In 1644, a group of merchants from Vrana appeared in Zegar. They had a lake there in Vrana full of eels, which were easiest to catch at the time of spawning. The two men take one thick rope each by the end of the rope, step into the shallow water, and strike the rope with the water and the eels that begin to flee in all directions. Those stunned by the blows pick up and have lunch or goods for trade. The grand prior of the Templars once lived in Vrana, so it was also known for that.

This time, the traders brought full baskets of eels, salt from Pag, olive oil, and a few pieces of clothing.

But the merchants brought not only goods for sale or exchange but also news and stories of events in the empire and the surrounding countries. Everyone knew that every passenger had some story, from where the passenger started or was picked up somewhere along the way. That is why traders and travelers were greeted with great attention. After the trade, every curious head with open ears would gather around them to hear what was happening somewhere in the world, unknown and unreachable.

The people of Zegar have always loved to talk about the memories of the past and the past days in which those who would now remember with piety and respect were alive. The character was built on events and heroic deeds.

Even during the trade, the merchants mentioned a wealthy nobleman, Vicenza Paladini from Pag, who fled from there from the Venetian authorities due to some frauds he committed. He allegedly now took refuge with Halil-beg, so he persuaded him in all possible ways to attack the Venetian estates to get revenge because the authorities there intended to imprison him.

At this, the Zegarans only turned their shaved heads in disapproval because they knew that anything, if it went wrong, could break over their backs.

Zegarans also learned about the miracle that happened in Zemunik. Last month, a mare foaled a foal with what both males and females have. The people of Zemunik struggled to think about what to do with such a creature because it must have been a sign of some impending accident, so the foal had to be removed somehow. It was believed that killing was invalid, and in other villages, no one wanted to buy or take such a foal, even for free. The foal returned when they tried to drive him out of the village. There seemed to be no solution, so all they had to do was wait for the accident that would befall them.

At this, the people of Zegar just spat aside as if to dispel the thought that something similar could happen to them.

They also heard that less than a month ago in Vrana, a dishonorable devil attacked a woman and made her a witch. The merchants said that the villagers caught her around the village for three days and could not catch her. They only saw her on the fourth day when they ambushed her. But they did not manage to drive the devil out of her. They chatted over her day and night, tickling her soles and squeezing her nose, but the devil did not leave her despite everything. In the end, almost when they lost all hope, one villager figured out where the devil might be, and thus, to everyone's satisfaction, everything was solved, and the woman was saved. The devil was entangled and hid in the hair of the unfortunate woman. No comb or rake in this world could untangle the hair and drive the devil out of it. So, they decided to lay the woman on the ground holding her legs and arms, and they passed her hair over a stump to cut her off in one fell swoop with a precise blow of the saber. And as soon as her hair was cut off, she calmed down and became a tame soul again.

"Now, in Vrana, all men stare at women's hair more than ever to detect the devil's presence in them in time. And women, in fear of losing their hair, try to hide their hair at all. They braid their hair, wrap it around their heads and hide it under scarves."

"Whoa, who would have thought that? Look at the wicked devil where he found himself hiding!" – one of the Zegarans said with astonishment, and another added:

"And maybe it would be time for us to shave our women's heads just in case, just like we shave them."

At that, the few women hanging around the goods looked at each other in fear and quietly, like ghosts without words, slipped away and disappeared into the surrounding huts.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Later, as they sat around the fire and entertained the merchants, the people of Zegar learned that a unique house in Vrana stood out above the others. In front of it is a round tower of white-hewn stone whose jagged top has crowned the place. In that house lived Vrana-beg, with whom Stevan Maskovic was a servant, a poor man who could not be poorer. When Stevan's wife died, and he stayed with his only son, he decided to convert to Islam at the urging of his master. So, he changed his name and the name of his son. He named his son Yusuf and, with the help of his master, appointed him a horseman's servant with Ibrahim-beg Beciragic in Nadin.

When Yusuf went from Vrana to Nadin, he was barefoot, and his legs were bleeding. A grandmother saw blood on Yusuf's foot in front of Nadin. The grandmother took pity on the unfortunate man and gave him the old shoes of her late husband. At that time, happiness kissed the poor servant's forehead for the first time. So that poor boy arrived at the new master, if nothing else, and at least he wore shoes.

Yusuf proved to be diligent and hardworking for Beciragic, and as he was wise by nature, he learned to read and write Turkish quickly, which many wealthy people could not do.

Once, Yusuf was assigned to accompany his master to Sarajevo. Due to his agility and sharp mind, he was noticed in Sarajevo by a Turkish nobleman from Istanbul. And this nobleman immediately began to negotiate with Beciragic to persuade him to hand over his servant so that he could take him to Istanbul. After negotiations, it was agreed that Yusuf would enter that nobleman's service, so he ended up in Istanbul.

He did everything that was required of him by his new master, and often the master lent him to other nobles for their affairs. One of the more common jobs was serving as Istanbul's chief gardener. He was often in the service as a water carrier and assistant to the man in charge of arranging the imperial gardens.

This was in the time of Sultan Murat IV. People say that he had more official titles with his name than anyone on Earth. He was called the Sultan of the Sultans, the Khan of Khans, the Caliph and the Shadow of Allah on Earth, the Servant of Mecca, Medina, and Quds, the Padishah, and the Ruler of Vilayet. According to the already-established custom, all his brothers and uncles were killed when he became Sultan. He spared only his somewhat insane brother Ibrahim whom he considered harmless. However, after some time and the persuasion of his advisers, Murat cautiously had Ibrahim imprisoned in a house surrounded by high walls. He thus wholly separated himself from the world, condemning him to live alone with a black slave girl in a luxurious house and her garden without seeing or knowing what was happening outside. Young Ibrahim spent his lonely days in great sorrow and boredom.

And it was in such a sad state that Ibrahim met Yusuf Maskovic, who was assigned to arrange the garden around Ibrahim's house.

It was an absolute pleasure for a reluctant prisoner to talk to someone who had information about events outside his walls, among which nothing was happening. Ibrahim saw a cure for boredom, loneliness, and sorrow in Yusuf, so he looked forward to it every day. That is how the meeting developed into a friendship.

In 1640, Sultan Murat died suddenly. That was four years ago. As he had no children and he killed all his brothers and relatives, the only remaining heir was called for the new Sultan. It was Ibrahim.

Ibrahim, now the Sultan, remembered Yusuf, who was with him when it was most challenging. He immediately invited him to his palace and gave him a great treasure. He also gave him a fiancée from the royal family. She was only two years old, but this engagement enabled Yusuf to be related to the royal family and thus to a high status in society.

"That is how Yusuf became a big and important man from a poor and unhappy young man from our village. Wherever he went, luck kissed him on the forehead. Yusuf immediately sends a significant sum of money to his father, so he buys the property and is no longer a servant. And people say that he sent five hundred sequins to the grandmother from Nadin, who gave him shoes. And that's not all. Last year, his friend, the Sultan, appointed him his first adviser. From the greatest poor and horsemen, he became a great Silicate-pasha..." – said the merchants while the people of Zegar rolled their eyes in wonder.

Stories like this have always piqued the imagination and hope of the people who languished in the poverty and helplessness they found themselves. It meant that in that world there, there are all kinds of possibilities for everyone, so only some things are lost for them.

The story of the merchants brought smiles to the roughened faces, and the bald and mostly frowning heads gave themselves a break from the worries surrounding them. This meant that traders would also be well-hosted and cared for.

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