by Brown, Allen
The south was mostly complied of large stone plants, and the main docks where the cargo ships pull into port. Outside of the city, along the water ways, the farms were placed to feed the town above it. Sprinting along a thin dirt road curving between the large fields, all I could see for miles were the grassy lands flooded by water. The wind brushed along the fields like waves rippling in a sea. The air was fresh, it made breathing a lot easier, compared to the wild flavors of the city. Fatima stood in the distance waiting along the road, her tiny arms rested on her hips, while the shovels lay on the ground beside her.
She's pissed; she has to be... who wouldn't be. God help me.
"What the fucking fuck." She yelled out, her voice was deeper than normal. Almost demonic, it made me skip a step and almost tripping over.
I knew it.
“I am soooo sorry!" I said grabbing the shovels off the floor and walking past her. There was no way I could face her right now, she would kill me. This is the first job we've had in days.
"Where were you last night?" She said right behind me, every time she took an extra step to get in front of me, I made two.
"Uhmm, I got lost?" I said to her, but it came out more like a question. That was stupid. How could I get lost? She knows I know this place like the back of my hand.
She finally stopped me, with a swift kick in my shin toppling me over onto the floor.
"Stop lying!" She yelled looking down at me on the floor.
I held onto my shin with my hand from the blunt pain, "what the hell! You psychopath!" I yelled. I could see that she was upset, for what... I don't know. "I was just out, I needed a break, this fucking place has been living off shit for five years!" I told her hopping up to my feet. "I'm tired Fatima." I said, I could feel the tension in my brow. Shaking it off I continued: "I just want to get out of this shit hole. I want to be somebody."
Fatima balanced the weight of the shovel on her finger tips and continued to the site ahead. Following the beaten path behind her, my shovel dragged along the road slicing through the dirt trail. For the next few hours, it was quiet, we both did our work together without a word. The shovel pierced the soft ground with ease like dipping a spoon into creamy custard.
A constant steam of clouds hovered over the sun occasionally giving us a break from the harsh rays, not only did it make the work easier, it was a way for us to count the day go by. Fatima stood behind me toiling away in a silent rage, her eyes didn't say it, but the way her hands gripped the neck of the shovel like an executioner gripping his blade for the final bow and finally the grunts from when she dumps the dirt afar. As I drift to the edge of the hill I tilled, I stared outward to the green lands that stretched across the horizon. I could see a world beneath my feet, my finger big enough to crush villages. And the heavens... feeling ever closer above me. I could feel the breeze wrap my body as it pushed onwards to a future determined by its own will.
Fatima stood taking in the marvel beside me, with me for the brief moment, stretching her shoulder she turned, again, without a word and got back to work. "Are you hurt?" I asked to no response, just a blank fixation of the blood pulsating through my jugular vein.
A sigh of relief hushed along the low lands of the site as the blaring fog horn signaled lunch. Workers from all corners of the field swarmed to the tents like bees returning from their pollinating duties. Not I though, to hell if I would be herded like sheep, I instead fell onto the dirt of which I dug. Throwing my head back into my arms, I stared skywards, ignoring the growling of my stomach that would probably provoke a stray dog. Mind over matter, it’s what the orphans would say when they had to go to bed without dinner some nights. Closing my eyes, I began my drift from consciences as I began to spawn a dream to bide the time. Before I could venture any further, something small and soft hit my head, a small parcel wrapped in cloth.
She always knew what I was thinking, what I was feeling. Yet, I could never place her at any given moment, and I hated every time I couldn't. "I'm sorry." I said before taking a bite, why try, I always lose.
Its flavor was almost divine, there was just enough cheese to taste and the bread wasn't overly stale. She must of bought the bread fresh in the morning before coming here. "I was out with Sonia last night." I said, the words escaping my mouth on its own will, maybe it was my subconscious fighting to connect. Or, maybe it was just because I hated the silence between us. What I said was enough to get her to look over, her eyes were curious but her mouth mute, she was thinking. "I think she may be our way into the site." I said peaking at her from the corner of my eyes, I knew she said to drop it, but a golden key had fallen onto my lap. "You know... Because she's Galahan's daughter..."
