Part 1

Al Simhara, an old town in Egypt, built against a river, and full of magic and mystery. It was a land of mummies, pyramids, and crocodiles. It featured many things drawn from Egyptian culture, including hidden tombs, and famous Egyptian landmarks such as the Pyramids, the Sphinx, and Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Many tourists usually come to explore these landmark tombs, thereby undertaking adventures, and a trip to Al Simhara usually costs §1600 for a single tourist, plus §1000 for each additional member of a group.

Among the neighbouring families of Al Simhara, was the Badawi Family, or rather a couple, consisting of Hassan and his wife, Rainia.

Rainia Badawi was young woman with light brown skin, long black hair, dark eyes, wearing brown make up, pearl earrings, and a lovely traditional Egyptian long gown. Many tourists, and even neighbours and friends considered Rainia to be one of the most beautiful and attractive young women in Al Simhara, while also a woman with many talents including cooking, writing, singing, and even music playing, plus her intelligence and friendly charisma prompted traveling tourists to seek her out as a tourist guide, which was a part-time job she was happy to take as it would allow her to get out of her house and meet new foreign people of different lands and cultures, which she loves doing.

While initially a happy couple at first, Rainia and her husband had grown distant in the past three years, especially since her had become so busy with not only work, but also doing his own things, and doing little to nothing with his wife. What's worse was as Rainia's loneliness grew, so too did her desire to live a more exciting and leisurable life, and to have children of her own, something which her husband did not wish to have at all, thinking it would rob him of all his free plans.

One day during the early morning,while her husband was gone for the week, Rainia arrived at the community lot, known as Al Simhara Base Camp, where all the foreign travellers gathered, and it was by chance she met a handsome young man with light fair skin, brown eyes, a clean-shaven face, neck-length brown hair, and a thin and well-built body that wore a midnight blue shirt, a brown jacket, blue jeans, and black shoes with blue markings.

"Hello, I'm Alex Anderson, and I'm from Bridgeport, America," he introduced himself. "I'm told that that you're the best person to give a traveller the best tour of the town."

Rainia smiled. "Well, it is certainly something I love to do."

"Excellent, and even better with a woman with such beauty," said Alex, making Rainia blush. "So, where do we begin? I have rented a car we could use to get around quicker."

The tour started out with Rainia leading Alex through the neighbourhood, including the houses of all the families. Then for the rest of the day, Rainia directed Alex and he drove them to each of the local community lots, including the Al Simhara Markets, the Al Simhara parks and camps, the Al Simhara fishing spots, and even Al Simhara's cemetery, Desert's End.

While leading Alex to explore one of the large basements beneath Desert's End, Rainia explained the histories of each sarcophagus, the use of the incense burners, and the urns which are displayed both on the ground as tombstones, as well as in specially built shrines.

Rainia managed to fascinate Alex with the stories of the Old Suad Adham, the Cursed Samir Kohar, the Drowned Naima Hakim, the Hungered Fwazia Akef, and the Fired Emad Rateb. He admitted that she was an amazing story teller, especially with such passion.

When a rat suddenly came out from the dark and raced past the light of the flashlight that they used to see through the dark basements, the rat scared Rainia into dropping her flashlight, and grab hold of Alex, while he supported her with an arm around her, as though he was protecting her. Once she realized her position, she gently backed away from.

"Oh, um, pardon me," she said, looking at him in embarrassment.

He smiled at her. "It's alright."

Once they left Desert's End, night time was already upon the town, and both Raina and Alex were sitting at one of the camp lots facing the oasis and surrounded by greenery among the desert, roasting food at the lot's fire pit.

"I must say, they were right about you being the best tour guide," said Alex, taking a bite of his meat on a stick.

Raina smiled as she was focusing on cooking her meat just right. "I am glad you had a good time."

"If you are not busy tomorrow, would you be free to give me more tours?" he asked.

"It would be my pleasure," she answered, then she changed the subject. "Tell me about your home. You said you're from the city of Bridgeport?"

Alex lowered his meat on a stick. "Oh yeah, I own one of the best pent houses among the tallest buildings in the city, where I have the best view of all the city lights."

Rainia's eyes were widened. "You must be very wealthy?"

"Well, I am the CEO of one of the best companies in the state," he said. "Of course, I do also own a mansion in Starlight Shores."

Raina was amazed. "Wow, you must be a famous person then, surrounded by all the best things money can offer."

