Jaliyah was extremely thirsty. My throat fells like someone pulled an acacia tree through it! she thought wryly.

The dry river bed she was walking through did not offer much protection. But at least the sand whipped up by the wind didn’t sting as much. And there was the occasional shrub offering minimal umbrage. She trudged towards one she had seen earlier, head down, eyes almost closed and holding her Kafiya over her mouth.

She plopped down in the shade, breathing heavily. Her breath returned slowly and she was still thirsty.

She looked up and saw the fata morgana shimmering like water in the distance. She imagined she could see an upside-down camel reflected in it’s deceptive coolness.

The camel seemed to move closer. It resolved into a woman that was pulling a bundle of something behind her.

The woman moved closer, directly toward Jaliyah. The woman looked old and the bundle looked wooden.

The old woman and the bundle of wood moved closer and Jaliyah realised that the wood was floating in the air.