Princess Sultana's Circle

would not leave me here,
not for another moment!”
    Looking into the sad eyes
of that young woman, my heart broke. Although I was fearful of
wasting time, I listened quietly.
    Encouraged by my silence,
the young woman said, “I am from a large family in Laos. My family
was starving, so when two men from Bangkok offered money to take me
with them, my parents had no choice. I was chained together with
three other girls from my village, and then we were taken to
Bangkok. We were unloaded at a large warehouse. Then we were forced
to stand naked on a platform before a room filled with men. We were
sold at auction. The other two girls were purchased by a brothel
owner, but I was bought by a man representing Arabs. And, that is
how I came to be here, Ma’am.” Her voice grew low in a pitiful
plea. “Please do not leave me.”
    This story stunned me into
silence. Women were being sold at auctions, to the highest
bidders?
    Omar interrupted, “Why not
take these girls with you today, Mistress? Leave them at their
embassies. They can take shelter there, I believe.”
    What Omar said was true. I
recalled a London television news report of maltreated Filipino
maids in neighboring Kuwait who had taken refuge in just such a
manner. Although the Kuwaiti government had denied their stories of
mistreatment, and forced these young women to live in limbo for
many months, eventually they had been given their freedom to return
to their home countries.
    I smiled once again at
Omar. I had hoped he would not be a foe, but I had never dreamed
that he would be such an ally!
    Soft voices mingled
together in a demand for freedom. “Yes! Yes! Take us
today!”
    A small, pretty girl with
Arabic features inched closer to me. “Please, help us, Ma’am. Our
master is a cruel man. He and four of his six sons come to us every
day. Oftentimes, he brings many other bad men with him.”
    “ Our life here is too
horrible,” another girl said as she looked beseechingly into my
face. “You can not imagine what we endure, Ma’am.”
    I took a deep breath.
Should I try to save these girls, no matter the consequences? One
look at Maha’s face answered my question. Yes, I should! Yes, I
would! But, first, I must form a plan. I looked at the girls around
me. Many were scantily dressed. I could not take them on the
streets of conservative Saudi Arabia in such attire. Angry,
rock-throwing crowds would gather, which would ensure failure. “Do
you have cloaks to cover your bodies?”
    Several of the girls
exchanged looks. One said, “There are none here that we know
of.”
    “ Use the sheets from the
beds,” Omar suggested, giving me a sly, knowing look. “There are
ample beds to provide many covers.”
    I glanced at opened doors
surrounding the harem. Most led into small cubicles that held
beds.
    While the girls ran from
room to room collecting sheets and bed covers, some of the smallest
girls gathered around me. I was astonished to see that two of these
girls were mere children! One was no more than eight or nine years
old!
    I held these children
tightly, fighting back rage and tears. How could any mother sell
her own daughter? It was utterly unthinkable.
    My head was spinning. I
knew that I could not transport all twenty-five girls in one
automobile. Despite the risk to this secret mission, I must call
home and arrange for several other drivers to meet me at Faddel’s
palace.
    I motioned to my daughter,
“Maha, take these children and find covers for them.” When Maha
took the children from my arms, I retrieved my cellular phone from
my bag. My chance to make that call never came.
    The room erupted in chaos
when Faddel, Khalidah, and three large men walked into the room. I
felt a deadly chill in my veins as I looked into Faddel’s cold
eyes.
    “ When we heard the uproar,
we had no idea that we had such a distinguished guest,” Faddel said
with a smirk as he pulled the telephone from my frozen fingers.
“Sultana, you are not welcome here. Leave this place, at
once.”
    I looked past Faddel to
Khalidah. The last time I had seen Khalidah she had fainted. She
looked deadly calm, now.
    “ Surely, Khalidah, you do
not approve of this.”
    Khalidah looked at me with
contempt. “It is not for you, Sultana, to say what goes on in
another man’s home.”
    When the young women
realized what was happening, a chorus of screams rang throughout
the room. Faddel made a quick motion with his hand. The three burly
men accompanying him began to push the