Walter Mitty walked the streets of Riyadh on his way to market. As he walked along, peering at the ground, he suddenly remembered he needed to purchase a new turban. He thought about the turban. A large, perfect one, and it descended upon his head as he approached his army, with Aisha at his side. He bellowed at the troops, encouraging them to oppose Ali’s appointment as caliph. After some time, Ali and his army arrived across the horizon. Aisha’s camel stirred.

“Sorry,” said Walter, drawing back from a woman with whom he had collided. “Let Allah bless you.”

He noticed he was in a large room, and being stared at. It was the mosque!

A man approached him, obviously agitated. “Please, sir, your shoes!”

“Oh! Sorry about that!” Walter quickly removed the shoes and exited the building.

Deeply embarrassed, he practically ran from the mosque. He shook his head back and forth, and reflected on how it rested on his shoulders to ensure the Fatimids were overthrown.

3/9/05