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Saiu
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*~*~ Table of Contents ~*~*
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Chapter I: The Sacrifice
Chapter II: The Village
Chapter III: The Papermakers
Chapter IV: The Battle
Chapter V: The Meal
Chapter VI: The Sundial
Chapter VII: The Feline
Chapter VIII: The Letter
Chapter IX: The Cartographer
Chapter X: Stones Left Unturned
Chapter XI: Rough Seas
Chapter XII: Well, It Sucks To Be Them…
Chapter XIII: The Captives
Chapter XIV: Land of Punt
Chapter XV: House of Hospitality
Chapter XVI: Operation~ Get The Hell Outta Punt
Chapter XVII: The Reunion
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𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓀐𓂸
Saiu: Variation of the Arabic word for sword (Saif); Main character’s name
𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓀐𓂸
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I
The Sacrifice
I ran. I ran and ran, not stopping. The Saber Tooth tiger was on our tail, our tribe forced to flee our caves. Left and right, men were being eaten alive by this beast. I could hear their screams of agony, and the carnage never seemed to end. However, my family unit was the most agile of them all, and we were surely going to survive, right?
We kept running, and suddenly I saw a small cave. “Mother, father! Look! Another cave! Let's hide in it!” I said. My father agreed, and he pulled my little sister into the cave, while my mother, my older brother and I squeezed in as well. My father could not fit in the cave with us, and I had to watch my father be mauled right in front of my eyes. I could feel the tears fill my eyes, but I had to keep moving.
“Come on, Mother! We need to go!” I shouted.
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“No! You saw what happened to your father! We are not leaving!” she replied.
“Well I am,” I said back. With that, I crawled out of the cave, my mother shouting for me to come back, but I would never see either my sister or my mother again.. I looked back once, seeing my older brother gazing at me sadly.
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𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓀐𓂸
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Later that night, I found a small cave to sleep in, and I began gathering wood for a fire. I piled the wood up, and took two rocks, scraping them together until I saw sparks, then a small flame. I lit the wood pile, and sure enough, I now had a small fire to stay warm and cook what little meat I had at that point. I still had a small amount of deer rations, so I placed them on the fire, smelling the smoke. I was able to eat that night, and took the deer pelt and draped it over myself, cuddling up in the small cave. At sunrise, I took a nearby stick, which was already the perfect size for a spear.
I found a rock and spent about 4 hours grinding it to a sharp point, and then used some vine I collected to attach it to the stick. With my newly crafted spear at hand, and my deer pelt, I rose and resumed the long, long trek to a new life.
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II
The Village
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Six Months (2,623 Miles) later:
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I have now travelled approximately 2,600 miles, and my journey has led me to a small village by a river, in completely unknown territory to me. These people speak in a language which I do not understand, however I must improvise, and attempt to learn their ways and customs. I take out the precious sapphire, the one which my mother gave me as a good luck charm when I was but twelve years old. I sigh, looking to the sky, thinking Oh mother, Oh sister, where could you be now?
I am shaken from my thoughts when an elderly man nudges my shoulder. I look at him, and he begins speaking in that same unknown language. It is not until he draws a hut, a plant, and an arrow in the dirt, pointing towards me, that I realise he is roughly saying, “If you wish to live here, you must build own house and grow own food.”
I nod, and collect several straight branches and logs, however the elderly man shakes his head, and picks up two bricks, laying mud on one of them, and sticking the other brick on top. The bricks stick together perfectly. I gasp, and the man brings me to a building, where it appears that several people are sitting in a line, making bricks. The man brings out a strange looking contraption, which appears to be a large “bowl” with three circles on the bottom, with two handles. He packs the large “bowl” with bricks, and smiles at me.
I take this as an invitation to let me use these bricks and this contraption to build my home..
So, here I am, pushing a large “bowl” of bricks towards a flat patch of ground. I see another man pushing another large “bowl” towards my patch, this one filled with mud. Both “bowls” arrive at the plot, and I unload the bricks, arranging them in a basic circular shape, large enough for an average hut.
