Adala

Aso and Arman

"Wake up boy!" A big husky voice shook me into consciousness.

I felt the heat before I saw it. The sun was big and red.

A hand helped me to sit up and the owner's face was a bearded man with dark hair. He offered me a canteen of water and I gratefully drank from it.

"You're not from around here." He stated observing my black suit that I wore from the funeral.

The funeral! Yes, I was from the funeral! My sister, my parents, the pretenses, the weeping fig tree, the voice. 'I need you, Masa.' I remember it now.

"Where am I?" I looked around. There was nothing but red sand all around.

"What the fuck?!" I exclaimed realizing that I'm in a completely different place.

Now that I think about it, this man is strange too. He's wearing rags.

"What do you want from me?" I asked horrified.

"Are you their spy?" He asked.

"Spy? What are you talking about?" Now, I'm really confused. What the hell is going on.

"Urrrrlllllll!!" , what was that sound?

"Captain! Who is that?" it was a young man's voice. I craned my neck to see what or who it was. And there stood a camel and its rider.

"I don't know. We'll bring him back to camp for interrogation." the captain replied.

That's when the older man tied my wrists on my back. He then pulled me up and manhandled me towards the camel. He then tied the rope to the saddle and he motioned for me to follow the younger guy. Not that I have a choice, since when the camel started moving, I am pulled and forced to walk across the hot and dry red desert.

Soon, a camp came into view. In the middle of the desert, stood ten big cone-shaped tents. It was already dusk when we arrived and shadows loomed as the fire on the firepit flickered. Men sat and conversed around the fire. Some where holding cups which I suspect to have alcohol in them. My alcoholic of a mother made sure I am familiar with it.

As we passed, the men stared at me with suspicion and some with malice. I almost pissed myself.

Then, the camel rider removed the rope from the saddle, squeezed my shoulder with his strong left hand and said, "Go in!", as he motioned towards the entrance of a smaller tent.

There was also a fire pit in the middle of the tent. A man, probably in his forties sat next to the fire reading a worn out book. He, just like all the men that I've seen so far, wore rags for clothing.

"Arman." the captain called the man next to the firepit.

He looked up and promptly closed his book. "Oh, Aso! What do you have for me?", he asked with a silly smile.

"I found this one unconscious in the desert." Aso replied as he pushed me on the ground.

Arman stood and pulled my back and made me sit down facing him.

"Hmmm." He held my jaw with his fingers and moved my face from side to side. "He looks masculine. He could be from other tribes." He stated with a discerning look on his face.

"We can't be sure. He was probably sent by them. He's probably not even a HE." Aso then pulled me by my back collar and stood me up.

"We should strip him to be sure." he added.

"Whoa, whoa! Stop right there!" I exclaimed as I struggled away from Aso as he started to strip away my pants.

"No!" I screamed and a slap slammed me to the ground. The impact on the side of my face made my left ear ring. Taking the opportunity, Aso proceeded to strip my pants and undergarments.

"He's a male." Arman stated with a tone of told-you-so.