It is your destiny...

Iraq is back in the news for all the wrong reasons, and a town which seems to be in the thick of things at the moment is Samara, some way to the north of Baghdad. And this brought to mind an old old story concerning a rich Baghdad merchant who sent his servant to the market one day to buy provisions.  The servant returned quickly very upset, and said that he had seen Death in the marketplace and Death had given him a strange look, and the servant begged his master to lend him a horse, so that he might ride off to Samara and safety.  And his master was a good man and agreed, so the servant saddled a fast horse and rode away.  Then the merchant felt cross that he had lost a good servant (not to mention a horse), and determined to go down to the market, find Death and give him a piece of his mind. So he did that, saw Death and asked him what he thought he was playing at.  "Oh, I'm sorry" said Death "I didn't mean to frighten him.  It was just that I was surprised to see him here in Baghdad, for I have an appointment with him tonight - in Samara".