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III
The Papermakers
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Little did I know, my tribe was near modern day Kandahar, Afghanistan, and I had walked 2,623 miles for 4 months and ended up in modern day Hutan Prefecture, China.
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I had finished building my small hut, when I saw another village elder approach me, and motioned for me to follow him. I did so, and he led me to a strange area where four people were huddled up, each person appearing to have a specific job. One man mixed mulberry bark, hemp and rags with water, another mashed it into pulp, yet another man pressed out the liquid and an elderly woman hung the thin mat to dry in the sun.
A few hours later, the village elder brings me back to this strange area, where the same elderly woman from before hands the elder a thin, flat, very flimsy but rough object. The elder takes a small piece of bamboo with a sharp point and etches it into the object, and the result is strange, squiggly writing on the object. I put two and two together and realise this is similar to cave-writings, and the flat object is what is written on!
These foreign people have so far proved to be geniuses. Over the next few months, I become accustomed to these peoples’ culture and language, and find out that they are part of a Chinese dynasty. It is only then I realise just how far from home I am…
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One day, I woke up in my straw bed, and walked outside my hut. In the distance, I could hear the sound of people yelling in a language different from the Chinese and different from my own language. In the horizon, I could make out a huge group of warriors, brandishing huge clubs and spears. It then came to me.. The village is being attacked.
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IV
The Battle
Side note: The foreign warriors are Ancient Irish (Celts).
The shouts of savage warriors could be heard from a short distance, drawing closer and closer. Over the horizon, a massive horde of brutes wielding spears and swords could be seen charging closer to the village. A loud bell was rung by a village elder, a signal to the civilians to retreat to their homes and lock their doors. Standing right outside my hut, I could hear the battle cries of the village’s hardened soldiers approaching. I could only watch helplessly as the two sides, Chinese and Celts, fought to the death. Blood splattered the village ground, and at one point, all hope for the village seemed lost. A couple Celts managed to break through the Chinese army and began barging into homes, stealing women and children. At this point, I had to step in. I grabbed a fallen Celt’s sword, and immediately felt its weight. I managed to wield it, and began charging into the battle.
Back at home, the tribal leaders would teach young men to fight as mercilessly as the rest of the world’s savages. Use whatever means necessary to slay your enemies. Despite never having wielded a sword before, I used the forward-heavy leverage of the blade to my advantage, plunging the sword deep into the Celts’ leather armour, blood pouring out of his chest. I turned around and swung the sword at another warrior’s neck, beheading him at once. Picking up speed, I was able to slice the legs off of another warrior, following this with a stab to the heart. I could hear the groans and screams of pain all around me. Suddenly, I felt a strong kick to my back, causing me to fall face first into the ground. 201Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsM56jQY6sO
I groaned in pain and turned my head to see a Celtic warrior, a burly man of seven foot, raising his bronze axe over his head, moments away from plunging the blade into my torso. I made a split-second decision to kick his legs out from under him. I rolled out of the way just as the man fell face-first into the ground. I stood over him, and drove my sword deep into his body, and I could hear the crushing of his spine, and the squelching of internal organs. A pool of blood slowly grew around the Celt.
In the distance, the village elders could be seen staring at my swordsmanship in awe, like a proud father witnessing his son’s first successful hunt. Within minutes, the Celt army in its entirety was either already dead or slowly getting there.. The surviving Chinese warriors could be seen panting, bloodied but alive. The mothers and children were crying out in relief and joy.
In the centre of everything, there I stood, a young warrior, hailing from Kandahar, defending a small Chinese village as if it were my own. The village elders slowly approached me, donning proud expressions, the main one holding a strange circular object, with a slanted triangle in the centre. Having now learned the Chinese language, I could understand what the elders were saying. The one holding the object spoke in the Chinese language,
“You have proven you are a noble and worthy warrior, our people shall be eternally indebted to you. As a symbol of our humble gratitude, we present you, the Sundial.. This device shall serve as your guide each and every day, not a minute will go by unnoticed..” I bowed as a sign of gratitude and humility, accepting the sundial. I raised the device to eye level and noticed a shadow being cast on the surface of the device, landing on a symbol marked “IV”. The main elder spoke proudly, “It is 4:00. It is the hour of the Evening Meal..”
