Sand Red

8

Our last morning in the desert there were only drops left in the waterbag. We dragged on. We expected to reach the Red settlement in the late afternoon. I craved moisture. I craved meat. It was the hardest thing I had ever done to go on putting one foot in front of the other.

The day bloomed majestically. As we neared the settlement, we began to spot birds in the sky more frequently. Everywhere, there were hints of their untold wealth: a shoot of green here, a family of mice there. There was a richness to the air that told of moisture, and we quickened our pace eagerly, each seeing in our mind's eye the vast tracts of land covered in water.

A little past noon, we came upon it. The gate through which we had left mere days before loomed in the distance. I began to run. Yul and Od limped behind me. I slammed into the gate, rattling it desperately. The guards inside jerked up in surprise. I pressed my face into the metal grills.

'Please. We need water.'

'Back up.' The guard lowered his pike.

I hastily backed away. Yul and Od reached the gate, gasping. 'Let us in,' Yul said.

'We were here a few days back. We traded oil? I met your leader, Duke. I know Aida. I've seen your farmland,' I rushed. They seemed surprised at my knowledge.

Od said,'We were attacked. Please. We need your help.'

'Find Duke,' I begged him. 'Ask him yourself if you don't believe us.'

The guards looked at each other for a second, then the blond one nodded. 'Inform Duke,' he said to the other. The guard turned and disappeared over the hills.

We waited for Duke's verdict. If the Reds did not help us, we would die. I understood that very well. We waited. I hitched my trousers up. They were loose from the weight I had lost with our lack of water and food. Ten minutes passed, then fifteen, then perhaps an hour. Finally Aida appeared. She was dressed in the typical Red fashion with blood hued shirt above an equally red skirt this time.

'Why are you here?' she demanded, marching towards us. She reached the gate and crossed her arms. Her muscles rippled powerfully and her hair flowed out from beneath her ebony skin in its rough plaits.

'We were attacked. They're all dead. We've walked three days without food or water.'

'Please help us,' Od added.

Aida looked at us long and hard. 'Duke has given you permission to enter,' she said finally, making clear that she didn't support the decision.

We traipsed through the settlement yet again. Fires burned in the homes to keep the night chills off. Dusk shrouded the land. Duke was waiting for us before a small hut. He put his arms behind his back as we approached.

'Hello,' he said pleasantly.

'Hello,' I replied, forcing my thirst down. I would not beg. Od and Yul said nothing.

'The oil is good. Our production will go up with the tractors.'

I nodded, trying not to look too impatient.

He clapped his hands briskly. 'Ah, I forget. You have journeyed across the desert. Come in. Drink.'

I am ashamed to say the three of us scrambled inside his cottage in a flash, like lapdogs at the word 'drink'.

The inside was warm and cosy from a fire in the grate and the space was cramped. Rugs decorated the floor, shirts and jackets hung from hooks- I was surprised to see Duke owned some jackets that were not red- and a strange sort of cooking implement whistled on the spiky fire. He made for a little wooden table in the corner and lifted a jug. My heart thudded loudly in my chest as liquid sloshed within.