I knew very well that crossing the desert was dangerous, even with the protection of Uncle and the caravan. I was aware of the intense, sweltering heat during the day and the frigid temperatures at night. I remember the men telling me the barren desert was no place for a young lady of my standing and trying to frighten me with stories of unruly bandits, deadly quicksand, and poisonous snakes. Though all of these things worried me, I refused to be intimidated. I lied, saying that I wasn't afraid and, after much debating, the men finally agreed to accept my company. After all, the leader of the caravan was my uncle.
It was the middle of summer in Saida and a group of men was planning a trip through the Sahara to In Salah. The village was in dire need of goods and wouldn't last through the month without them. The conditions for traveling would be horrid in the unbearable heat and Maher was worried about the health of the camels.
"But Mahdi, the temperatures will climb as high as 125 degrees (Fahrenheit) in these summer months. The camels could never bear it, let alone the men!"
"Well what would you have me do, Maher?! I can't sit back and allow my people to die of starvation and illness! You know the infirmary is down to its last few ounces of medicine? What if Adara were to get the fever? THEN what would you have me do?"
The room grew silent; Maher looked to the floor. He thought about his beautiful wife Adara and the awful fever that had taken their precious daughter from them so many years ago.
"People are dying Maher," Mahdi continued. "We have no choice." Maher solemnly nodded his agreement. "So it's settled. We leave in three days. Ragab, prepare the camels."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"But Uncle!" I begged. "You mustn't leave me here on my own! Whatever will I do?"
"Kalila, you know very well you cannot come with me; it's much too dangerous. Plus, you won't be alone; you'll be with Fatimah." Uncle gestured to the doorway where Fatimah, his servant, was standing. Fatimah smiled sweetly at me.
"Come now Kalila, it will be fun. We'll have a great time, just you and I."
"No offense Fatimah, but I'm nineteen years old... I don't need a babysitter. I'm also very capable of going with the caravan to In Salah!" I turned pleading eyes on Uncle.
"Oh Kalila..." Uncle sighed. "Alright, I will DISCUSS the possibility with the others." I threw my arms around him.
"Oh Uncle, thank you!" I kissed his cheek.
"Well don't get your hopes too high darling. I've still got to clear it with the rest of the group."

Later that day, Uncle called a meeting with the rest of the caravan group to settle some,
“final details.”
"Before we wrap up for the day gentlemen, I've got one final... proposition... for you. Kalila, we're ready for you!" I came in from the hallway; everyone had their eyes fixed on me.
"What is this Mahdi?" Ragab asked. Everyone looked to Uncle.
"Men, you all know my niece, Kalila," Uncle began. "Kalila here is a little distraught by the thought of my leaving her on her own while we are away. I talked with her this morning and promised her I would ask you all about the possibility of her attending our trip." Maher cut him off.
"Attending our trip!" he repeated. "Have you gone mad??"
"Have you any idea how dangerous the desert can be, especially in these summer months?" Hani shouted. The group turned to me once again; there was an awkward silence which was broken by Uncle.
"Now men, I..." I cut Uncle off before he could say any more.
"No, Uncle, allow me to explain." I fixed my eyes upon every member of the group one by one. "Now men, I understand your concern. I AM a woman, after all, and I could hinder the trip with my slow pace. Women ARE very delicate after all. But listen to me... I promise that, if you allow me to accompany you, I will keep pace with even the quickest of you, and will require not a moment's rest more. I am quite capable of..."
"Kalila darling," Hani stopped me with a raise of his hand. "It's not the trip we're so worried about."
"Sweetheart," continued Ragab, "the desert is no place for a young lady. The heat is unbearable during the day and the temperatures are freezing at night." Maher nodded and picked up where Ragab left off.
"There are also bandits in the desert, horrible men who would love to get their hands on such a beautiful young woman as yourself." I shivered at this thought, but protested regardless.
"But Uncle and the rest of you will be there to..." Ashraf cut me off mid-sentence.
"Nevertheless, there are also poisonous snakes and other creatures..."
"Like scorpions..." someone said.
"Wouldn't want to be stung by one of those..."
"Do you know of the awful quicksand?" someone else asked?
"I heard entire caravans have been lost to the quicksand pits!" Hani said.
"So you see, love?" Maher said. "It's much too dangerous."
All of these things frightened me, but I was determined not to let them see it. I looked at all of them directly and, without faltering, said simply, "I’m not afraid." Everyone grew silent; Uncle looked at the men who then looked at one another. They nodded.