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V
The Meal
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I followed an elder to a large hut-like building. Inside, there was a large wooden table in the centre, with what appeared to be the entire village (40 people) gathered around it, with an assortment of Chinese cuisine on top. It may not have been the grandest of meals, but with peaches, nuts, beans such as wild soybeans and grains with roasted fish with pork as the main dish, this was certainly going to be the grandest meal I’ve had in a long time.
There were sounds of laughter and the sharing of memories to be heard throughout the hut, giving the place a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The main elder led me to a chair adjacent to the head of the table, saying,
“In honour of your heroic act, which saved our village, I have offered you a seat by me, the village leader.” I humbly accepted the offer, saying in the Chinese language,
“Thank you, Chief, I will gladly sit at your right hand tonight, I am eternally grateful..”
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With this, everyone bowed their heads and uttered the traditional prayer of thanks and worship to Shangdi, the almighty Chinese deity. Then, we all dug in.
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At one point, the leader turned to me and asked,
“So, now that we all know of your formidable combat skills, from which civilization do you hail from, and what is your name?”
I proudly proclaimed,
“I hail from the Kandahar tribe of Gandhara, and my name is… Saiu…”2
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VI
The Sundial
The morning following the feast, I woke up on my straw bed, once again, and noticed I was clutching my new sundial tightly against my chest. I yawned, standing up and stretching. Despite having spent quite some time in my new home already, and having just eaten a large meal the night prior, I felt that instinctive desire to hunt. I grabbed my newly claimed sword (the one from the battle) and my sundial and exited my hut. I took a second to close my eyes, taking in the fresh morning breeze, and I was briefly hit with fond memories of my family. I saw my mother, my sister, and my father. My father was cooking a newly hunted hare over an open fire, and my sister was running around, playing with her stuffed bear.
My mother was bringing a basket of freshly foraged berries back to the campfire, when she turned to me, saying,
“Saiu.. you are home… you are home…”
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𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓀐𓂸
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I quickly opened my eyes, looking around me, taking in the content faces of the village inhabitants, all appearing to not have a care in the world. Then, I began feeling guilty.. Guilty for even entertaining the thought of packing up and leaving these kind giving people after all they had done for me.. But then, I thought again about my mother and sister, how alone and heartbroken they must be, now missing my father and me.. I have to find them… I thought to myself.. In the end, I began packing up my belongings from my hut, putting them in a horse hide sack.
I left my hut for the last time, sundial in hand. I approached the main village elder, explaining to him my situation.
“Sir, I simply cannot thank you enough for all that you and your people have done to make me feel at home here, and I shall certainly always have a place for this village in my heart. However, now I must depart from here, and find my mother and sister..” I said. The man placed a kind hand on my shoulder, speaking to me with his understanding and wise voice,
“Go on, my boy.. Do not let this place hold you back from what your heart desires.. You will always have a home here, and we all stand behind you… Now go, find your family..
Your father would be very proud of you, Saiu..”
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After I said my final goodbyes, I turned, and began my trek… my trek back home…
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VII
The Feline
21 days later, Soan Valley, Pakistan
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Almost a month after departing from my home-away-from-home in China, I come across a narrow river between two rocky surfaces. Despite this, the river appears to widen out eventually on both sides, though quite a distance from where I currently stand. Opposite my side of the river, I can see a small but bustling village, with houses made of deer hide and branches, quite different from the mud houses in China. The inhabitants of the place are speaking in yet again another language which differs from the Chinese’ and my own language. 201Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhrYPIWU8T
I cross the narrow river precariously, and approach the village apprehensively. I do not wish to alarm or anger these people on my first impression. As soon as I get a certain distance near the village, I hear several alarmed shouts from within. The residents gather up sharp rocks and long spears as they approach me, quite obviously surprised and unhappy I disturbed their peace.
