The Prophet

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1

Go away. Shoo, shoo!

Hey! Child! Come back here.

Bring that back!

Watch it!

Stop!

Ooh! Whoa!

Little savage!

Almitra!

Almitra!

Eggs, honey, fruit, nuts.

Let's say, seven silver ones.

What? Oh, yes, of course. Let me...

Almitra!

Quite a handful, your daughter, no?

Actually, she's very sweet.

Yes. Like lemons.

With honey.

That's four, five, six...

Almitra! I mean it!

...and seven.

Almitra, get down from there!

No, no, no. No, I mean, don't move!

No, no, no.

Easy, boy!

Oh, dear!

Oh!

Are you all right?

Not again. My dates, ruined.

It's the mother's fault.

Letting her run wild like an animal.

Sorry. Sorry. I'm so sorry.

Here, here's some.

This one's still good.

These are okay.

It will not happen again.

It takes a village, no?

An apology would be nice.

I said I was sorry.

No. From her. She's the one

causing all the trouble.

You know she doesn't speak.

Or won't.

Not since her father died.

Ugh. That was over two years ago.

Look, I'll pay you later.

All of you. At the end of the week,

when I get paid.

And what about all she's stolen?

My daughter is not a thief!

That's what she says, yes.

Hey, Almitra, look.

We found the cat that got your tongue.

You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

Darling, pay no attention to them.

They're just dumb kids.

What's this?

Eee!

Baby, I know you miss your father.

Me, too.

And if I could bring him back, I would.

But it's just us now.

And you know what?

We're going to be all right.

We just need to stick together.

You know what I miss the most?

Your voice.

All right, my little one.

It's school for you and work for me.

Try to be good, okay?

Oh. Please let it be a goat.

Almitra.

Why are you following me?

You know you're supposed to be in school.

Well, there's no time

to take you all the way back,

and I can't lose this job.

I guess you're just going to

have to come with me.

But listen.

You better not take anything.

I'm serious, Almitra.

In this family, we do not steal.

Understood?

Oh!

Ya!

Good morning, Halim.

Kamila.

Morning, ma'am.

Are you okay?

Excellent.

Oh. You've brought along some help today.

Or perhaps you're a spy.

Yeah, she's the leader of the Resistance.

Excuse me.

Wait! Don't go yet.

I mean...

I can't allow entry without

the appropriate documents.

For the girl.

What? Oh, come on, Halim.

I don't have time for this.

I've got work to do.

You know this prisoner

is a high security risk.

A dangerous criminal.

Why do you think they assigned

me to guard him?

- I have no idea.

- Whoa, whoa!

Hey.

Fine. Then you can babysit her.

She's very well behaved, by the way.

Shouldn't give you any trouble at all.

Uh...

So, Almitra, what do you do for fun?

Ahh!

Geez!

Hey!

What did you say to him?

Almost.

Okay.

This is great. I'm having a wonderful day!

Hey, come back here. That's my hat.

It's an official hat, you know.

It's a government hat.

Come back here! Here, birdie, birdie...

Do I hear a mouse?

Careful, little mouse.

There are traps everywhere.

I never get visitors.

It'd be nice to have a chat,

even with a mouse.

Oh. Where did you go?

Little mouse?

Hmm. No. Not there.

Ha-ha! I know. The cookie jar.

Hello.

Hmm.

Mmm.

Hmm.

No. Not there either.

Well...

Hmm.

A-ha! There you are!

Oh. A mouse in a cage.

Want a cookie, little mouse?

Mmm.

My name's Mustafa.

What's yours?

A-ha.

Almitra. That's a pretty name.

Well, Almitra,

there are all kinds of cages.

This house has been mine for seven years.

My crime?

Poetry.

Hmm.

Oh. The lady with the mousetraps. Quick!

We prisoners have to be sneaky.

You know what's funny?

They think I'm their prisoner,

but I've flown away many times.

Oh, yes.

Right out that window.

High above the whole island.

Let me tell you a secret.

We are not imprisoned by houses

or our bodies.

Not even by other people.

We are spirits.

Free as the wind.

It's a secret not everyone knows.

"I have seen people throw themselves

down and worship their own freedom

"Like slaves before a tyrant

"Praising him though he slays them

"I have seen the freest among them

"Wear their freedom as a handcuff

"And my heart bled within me

"For you can only be free when

You no longer speak of freedom as a goal

"And how can you be free

"Unless you break the chains

You have fastened around yourself?

"In truth, that which you call freedom

"Is the strongest of these chains

"Though its links glitter in the sun

"And to become free, what would you

"Remove that is not a part of yourself?

"If it's a tyrant

His throne was built within you

"If it's a care you would cast off

"That care has been chosen by you

"And if it's a fear you would drive away

"The root of that fear is in your heart

"And not in the hand of the feared

"These things move within you

"As lights and shadows

In constant half embrace

"You'll be free indeed

"Not when your days are without a care

"Nor your nights without grief

"But rather when these things

Bind up your life

"And yet you rise above them

"Unbound"

That's it! Where is he?

I'd like to wring his

little feathered neck.

Halim?

Where is...

Almitra.

Didn't I tell you to stay out of trouble?

Halim! You were supposed to babysit her!

Oh, Mustafa, I'm so sorry my daughter

has interrupted your work.

I'll just get her out of your way.

Don't worry.

No, no, no. We're fine.

We were just chatting. Right, Almitra?

Chatting?

Yes, we were sailing

on the wings of the wind.

Mmm.

That reminds me, last night

I had the sweetest dream.

I dreamt of a ship

sailing into the harbor,

coming to take me back to my homeland.

Hmm.

Halim, you haven't today,

by any chance, seen a ship?

No,

but to tell you the truth,

I wasn't looking.

Mmm! Mmm!

- Almitra, get down from there!

- Ahhh!

Ooh!

Oh! Mustafa, I'm so sorry!

I mean, Almitra is sorry.

Oh! Here, let me...

You do it.

That must hurt so much.

No, no, no. I'm fine. I'm fine, really.

Oh, no, no, no. Look at your painting.

It's completely ruined.

No, no. Not at all.

In fact, it's improved.

No, no, Mustafa, you cannot mean that.

I do, I do!

But it's so ugly. Look at it!

Now, now, now.

I don't know what to do.

- Come and sit down. Here.

- I've tried everything!

Nothing I do or say gets through to her.

She's just completely beyond my control.

Well, of course, she is.

What?

She doesn't belong to you.

She doesn't?

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, Mustafa.

I remember clearly that it was me

who brought her into this world.

Yes, yes, that's true.

She came through you, but not from you.

"Your children are not your children

"They are the sons and daughters

Of Life's longing for itself"

Your children are not your children

They're the sons and daughters of

Life's longing for itself

They come through you

But not from you

Though they're with you,

they belong to themselves

You may give them your love,

but not your thoughts

For they have thoughts of their own

You may house their bodies,

not their souls

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