My Dream

📖 Fahim

The sand which had been swallowing them, shifted and began pushing them up.

"Fascinating!" A voice gasped. "This ink stained sand can still be controlled by me! I should bring some home!"

"Fahim!" Gwen wheezed. "Not the time!"

Gwen crawled over to Jamil, who was having trouble breathing with the muzzle over his mouth.

"Jamil..." Gwen began tugging at the muzzle.

"Oh my god..." Hands grabbed at Gwen's shoulders and pulled her away. "Gwen, let me see him..."

Gwen watched as Fahim knelt next to Jamil.

Fahim was a person who always radiated big brother energy, despite being a younger brother. His black hair was of course, short and curly, which meant Othello had gotten ahold of him. His skin was pale from years in a land where the sun rarely shone. One arm was hidden in his robes as the other examined Jamil's chains.

"Fahim... Fahim can you get them off of him?" Gwen asked.

"He'll be okay." Fahim assured her.

Gwen wondered if it was his brother Fahim was seeing chained against his will.

Fahim grabbed at one of the chains and chanted quickly under his breath. The chains unlocked and fell to the ground.

Jamil let out a huge gasp as he was able to breathe more freely, rubbing his wrists and neck in relief.

"Jamil!" Gwen wrapped her arms around him. "Oh golly, you're okay!"

"Gwen?" Jamil patted her back. "What's going on? Who is this?"

"Ah, of course!" Fahim bowed slightly. "I am Fahim Al-Nader."

Gwen helped Jamil to stand. "Or, as many people back home know him... The Sorcerer of the Sand."

Fahim sighed. "Black Sands! I am the Sorcerer of the Black Sands!" He complained. "No one ever gets that right!!"

Gwen snapped her fingers. "Fahim, focus!" She said. "What's going on here? Where are we?"

"Well you tell me." Fahim replied. "You're the one who made this place and called for me, after all."

"Wait..." Gwen looked around at the treasure room they had found themselves in. "I did this?"

But Fahim, who had never been able to focus on one thing for long, had focused on something else. "What happened to your neck!?"

Jamil blushed and pulled his hood over his face as he realized the damage.

Gwen patted her neck. "Oh golly..." Her neck was covered in hickies!!

"You know what?" Fahim shook his head. "No. I do not want to know."

Fahim turned to Jamil. "Are you ready to go back?"

"Do you really think I want to go back to that?" Jamil asked.

Fahim laughed, resting a hand on Jamil's shoulder. "You remind me so much of my big brother, Razi. You even look like him too..."

Fahim sighed. "My brother and I... we were a little like you. Choked with expectations and how our parents wanted us to be... forced to be silent."

Jamil looked up with wide eyes.

"But we weren't going to just lie down and take it." Fahim continued. "We ran away. We made our own lives. And, from what I can tell... kinda like us, you have two people who really care about you."