Undiagnosed Sickness
Arabian Nightmare by Robert Irwin is a novel about Thriller, Horror and Paranoid Fantasy of Balian, a spy who failed to perform his duty in Cairo, Egypt. Balian, who came to Egypt through Alexandria, as part of Pilgrimages to Sinai Hill had to stay in Cairo for three days before continuing their journey since the grandson of Sultan of Mamluke was going to be circumcised, a big party would take place. Balian who came not only as pilgrim but also as a spy to learn the Mamluke movement went to Mareotis Beach where he met Giancristoforo Doria who then told the story of a father who would kill a son for two dinars. It indeed happened and the play was real as if he indeed had mutilated his son. After getting paid the money, they left; but the next morning in Alexandria, they both were seen in front of a cafe having breakfast, well and so healthy. That was the first perfect illusion to be encountered in Cairo.
Balian red the book Giancrostoforo had left, written in Arabic with some rough English translations in between paragraphs. Very Strange. After reading the book, he began to dreams non-sense things. When he woke up, his mouth and nose were bleeding, his body was aching. He also met Zuleyka, a whore who taught him sex lessons. After meeting Michael Vane and he were told that he had the Arabian Nightmare disease attacking his brain and known it had been done by an ape, a creature of jinn or Satan.
Balian was cured by the Father of Cats, an alchemist curer who had a 'House of Sleeping' designed for all the victims of such disease. He became more unstable and nearly insane, his sickness became worst from day to day especially after his visa request had been denied by Dawadar officials, he suffered and his condition was not much better than a suffering beggar. He went in and out the 'Alam al-Mithal' where his existence was unclear whether he was in the real world or inside the world of fantasy. He met strange creatures, jinn, demon, devil, Satan, and various kinds of creatures from different life zones.
It came to a time that the crime detected and discovered. The Father of Cats was behind everything concerning the Arabian Nightmare disease. He created it. He murdered people, sent diseases to others and all bad things. Eventually he was captured by the Sultan of Dawadar from Mamluke. Balian was healing and he returned healthy. He could eat well now.
At last he decided to find Zuleyka who was found out to be an insane lady of Sultan. By the end the story ends, readers will still question whether what happened to Balian is real or just a fantasy . . .