The village “elder”, who appears to be no older than twenty, steps up to me. He has a look of expectancy on his face, gesturing to my hand. It is at this point that I finally look down and realise I am still carrying my sundial in my left hand, and my bronze sword in the other. I also have my horse-hide sack slung over my shoulder, containing several bricks given to me by the Chinese village to build my next hut, whenever that may be. 201Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQHK0fuUpJ
I quickly holster my sword on my leather “belt”, but remain to hold my sundial in my left hand, and my sack over my shoulder since I have no place to pocket the sundial or place the heavy sack. I raise my free hand to show I am not hostile. The village ‘elder’ sighs softly, and relieves me of my sack, which is a huge burden lifted, and I can hear several “hmph”s or grunts from the crowd behind him.
The elder speaks to me, yet I obviously cannot understand his words. Despite this, I do manage to catch the word “Soanian”. I assume these people are the “Soanians”, and that the elder is stating this, while also supposedly asking who I am or if I am Soanian, judging from the elder’s finger gesturing at me. Just for clarification, I point at him and say,
“Soanian?” and gesture to the villagers as well. The elder nods promptly, and repeats his earlier inquisition alongside his pointing finger. I shake my head, point to myself and repeat
“Soanian”, signalling that I am not Soanian. The young man nods his head, supposedly in understanding.
Out of nowhere, a medium sized cat leaps past my leg. I gasp loudly, recoiling and placing my hand on the hilt of my sword. The ‘elder’ places a firm hand on my shoulder, shaking his head. As the feline surprisingly nudges against my leg in a gentle manner, I sneeze abruptly, scaring it away. Even more surprisingly, I manage to barely comprehend the elder speaking in a broken form of my native language,
“Cat, belong to village..”
It is almost as if he is familiar with the Kandahar culture…
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VIII
The Letter
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Later that night, I have managed to convince the villagers and the young ‘elder’ to allow me to take up residence here, temporarily or not. I begin to unpack my sack on a free plot of land, though a small one at that. I do not have enough bricks to even construct a floor. Thanks, Chinese… I sigh, and the young ‘elder’ approaches me, an amused expression on his face. To my surprise, he speaks in perfect Pashtun.
“It appears you fell for the Chinese’ tricks, brother,” he says.
Brother? Wait.. no, it cannot be.. Is this..
“Is that you.. Orkai..?” I ask, bewildered.
The ‘elder’ nods. I cannot believe it.
“But.. How, Brother? I thought I would never see you, mother, or sister again!” I exclaim. Orkai quickly shushes me.
“They cannot know, Brother!” Orkai whispers.
“But… how are you here?” I repeat. My brother sighs,
“Shortly after you fled from the family, I attempted to follow you.. I got lost, and ended up here. I still remember that it was during the night when I arrived. All but the village elder were asleep. He spotted me, however before he could wake anyone, I quickly grabbed him and drug him into the woods, bashing his skull in..
Come morning time, I explained to the villagers that the elder had fled, and that I was his son and therefore the heir. I was surprised when the villagers believed me. So, brother, here I am.” I am shocked, not so much that Orkai attempted to follow me but the lengths he went to remain here. I obviously was not here, so why would he stay here?
“So, what has become of Mother and sister?” I ask Orkai. He sighs again, looking solemn.
“I… I cannot say, Saiu. All I know is that both of them were sound asleep when I departed… I am so sorry, brother…”
“It is alright, Orka-” our conversation is suddenly interrupted by a young boy running up to Orkai. The boy attempts to hand a sandstone slab to him. Orkai reaches down and takes the slab from the boy. The boy quickly retreats back into the village centre. Orkai promptly looks up and notices it is becoming very late at night. There is also a biting cold that blows along our skin in the form of a breeze. Despite this, both Orkai and I are used to all kinds of weather, due to our extensive travels.
Orkai notes that sandstone is only found in Egypt.
“Saiu, look. This slab is made of sandstone, which is only found in Egypt, but has Pashtun writing!”
The writing, which is chiselled into the stone, reads:
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زما ګرانه سایو، زما قیمتي اورکای،
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زه او ستا خور ژوندي او ښه یو، خو بیا هم له تاسو دواړو پرته په دې دښته کې ژوند خورا بدمرغه دی. موږ یوازې امید کولی شو چې دا کورنۍ واحد به یوه ورځ بیا یوځای شي.