"I know who she is, idiot." She replied. Fatima had stopped eating, her hands instead turned to picking pieces of bread and flicking it as far as she could. Pigeons eventually gathered over head focusing the crumbs, surveying if it was safe to land and feast. "I think you should take Sonia a bit more serious, she could be your ticket out of this life..." She said.
"Fatima... I would never..."
She placed her hands in the air stopping me dead in my tracks like a trained dog waiting for its master. "Why can't you just listen to me? I said to drop it." She said inter-rupting me.
"But why." I said with a sigh of frustration, "I don't get it, why won't you give me a reason."
"I just think it's not safe."
"Is this your cult friend talking?"
"Cult friend?"
"Oh yeah... You think I wouldn't pick up that you're part of some inner circle group? It's pretty obvious; I'm not the only one that disappears." I said, opening the floodgates. I couldn't stop talking, and this is typically the point where I should just shut up. But I wanted to know, what her response would be.
"I don't know what your talking about." She said cradling her injured shoulder, grabbing her shovel, she left my side with her head high and her back upright.
"Of course you don't, don't put to much weight on that injured shoulder." I said. I shared my piece, I've never felt this way before it could be relief, or fear. The butterflies in my stomach felt like they were going to burst out of me.
Chapter Five
Another day has come and gone, and I still sleep on a bed made of hay shrouded under the shadows of the rich. Too long have I fetched the weight of those who only serve their own plates on my back, like a mule being whipped as it trekked along the sliver of a road across the edge of a mountain. No matter where I went, greed has always served as law of the lands, now it is time for me to get my fucking fill. No longer shall I wait for opportunity to bear fruit, it is time for me to grasp up into the tree of life and reap my own path.
The shadow from the afternoon sun cloaked me in its darkness, I looked to Sonia like a pigeon scooping its next prey to shit on. Our last words were to meet at the church, and to be honest, I gave her time to turn back and leave. She sat upon the railing of the Church's stair well dangling her feet greeting people that passed by. The look on her face reminded me of the innocence of a young child that saw no evil, a child that has yet to be touched by the political war that plagues the adult world.
Looking at each path that has passed me as I walked to my goal, I see them as missed opportunities to free myself from sin. But in the end, I couldn't, I need this! This is life, one feeds, the other bleeds.
"Hey Sonia, sorry I'm late." I said looking up from the bottom of the stairs, she looked over in surprise. I guess part of her didn't expect me to show up. She didn't say anything either, just simply staring with a bewildered look on her face. Flicking her head, her silky black hair went flying back over her shoulder covering her face from me.
Oh great...
I climbed up the stairs, careful not to rush to her side that would make me look completely at fault. Yeah, sure I was... But she doesn't need to know that. "Aww Sonia, come on, I'm sorry." I told her. Dropping down to her level, I brushed the hair back from her shoulders with the utmost care, like cradling a newborn in
your arms for the first time. She tried not to look over, but I did manage to catch her take a quick peak. I'm officially in the clear.
"Don't look at me." She said in a stern voice. She raised her hand, placed it firmly on my face and pushed me back onto my ass.
I felt every inch of the interlacing brick road as I hit the ground, looking up at her for a moment, I climbed to my feet. Lord knows I’ve dealt with my fare share of angry women, I gently pulled her towards me by her shoulders and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned into my embrace and let out a content sigh, she welcomed me, we stayed there for a moment without saying a single word. We watched as Church goers entered and exited the chapel staring us down disapprovingly. One lady went so far as to shout "shame" to us. I will never understand the fanatics, why must they try continuously to change others. Focus on yourself I say.
The sun eventually ducked behind the Church voiding us of its warm sunlight. The radiant glow managed to push past the blockade and turned the sky orange. The streaks of clouds hovered as it bounced the light back to the sun with a purplish color. Sunsets are always a bliss, I feel sorry for those who stand ideally by as it pasts them in a hurried day.
