of her. When the foreigners came back into the camp, they were
assaulted by a wave of angry tribe people and warriors. The two tribe leaders made the foreigners
agree never to interrupt a tribe’s living as they had so rudely done the day before. The foreigners
recognized defeat and begging for mercy, agreed.
“From then on, the tribes lived in peace. The girl married the other tribe leader’s son and they
had a long and fulfilling life. The end.”
I looked at Gramma, still in a trance from the story she had told me.
“That was a great story! You told me it was going to end badly. It didn’t! You can’t lie, Gramma.”
“I never said it was going to end badly,” Gramma said in a leisurely manner.
“You didn’t start with ‘once upon a time’!”
“Idree, I was trying to teach you a lesson. You can never predict whether something goes
wrong in your decision and it’s only fair to assume a neutral ending. The girl might have made
the wrong choice in marrying the tribe leader’s son, but she went ahead anyway. She dared to
believe, and that is enough, I do think, for a good ending.”
“So when will I know the decision I’m making is right?” I asked Gramma, tucking the covers
up to my chin as I awaited her response.
“Do what the girl did. Let the Gobi guide you,” Gramma smiled, her words in a cryptic
message I could not decode.
Gramma got up to close the door to my room.
“By the way, Gramma, who was the girl, the brave girl? You never told me her name.”
“Why, Idree, it was me. It was me,” Gramma gave me a smile before closing the door and
leaving me in darkness to absorb her words and message.
