CHAPTER 4 – A CHILD PRODIGY IN 
ISFAHAN
16:25 (Middle East Time)
Monday, April 29, 1985 ‘C’
Isfahan International Airport
Isfahan, Central Iran
The temperature on Ingrid’s arrival in Isfahan was a very comfortable nineteen degrees Celsius, with a manageable humidity level and bright sunshine. When Ingrid and Nancy stepped out of the Iran AirTour Convair MERCURY medium-range airliner, which had flown them from Tehran after a flight from London aboard an Iran Air Boeing 717, they did so by using a mobile staircase rather than a jetway and walked on the tarmac to get to the airport domestic terminal building. Nancy Laplante ‘A’ definitely would have found the political and social climate of 1985 ‘C’ Iran drastically different from that of 2012 ‘A’ Iran and also a much better one. For one thing, Iran in this timeline was still a parliamentary democracy while the Shah of Iran, even though he was the official head of state, was only a figurehead with limited powers. As for the religious establishment in Iran, it was being kept firmly in its place by the government with the help of the Iranian Army. All that was mostly due to the interventions and counsels given along the years by Ingrid to the various American Presidents since 1948. In the case of Iran, Ingrid had blown in the open and then had President Dewey block the plans by the CIA to help the British assassinate then Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh in 1956 and install into power Shah Rezah Pahlavi, something that would have created decades of Iranian public resentment towards the United States and would have eventually resulted in the kind of Islamic revolution the history of Timeline ‘A’ had experienced in 1979. That was in fact far from the only time when Ingrid had thwarted some pea-brained schemes cooked up by past CIA directors, especially during the 1950s, when Allen Dulles had been at the head of the agency. Another big reason for Iran being what it was now was the mysterious death of the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, in December of 1976, thanks to the secret and forceful actions of Natai the Angel. His death had actually helped prevent a long, bloody and destructive war between Iraq and Iran and had allowed Iran to develop itself and advance to the point it was at now. As a result of all that, Islamic fundamentalism had not had a chance to strangle individual liberties inside Iran and women could still walk around while wearing the latest Western fashion. As for Ingrid, she was wearing one of her signature female suits, with an adjusted cut which enhanced her body curves and with trousers with slightly flared bottoms. As for Nancy, she wore a simple short dress and a pair of running shoes.
Having already gone through Iranian customs when she had arrived in Tehran from London, Ingrid was able to proceed with Nancy to the luggage carrousels of the terminal, where she recuperated her two big suitcases before heading to the taxi stands outside of the terminal. She smiled to the driver of the first taxi in the lineup, who had been standing outside of his cab while smoking a cigarette, and spoke to him in her quaint 7th Century Farsi.
‘’Good afternoon, sir! I would like to go to the Isfahan Traditional Hotel, on Hakim Avenue, near the Hakim Mosque.’’
‘’I know that hotel, miss. We should be there in half an hour at the most. Please let me load your bags in my trunk.’’
‘’You are too kind, sir.’’
As the driver put her two suitcases and one travel bag in the trunk, Ingrid sat Nancy on the rear bench seat, then sat inside herself. Soon, they were rolling away from the terminal and heading towards the highway connecting the airport with the city of Isfahan, to the West. Ingrid smiled down to Nancy and spoke to her in German, so that the driver would not understand her.
‘’Are you excited about seeing Iran again after over a century?’’
‘’I am, Mommy! We should have fun here.’’
‘’Oh, I intend to, for the both of us.’’
After crossing a semi-desertic area, the taxi entered the outlying suburbs of Isfahan, one of the oldest cities in a country that had seen millenniums of history and civilization. The sight of so many old structures that Ali Pasravi had seen during his own lifetime brought happiness to Nancy, who clapped her hands with enthusiasm while looking around her.
‘’I already love this part of our vacation, Mommy.’’
‘’And that makes me truly happy, Nancy. The hotel we are going to is supposed to be an old house from the 17th Century which was converted into a hotel decades ago. Hopefully, that hotel will help you to revive further your souvenirs of Isfahan.’’
‘’That would be nice, Mommy.’’