I was going to In Salah.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two days later, the camels were prepared and the caravan set out for In Salah. We departed from Saida at 5 o’clock in the morning, just before the sun had risen, so the air was still cool. I sat behind Uncle on a camel we called Tatuk, while the rest of the men rode alone. We were silent, absorbed in our own thoughts about the trip that lay ahead; the only sound was that of the camels’ hooves as they strode gracefully through the desert sand.
I was still heavy with sleep, as I had just awoken less than an hour before. The rhythmic swish of the sand separating under the weight of the camels soon had me drifting back into a light sleep. I vaguely remember dreaming about being lost in the desert, wondering how the Jews were able to survive all that time ago.
I awoke sometime later to light shining in my eyes. The sun had fully risen and it was beginning to get uncomfortably warm. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on my forehead as I slipped the sleeves of my dress off my shoulders. I could see the men were beginning to heat up too, as most of them had taken off their shirts and tied them through the loops of their belts. I reached into the bag strapped to the camel beside me to get my sun hat. I pulled it low over my face to protect my delicate skin and eyes from the sun’s harsh rays.
I had pulled my long, dark hair into an elegant bun that morning in anticipation of the heat. I was dressed in a pale violet sun dress that came just low enough to cover my thighs as we rode. I wore sandals with straps to protect my dainty feet from the hot sand, just in case we were forced to walk. I felt the eyes of many of the men upon me, making me feel quite out of place. I got the impression that most of them were warming up to my company.
After another hour or so of riding, Uncle signaled for the group to stop. He turned Tatuk around to face the rest of the men. “Alright men,” he said. “We’ve made excellent progress so far, but we’ve still got quite a trip ahead of us.” Uncle glanced at his watch. “It’s noon now,” he announced. “I think it’s time we take a break.”
We dismounted our camels and walked around a bit to stretch our legs; I had gone stiff from sitting still so long. Ashraf called me over to help him water the camels and we talked as we worked.
“So, ready to turn back yet my lady?” he asked.
“Absolutely not,” I replied. “I’m thoroughly enjoying myself.”
“Well the trip isn’t even half over yet,” he replied.
“I’m well aware of this and I’m anxiously awaiting the rest of our journey.” As I said this, my legs, which had not entirely waken up yet, buckled under me and I nearly fell; Ashraf caught me and straightened me.
“Whoa there… someone’s still a little stiff,” he said with a laugh. He had already straightened me, but hadn’t released me yet. I gave him a nervous look. He stared at me for a moment, glanced around hesitantly, then, seeing his chance, pulled me into him. He wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to my neck.
“There’s just something about a woman that drives the senses wild…” he whispered. I felt his hands start to slip lower down my back; I was frozen with shock.
“Kalila!” I heard Uncle call my name. Ashraf released me and I recoiled with a start; he winked at me and walked away, pretending to busy himself with the camels.
“Oh Kalila, there you are,” Uncle said, coming over to where I was standing. He was completely oblivious to what had just happened. “I was looking for you. Are you ready for lunch?”
I was grateful that Uncle had saved me, but I didn’t want to tell him what had happened for fear he would make us turn back. I nodded that I was, indeed, ready for lunch and went with him back to where the men had set up a rest tent.
Our lunch consisted of only dry, packaged foods, as anything else would perish in the desert heat. We also had bottles of water and canteens to keep with us at all times; however, the water was already becoming hot from the sun. Some of us had begun to make fans out of our food packages or anything else we could find. At this time of day, when the sun is at its highest, one will do anything in desperation to escape the heat.
I felt my skin beginning to burn from the sun’s harsh rays and knew I would be unbearably sore later. I moved under the shade of the rest tent with everyone else in attempt to protect my skin. In the far corner I saw Ashraf deep in conversation with one of the other men, Kazim. As I was studying him, he glanced up and met my eyes; I quickly averted my gaze. I remained as far away from him as possible for the rest of the break.
When everyone was through with lunch and the camels were well-rested, we packed up our things and set out again. It was three o’clock when we finally left. By then, the temperature was at least 100 degrees and we had given up hope of staying cool. Miserably, we succumbed to the heat as beads of sweat rolled off our foreheads.

 
Each step of the camels brought us farther and farther into the barren desert. There was nothing but sand for miles around us. There were no signs of life as far as we could see, except for the occasional lizard skittering across the sand. The land was empty and desolate; the air was still and heavy. There was an unbearable silence that seemed to last an eternity before it was finally broken by a few of the men; they had begun to sing an old Arabic song that seemed vaguely familiar to me. After a few lines, I began to sing along, not knowing where the words were coming from.

