BALKIS WENT TO THE BALCONY of her home, located in the Ataba neighborhood, next to the Islamic Museum. From there, she could see in the distance, in all its splendor, the Al-Azhar University Mosque and the various rooftops of the surrounding houses, whose gardens were filled with sycamores and palm trees.
The air was scented with spices and refined fragrances, such as patchouli, incense, and amber, which wafted from the torches of the various neighboring residences. As she stood outside on the lookout, she felt that life in Egypt remained the same as it had been forty years ago.
She was a Jew in Arab lands, and that meant living with a spirit intoxicated by fear and nostalgia. Paradoxically, fate would have it that, in the midst of the Middle East crisis in the late 1960s—after the devastating Israeli victory in the Six-Day War—she had to change her life and nationality, aiming to participate in the symposium of first-order brothers and adhere to the universal tradition of the lodge.
Being elected to represent Israel at the Congress entailed some significant changes in her life, but the worst of all was leaving her family and friends behind. However, she learned to adapt to the blow over the years. To achieve this, she relied on the help of Hiram, who was always by her side, sharing the customs and teachings of his people, and also on the support of the young Master, a first-order brother like her, who had the custom of visiting them several months a year to teach the mysteries of God to the initiates who went to Egypt, and to prepare them for the ascent of the seven steps of the ladder.
He knew how to offer her the breath of optimism that made her adaptation to a strange land possible, and at the same time, captivate her senses with the simplicity of his words. She certainly fell in love with him, but that was before she inherited the title of Queen of Sheba. Now she was only shaken by human sacrifices, although, to be honest with herself, she was beginning to feel weary of keeping the secret. Perhaps Yacobus of Carthage was right, and all men should sit on the Throne of God. Didn't a poor ignoramus have the same right as a member of the lodge?
That's why, at times, she felt the need to impart her knowledge and obligations to others. Because of the crimes that had occurred in Spain, she found the opportunity she was looking for. Both she and Hiram were too old to continue protecting the Throne Chamber. Maintaining uninterrupted communication with the Great Architect of the Universe conditioned them to live attentively to their work, both commendable and altruistic. And, even though it was the most edifying work a human being could undertake, as the years passed, the body yearned for an equivalent and additional retreat—to be part of the world and its imperfections.
He thought of the detective as a suitable replacement for Hiram, provided he demonstrated honor and intelligence. All that was missing was someone to take his place, a woman who would inherit his name and accept all his responsibilities.
He returned to the spacious hall, closing the windows behind him. The walls were covered with tapestries with Arabic motifs, and the floor was dotted with large and small cushions with gold borders, on immense rugs. Hafid, a young Arab who sometimes acted as footman, brought her a chair so she could sit at her desk. The elderly woman thanked him, asking him to wait a moment while she wrote a letter, as she would have to take it to the post office later. The boy withdrew silently and stood beside the door.
With a firm hand, Balkis began to write on the paper:
If you wish to know the truth, you must first find the key to the secret of our lodge, which is carefully hidden inside a bone box covered with hair.
It will be your greatest weapon.
If you wish to speak with God, you must go to where the Pillars of the World divide the city of Enoch in two. In the temple of the three chambers lies hidden the Ark of the Testimony.
If you manage to find it, use the key before climbing the steps of the ladder that lead to knowledge, or you will not be able to read the teachings written in the stones nor hear the melody of the Universe. Your ingenuity will be the best passport to knowledge and wisdom.
Then, everything you have learned so far will cease to have meaning. Your life will begin the day you conceive of the world as an irremediable fact, where human existence is subject to the science of the Great Architect of the Universe.
Balkis
She carefully folded the letter and then placed it in an envelope. Then she handed it to Hafid, who, as soon as she left the room in silence, bowed his head. Now, the hardest part would be explaining to Hiram, the Master, and the rest of the Great Masters her decision to involve the detective and make him the keeper of the secret. Even though the opinion of others didn't count for much.
She represented the power of the Widow.