Story by Green Garden

Spirit Jerebis: Winter in Lost Andalus
Episode 4: "Pleasurable Skills"
Ramadan '05/Eid Al-Adha '08 Gifts

Rainbow of Time - Strife for the Mysteries - Enter a world of Faith - ... of Hope - ... of Heroism - Overcome sacrifices - Explore a world of Loyalty - ... of Friendship - ... of Justice - Spirit Jerebis

Previously on Winter in Lost Andalus:

The winter guests saw the beautiful sight of snow and went out to play in it. Some made Snow Angels. Stan and A.J. settled on Snow Fort. Helen explained the game to their soul-warrior copedam. Stan and his team won the fort. The two teams started the game. Eventually A.J.'s team won and conquered the Snow Fort through Emeraldmon. What did A.J. mean by breakfast? On with the conclusion...


"Yeah. We're hungry." Shomon panted.

"We'll start it right away." Helen remarked.

She and the girls were about to enter Emerald Mansion, but A.J. stopped them.

"Hold on! You and the rest can rest out here, while I'll handle breakfast." A.J. commented.

"You?" Alex asked, awake.

A.J. shrugged. "What's the matter with a guy preparing a meal? I would bet that I would do better than the girls anyway."

"Hey!" Helen looked offended.

"Just wait and taste." A.J. remarked.

"What are we supposed to do until then?" Shomon asked.

"Play around." A.J. shrugged.

The group sighed.

"Sure thing. We'll wait." Grace decided.

"Good." A.J. nodded.

The group played around, while A.J. went back into the mansion...


A.J. was back in his mansion, planning for what to put on for breakfast. He quickly figured it out. He started to work on his plans, when Helen walked in and took a seat.

"A.J.? Have you ever fasted before?" Helen asked.

A.J. turned to her, surprised to see her. He blinked.

"Of course I do. In the Islamic Culture, it's a must for a Muslim to fast the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is part of the Islamic lunar calendar." A.J. replied.

"Is Ramadan the only Islamic holy month? Or is there others?" Helen asked.

"No, there are others. Tho Al-Hijja for instance. It's the last month in the Islamic lunar calendar. It's a holy month as well for the Muslims worldwide. It's the last of the Islamic lunar calendar; on it Muslims worldwide go to Mecca for pilgrimage. Don't forget I'm Muslim." A.J. smiled.

Helen chuckled. "Sure. Can you explain more about Ramadan to me?"

A.J. blinked.

"Sure. I'll try my best. First of all, we're currently not in Ramadan. In Ramadan or when a Muslim fasts any other time, which he or she can, it's from the first light to dusk. No eating is done through that time. A Muslim gets naturally more patient, even quiet. He or she does extra worship towards Allah, like doing more prayers and reading more Qur'an. It's a month of forgiving. Every Muslim should be polite with each other but nowadays there's no such thing except little or few of it.

"More prayers are done at the mosques. A prayer called Taraweeh is only done in Ramadan. It's done during the night after Isha', one of the five prayers and last prayer of the day." A.J. explained.

"What about a woman or girl?" Helen asked.

"What about them?" A.J. asked.

"What if they had their periods during Ramadan?" Helen asked.

"Two things, they redo their fasting that they missed during Ramadan after Ramadan but not right away, definitely before the next Ramadan. Two, they break their fasts, even if they didn't eat anything until dusk, then their fasting won't be accepted, because they're in their period. Why must they break their fast? Why isn't it accepted when they fast the whole time? Well, the wisdom behind that is that the girl or woman loses blood from her body.

"She has to eat to regain strength and health." A.J. explained.

"Anything else about Ramadan?" Helen asked.

A.J. sighed. "There's definitely more. I don't know everything about Ramadan, but those were a little bit more than the basics. Ramadan can be a whole lecture in itself. It's best if you want to learn more to ask a Muslim Scholar."

"What about fasting on other days? You mentioned that a Muslim may fast any other time. What's that all about?" Helen asked.

"Honestly, I'd love to go into the subject with you, but I have to deal with preparing breakfast." A.J. replied.

"May I help in any way?" Helen asked.

"Are you good at preparing food?" A.J. asked.

Helen glared at him. "What do you think?!"

A.J. laughed. "Sure you can help. Break a few eggs and beat them until its one slimy liquid. That'll help with the amulet."

Helen put on a white cooking apron around her waist..

"What about you? Have you been fasting Ramadan?" Helen asked, breaking some eggs.

"There was a time when I missed a few days in the passed years, but I never missed the whole month." A.J. replied.

"Isn't there any celebrations after Ramadan? After all, after all the fasting?" Helen asked.

"There is Eid Al-Fitr. The holiday of breaking the fasting. It lasts for three days after Ramadan. The first day is forbidden to fast on, but six days after that is allowed; it isn't a must." A.J. explained.

"How do you know all this?" Helen asked.

"A CD helped. That's a long story. Also I'm Muslim and got into Islamic traditions." A.J. replied.

Helen and A.J. talked while they prepared breakfast. With Helen's help, the speed increased in preparing breakfast...


A.J. went out and called the group in after the table in the dining room was set. Everyone went into the dining room and had their breakfast. After some bites...

"EMERALDMON CREVOLVE..."
"... OTAZOIDMON!"

"CROWNMON CREVOLVE..."
"... SHETAMON!"

"Um. This is really delicious. Good cooking A.J.!" Alex nodded.

"I never thought you'd be the cooking type of person." Simon remarked.

"Any man or boy can learn how to cook and excel in it." A.J. blinked.

"Hey, the lake's frozen. I was wondering if any of you would like to skate on the ice after breakfast." Stan suggested.

"I don't know. The ice might be thin." Helen warned.

"I'll take the risk and be the first to skate then. If I dive, I dive; if I don't, the rest of you can join me." Stan shrugged.

"Worth the risk. Finish your breakfast rink-mouth." A.J. remarked.

Stan blinked. He stopped eating for a moment. The rest of the group laughed...

COMING UP! EPISODE 5: ENJOY THE PURITY WHILE IT LASTS

Rainbow of Time - Strife for the Mysteries - Exit a world of Determination - ... of Courage - ... of Truth - ... of Trust - ... of Conscience - ... of Wisdom - Overcome extremely dangerous journeys - ...ambitions - ... fears - Explore a world of Love - ... of Honesty - ... of Virility - ... of Leadership - Spirit Jerebis