The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi

In this interlude, Amina agrees to tell the story of how she married a demon. She relates that she was in the Maldives one day and was drunk because she missed her third husband. Suddenly, she was interrupted by the most handsome person she had ever seen. He introduced himself as Raksh and promised to bring her luck if she would take him on as a sailor. He told her that she “radiates ambition and yearning” (221). When he asked her to state her desires, she confided that she wants to go everywhere and to become great. He promised that if she took him with her, people would sing songs about her. They began to kiss, but Amina soon stopped herself, saying that she could not kiss him because they were not married. He commented that he had not tried a conjugal contract in a long time and seemed eager for the prospect. They found a cleric in a tavern and were married. The next day, she woke up hungover after having spent most of the night having sex. Lying next to her was a beast with blue skin and leopard spots with claws and silver tusks.