Hatim walked for many days in the desert, when he came upon an enchanted garden. He walked around in the garden and spotted a magnificent palace. Beautiful statues of marble surrounded it. He stood rapt in wonder. As if to break the spell, a parrot’s voice cried out to him, from within the palace, “O Hatim! Why do you stand there? Have you decided to end your life?” Hatim, on hearing the voice, walked towards it. As he was about to step inside the palace, he read the words written on its gates, “Remember O human! If you enter this palace, you will not come out of it alive. This is the enchanted palace of Kaiumarath, who built it to protect the rarest of the rare diamond that he possessed. The diamond is preserved in the body of the parrot. You cannot get out of the enchantment until you possess the diamond and while doing so, you will lose your life!”
The Palace of Kaiumarath
