Ramadan Arabian Nights 2023: Tale of Mando “Q and A” #EP21

Ramadan Karim 😀

In tonight's episode, Taher Abu Fasha takes us on a journey through multiple realms and genres. What surprised me the most was his skilful mixing of Arabian Nights fantasy and mid-century sci-fi, all while tackling big questions.

Abu Fasha's ability to blend these distinct genres was truly impressive and made for an engaging and thought-provoking viewing experience. He seamlessly transported us from one realm to another, while keeping us on the edge of our seats.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with tonight's episode and the masterful way in which Abu Fasha mixed genres to create a truly unique and captivating story.

To our tale, let’s remember what happened last night.

Now without further due, here is the 21^st night or the 483^rd episode in the Egyptian One Thousand- and One-Nights Radio show.

Synopsis

Mando arrived on horseback at the date and place given to him by Wardshan, while she was orchestrating his escape from prison. Suddenly, he heard a sound that was not the sound of Wardshan’s horse. It turned out to be her maid, Tamrhan, riding towards him on a horse to inform him of the latest updates, which were not good news.

Tamrhan told Mando that because Wardshan helped him escape, her father ordered her to be confined at the “Sadness Palace”. The princess’ confidant warned Mando that the guards were searching for him and that he should leave immediately. As they spoke, they discovered that the guards were getting close.

Back at the Sadness Palace, Princess Wardshan revealed to Tamrhan that Vizier Shahlan was behind the plot against Mando. Mando had no other option but to escape for now, but he vowed to return for his beloved Wardshan.

He took his horse and escaped into a vast desert with no companions. After running away for a whole day, he and his horse became tired and found themselves at a water well. They both needed water and rest.

As he drank, he contemplated his luck, life, and misery. Mando spoke to himself, asking why people turn life into misery. “Oh God, what is my sin!? Did you not Almighty create my heart? O’ lord, did you not Almighty create my love!?” he wondered.

“Is this real life or illusion!? Am I awake or am I witnessing a dream? Am I existing or not existing?” he continued to ask himself in a loud voice. “What is existence? What is being?” Mando wondered as he faced an existential crisis alone or so he thought.

“Hey (A), did you listen to what this creature has just said?” a voice told another voice in the empty desert, which had no one other than Mando and his horse. “What is existence? What is being?” Mando repeated his philosophical question.

“He is speaking in wisdom too,” A told Q. “It is either two things: the earthlings reached what we know, or this young man is ahead of his time,” Q said. “So, he would be created before his time,” Q wondered, and A wondered back, “How do you then explain what we see and hear!?”

Mando suffered a crisis in front of Q and A as he remembered poor Wardshan, who was currently a prisoner of her father’s palace. “What a coincidence!! We went to search for a beautiful place on earth and found this crying in front of us,” Q said.

A wondered if Mando was one of them, but he re-shaped himself into a human figure, and they did not notice it.

A and Q agreed to ask Mando. “You, young man,” Q asked with a strong, deep voice. “Who!? Who is there!?” Mando asked in extreme fear. No other human was there except him.

A and Q laughed loudly, assured that Mando was not one of them. “If he is one of us, then he will know us,” Q said, as Mando repeated “Bismallah El-Rahman El-Rahim” or “In the name of God, the Merciful, the compassionate” in fear.

A and Q as well as Mando imagined by Adobe Firefly

“Do not be afraid,” Q told Mando. “We are not harmful.” Mando asked where they were and from where they were speaking. “We are… Of course, he won’t be able to understand us,” Q told A, who told him to give it a shot as Mando was speaking in wisdom. “I hear voices, but I see no one in front of me,” Mando said in fear.

"Behold!" exclaimed Q. "We transfer our bodies to the eighth rays!"

"What eighth rays are you speaking of!?" demanded Mando, perplexed. "What are you saying!?"

"He won't be able to understand us," remarked A with a chuckle.

"Listen, you..." began Q, but Mando quickly interjected with his name.

"Listen, Mando," Q resumed.

"Are you jinn?" asked Mando with trepidation.

A and Q laughed heartily. "We are beings like you," Q clarified.

"So, you are not jinn!?" Mando exclaimed with relief.

"We hail from the in-between," A revealed.

"But why are you invisible?" inquired Mando.

"Because we have turned our bodies into the eighth ray," replied A.

"What rays!? What are you saying!?" shouted Mando in frustration.

"I told you that he wouldn't be able to understand us," Q remarked to A.

"It will be a problem for him," A agreed.

"I shall try to simplify it for you," Q offered kindly. "We are inhabitants of other planets, but we are far more advanced than your kind by millions of years."

"We have discovered the secret of the universe and unlocked the key to life," A elaborated.

"Each body in front of you is made of ray and force," Q continued, attempting to enlighten Mando.

"I understand nothing," admitted Mando with dismay.

A and Q as imagined by Adobe Firefly 

"Clear but take from our words what will make you closer to us," Q advised.

"But whether you comprehend or not, there will always be millions of years between us and your kind," A added soberly.

"Today, we have transformed ourselves into rays and power, and we have descended to your earth to impart our wisdom," Q declared.

"You were speaking our language," A interjected.

"We thought you were one of us," Q explained.

"Our only mistake was that we did not transform ourselves into humans," A admitted.

"Can you transform yourselves into humans?" asked Mando hopefully.

"As we please," A answered.

"Each of our bodies is composed of rays and power, and we can disassemble them at will," Q added.

"That is why you cannot see us," Q concluded.

"You dissemble your bodies?" Mando inquires, and the two invisible beings confirm. "We can reassemble them again in our first shape or in any other shape we like," Q says.

"According to the percentage of rays and power we assemble and dissemble," A explains. "We can make ourselves a human or a bird or a monster, any animal," Q elaborates.

"This is unreasonable," Mando protests, but A wonders how a human being speaks of the reasonable and unreasonable.

"So you can manifest now in front of my eyes," the young man says, and Q tells him they can manifest in any shape he likes.

"Okay, manifest in your image!" Mando requests and Q once again tells him that he does not understand them, while A reminds him that the man won't understand them.

"We can manifest as human or animal," Q says, and Mando tells them to manifest as human beings. A asks him what color of human being he wants: white, black, or yellow!

"Any human being!" Mando answers, and the two voices tell him with pleasure, "We will manifest as kind people," Q tells him.

Q and A manifest as good-looking men with the power of 77 and rays of 88. Mando is on the verge of losing his mind when he sees in front of him two handsome men coming to shake his hand.

Tomorrow, inshallah, we will know what Mando will do with those visitors from outer space.

Here is the televised version

Till tomorrow night inshallah.