Leyla: The Black Tulip

The Secret Paintings

The next day, the Mistress of the House summons Belkıs. Leyla waits for her to return, and when she does, Belkıs explains that the Padishah has chosen her to be one of his odalisques. Everyone is happy for Belkıs—this is great news. This is what all the girls wish for. Now she’ll be moved into private quarters and be given her own attendant and eunuch. Perhaps she could even become a Sultana someday. But at the same time, she’ll now be separated from Leyla, and Leyla is sad to lose her friend. It seems like her destiny is to always be parted from those she loves.

Before Belkıs leaves, Leyla would like to give her a gift. She immediately thinks of a tulip, but tulips are ephemeral, not everlasting. She’ll need to find something more durable. The next morning, Leyla comes by a miracle. She sees some discarded sheets of paper someone was practicing calligraphy on. Leyla wants to keep them, of course. She cannot bear to let it go to waste. Her father always said that trees gave their lives for paper. Knowing she could be accused of theft, she takes the paper anyway and hides it behind the heavy tapestries on the wall.

Later, Leyla stops by the laundry. She watches a woman stirring yellow dye into a vat of blue, and the color turns green. It reminds Leyla of mixing colors with Father. Leyla approaches the woman, and says she’s here to fetch some primary colors: yellow, blue, and red. The woman asks what they’re for, and Leyla responds she hasn’t been told. They’re for the Chief Housekeeper. Her heart beats wildly at her lies, afraid she’ll be caught. But the woman doesn’t sense her discomfort. She measures some dyes in powder form and puts them in parchment envelopes.

Leyla hides the dyes in the greenhouse among gardening potions. She knows the challenging part will be finding a place to paint. She’s always with others when she’s sleeping, eating, bathing, or working. But she knows there’s occasionally moments where others stray. That was the time to slip away.

Leyla locates a place by the gazebo near the tulip beds. Leyla wants to paint tulips in different stages of their cycle for Belkıs. The first day of painting, she is so engrossed in her drawing that she’s not aware the Mistress of the Flowers is watching her. As Leyla finishes up, the Mistress of the Flowers approaches and looks at the sketch, and smiles. Leyla hides the drawings under the floorboards of the gazebo, hoping nobody finds them. What is the Mistress of the Flowers going to do? Would she turn Leyla in? Would the drawings still be there when Leyla returns?

A few tentative days later, Leyla returns to the gazebo. The drawings are just where they were left. Leyla inspects the growing tulips in the ground to consult how she should draw them. Leyla draws the petals concealing the tulip chalice. Leyla knows she’s risking everything by drawing and painting again, but she now trusts the Mistress of the Flowers. What Leyla doesn’t realize is someone else is watching her.

The next day, Leyla can tell the paintings have been moved. A note is written attached to them: “Beauty never vanishes, but is transformed.” Is this message from the Mistress of the Flowers?

Several days later, Belkıs’ gift is finished. Looking over them, Leyla feels strange. They remind her of Father and Cengiz. Belkıs is speechless when Leyla gives the drawings to her. Belkıs says nobody has ever given her a gift before. But she’ll have to hide these since it’s against their faith to make or have paintings of plants. But she loves them. Leyla, smiling, says now the tulips are immortal.

Belkıs says Leyla is like a sister to her. But she cannot accept the paintings. It’s too dangerous, especially as an odalisque, where her behavior will be watched every second. They could even search her apartment. Leyla can tell Belkıs is already aspiring to become a Sultana. Leyla understands, but still feels hurt inside. How could she not keep a gift Leyla worked so hard to make for her?

Afterward, Leyla hides the drawings and keeps to herself. She cannot risk loving someone and losing them again. It’s too painful.