"Okay, let’s go." Sonia said pulling away from me, brushing herself off and fixing her hair. Wrapping it up in circles, she pushed a hair stick in securing it; it looked like a freshly baked small bun. "Are you going to stare at me all day or are we going to go?" She said catching me off guard. I could do nothing, I was guilty, I simply smiled and stepped forward.
We followed the road aimlessly yet the old Church site always hovered on the horizon. Stopping at the market, we pick up freshly cut and marinated mangoes. They were laced with a red spice that burned my lips, but sparked my tongue in ways I could've only imagined. Sonia's laugh mid sentence always seemed to draw attention, I think she eventually started doing it on purpose. To me, it was attracting stares that I detested. To her, the world was at her foot step, she could do one thing that would cause a ripple in the world. She was well aware and in love with the power she wielded in this foreign land.
The night marched beat after beat through the brigades of late street performers; the obscenities of fatigued vendors just wanting the night to be over and the cloudy streets of late night shisha smokers coveting the bars. We inevitably found ourselves at the gate of the excavation site. A single guard was posted at the entrance; he sat in a chair half asleep like a toaster. It wasn't very hard to sneak past him, he casted a shadow from the dim street lamp that I could've sworn was a pyramid at first sight. His blind spots were at our advantage, Sonia went first, and she almost woke the tard from her maniacal giggles. As I took my turn, I stayed low to the ground, almost crawling. I heard Sonia whisper harshly over to me: "hurry up!" She knelt on the floor waiting, continuing onwards, we made our way down the pit away from the guards. Miraculously, they focused their efforts on guarding the perimeter rather than the object of interest itself.
"Why'd you bring me here? This place is odd." Sonia told me as she passed the dugout Church buried in the sands, she stepped carefully as to not disturb the ground. She even went as far as to hold up her dress from dragging on the ground.
"I don't know, its quiet I guess, it does have a great view of the starry sky." I said hopping onto the aforementioned Church Cross sticking out of the dirt. "Plus, we have our own personal guards." I finished with a smirk on my face, except she found no humor in it, it’s a real hit or miss with this one.
She hovered in front of me, her feet loose and nimble. The silver moon glistened off her silver broach on her waist, dancing to a steady melody playing only for her.
"Hey, c'mere." I muttered to her.
"Mm?" She said, not listening. She was in her own world at this point, nothing else seemed to matter out here. She seems use to blocking out everything, but one that dwells in its own mind for too long loses its grasp on the social norms, out casting them further from established circles. It didn't look like she was part of a particular circle, nor did she care to be, she was confident with herself. Something I couldn't say about myself.
Sonia wandered close enough for me to grab her arm and pull her towards me. I could feel the warmness throb out her hands and into mind, she watched as if she felt the same. A smile crept onto her face like a child witnessing something new and beautiful for the first time. I ran my hands up her arms, guiding the blood from her hands into her chest. She stared at me with her big brown eyes, the look of innocence rang through me, it’s pierced through me grasping into my lungs, stifling me of air. With a single push, she leaned in and bit my cheek lightly. My heart was beating so fast it could power an electric lamp for days. I was lost to the thought that I was no longer in control of my body, like always she wielded all the power.
I pull her into an embrace, like a tired boxer grappling onto his opponent just for a moments rest. Her eyes avoided mine at every turn, it was her turn to grow anxious. I could feel her hands running up and down my back trying to find the perfect spot to rest, before she could find it she clamped in and hugged tightly. Her small wicked smile returned, she had me exactly where she wanted me to be.
She was the mark, how could I be played a fool. I can't let this happen. I must regain control of this night. Fuck the butterflies, fuck the guards, fuck her.
My right hand dove in behind her head into her smooth hair, while my left hand went in for the jab brushing her rosy cheeks. Lights out, I pulled her in and kissed her, her soft lips mangled with mine like two magnets being drawn to one another after being ripped apart.
She turned around right after as I grinned like a teenage school boy. "It's a bit chilly no?" She said curling her hands around her torso.