Their taxi finally stopped in front of an arched doorway typical of old Persian architecture, complete with white and blue mosaic wall decorations.
‘’The Isfahan Traditional Hotel, miss!’’ announced with a smile the taxi driver. ‘’I will get your bags out of the trunk.’’
‘’You are very kind, sir.’’
Stepping out with Nancy, Ingrid paid generously the driver and grabbed her suitcases, then entered the hotel via its large wooden double doors, walking into a long and rather narrow lobby whose floor was covered with Persian carpets. She then went to the reception desk, where a man in his fifties greeted her with a smile while speaking to her in English.
‘’Good evening, miss! Do you have a reservation?’’
‘’Yes, I do! I placed a reservation from London yesterday for a room with one large bed. My name is Ingrid Dows.’’
‘’Aah yes: we were expecting you, miss. If I may, it happens that our Royal Room is presently available. Would you like to upgrade to it? It is not that much more expensive than our standard rooms and is much larger. Like all our rooms, it also gives on our internal courtyard.’’
‘’Hmm…’’ said Ingrid while glancing down at Nancy. ‘’I do happen to be with a little princess. Can you show your royal room to me first?’’
‘’Of course, miss! HAKIM, PLEASE GO SHOW OUR ROYAL ROOM TO THE LADY!’’
A male servant in his early thirties bowed down on being called from the corner where he had stood and showed the nearby entrance to a winding hallway covered with carpets.
‘’If the lady will follow me…’’
With Ingrid leaving temporarily her suitcases in the lobby, she and Nancy followed the servant down the hallway until he stopped in front of an old wooden door and unlocked it, then pushed it open to invited Ingrid in.
‘’Our Royal Room, miss.’’
While Ingrid merely smiled at the sight of the colorful but a bit gaudy decoration of the high-ceiling room, little Nancy sucked air in, while her eyes popped wide open.
‘’Mommy, I love it! Please, take it!’’
Ingrid’s smile turned into a grin and she looked at the waiting servant.
‘’My boss has spoken! We will take this room.’’
‘’Then, may I show you the alcove patio of this room, which gives to our internal courtyard, before returning to the reception, miss?’’
‘’Please, do!’’
Going to a set of wooden double doors with windows and opening it, the servant walked out on a small patio set inside a small external alcove. Walking out of the room as well and onto the patio, Ingrid was at once captured by the view of the courtyard on which the patio connected: the inner courtyard of the hotel was by itself of quite respectable size and included in its center a shallow rectangular pond with three fountain heads. Small plants were planted in stone-lined earth basins, while a number of large traditional Persian sofas made of wood and covered with large pillows were set around the central pond. A large roof terrace was visible on one side of the courtyard, overlooking both the courtyard and the neighboring street. Ingrid nodded her head in approval as she embraced that scene, so reminiscent of an old Persian traditional residence.
‘’This is perfect for our stay! I will definitely take your Royal Room, mister.’’ said Ingrid, who then gave a ten-dollar bill to the happy servant.
‘’You will not regret it, miss.’’ promised the servant before leading her and Nancy back inside, then into the hallway and back to the lobby, where she smiled to the expectant receptionist.
‘’I will take your Royal Room for the next five days, with departure on the coming Sunday, sir. Do you accept American dollars?’’
‘’Of course, we do, miss? Who doesn’t?’’
Ingrid grinned at the man’s reply and took out her wallet.
‘’A good question! How much will it be for a double occupancy stay until Sunday morning?’’
‘’It will be 105 dollars, miss: the price includes breakfast, served in our hotel’s restaurant, where you can also have lunch and supper. Our restaurant specializes in traditional Persian cuisine.’’
‘’Excellent!’’ said Ingrid while taking dollar bills out of her wallet. ‘’I have another question for you: where could we find a shop selling traditional Persian musical instruments? I know that the Isfahan Grand Bazaar is located nearby, along with a number of other bazaars.’’
Taking first the money offered by Ingrid and giving in turn a room key, the receptionist then caressed with one hand his carefully trimmed short beard while thinking.
