Under the Sun

Part 10

Zayed himself still hadn't asked how and from where I'd ended up in the middle of the Saharan desert. Or what had happened to me for that matter. I would think of the fact how was I going to get back home a bit later. Now wasn't the time. The most important thing now was to get somewhere where there were actually people. My family should be quite worried by now. The thought made my eyes sting and burn and I could feel the tears forming. I tried to hide it and took a deep breath. Zayed had noticed and seemed to be a bit confused. He looked in the ground and drew circles in the sand.

At some point Zayed said that we could continue the journey again, so packed our things and went outside. I waited for a couple of minutes and then did the same ritual of climbing on my leg and making my way on Tarmid's back. When on its back, I didn't even dare to examine my burning leg which had started to become numb in some places. I was too scared to give it more thought. I tried to cover it with my skirt with my best abilities.

Miraculously Zayed appeared again and we continued our endless walk. When he had reached the rocks, the scenery had changed quite a lot. Now we continued through tiny mountain paths between the golden rocks. Zayed seemed to know where to go despite the identical paths. 

"Are you sure you will be able to walk all this?" I asked after we had traveled a time period that I estimated to be a couple of hours. That didn't sound right, I realized immediately. Zayed continued walking but gave a little laugh to my question. I felt so stupid and if I hadn't been so pale of the pain and a likely infection, my cheeks would have probably gotten red... 

I never could have realized that Sahara's nights were actually quite cold until now, when I could feel it on my skin. After the dark had fallen the air was relatively cool. Zayed told that we would stop for the night and started to form a campfire once again, this time in a side of a high rock that was shaped in a way that it formed a roof-like figure above us. Even though I hadn't walked a mile I was still tired. I made my way to the familiar blanket Zayed had lain in the corner. I wasn't sure whether the weather was really that cold in the Sahara at night or was it just me. I was shaking so hard that my teeth made sounds as they clonked together. I still had with me the clothes that I had tied together with the big scarf of mine and I pulled one of my big shirts from it and put it on with shaking hands. I was still shaking and I could feel the cold creeping in all the way to my bones. I thought about resting my head for just a small moment on the ground but I seemed to have passed out immediately. 

I saw restless dreams again. This time they didn't include the people I loved but the same scary emotions and scenes I always remember seeing while having fever. I woke up at some point sweaty and feeling weak. First I didn't recognize the place and got scared but soon the pieces of the puzzle got into their places and I remembered where I was. Tarmid let out a growl from its resting place. Zayed was probably sleeping because he was leaning, with the scarf still tightly wrapped around his head, to the steep rock. I closed my eyes slowly again and fell asleep. But I was wrong about Zayed because the second I closed my eyes he opened his. He got up slowly and soundlessly. 

When I awoke again, I felt someone laying something carefully next to me. I opened my eyes slowly and I could see Zayed. He looked different. He hadn't covered his face and I got to see his gorgeous facial shapes for a few seconds before he realized I wasn't sleeping anymore, got quickly up and backed away. He covered his face again and moved to the very other end of our camping place. 

I could see that he had put something steaming that resembled the sent of chicken soup next to me. He turned to look carefully back at me still not saying a word. I rose up to sit and smiled at him. Zayed sat down carefully and signed towards the soup. I took it and sipped. Oh, it was heavenly! I closed my eyes out of pure pleasure that the taste had caused and when I opened my eyes I could see that Zayed had taken his headscarf off again and I could see his face.

That moment, the moment when our eyes met. That contact was full of sparkling energy, I could sense it from the air and I felt it bubbling on my face. Those eyes, one could drown in their dark and deep beauty and just hope to get away. That captivating look was like from another world. It was a mix of something mystical but then again something sweet and sensitive that called you to it, to safety. 

That moment, that magical moment that felt endless was over in seconds. He turned his gaze slowly away. I could still feel the energy around us. My heart beat a few extra beats and my breathing was quick. I swallowed heavily and tried to get my simple brains to comprehend what had just happened between us. Wonderful, that it was. What had happened between us in those few brief seconds was inexplicable, wonderful and left a burning desire to feel it again.