“Through dark and light
And desert heat
I bring myself
To move my feet

Fret not, my dear
I’ll be there soon
To light your night
Like the midnight moon

A world of light
And love I bring
I come for you
My desert queen…”

For some reason unbeknownst to me, the enchanting song brought a tear to my eye. I blinked it away, wondering how I had known the lyrics to this mysterious song. When I asked Uncle why the song was so familiar, he told me it was an old tune that my jaddah* had once sung to me, before she passed on many years ago. He said she called me her, “desert queen.”
Lost in memory of my grandmother, I was in another world. Before I knew it, hours had gone by. I was awoken from my reverie when Uncle stopped Tatuk. He signaled for everyone to gather around with a raise of his hand.
“Now, I don’t mean to alarm anyone,” he began, “but we have been riding for quite some time, and it seems we should have hit Touggourt by now…”
“What are you saying Mahdi?” Ragab asked nervously.
“Don’t tell me we’re lost,” Maher added.
“No no, we’re not lost,” Uncle reassured them. “Just a little off course is all.”
“Off course?!” Ashraf shouted. “What do you mean ‘off course’?” Uncle looked to the sky, clearly avoiding the question.
“I think it best if we stopped here for tonight and set up camp; it will be getting dark within the hour anyway. We’ll sleep here for now and reassess the situation in the morning.”
At Uncle’s command, we dismounted our camels and began to set up camp. There were seven tents, two men in each and one for myself. We arranged the tents in a circle, with mine closest to the middle for protection. We also made a fire pit in the very center in anticipation of the cold once the sun went down. Uncle and I arranged blankets on the sand around the fire and put up the rest tent just outside of the circle.
We had camp completely set just before sundown. One of the men lit a fire while I went to get dinner ready. Dinner was mostly made up of granola and dried meat, but it was all we could ask for with the incredible heat; we talked as we ate.
“So where exactly do you think we are, Mahdi?” Kazim asked.
“Not where we’re supposed to be,” Uncle answered tersely.
“How are we ever going to get back on course?” Ragab wanted to know.
“Trust me gentlemen,” Uncle reassured them. “In the morning I will be able to tell where we are. I’ve brought a map; all I need is the sun.” This seemed to satisfy the rest of the group. They went back to their dinner; Maher began to tell stories.
“I remember a story my father once told me,” he began. “He and my grandfather were in a situation like this once. They were trying to get to Annaba, but got lost in the desert. They were lost for days, he said.”
“How did they find their way back?” I asked.
“Ah, a group of Bedouins found them just in time. They had just run out of water when the nomads came through. My father and grandfather were terrified at first, worried that the Bedouins would take what little they had and leave them to die there.”
“So what happened?” I urged.
“They said the Bedouins showed them the way to get back to Saida. After that experience, my father never set foot in the barren desert again.”
“What about your grandfather?” I asked. Maher’s face grew solemn.
“He passed away a few days after their return.” I gasped.
“Maher… I’m so sorry,” I said.
“Don’t be,” he assured me. “My father says it was a curse. He swears that the Bedouins were actually witches who cast a spell on my grandfather. He says Grandpa’s life was a sacrifice for their safe return.” I shivered and glanced around at the darkness surrounding me. Seeing my reaction, Maher chuckled.
“Don’t worry Azeezee*,” he said. “I don’t think there will be any witches showing up tonight.” With this, Uncle stood.
“Alright,” he announced. “We should all try and get some sleep. We leave before sun-up.”
Everyone went to their tents. Soon the lanterns were being put out, and the last bits of chatter died away; everything was silent. I changed out of my sun dress and into my nightgown, and then put out my lantern as well. I was exhausted from the day’s journey and was happy to finally be able to lie down and rest.
While my body was exhausted, my mind was restless and refused to let me sleep. It was racing with horrible thoughts. I didn’t let anyone see, but the thought of being lost in the desert terrified me, and Maher’s story about witches and curses made it all the worse. I couldn’t help picturing the thirteen of us, dying off one by one. I saw us running out of water and perishing in the desert heat, or being attacked by thieves and left for dead.
Eventually, my mind, running out of things to worry about, calmed down and finally let me rest. It was so blissfully silent that, once my thoughts were quiet, I had no problem drifting off to sleep. I felt sleep wash over me and was about to give myself away to it when I was abruptly awoken by a horrible shriek piercing the silence. Horrified, I shot up in bed and immediately rushed out of my tent. Lanterns were turning on and everyone was running from their tents and toward the scene of the disturbance; the shriek had come from Ashraf and Kazim’s tent.
