The moon was high in the sky, but its pale light did little to illuminate the vast desert stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction. I trudged on through the soft sand, weary from a long day's journey under the scorching sun. Night had fallen hours ago, but I dared not stop to rest - I had to reach the next oasis before my water ran out.
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I pulled my cloak tighter around me, trying in vain to ward off the chill of the desert night. All was deathly still except for the occasional howl of a jackal in the distance. The darkness was near total; without a lamp to guide my way, I had only the faintest outlines of rocky outcroppings and scrubby bushes to navigate by. My feet dragged through the sand, each step growing heavier than the last as fatigue set into my bones.
How long had I been walking? An hour? Two? Time seemed to stretch endlessly in the black void surrounding me. I began to doubt myself, wondering if I was still headed in the right direction or simply wandering aimlessly. All landmarks had long since disappeared into the night. What if I became turned around without realizing it? The thought of becoming hopelessly lost out here, with no shelter or supplies, sent a shudder through me that had nothing to do with the cold.
I paused to catch my breath, leaning wearily against the rough bark of a lone acacia tree. As I dug through my pack with numb fingers, my heart sank - only a few mouthfuls of warm water remained in my skin. It would have to last until dawn if I survived that long. I took a small sip, trying to make it last, then closed my eyes and rested my head against the tree's trunk.
Just a few minutes' rest, I told myself, then I would have to push on. But as exhaustion overtook me, my legs gave out and I slid down into the sand, too tired to fight to sleep any longer. Visions of scorching sun and endless dunes swirled in my mind as I drifted off.
I awoke with a start to find the moon had set, plunging the desert into an inky blackness more complete than any night I had known. Panic seized me as I scrambled to my feet, whirling around in vain attempts to get my bearings. Which way was I facing when I fell asleep? Had the night winds erased all traces of my footprints? Disoriented in the formless dark, I began to stagger blindly in a random direction, calling out vainly for any sign of life.
Only the howling of wild dogs answered me, their mocking cries seeming to come from every direction at once. My heart pounded in my chest as primal fear took hold. I was alone, lost, with no idea which way to turn. Was this how it would end - perishing in the trackless wastes, to be picked over by carrion birds, or left buried in an unmarked grave beneath the shifting sands?
Desperation drove me on as I ran headlong into the night, swinging my arms wildly to feel for any obstacles in my path. More than once my shins collided with jagged stones or thorny bushes, but I barely noticed the cuts and bruises accumulating on my legs. All that mattered was putting as much distance as possible between myself and this cursed place where I had slept, in hopes of chance upon some landmark, however faint, to point me true.
Just as exhaustion was overcoming me once more, a glimmer on the horizon caught my fading vision. At first, I thought it a trick of the mind, a mirage born of hope and deprivation. But as I staggered toward it, the glow resolved into the unmistakable flickering of firelight. Renewed, I found my second wind and broke into a loping run across the dunes.
The camp came into view - a cluster of tents and camels silhouetted against the low flames of a cooking fire. Figures stirred at my approach, calling out to one another in startled tones. I stumbled to a halt before them, gasping for breath, too parched to speak.
A grizzled old nomad stepped forward, regarding me with a mix of curiosity and caution. "Who are you, stranger, to be wandering the desert alone in the dead of night?"
I tried to explain between rasping breaths, but the words would not come. All I could do was sink to my knees in the sand, too spent to stand any longer but safe at last in the warm glow of their firelight.
The nomad muttered something to his companions, then turned back to me with a glint of pity in his eyes. "Rest now, traveler. You are among my friends. When dawn comes, we will see you to the next oasis."
Relief washed over me as strong arms lifted me and
carried me to a tent. At last, I could let the darkness take me, knowing that
when I awoke, the sun would be rising on a new day - and I would walk on with a
full waterskin and the guidance of those who knew these trackless wastes as
home.