‘’Well, to be frank, I never was interested personally in musical instruments and I thus can’t answer you now, but I do have a nephew who is an avid musician and who may tell me where to find such a shop. I will call him right after this and will keep you appraised of any information he may pass to me.’’
‘’I would be most grateful, mister. At what time does your restaurant opens?’’
‘’It is already open and ready for supper, miss.’’
‘’Excellent! I will go unpack my suitcases and then will go for supper. Have a good evening, sir.’’
‘’And you too, miss, along with your cute daughter.’’
‘’Thank you!’’
Letting the servant carry her two suitcases, Ingrid then returned with Nancy to the royal room, where they quickly unpacked their things and put them in the dresser and clothes locker of the room. From there, they went to the hotel’s restaurant, asking their way to it to an old cleaning lady they met in the hallway. The restaurant turned out to be a long but also relatively narrow room well lit by a series of overhead windows and 
decorated in the Persian style, with a small fountain in the center. Only a handful of other guests were present at this time, so Ingrid took one of the small tables lining one of the walls, with a waiter immediately coming to give her a menu. Ingrid surprised him by asking for a second menu for Nancy, with the servant glancing at the latter.
‘’Your little daughter can already read, miss? How old is she, if I may ask?’’
‘’She is two and a half, mister.’’
Going over his surprise, the waiter left two menus and the wine card with Ingrid, then filled two glasses with cold water before leaving them free to study the menu. Both Ingrid and Nancy were quite satisfied with the choice offered by the menu.
‘’Definitely traditional Persian cuisine.’’ said Ingrid. ‘’Do you see something tempting, Nancy?’’
‘’Ali loved lamb kebabs with rice. I think that I will go for it.’’
‘’Good choice! I will go for the shrimps with saffron rice.’’
Ingrid ended up also ordering a half bottle of good rosé wine to go with her shrimps, while Nancy had a glass of milk. Their meal was actually served quite fast and proved excellent, with Ingrid having to restrain her daughter from eating too much, as she loved her plate of lamb kebabs and ate more than half of her adult portion.
‘’I think that we better go have a long walk after this to digest all that good food, Nancy.’’
‘’Then, could we go visit the Grand Bazaar, Mommy?’’ asked enthusiastically Nancy.
‘’That would effectively be a good place to go have a long walk, my love.’’
Ingrid then called for her bill and was paying it when a servant came to her table and presented her a small note written in English and also bearing a name and address in Farsi.
‘’Excuse me, miss, but the receptionist was able to find the information you requested. He wrote down the name, address and how to get to the musical shop on this note and added the same info in Farsi, in case you have to ask someone for directions.’’
Ingrid looked briefly at the note, then smiled to the servant.
‘’Thank the receptionist on my behalf, mister. This is much appreciated.’’
The servant bowed once, then walked away. Ingrid passed the note to Nancy, so that she could read it.
‘’Do you know how to get there, Nancy?’’
‘’Of course I do, Mommy! It’s in the Bazar-e-Bozorg, the oldest market in Isfahan and possibly in the whole Middle East. Ali visited it many times: it is close to here, only a few minutes’ walk away.’’
‘’Then, let’s go!’’
First going out of the hotel and into the adjacent street, Ingrid then lifted Nancy in her arms while bending forward, making her sit across her neck and shoulders, with her daughter facing forward. She then straightened up as the passersby smiled in amusement at little Nancy now riding on Ingrid’s shoulders, with her feet held by her mother.
‘’Okay, Nancy! You know where to go? You show the way.’’
‘’Then, go right, horsy! GIDIAP!’’
As amused as Nancy was by this, Ingrid then started walking, following the directions given by her daughter. They ended up following a series of narrow streets and a few wider ones for about fifteen minutes, arriving at the entrance of the Bazar-e-Bozorg as darkness was starting to set in. To the disappointment of both, while the bazaar’s entrance was still open, most shops inside had either closed for the night or were in the process of closing. Despite that, Ingrid decided to go quickly to the musical instruments shop they were interested in. However, that shop also proved to be closed. Little Nancy sighed with frustration and envy as she examined through the shop front windows the collection of instruments displayed inside the shop.