I entered the tent to investigate, followed by Uncle and Maher. I saw Ashraf, panic-stricken, bent over Kazim, who was lying on the ground, shaking violently. Uncle pushed me behind him and ran to the two, kneeling at Kazim’s side.
“What happened here?!” he shouted. Ashraf, too panicked to speak, simply pointed to a spot on Kazim’s leg. There was a red, inflamed spot on his leg that was swelling larger by the second. Uncle bent closer to examine the wound. I watched in horror as Kazim began to convulse and writhe in agony. The color drained from Uncle’s face.
“Uncle!” I cried, horrified. “What is it? What’s the matter with him?”
“He’s been stung… by a scorpion.” Kazim let out a horrible cry of anguish and began to shake harder.
“He’s in so much pain!” I shouted. “What can we do??” I ran to Uncle’s side and dropped to my knees over Kazim. Uncle’s expression grew strangely serene.
“I’m afraid,” he began, “there’s nothing we can do.” He put a hand on Kazim’s shoulder and closed his eyes. I could hear him chanting an old Arabic hymn. He was praying for Allah to grant Kazim a peaceful life after death. I buried my head in my hands and began to cry as Kazim’s convulsing grew less and less. Soon he was still and I saw Uncle close his eyelids.
“My friends… on this night we have lost a great man. Though our hearts are sore now, we know that he will be with Allah, watching over us as we complete our journey through this hostile desert that has taken a great life. Rest assured it will take no more.”
I began to cry harder; Ragab came to my side and helped me to my feet. He brought me outside and sat with me while I attempted to regain my composure. It took me nearly an hour to do so. By the time I was calm, the men had all moved outside around the fire. We sat in sullen silence for a long time. Half an hour passed before Uncle broke the silence once more.
“Let us return to our tents, everyone, and as we are drifting off to sleep, let us remember our friend and pray to Allah to protect him in his journey to the other side.” We all went to our tents; Ashraf went to spend the night with Ragab and Hani. Though we were silent, none of us got much sleep that night.
When sleep finally did come, it was fitfully so; I tossed and turned all through the night. The dream I had that night, I will never forget.

I was walking through the desert, completely alone. The sun was high in the sky and the air was thick. I had no idea how long I had been walking or where I was going. All I remember was something pulling me farther and farther into the desert and away from civilization. I had no idea where I was, but the land looked strangely familiar. I looked around me; all I could see was sand for miles and miles. I continued walking.
Before long, the atmosphere seemed to change. The sky grew dark and clouds began to roll in. Amazingly, it began to rain. The rain was cold and soothed my grateful skin; however, the darkness from the storm was beginning to make me lose course. Soon, I could see no more.
Afraid of being lost in the desert, I sat down where I was to wait out the storm. I sat there, completely serene, regardless of the rain; I waited. As I waited, the atmosphere began to change once more. As I watched, the sky began to clear and the air took on an aroma of perfume and roses. As I lifted my gaze to the sky, I saw a familiar face descending from the heavens; it was my grandmother.
“Jaddah!” I called, running toward her. She raised a hand, beckoning me to come to her. When I reached her side, I stopped and stared at her, barely believing what I saw. She spoke to me in that sweet voice I hadn’t heard in so long. I recognized it instantly, like the face of an old friend.
“My darling!” she said. “It’s so wonderful to see your face again. My, how you’ve grown!”
“Oh, Jaddah! I’ve missed you so!”
“I’ve missed you too my dear,” she took me in her arms and gently caressed my cheek. We stood that way, embracing each other, for what seemed like ages before I finally broke the silence.
“Jaddah… what are you doing here?” I asked, pulling back to look in her eyes. Her face grew serious.
“Oh my darling hafeedah*, I’ve come to warn you!” she said.
“Warn me?” I replied hesitantly. “Warn me of what?”
“Dear, your caravan is in grave danger. There are men coming… a group of them.” I didn’t understand.
“What do you mean Jaddah? A group of men?”
“Bedouin men,” she said. “Passing through for Ghardaia. My darling, don’t fret, but they are going to take you away.”
“Take me away?!” I cried, distraught. “Oh Jaddah, I don’t want to be taken away!”
“Hush my dear,” she said. “Everything will be alright. You must go with these men, and they will leave your men in peace.”
“But… what about me, Jaddah? What’s going to happen to me?” I began to cry into her beautiful white gown.