"Not really, its pretty hot to me." I said, I mean we are in the desert. She must be use to a completely different climate back in London. "I'll be back in a minute, need to take a piss."
"Here? Jinn!"
"I'll be quick." I said excusing myself seeing my chance to duck out for a bit. She whimpered a simple nod as she sat down on the old Church, staring at the moon.
Climbing down the face of the Church, I made my way to the opening that was recently uncovered. They either found it this way, or they broke the glass and went in already. Shit. I better get in there and see if there is anything else I could grab.
Sticking my legs in first, I felt the side of the wall for something to brace and hold myself, almost instantly I wedged my foot into the wall against a log. The insides seemed to have been so deteriorated that the foundation began to seep through the cracks. Scaling down the side of the wall, I landed on a balcony, the room was circular. I could see the walls bend beside me wrapping around the room, below were debris littered everywhere and what looked like benches. Climbing down was easy, the balcony was designed with pillars for support.
The moonlight did its best to light my path, but I depended on the torch I concocted from a piece of rag and stick. Standing against the wall, waiting, the darkness crept towards me slowly. The hair on my neck crawled as if a spider ran across your skin. You didn't see the fucker, but you knew its eight fucking legs violated you in ways that make you wish you’d seen it so you could stomp the life out of it. My every step echoed in the empty hall, each breath felt like a wind storm unsettling a resting tomb.
Pillars ran parallel to each other down the hallway out of the dome room. It felt like this place was left mostly unchecked, the Church probably decided not to move forward down here. Each step left a footprint out of the heavy dust that lathered the floor. Coming up to the end of the hallway, a large wooden door barred my way. It was heavy, and made of now rotten wood, reinforced with iron. A small red ribbon tied the doors together. Was it the Church? I didn't notice any foot prints... It could've been covered by the heavy down pour of dust and sand. Piles of sand lay on the floor like an hourglass pouring its sands of time into the abyss where nothing returns.
I bent down to my boot resting the torch on the floor nearby. The flame flickered methodically, i
t reminded me of a time where a flame spoke to me in a dream. With each stagger it spoke words that I could not understand, needless to say, I didn't sleep the rest of that night. Pulling the dull knife wedged between the leather soul, I sliced the red ribbon carefully and drew it free from the handles. Pushing on the door, a howl from what I hope was the wind escaped the sealed room.
Walking into the room, I couldn't see any walls, even the door disappeared behind me. It was very clean, there was nothing. No debris, no chairs, tables or anything of the holy decor lying about. Even the ground was clean from dust, the room was untouched. It was after I stood still then I heard it. An almost inaudible creaking, like the old spokes of a rocking chair creaking to its masters weight. There was nothing in sight, going on a whim I decided to look up, and by fucking lord I wish I hadn't. Above me was a massive Crucifix swinging in a circle around me. It was black as night, a noose hung under the neck of the tied Jesus pinned to the Cross. It looked like tears ran from the eyes of his distraught face as he looked down at me for help. I had never seen an image of him like this before. This was different, it wasn't normal to say the least.
A shiny object reflected the torch's light back at me, I hurried forth to check it. I want to get the fuck out of this place. On the table, which I would assume sat in the middle of the room, was a golden box just eight inches long and about three inches wide. The small box occupied a tenth of the length of the table, it was definitely impo-rtant.
Jackpot.
Resting the torch on the table, I rubbed the box to see if there was anything on it. Nothing. It was clean as a whistle. Pushing the top of the box off, a cloud of dust spewed from the box into my face, I leaped back far enough to almost fall over. The cloud almost instantly evaporated from sight, I could've sworn dust would have fell to the ground rather than float. But that wasn't as interesting as what was inside the box, it was the remains of something alien. I stepped a bit closer to take a better look, it was just about six inches tall, skeletal remains of something smaller yet more mature than a baby occupied the case. The skull was shaped longer than your typical head, it was almost the shape of an egg that has been squeezed. A total of seven golden ribs lined its chest wrapped in its tiny arms.