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که تاسو یو لوی اهرام وګورئ، تاسو کور یاست، نو مهرباني وکړئ، د خپل پلار لپاره بیرته راشئ.
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My dear Saiu, My precious Orkai,
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Your sister and I are alive and well, yet life in this desert wasteland is deeply miserable without you two. We can only hope this family unit will one day be reunited.
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If you see a huge pyramid, you have found us, so please, find us, for your Father's sake.
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IX
The Cartographer
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Orkai turns to me, a look of hope on his face.
“Saiu, this is our time! We must depart from here at once, and set off towards Egypt!”
“Not so fast, Brother.. We have no idea how to get to Egypt! I wandered into China by pure chance, and your arrival to this village was a complete accident! You said so yourself! What makes you think we will be just as lucky this time? Plus, what if we get lost? What if we stumble across a culture far more advanced and prepared than we are? Are you just going to “eradicate the problem” and dump their leader’s body in the forest like you did here?” I exclaim, clearly worried and annoyed.
“Will you shut it?” Orkai snaps back aggressively. “Do not act like you never slew an entire army of Celtic warriors! You are not some little wuss who cannot fight!”
“Wait,” I interject, “How do you know about the battle?” I raise an eyebrow. “You mean you… you were following me the whole time?!” Orkai looks down a little remorsefully.
“Alright… I may have lied a bit. I never actually stumbled upon this village until after I followed you to China. Once I saw how content you were at that village, I figured you had finally found a new home. I will not lie to you when I tell you I felt happy for you, Brother. So, I left you be, and after some extensive walking, then I stumbled upon this village.
The events I informed you of earlier happened later than you likely first thought. I am aware that I probably should have let my presence be known to you sooner, however I had assumed you had forgotten about your real family. I… I deeply regret ever thinking that, now.” I notice the emotion on Orkai’s face, and I pull him in for a firm, brotherly hug.
“Hey now, Brother, I completely understand your actions, I do. However, during this whole journey, there was not one second that passed when I was not thinking of you, Mother, Sister.. and Father. Family should be the most important thing in a man’s life, next to survival of course.” I pause. “So, throughout most of my journey, you were actually following me, and the rest of the journey, I was “following” you?”
“I would say so,” Orkai replies simply.
“Nevertheless, none of that matters now. Our main priority is figuring out how the hell to get to Egypt.” I say.
“I may know just the man we need… He lives in a cave not too far from here. He speaks Pashtun, and he carves maps of all his travels, and trust me. He has been where most men would not dare go. Come,” Orkai says, as he gestures for me to follow him. “Oh and, do keep in mind, he is a bit… eccentric.”
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𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓀐𓂸
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We enter the cave, and immediately notice map slabs stacked almost to the ceiling, sorted by the locations mapped. Then, a stubby man, no younger than seventy, appears from ‘round the corner, holding a slab of what appears to be a map of China. He has a scraggly beard and a mop of white hair which appears to have not been cut in years. The old man does indeed look to be quite eccentric. Almost immediately, he recognizes Orkai, and his expression lights up with a toothy grin, his teeth yellowed.
“Ah, my favourite client, Orkai! I assume this is your friend here?”
“No, sir, this is my dear brother, Saiu. He, like you, is quite the traveller.” The old man’s expression lights up even more, if that is even possible.
“Oh good, good! There is just something about exploring the unknown that just gives me the chills, the good ones, that is.” He seems very enthusiastic about travelling, though it appears that he does it for fun, while my brother and I do it for survival. The old man turns to Orkai.
“So, I presume you wish to purchase another sapphire today, hm?”
“Uh, no sir,” Orkai replies, seemingly a little embarrassed his younger brother found out about his recent spending spree. “We are here to purchase a map of Egypt, if you have one, of course.” The old man chuckles a little incredulously.
“Silly Orkai, why did you not visit me earlier?! I was selling maps of Egypt for 60 silver shavings off! No matter, I still have many Egypt maps in stock, though they are 60 shavings higher! Unless you have something of higher value than silver?!” This man also seems very enthusiastic about Egypt.. I suddenly get an idea. I retrieve the sundial from a cowhide satchel, holding it out for the old man. 201Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRsioA3LY8
“Perhaps… this will tickle your fancy?” I say. The old man gazes at the device in bewilderment, as if it is the key to immortality.
