Appointment in Samarra

A merchant in Bagdad sends his servant to the market to buy provisions and in a little while the servant comes back, pale and trembling, and says, "Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture. Let me take your horse so I can get away from here. I'll go to Samarra and Death won't find me." So the merchant loans the man his horse and the man goes as fast as he can to Samarra.

Afterwards, the merchant goes down to the marketplace and sees Death standing in the crowd and he says to her, "Why did you make such a threating gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?" "That wasn't a threatening gesture," Death says: "It was just that I was surprised to see him here in Bagdad because I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra."