Fair Winds is a celebrated musical-instrument shop whose ordinary commercial setting becomes the stage for John Maslama’s secret campaign announcing Gibreel Farishta’s return. Gibreel’s visit transforms the shop from a discreet place of publicity into the site of a public proclamation, with a trumpet serving as its emblem and instrument.

Setting and ownership

Fair Winds sells musical instruments, especially brass and wind instruments. It is described as a legendary shop where customers can find an exceptional selection of horns, including clarinets, saxophones, and trombones. John Maslama owns it alongside the Hot Wax nightclub and record chain, linking the store’s trade in instruments to his wider music business.

Maslama’s concealed publicity

Maslama acts as the chief herald of Gibreel Farishta’s anticipated return and the salvation associated with it. He keeps this work from his employees: he puts posters in the shop windows only when he believes no one is watching, and buys display advertisements in newspapers and magazines without signing them. A cheaply printed handbill in the window announces Gibreel’s imminent return, making the shopfront a public platform for a message Maslama otherwise tries to distribute discreetly.

Gibreel Farishta’s visit

The announcement becomes an encounter when Gibreel Farishta walks into Fair Winds. The account presents him with thunder and lightning around his brow, and Maslama recognizes him as the returned celestial figure he has been publicizing. When Gibreel pays for a trumpet, Maslama attempts to refuse the money, but Gibreel places it in his jacket pocket. He then addresses the store and declares himself God’s right hand before raising the trumpet and naming it Azraeel. Maslama is so shaken that he falls to his knees; the employees, too, are left stunned by the scene.

Narrative significance

Fair Winds brings together the story’s commercial and visionary registers. Its windows and advertisements make the return a matter of public promotion, while the trumpet bought inside the store turns that publicity into a direct performance. The shop’s everyday function remains visible throughout: it is still a business selling instruments, even as Maslama and Gibreel cast it as the setting for a proclamation of judgment.