Leyla: The Black Tulip

The Daring Choice

That night, Laleena cannot sleep. The images of the men float through her mind. Eventually, she climbs out of bed. She sees one of Cengiz’s tin soldiers on the mantel. She used to pretend it was her father in her hands, and she’d have conversations with it. She asks the soldier what she should do. And suddenly the answer becomes clear—she must follow her destiny.

The next morning on the way to the market, she stops by the caravansarai where the Ottoman men are staying. She approaches the men who are sitting drinking their morning tea.

She asks the men, in Turkish, if it is true they are looking for girls to take to İstanbul. They reply it is true, but the girls must be pretty, talented, and well-behaved. When she asks how much they’d pay for a girl like herself, a man hands over three gold coins. In exchange, Laleena promises to be there the next morning before dawn.

That night, Laleena has another restless night. She climbs out of bed in the early morning, and goes outside. The sky is clear, and there are shooting stars. She can hear the insects and owls in the distance. It’s a beautiful night.

Laleena visits her garden for the last time. Her beautiful roses, violets, hyacinths, and tulips. She decides to dig up a few tulip bulbs, the ones she and Cengiz were trying to cross. She’ll try to bring them on her journey to İstanbul.

After Laleena packs some clothes, the bulbs, some paintbrushes, herbs, and her tin soldier in a small bundle, she goes to her mother’s bedside. She sets the coins under her mother’s bolster and kisses her forehead. She covers Cengiz with his blanket, and whispers in his ear to watch over the family.

And with that, Laleena shuts the door on everything she’s ever known.