“Yes… yes, this will most certainly tickle my fancy,” the man breathes as he reaches out and takes the sundial. He looks at me with amazement.
“Where on earth did you obtain this?”
“It was a gift from a Chinese village to me, but I do not need it.” The man quickly approaches the stack of Egyptian maps and grabs a slab from the top. He walks back over to my brother and I, holding out the map to us.201Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRHCGxLpWN
“Here you go, have a nice day,” the man says, as if attempting to rush us out of the cave.. I grab the slab, but then turn back to the man with a raised eyebrow.
“So, why are you so enthusiastic about Egypt? And do not say it is because of your love for travelling.” The man sighs, defeated.
“There was a… mysterious slab received about a month ago. It appeared to be from Egypt, though the writing was Pashtun. It seemed to be a letter from a woman, addressed to her two sons. Perhaps this was your mother…?” The man hands me a slab, identical to the one my brother and I received earlier.
“Uh, thank you, sir. We must be going,” I say. Orkai follows me out of the cave. The man calls out, “Good luck, you will need it…” The man sighs softly as we leave, looking down to a slab on the ground, one he had received weeks prior, and had meant to give to Orkai. The slab reads, in ancient Turkik,
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“We have your mother and sister, come to us in Müsür, and give us an object of value, something we need, and we shall free the women.”
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X
Stones Left Unturned
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As Orkai and I exit the cave, I turn to him, saying,
“I suppose you should bid the villagers farewell, yes?” Orkai chuckles lightly and shakes his head.
“No, it would be much easier to plunder as much food and water as possible, and run for the hills.” I stare at him confusedly.
“Wait, that man only gave us a map of Egypt. Do we even know how to leave this country?”
“Actually, yes we do, kind of. I can feel the spirits in the heavens above attempting to guide us directly north of here. No idea where they are intending to lead us, but if my faith serves me correctly, they are leading us out of the country..” I give Orkai a suspicious look. I have never been one for the supernatural, so I am viewing this notion with apprehension. However, Orkai has never given me a reason to question his sometimes questionable tactics, as they have never seemed to fail him, so I hesitantly decide to follow his lead with this as well.
We carefully traverse through the village, using the shadows of the slowly setting sun to remain hidden. We take as much food and water as we can, before slipping away from the area, progressing on our journey.
𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓀐𓂸
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Two days later, near the early evening, my brother and I near a wide coast, with all but a shimmering ocean ahead, save three or four wooden sailboats. I turn to Orkai with raised eyebrows.
“This is where your spirits led us? To the ocean??” I suddenly see Orkai’s face light up with realisation. With an enthusiastic tone, he says,
“I see it now. Do you not see it also, brother? The spirits above led us here with the intention of having us sail to Egypt! This is brilliant!” I give Orkai another suspicious look, one with a hint of disbelief.
“Are you out of your mind, brother?! Neither you nor I have ever navigated a watercraft! How does it even work?!”
“At ease, Saiu. I never told you this, but father taught me how to operate a sailboat. Believe it or not, father had traversed much of the Middle East in his lifetime, much of the time by boat. Father was a very intelligent man, not so much the aggressive brute you may have known him as. When I was two years of age, a couple years before you came along, Father’s older brother, Ceric, and his younger sister Kie, were beaten to death by a group of Celts, simply because the Celtic warriors disliked them. See, there was a Celtic army who invaded our tribe, and took Mother, Father, Father’s brother and sister and I hostage.
“On the trek back to the Celts’ base, Ceric revolted against the army. As a result, the Celts seized him and Kie, and beat them over the head with clubs until they were mangled and bloody. Father barely managed to flee with mother and I, and was never the same after that day. He became angry and closed off, though he never stopped his fatherly duties, which is the sole reason you and I, and hopefully our sister exists. Despite this, he was very stern and bottled up his feelings, ever since that fateful day.”
I stand completely still, stunned and saddened by the tragic story.
“I… do not know what to say.”