‘’Oooh, I see a really nice qanun{3} inside, Mommy. They also have an assortment of barbats{4} and tombaks{5}. We must come back here tomorrow, Mommy.’’
‘’We will, sweetie, I promise! Let’s go back to the hotel: I think that we need a good bath and some sleep after all our traveling today.’’
Turning back and walking out of the bazaar, they returned to their hotel via the narrow streets of the old city and went to their room. There, Ingrid filled a bath of warm water while Nancy removed her clothes, then sat her daughter in the bathtub. Removing her own clothes, Ingrid joined Nancy in the tub and helped her wash with soap, letting Nancy playfully soaping her own back. Stepping out of the tub after twenty minutes and emptying it, Ingrid toweled her daughter dry before drying herself. Being both tired by their long trip, they went to bed nearly at once, with both of them staying naked: Ingrid had always preferred to sleep naked, as she found that more relaxing, and had accustomed her daughter to do the same. Little Nancy smiled while lying on her back in their bed and admiring the intricate, snowflake-like large decorative artwork hooked to the ceiling of their room.
‘’I really like this room, Mommy. Seeing Isfahan is also nice. It wakes up even more souvenirs in me.’’
‘’I am glad to hear that, my little darling. Sweet dreams!’’
‘’You too, Mommy.’’
Both fell asleep quickly, the warm bath having relaxed them.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Ingrid was awakened by what sounded like moans coming from her daughter. A bit worried at first by that, she gently explored telepathically Nancy’s mind and found out that she was in the process of remembering yet another one of her past incarnations. Sensing that Nancy seemed to assimilate correctly those old souvenirs, Ingrid glued herself to her daughter, spoon-fashioned, and put a protective arm around her torso, then fell back asleep.
09:06 (Middle East Time)
Tuesday, April 30, 1985 ‘C’
Bazar-e-Bozorg market, old city quarter
Isfahan, Iran
Nancy was jumping up and down with anticipation and trepidation as an employee unlocked the entrance to the musical instruments boutique they had found yesterday. The employee, a mature man with a thin body and a long graying beard, was amused by Nancy’s apparent impatience and smiled to her while speaking in Farsi.
‘’My! You are really impatient to see my wares, little one.’’
The man then looked at Ingrid, who was holding one of Nancy’s hands.
‘’Please, come in! What kind of instrument are you looking for, miss?’’
‘’We are intent on getting one qanun, plus two barbats, one small and one of standard size, and two tombaks, again in small and medium size. They are actually for my daughter, so I wanted to find smaller instruments for her to play while she is growing up, on top of regular-sized instruments for when she will be an adult.’’
The shop owner couldn’t help glance at Nancy and then throw a worried look at Ingrid.
‘’But she is still very young. What assures you that she will want to learn to play those instruments, miss?’’
Ingrid nodded approvingly at the honesty and common sense shown by the shop owner: he could have simply gone with the flow and sold her everything she wanted, but was concerned for good reasons that those instruments could be wasted if Nancy didn’t show real interest in them. For Ingrid, that counted as a big plus in the man’s favor, so she was frank with him. Nancy’s unusual and multiple talents would eventually become common knowledge anyway.
‘’As hard as it is to believe, she already knows how to play many instruments, mister. My daughter seems to have an innate talent for music.’’
‘’And how old is she, miss?’’
‘’Two and a half!’’
The shop owner nearly recoiled in surprise but didn’t comment further, letting them in his tiny boutique, whose walls were covered with various musical instruments either lying on shelves or suspended from the ceiling.
‘’For your information, miss, I sell both new and used instruments. However, those used instruments I sell are all in good state and play as well as new ones. If you find the price of a new instrument beyond your means, then you can always look at a used model.’’
‘’Mister, your honesty is most commendable. Could we see first your qanuns? I suspect that it will be the most expensive of the instruments we want to buy.’’
‘’Indeed, miss! The quanun is an incredible instrument and, in the hands of a good musician, can produce a wide tonality and truly beautiful music. I happen to have presently two new qanuns and one used one in my boutique. Here they are, miss.’’
From the reactions from Nancy, Ingrid knew at once that one of the new qanuns had caught the eyes of her daughter, so she pointed at that instrument, which was resting on a high shelf.
