Swirling winds of browns danced around the single traveler like dancers. Their hips swayed with passion. The traveler felt sick at the thought of home. He stopped his camels to take a drink. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a dark figure. Surmounting his camel he approached curiously. He believed it was a mirage but something pulled him closer. From under the massive black lay out a delicate hand. He nudged the figure with his foot revealing a child. The pitiful creature was no more than nine. She was beauty. Her skin was a healthy shade of brown and it was painted evenly all over her naked body. Suddenly the child drew in a breath like she was emerging from under water. She choked for air.
The shock knocked the traveler off his feet. He crawled toward the gasping child once again overcome with curiosity and also awe. There was no sign of companions. Not one sign of humanity. Her lips were dry and cracked and her eyes were dark which meant she had been without water for a while. It was impossible. No man could face the desert one hour without water let alone a child. He reached for her hair. It was impossibly long. Her mane was thick and wavy. It grew so long that it had covered her entire body.
The traveler picked up this miracle child and carried her back to his camels. With the child wrapped in blue cotton on his second camel he continued his journey. He changed his course towards a small secluded travelers rest.
By nightfall he reached the oasis. He laid the child on the cool shore of the pond and tried to get the child to drink. We left her now quietly sleeping wrapped in the blue moure cotton and made camp. He laid her in his tent and bound her wrist and ankles. Then he caught fish and frogs and roasted them.
When he had eaten his fill he entered the tent to wake and feed the child. As he approached her sleeping figure she turned to face him. Their eyes met. He was frozen her eyes were bold, fierce, and afraid. Twin suns stared at him full of fear and confusion.
He ate her food like a barbarian. After prodding her to speak then smacking her to make her yell he came to the conclusion that she was mute. Looked at her with pity as she rubbed her stinging thigh were he had hit her. Now he completely pitied her. Who would ever learn her story?
In the morning he pondered his journey. This little delay would mean he'd have to change his route home. He looked up to his fish to the sleeping child still tied to the tree where he'd left her the night before. His priorities changed slightly with the arrival of his companion. It was inappropriate for a grown man to be traveling with a female child. He could sell her as a slave but she was too precious to give away. He glanced at her again. While she slept he packed up his camels. When he was finished he took the cotton and wrapped it on her as he had seen the street boys do in the famous city of Emor. First around her legs covering her thighs and butt, then around her torso, over her head and then neatly folded and tucked. Her hair spilled out of the folds down to her feet. After feeding her he helped her mount his second camel and tied her hands to the collar.
He continued on his journey to the crystal city.