“It is fine, brother, for now we must begin our voyage.”
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XI
Rough Seas
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Orkai and I manage to board the boat, which is barely large enough to fit the both of us. Orkai sits in the front, and I sit in the back. I grab the left oar, and he grabs the right, each oar on opposite sides of the boat to successfully propel it. I turn to Orkai,
“Are you sure we can make it to Egypt safely? What about high winds, storms, and crushing tides?”
“Do not worry, brother,” Orkai says, “The gods above are watching over us.” We continue sailing through the evening, as well as through the night, both of us having to remain awake in order to keep moving through the open ocean. The sun rises over the horizon, and both my brother and I can feel slight fatigue creeping into our systems, but we keep pushing forward. Early in the evening, I can feel my body slowly succumbing to fatigue, to a level which does not allow my muscles to function. I stop rowing, and Orkai gives me a glare. 201Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTONoUdY7dm
“And who said you were relieved from your job? Snap out of it, brother. We have to keep moving.”
“I do not think I can continue, Orkai. I am exhausted. I have not had a decent rest since before we set sail. I can hardly see straight. Please Orkai, what harm would it do if we both called it a night? Are we going to “be suffocated by the waves and dr0wn”?
“Well, yes, that too but also.. Do you not wish to see mother or sister? We do not know how much longer they can survive in that barren wasteland, if they are there at all!” Orkai takes a second to calm himself, before relenting finally. “Fine, I shall let you rest, and I will keep us moving with both oars. But the moment you awaken, I had better see you start rowing.” I nod exhaustedly, and lean back enough to get comfortable, and I close my eyes.
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𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓀐𓂸
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I awaken in a desert. This must be Egypt. There they are, Mother and Sister, in the distance. I am horrified, though, as I see them both on their knees, with two men holding sharp blades to their necks. There is an excited crowd surrounding them. I run quickly towards the group, pushing past the spectators. I stand before my mother and sister, and begin pleading with the executioners to spare their lives. The men laugh evilly at me, tightening their grips on the blades.
“You are too late, boy,” one of the executioners says, “And besides, I see nothing of value on your persons. I shall grace you with a chance to bid your family farewell…” He chuckles cruelly, as I begin to cry in desperation. I am about to say something, when suddenly…
“You had your chance to speak,” the man utters. SHING! Blood pours into the sand beneath my mother and sister…….
“NOOOOOOOO!!” I suddenly scream, waking with a jolt. Orkai turns to look at me, a bit startled.
“What the fuck was that about??” He exclaims. I sit there for a second, clearly shook, before grabbing one of the oars from Orkai and beginning to row quickly.
“Row, brother, row!! We have no time to waste…”
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“Foreshadowing; but a singular sense of impending calamity, that should indeed have served me as a warning, drove me onward.” ~H.G Wells, The Time Machine
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XII
Well, It Sucks to be Them…
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Later in the evening, Orkai and I come across a wooden boat, one similar to ours. I spot it first.
“Hey Orkai, look, there is a boat! It looks similar to ours!” It is then that I realise there are two people aboard. A guy and a girl. They appear to be in their early twenties, and judging by their physical closeness to one another, they seem to be a couple. They are gazing into each other’s eyes, and are too entranced by the moment to notice my brother and I sailing past. I look behind me, where the couple is now, and see them slowly leaning closer…
Just as the couple is about to supposedly kiss, a HUGE whale shark, one larger than three wooden boats combined, emerges from the deep ocean, inhaling the couple and their boat in one bite, before quickly returning to the deep blue.
“HOLY shit, ROW, ORKAI, ROW!!” I shout, and we both row like our lives depend on it. After we are far enough away from the scene, we both let out a heavy breath of relief. I look to Orkai, and- as if to lighten the mood a bit- I say jokingly,
“Damn, it sucks to be them.” we both let out hearty laughs, not caring that two people just got eaten alive, rather caring that WE were not eaten alive. I look up at the sky, seeing the sun setting in the horizon, and I sigh softly.
“Get some rest, brother,” I say. “I will row tonight..” Orkai looks slightly surprised at my sudden display of responsibility.