‘’Can we examine that one, mister?’’
‘’Aah, a judicious choice indeed, miss: this instrument was made here in Isfahan by one of our most renown artisans and instrument maker.’’
Gently grabbing the large, flat instrument, the shop owner then put it down flat on a low table, so that both Ingrid and Nancy could admire it. However, Ingrid had not expected what followed then. Stepping next to the table, Nancy admired for a moment the instrument, gently caressing it, then put both of her hands on the strings and started playing the qanun. While a bit hesitant at first, her play improved in seconds, to soon switch to a beautiful piece of music, as if she had been practicing for decades, which was actually the case for Ali Pasravi. While Ingrid felt mounting joy at listening to Nancy playing, the shop owner could only stare with both awe and disbelief at the toddler girl now playing the qanun like a professional musician. A few other shoppers passing by the boutique braked to a halt and started gathering in front of the shop to watch with amazement as Nancy continued playing an old but still popular piece of Persian music. There were over twenty persons crowded in front of the shop by the time Nancy finished playing her piece, happiness and pride showing on her face. Her pride grew exponentially when the crowd of onlookers broke out into wild applauses. Bowing to thank the spectators, Nancy then looked up at Ingrid.
‘’Can we take this qanun, Mommy? It plays really well.’’
‘’How could I refuse that to you, my sweet Nancy?’’
‘’That was incredible, miss!’’ exclaimed the shop owner, still in disbelief. ‘’Your daughter is a true musical prodigy!’’
‘’Which is why we came to Isfahan: to find the best in Persian instruments. How much are you asking for this qanun, mister?’’
‘’Uh, it is advertised for 7,000 Rials, miss.’’
‘’Hum, at the present exchange rate, that makes 97 American dollars. I’ll take it! Do you have a protective carrying case for it?’’
The shop owner, who was accustomed to haggle the prices of his wares with his customers, as was traditional in the region, rarely sold his instruments at the full price advertised and more than often had to cut the price significantly to ensure a sale. Ingrid’s acceptance of the starting price thus represented a very nice profit for him.
‘’I do, miss! I will let you take it for another 300 Rials.’’
‘’Sold! Now, for your barbats: do you have a small model made for children, plus a standard-sized one?’’
‘’I do have one barbat made so that children could learn to play, but it is of markedly inferior quality compared to my bigger barbats, miss.’’
‘’That is actually not really important, as that smaller barbat will be a training instrument for my daughter.’’
Nodding his head, the boutique owner unhooked a barbat which was markedly smaller than the others in his shop and handed it with a smile to Nancy.
‘’Maybe you would like to try it a bit, little one?’’
Nancy eagerly took the instrument and, with the crowd of onlookers still assembled in front of the shop and watching, started playing it, again showing quickly mastery in its use. More applauses greeted the end of Nancy’s practice play, with Nancy again bowing to her admiring onlookers. As for the shop owner, he was simply blown away by Nancy’s virtuosity.
‘’By Allah! Your daughter is positively incredible, miss! Let me get the bigger barbat, along with transport cases for both instruments. What else did you want, miss?’’
‘’Two tombaks: one small and one medium.’’
‘’I happen to have a wide assortment of tombaks, miss: the tombak is a popular instrument here in Isfahan and in the whole of Iran. Let’s see!’’
The boutique owner quickly unearthed two goblet-shaped drums from his shelves, along with their cylindrical carrying case. Being by now fully immersed in the game, Nancy playfully did a few taps on the drums, to the delight of the onlookers, which now numbered over fifty.
When Ingrid and Nancy finally left the boutique, its ecstatic owner was now 17,000 Rials richer, while Nancy was as happy as Ingrid had ever seen her be. Just her smile was for Ingrid worth the sum she had just spent. Loaded down with instruments carrying cases, Ingrid walked back with Nancy to the hotel, so that they could drop off their new acquisitions in their room. Next during the few days to come would be some serious visiting to be done to the countless historical treasures and monuments the city of Isfahan had to show to its visitors, so that Nancy could remember even more clearly her souvenirs from a century ago.