“Don’t you worry my dear, they will cause you no harm,” she said simply this, and nothing more.
“Jaddah, how do you know all of this?” I asked her. She laughed gently.
“You must remember, my desert queen. Jaddah knows all,” with these last words and a kiss atop my head, I watched in silence as she began to ascend back to Paradise. She sweetly sang that haunting melody as she rose.
“A world of light
And love I bring
I come for you
My desert queen…”
With this she was gone, disappearing into the clouds. There was a flash of light and the clouds vanished, leaving only the harsh rays of the sun, once again burning my delicate eyes.
“I love you Jaddah,” I whispered…
~~~
I awoke to a beam of light shining in my eyes; it was Uncle.
“Come now, my dear. We must be leaving.”

I dressed quickly and packed my things. I hurried out to where a few of the men had gathered in the rest tent for a quick breakfast before our departure. I grabbed a handful of granola and a bottle of water, and then went back out to help the others take down the tents. I couldn’t help but notice that one was missing; I didn’t dare ask what they had done with it, or what I knew it once contained.
The sun was just rising as we finished packing. Uncle called Hani over to help him with the map. They spread it out upon the ground; Uncle glanced to the sky.
“The sun is rising from there,” he said, pointing. “That means that direction is east; I know exactly where we’re going now.”
Finally back on course, Uncle and I climbed up on Tatuk and we set out once more. Ashraf took care to fasten Kazim’s camel to his own. As we rode farther, the sun climbed higher. Soon the miserable heat was back again. Though the sun was burning my skin, I hardly noticed it; I was too absorbed in thoughts of my mysterious dream.
My mind went back to that spot in the desert where my grandmother had descended from the sky. I heard her words echo in my ears, “My darling, don’t fret, but they are going to take you away…” I knew it was just a dream, but it all seemed so real. Anxiously, I kept an eye on the horizon as we continued our journey.
Hours more brought us even farther into the desert. Eventually, we began to see buildings in the distance; we had reached Touggourt. Within the hour, we finally made it into the city. This meant our journey was nearly half way through. As we entered the city walls, a group of villagers came to greet us, as is common in the desert when caravans pass through. Uncle decided we were making an unscheduled stop for the night and asked the villagers where we might find some shelter. One of the eldest villagers pointed us to an inn where she said we would be able to rest and clean up.
Walking in to the old desert inn, the twelve of us were certainly a sight. We were soaked with sweat and our hair was caked with dirt. Any time we took a step, a steady stream of sand would poor from our clothing. Regardless of our appearance, the innkeeper greeted us with warm enthusiasm.
“Welcome to Touggourt’s desert oasis!” he called, coming toward us with his arms open wide. He stopped and studied us for a moment more before continuing on. “You all look like you could use a rest.”
“We certainly could,” Uncle said. “By any chance, could you spare about six rooms?”
“Right this way,” the innkeeper smiled. He took Uncle to the front desk while pointing the rest of us upstairs. “Rooms five through ten are vacant.” As Uncle signed us in and paid for our stay, the rest of us went to bring in the packs from outside where we had tied the camels. Bringing my things to my room, I quickly unpacked my toiletries and then headed for the bath.
I turned on the water in the bath to heat as I undressed. Glancing in the mirror, I was shocked at my reflection. My hair was tangled and tan with sand. My eyes were dry and red, having been irritated by the arid desert climate. My skin, which was tanned to begin with, was now dark and cracked. I hardly recognized myself.
Quickly, I got in the bath and washed my once-beautiful dark hair. Though it was hot outside, the warm water felt amazing to my parched skin; the heat soothed my aching body. I took my time, enjoying this unexpected luxury. When I was through, I flushed my poor eyes with cool water and looked in the mirror again. The red was beginning to fade and my deep green irises were back to their beautiful shade.
Wrapping myself in a towel, I went back out to my bedroom. I rummaged through my bag to find my long, green dress I had thought to pack before we departed Saida. The dress bore a beautifully elegant floral pattern and stretched nearly to the ground. It had no sleeves, but had straps that tied behind my slender neck. I dressed myself and sat down on the bed to comb my wet hair. Being wet, my hair now flowed past my breasts and stretched to my waist. When my hair was combed straight, I went to the mirror to put on my makeup. I didn’t use much, only putting on enough to enhance the natural beauty of my features. Quickly, I brushed my teeth and found my black high heels that went beautifully with my dress. Leaving my bag on my bed, I left my room and went downstairs to the main room; it was here I found most of the others, gathered around a center table.