Alex frowned a bit. "It was fun at first, but then the people, especially the paparazzi won't leave you alone, and they make a big deal about everything you do, and getting into your private life, and thus turning you away from being a normal person."

"But you do have family, yes?" Rainia asked.

"Not really," Alex dropped his face. "My parents are done, and relatives are distant. I am alone where ever I live, and all the fancy food, bed, money, and fans could never keep from my loneliness."

Rainia frowned. "Oh, I am so sorry."

"It's alright," said Alex. "It feels nice to be honest to someone about how I feel. But it probably seems weird to you, coming from a foreign stranger like me."

"No, no," Rainia insisted. "When I meet people from foreign lands, I prefer to get to know them for who they are, not what they are."

"Really?" said a surprised Alex.

"Um-hum," she and smiled winked at him.

Alex chuckled. "Wow, intelligent, beautiful, and cool. You really are quite the package, aren't you? Not even those beautiful stars in that beautiful night sky could shine brighter than you."

Rainia chuckled at his words, almost flirtatiously. "Oh stop it." Then Rainia sighed. "It is late. I guess I should be going home."

When Rainia got up and walked away, she stopped when she heard Alex called her.

"Rainia," said Alex, feeling really shy all of a sudden, and blushing. "It's a long way to walk without a car, and really dark. Maybe, it would be safe if the stayed with me in the tent tonight?"

Rainia was caught by surprise at the sudden request made to her by her new foreign friend. Initially embarrassed, she gave him an answer after she gave it a thought. "Yes," she said, smiling. "It would be safer that way."

And with that, they both turned in for the night, sleeping in the same tent, but that was all that they did, and nothing more, and nothing special.

The next day, Rainia led Alex through another tour of Al Simhara, this time taking him to see the Great Pyramids, the Great Sphinx, the Ruins of Karnak, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and the Tomb of Discovery, followed by the Copper Quarry, the Mastaba Ruins, the James Vaughn Command Center, the MorcuCorp Criminal HQ, and the Library Under the Sands. Rainia further amazed Alex with her story telling of all these places, and then afterwards she surprised him again when she asked if he wanted to come by her house for the evening, which he accepted.

She lived in her residential lot known as The Dellach Palm House, which wasn't a big house, but it had all the nice features fit for a happy, humble, comfortable living. The secluded upstairs bedroom of their beautiful retreat offers a huge balcony for stepping outside on cool desert nights. The downstairs living room offers large windows for viewing the dunes on warm desert days.

"Oh, you a married woman?" asked Alex, as he was looking at a photo frame, while Rainia was in the kitchen cooking dinner for them both.

"Yes, but it isn't a happily one as you would expect," she said from the kitchen side, focusing on her cooking skills in making delicious traditional Egyptian Falafel.

While cooking, Rainia was singing the local Al Simhara songs, and Alex sat on the in the living room impressed as he listened to her lovely voice. She was even still humming it after she finished preparing the dish she served. They both sat and ate their food, and Alex was only further impressed by Rainia after tasting her own cooked dish.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"It's the best falafel ever!" he praised, and she laughed happily.

Once they were done, they both sat on the couch in the living room, where Rainia served tea, before she removed her sandals and allowed both her legs and feet to rest on top of the cushions.

"It's delicious," said Alex, after taking a sip from the cup.

"Hm," she nodded, while sipping her own.

"Raina, you had given me the best time of life, here in Al Simhara," he looked at her and confessed. "I would like to repay you someday, by paying for your visit to America, and letting me be your tour guide, with everything at my treat."

She calmly looked back him, speechless for a second, yet giving a warm smile. "I would love that very much."

They both looked at each other eyes, giving each other warm smiles. The moment felt longer than it did, especially as their eyes moved down to each other's lips, prompting them to slowly move their faces closer. Just for a brief few seconds were their lips so close to being pressed into a kiss, but it never happened as they pulled themselves away, still looking at each other.

"Um," Alex tried to speak. "Anyway, I'll be traveling home tomorrow morning. Thank you for having me, Rainia, it meant so much."

As Alex got up and prepared to leave the residence, Rainia was temping to call him, and maybe ask him to stay, just a bit longer, but she knew she couldn't stop him from leaving, after all his to Al Simhara was only temporary.

When Alex opened the door, he looked back at his tour guide. "I promise I'll call sometime soon," he winked at her, before he left.

Rainia was left alone again, and she knew the feeling of loneliness will return to her once more, and yet she felt warm as thought of Alex, believing that they would one day see each other again.