Week 6 Story: Muhammad's Luck

Week 6 Story: Muhammad's Luck

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(Bow and arrow: image by sammo241)

This story is a sequel to Muhammad Tirandaz, the Archer.

Previously, Muhammad Tirandaz the archer became known for his abilities and ended up not only employed by the King, but also earned the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the King’s armies. Now, this may make Muhammad sound like a very skilled warrior. However, the comical events that led to Muhammad driving off an entire army from attacking the King’s city involved anything but skill.

Muhammad had been strapped to a horse which he did not know how to ride. This resulted in him up-rooting a tree from the ground in his attempt to stop the horse once he had dropped the reigns. The enemy army only saw the image of Muhammad on a horse while a tree flailed from his arms as he screamed a phrase that led the enemy army to believe they were going to be ambushed.

This silly but effective event is the reason Muhammad stood, once again, near the King’s throne as he listened to information about a possible new threat to the kingdom. A few of Muhammad’s top officers in the army joined him in his meeting with the King.

The King explained, “We have heard from some scouts and night guards that a suspicious figure has been lurking around lately. Muhammad, I want you and your officers to be added to the night patrol of the palace’s inner chambers. I fear this figure could be an assassin who is on a mission for my head.”

Muhammad immediately agreed to the King’s orders. His officers nodded their heads as well soon after. The King had more to say to Muhammad and his team.

“There is one more thing. The inner chambers are rigged with traps, but guards who know what to look for should have no trouble getting around them. The traps are meant to assist us in these times, so use them to your advantage if you encounter the suspicious figure.”

Again, Muhammad and all the officers nodded in acknowledgement of this information. The King dismissed them and they headed to their designated patrol areas since it would be night soon. Muhammad was not familiar with the traps the King spoke of, but he figured he would be able to deal with them anyway.

Later that night, all the guards had started their patrols. Muhammad paced back and forth in a smaller part of his patrol area. He was bored. After a few minutes, Muhammad decided to walk further down the hall he was currently in. This hall was a couple floors above ground level and Muhammad had not been all the way down it yet. Muhammad had not seen any of the traps the King spoke of in the small area where he paced, but he also did not know what to look for.

This was a problem now that he unknowingly approached a trap that was in the middle of the hall, further down. The trap would drop Muhammad down two floors to ground level if he triggered it by stepping on the hidden pressure plate, and of course, he triggered it.

He stepped on the pressure plate and continued his walk for about a second before a spot in the floor opened and he immediately fell, unaware of what he had done. Luckily, the floors in the palace were not very tall so Muhammad would survive the fall with some injuries. Normally, triggering that particular trap would leave you flat on the floor once you landed. 

In Muhammad’s case of having strange but hilarious luck, he landed square on the suspicious figure everyone was supposed to be looking for. The figure was flattened by Muhammad’s weight suddenly being thrown upon them. The wind was also knocked out of Muhammad when he landed. Humans were softer than the hard ground, but only by a little when you fall from two stories high.

Another guard in a nearby hallway heard the sound of Muhammad landing on the suspicious figure and came to see what happened. The guard saw the pile of Muhammad and the figure and called for other guards. Muhammad, somewhat dizzy and probably bruised, collected himself and stood while the guards began to arrest the suspicious figure who was confirmed to be an assassin.

The King and everyone else in the city praised Muhammad for his amazing feat of catching the assassin so quickly. Again, no one knew that Muhammad was just a silly man with incredible luck.

Author's Note

I wanted to write this story because the original was something I enjoyed very much. Muhammad is a determined but somewhat clueless character, so I really wanted to write a new story about him since the first one made me laugh a lot. I thought the best way to continue Muhammad's story was to tell another story where he does something silly but ends up saving the day again. The original story describes how Muhammad became known for his archery skills. The King hires him after hearing he is so skilled at archery and calls upon him to fight against an enemy army when the time comes. Muhammad is given a horse, which he does not know how to ride. Muhammad asks that his feet be strapped to the horse and he rides into battle after that is done. He loses his hold on the reigns and ends up ripping a tree from the ground when he tries to stop his horse by grabbing it. The enemy army sees Muhammad riding at them like this and suspect an ambush, so they try to flee and the King's army defeats them. This is how Muhammad ends up in the position of Commander-in-Chief of the King's army.

Bibliography. "Muhammad Tirandaz, the Archer" from Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919). Persian Tales Unit.