“Well men, it looks like we’ll be arriving in In Salah a little later than planned,” Uncle was saying.
“I don’t think any of us mind that, Mahdi,” Ragab said.
“Nevertheless,” Uncle continued, “this puts us behind schedule and I hate to leave the village any longer than necessary. Our trip home is going to have to be quicker.”
“well, let’s cross that bridge when we get there,” Hani said. “Until then, we should rest.” As Hani said this, the innkeeper entered the room.
“Dinner time,” he said with a smile.

The twelve of us were seated around an extravagant table, joined by the innkeeper, his wife, and a few of the other guests. Before long, the servants came out with plates piled with food. Everything was delicious and soon we were yawning as the exhaustion set in.
We talked with the innkeeper for another hour or so, retelling to him the events of our trip thus far. I noticed Uncle carefully avoided the story of what happened to Kazim. Before ling, I felt myself beginning to nod off.
“Kalila darling,” I heard Uncle chuckle, “let’s get you to bed.” Wearily, I got to my feet and let Uncle lead me to my bedroom. I turned on the light and closed the door behind me. Quickly, I undressed, replacing my evening gown with my nightgown. I was so exhausted that I didn’t even bother removing my make-up. Already half asleep, I shut off the light and finally climbed into bed.
It was amazing to lie in an actual bed, a luxury I had missed since our departure from Saida. I felt sleep begin to wash over me and I gave in willingly. As I was just about to fall asleep, I felt a strange tickle against my foot. I assumed it was only my bedcovers, and turned on my side to get more comfortable. As I turned, the odd tickle began to run up my leg. It was only then that I realized the tickle was not my bedcovers.
Screaming, I tore the blanket off of me and sat up abruptly in bed. I scrambled back and pressed myself against the headboard, drawing my knees to my chest in the darkness. I screamed again and immediately heard footsteps outside in the hall. I heard Uncle calling my name and saw the door being flung wide open. Someone flicked on the lights.
I saw several of the men standing in the doorway and heard them gasp in shock. There, with me in my bed, was a snake. With dismay, I realized that I was held captive in my bed by a Mamba.
The Black Mamba, being one of the most venomous snakes in the world, is highly feared in Algeria. One strike from this snake and I was dead. Realizing it was not alone in the bed, the mamba hissed, flicking its forked tongue in my direction. I was frozen in fear. I knew that, one wrong move, and the snake would attack, injecting its poison into my blood with its razor sharp fangs, immediately damning me to an agonizing death. An image of Kazim, convulsing in agony on the desert floor, flashed through my mind. I cried out and pressed myself even farther against the headboard.
“Kalila!” Uncle shouted. “Don’t you dare make a move!” Heeding his warning, I sat still as death, pleading to Uncle with my eyes to save me. The snake hissed again, staring me down as if it were challenging me.
“Damn it, Mahdi, she can’t just sit there! Kalila, get up slowly…” Uncle cut Maher off before he could finish.
“Kalila, don’t you move,” he said sternly; I obeyed. “Maher, have you any idea how far it is to the next infirmary? There isn’t one for miles! If she gets bitten…” I whimpered and Uncle stopped his thought abruptly.
“So what will you have us do, Mahdi?” Maher asked. As he was saying this, the innkeeper walked into the room.
“What in the world is…” he stopped, suddenly seeing what was happening. “Oh, Allah help us…” he said in a desperate voice.
“Enough of this foolishness!” Ashraf bellowed. “Sitting here staring at the damned thing will only get Kalila killed!” Pushing his way into the room, Ashraf came to the foot of my bed. Knowing mambas strike quickly, he advanced without making a sound. Over his shoulder, he called to the innkeeper.
“Bring me a pillowcase,” he ordered.
“But what are you planning to do?” the innkeeper protested.
“Just do it!” Ashraf barked. The innkeeper vanished through the doorway and was back in an instant. He handed Ashraf a pillowcase.
“Ragab, come assist me,” he ordered. Ragab hesitated, glancing from me to the snake and back again. Seeing the desperation in Ragab’s eyes, Uncle intervened.
“No Ragab,” he said mercifully. “Let me do it.” Relieved, Ragab turned and slowly backed out of the room. He stood in the hallway, a safe distance from the snake, but remained ready to help if absolutely necessary.
“Ashraf, tell me what I need to do,” Uncle said.
“Alright Mahdi, you stand here with the pillow case open. Be ready to close it tight when I toss the snake in. Whatever you do, don’t drop it…”

TbC...


 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 23.02.2011

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