Kairo Athir Nailah

It was that time of the month again, that time when tourists from all over the world came to this beautiful country to admire and witness the marvelous and breathtaking monuments that simply are just too hard to ignore. From the Valley of the Kings to the Temple of Hatshepsut, those places are the most visited ones so far. Children are set free to roam around and make a little exploring for themselves, with, of course, supervision.

Little we know that these and other commonly admired landmarks are open to the public all day and night round. Light posts are scattered all around the monuments to give it illumination when the dusk approached. Photographers and people, who can afford extra security to escort them, stay a little longer at night. It can get pretty dangerous in these areas, since still at this present time in history, a small group of adolescent people lurked around, seeking only wealthy people to steal from. Like in America, with their group of cowboys to steal banks, here in Egypt are called Sand Thieves. They consist of 5 members, both sexes, all from the outside of the cities.

Splitting up and taking their usual hiding spots, everyone stood quiet behind what's left of the pillars, silent like the mild wind that blew against their faces. Like a cheetah stalking it's prey, they all locked their glance at a couple that walked around while talking amongst themselves; lightly chattering and questioning about the Egyptian culture back in the days. The couple kept strolling until coming to a stop at the sight of a big mural with barely visible encryptions on it. It didn't take long before the thieves made their move and shortly surrounded the couple, 2 of them stayed and kept the guard on while the rest took out their daggers and pointed them at the defenseless pair. The leader of the small clan looked around the couple and snapped his fingers, calling the attention of the smallest thief, a female. Her face and body covered with different types of cloaks to protect herself from the sandstorms she and the rest of the group had to endure as they all traveled back to the city.

Making a quick scan on the couple, she approached them and moved her hands around them, taking anything with value, including gadgets. Their main target is money, money they can take to change it into they currency so they can all share to buy food and just make it in life.

The small thief rapidly backed away and made herself off to where they came from. The rest of them did as well, causing absolutely no harm to the couple, only the impression that they just got robbed. The thieves took off fast, leaving no trace of them whatsoever; all though they were young, they were also very smart in their tactics and knew exactly what to do.

This activity has been going on since the leader turned 15. Each member has the same age except for the girls. They lived far from civilization but close to near-by lakes. The hideout was more of a abandoned house, it's doors and windows were reconstructed by them as well as the outside too, nothing too fancy either; they didn't want to attract any kind of attention. They kept themselves in the shadows and they liked it, it made them feel safe. No type of initiation was held in order to be a part of the group, in fact; they were all childhood friends. The 3 boys ran away from home at a young age because of simple abusive parents. One of the girls was picked up by the males at a car accident she suffered with her parents, which were killed on impact and the last addition to the clan, the little thief who did some little action last night was taken in as they found her almost dead the dunes with a little note stuffed inside her shirt that said…

'Only Allah understands the reasons for my actions'

She was only 10 when she was picked up; laying down all curled up and covered with some heavy cloaks, protecting her from the heavy sand that blew everyday.

Her name?

Kairo.

July 20th, 1993

"Happy birthday Kairo! Now make a wish and blow up the candles!" – Said the nurse with Kairo in her hands.

Little Kairo was wiggling her hands all over, trying to grab what it looked to her, shinning sticks incrusted in the cake made by the staff of the hospital she lived in for 5 years now. Smiling and laughing aloud, she blew out the candles and quickly stuck her tiny hands on the cake, grabbing a big chuck and soon stuffing it in her mouth. The nurse set her on the table and handed her a towel to get her cleaned after she ate. She never met her parents. As soon as she was born, she spent her first year with them before taken away from them by authorities. She stayed in the hospital she was born in and lived there happily and content, she got the love from everyone and she was basically the joy for everyone even the patients. Kairo spent her days in a little nursery aside from the hospital, away from the sick people.

Kairo had friends, friends from all the ages; she was pretty loved. Everyone knew her story but the though of having to tell her when she's older; kills them inside.

When Kairo turned 8, a small war exploded on her territory, loosing everything. Buildings destroyed, houses blown apart and what was left of the population felt obligated to move to another city. They never saw this coming but standing strong and faithful, they began a new life.

Luk Essaf, a male nurse that kept vigilance on her when she was a baby, ran as fast as he could with Kairo on his arms. With ruins and crumbled buildings, he made his way to a safe and open spaced area where he could have a better sense of direction and gain knowledge of where he is. Kairo was quiet and relaxed on his arms; she digested some kind of sleeping medicine to unable her of witnessing the chaos that surrounded her. Soon, the tired nurse had to make a quick stop and take some air. He gently laid Kairo on the floor and sat besides her as he took some rest. No one was around and if there were, they wouldn't have any place to hide. He heard a small rumble and uncovered Kairo's cloak to reveal her face, soft groans of protest escaped her mouth. Luk gave her a weak smile and ruffled her hair.

"Hush little child, it's almost over…" – Whispered Luk as he glanced away to the horizon.

Luk was only responsible for Kairo's safety when it came to life threatening situations, such as now. He knew this area like the back of his hand but one little thought slipped his head… It was getting late and rumors of having thieves around didn't sound good, not at this time.

Kairo finally woke up completely and looked around as she sat up besides Luk. She wasn't confused in terms of location, she knew where she was, but the question popped in her head as in 'why?'. She tugged on the half asleep man's sleeve as she looked down at him.

"Why are we here? Where is everyone?" –Said Kairo.

Luk snapped out of his little trance and looked at her, sitting up quickly, he looked around as he covered her back with the cloaks. He softly responded…

"Ssshhh… Anything you wish to say, be quiet about it, alright? I shall explain everything in the morning, I promise…"

She nodded and laid back next to him, looking up at the tiny stars that surrounded the bring shinning moon. She began to wonder about her parents and brother. She knew nothing about them and with this entire commotion happening, it'll be hard to have her explained all the eventualities from her past. Kairo soon felt her eyes heavy and eventually fell asleep close to Luk, who was still sitting down watching everything. He peeked down at her and made sure she was off. Reaching inside his pocket, he took out a dagger and a rolled up note. He kneeled down in front of the small girl, gently opening the front of the cloak and slowly inserting the dagger inside along with the note. As he did, he whispered a goodbye and leaned close to her to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Sleep in peace and dream of love, because as for the morning come, I will be gone…"