OTHERS: Five elements

CHAPTER 4.2: EARTH

20 September 2032, 02:05 PM

It was just past 2 o'clock, the sun perched high above like some ancient god, merciless and blazing. My hands, calloused and powdered white from the dry cement, trembled slightly as I adjusted my grip. I wasn't paying attention, too focused on keeping my balance when I turned the corner—and slammed into an soldier. 

- "Whoa, sorry! Are you alright?" a voice asked, foreign and deep.

I staggered back and looked up. The man was tall, pale-skinned, with light blonde hair that almost glowed in the sun. Every inch of him was built like a statue from some ancient Greek temple—only real. His sharp blue eyes scanned me quickly, not with hostility, but concern.

- "You okay?" he asked again.

I realized he was speaking English. It took me few seconds to shift from Arabic. Even though I'm not fluent, I understand it and can communicate. 

- "Yes, I'm okay!"

- "My fault, I wasn't paying attention. I'm trying to find the Egyptian Museum—the one near Tahrir Square", said the soldier.

- "Just go straight for two blocks, then turn right. You'll see a big building with a sphinx statue."

- "Thank you!"

- "I'm actually headed that way, so we can walk together."

- "Thank you very much! And I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Mark!"

- "I'm Hibatullah!"

- "Nice to meet you Hibatullah!", was trying to say in Arabic.

I smiled when I heard his attempt to speak Arabic. 

- "Judging by your uniform, I'm guessing you're a soldier of the World Safety Organization. What brings you to Egypt?"

- "My mentor and I came to deal with some issues involving the Others. Strange things have been happening. The number of Others in this country has suddenly increased."

- "Really?"

- "Yes! Yesterday we captured three of them. Today, August gave me the day off—he had some personal matters to take care of. So I decided to visit the museum, because I love Egypt."

- "Seriously? You love Egypt?" I looked at him curiously. 

- "I love it! When I was a kid, I watched every documentary I could find. Mummies, pyramids, pharaohs. I've read Egyptian mythology, seen all the movies, even the bad ones."

- "So you are fan."

- "Big fan," he said. " I already visited the Valley of the Kings. Unbelievable. I saw the Great Pyramid too. And I was speechless. Just... wow! How did your ancestors do it?"

- "We ask the same question," I said, chuckling. "Some say aliens."

- "Yeah, I've heard that one." Mark said through a laugh.

- "You have to be careful while you're in Egypt. The sun is strong, especially for someone with light skin like yours. You can burn quickly."

- "I know, I've heard that many times before. But I couldn't resist—I wanted to make the most of my day off by visiting the museum and enjoying all that Egypt has to offer."

We arrived at our destination and went our separate ways. As I watched him disappear a strange warmth lingered inside me—something I hadn't felt in a long time. He was nothing like I expected—kind, genuine, and accepting. For once, I wasn't invisible or just background noise. He saw me. It made me feel seen. Meeting someone like him, even briefly, gave me a flicker of hope and reminded me that there is still kindness in this world.