Princess Sultana's Circle

too,
Sultana.” Haifa called out.
    Nura’s voice was loud and
clear. “Shadi, your Aunties will form a circle of protection around
Veena. I advise you not to try to cross it.”
    “ Sultana’s circle of
safety,” Tahani said suddenly in a fierce tone.
    Apart from Dunia, all my
sisters joined me as I left the tent.
    Apart from Asad, who
quickly followed Sara, our men were left alone, standing in
shock.
     

Epilogue
    On that same evening that
my sisters and I circled protectively around Veena, our husbands
finally moved to support us. Veena was transported to a private
medical clinic in Riyadh where her internal injuries were treated.
We discovered that the poor Veena had lost several pints of blood
during the gruesome attack. It turned out she was only fourteen
years old. Later, after she was deemed medically fit for release
from the clinic, my sisters and I learned the details of Veena’s
pitiful life.
    She was born in the slums
of Lahore, Pakistan. The family lived in a flimsy shack built from
scrap lumber, sheets of metal, and cardboard that Veena’s parents
had gathered from one of Lahore’s many city dumps. Her father was a
cobbler; her mother, a street beggar.
    Veena’s childhood had been
brutish. She had never been to school, but instead, from the time
she could walk, she had been a beggar like her mother.
    Other children were born to
Veena’s parents until the family eventually swelled to twelve.
Rarely was there enough food for everyone. Veena could not recall a
single instance of eating food until her stomach was
full.
    In Pakistan, as in Saudi
Arabia, there is no value placed on women’s lives. Too often, poor
families sacrifice their daughters for the general good of the
family. And, that is what happened with Veena.
    Veena was always a small,
pretty child, and when she reached puberty, her attractiveness was
noted by a number of people on the streets in their slum
neighborhood. Several women known to the family began to tell
stories of other pretty young girls who had brought a high price
from wealthy brothel keepers who were always looking for new
virgins.
    Since Veena’s family all
lived together in one room, she had occasion to observe her father
and mother in sexual acts; therefore, she knew the meaning of the
women’s words. Understanding that she would have no say in her
future, though, Veena remained silent.
    Soon Veena’s beauty was
noticed by a man who walked around the city streets observing young
female beggars. He sought out Veena’s mother and told her that
assuming her daughter was still a virgin, there was an opportunity
for the family to make a large sum off their daughter’s purity.
Fearful of contracting AIDS, and other venereal diseases, many
wealthy men were looking for young untouched girls. The man offered
a small sum as a down payment, promising that if Veena were sold to
a rich man, he would return with additional money.
    Veena’s mother quickly ran
to her husband’s cobbler station to discuss the man’s offer. After
returning with her husband, the three adults agreed upon a price
for the hapless Veena.
    Veena did recall that her
parents both seemed saddened at her departure, but she understood
that the money she brought into the family would ensure a year of
living well for eleven other people.
    Veena asked for time to say
goodbye to her siblings, but the man said he had other transactions
to complete, and if Veena did not go with him immediately, that he
would cancel the arrangement with her parents.
    Veena left with the
stranger. Her heart was fluttering in terror, but she steeled
herself for the benefit of her younger sisters and
brothers.
    For over a month, Veena was
kept with ten other girls in a small house in Lahore. She was
pleased at the opportunity to take frequent baths, and to wear
decent clothes. For the first time in her life, she received ample
food. Veena thought she might like to stay in that house forever.
But that was not to be, for various rich men, most of them
foreigners, regularly visited the house to look over the available
stock of young girls. It was every girl’s wish was to be purchased
by an old man—for it was known that their sexual demands would be
less than that of a younger man.
    One by one, the other young
girls were purchased and taken away. Veena then watched sadly as a
number of unhappy girls not chosen by individual clients were
transported to brothels in the city. Veena actually felt herself
lucky when she was told