“Thank you Saiu, I shall see you in the morning.”
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XIII
The Captives
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Ancient Egypt, Pyramid of Giza
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Their fate was sealed. They would never see their family again, not even in the afterlife, according to what they had been told by one of the Pharaoh’s advisors. They were both kneeling in front of said Pharaoh, their hands bound roughly with rope, and guards held sharp blades against their throats, in case they tried anything. The mother was on the right side, facing the Pharaoh, the young daughter on the left.
The mother and daughter both had tears in their eyes, the mother knowing she would never see her two sons again, the daughter knowing her last moments with her siblings had long since passed. The mother opened her mouth to shout something, however she was quickly silenced by one of the guards nearby with a sharp smack to the face.
“Silence, whore!” the guard had hissed harshly. The daughter quickly reacted with an attempt to bite the guard’s unprotected hand, and the second guard was quick to respond, and would have slit the young girl’s throat had his master (the Pharaoh) not given a dismissive hand gesture. The guard in question slowly retracted his blade, giving a displeased grunt, still keeping a firm grip on the girl’s arms.
The Pharaoh sighed deeply, rubbing his temple with his forefinger and thumb.
“I shall give your sons two months to grace our lands with their presence,” he said to the mother in Egyptian, “Nothing more, nothing less.” Neither the mother nor the daughter could understand Egyptian, knowing only Pashtun. The guard who had reprimanded the mother sighed softly, whispering into her ear what the Pharaoh had just said, in the Pashtun language. (He was the Pharaoh’s translator)
“Master is giving your sons two months to show their arses here. If they do not arrive, you and your daughter have two months to live, depending on Master’s temperament.”
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XIV
The Land of Punt
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Nine days later, Port of Bosaso, Land of Punt, Somalia
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A little over a week after the whale shark incident, Orkai and I come across a piece of land. My eyes widen, and I stand up, pumping my fist in the air.
“Wooh! We did it Orkai! We made it to Egypt!” Orkai raises his eyebrows, sighing softly.
“Sadly, I am afraid not, brother. From what I have been told, Egypt is rather barren. Look around you Saiu.” I take in my surroundings, and see that unlike Egypt’s characteristic “barren-ness”, this place seems to be quite populated, with several individual tribal units sprawled as far as the eye can see. I can feel the slight frigid breeze of the night creeping into the air, as well as the slowly setting sun on the horizon.
“Should we wait it out on the boat tonight?” I ask Orkai. He shakes his head.
“No, I cannot stand to sleep one more goddamn night out in this weather, I would like my arse to be warm for once. Also, who knows, one of the inhabitants here may be nice enough to welcome us into their home, and provide us a decent meal for once. I am NOT simply going to let this opportunity slip.” With that, Orkai departs the boat and sets off towards one of the tribal units. I quickly exit the boat and catch up with him, grabbing his arm.
“Wait! All it will take for us to be killed is to step one foot into the wrong place. We do not know how territorial or hostile to outsiders any of these people are. Plus,” I then use Orkai’s own phrase against him, “look around you, Orkai, do you not see how some of these passers-by are looking at us??” Nearly everyone who passes us gives us very suspicious, almost hostile looks. We both sigh, and draw our attention away from the passers-by. Suddenly, my eyes are drawn to a large structure in the centre of the groups of tribes. It appears to be constructed like an average teepee, but much much larger.
“Look Orkai, what is that?” My brother and I watch several people walk into the structure, most if not all of them appear to be severely starved, about to pass out due to many sleepless nights, or suffering from some serious physical injury. Orkai and I give each other a look before entering the structure. Inside, the place is HUGE, with several straw beds in one section, and in another section, there appears to be a large, flat stone held up by other smaller flat stones, stacked on top of each other. The stone structure seems to be a table, with several hollowed out half-sphere stones on top of it, each one containing a warm stew of some kind.
Many people appear to be utilising these facilities, definitely appearing to need them quite badly. Suddenly, a middle-aged man approaches Orkai and myself. He appears to be much more cheerful and welcoming than many of the other inhabitants of this land thus far. He also appears to be quite… civil, and for a brief moment i am reminded of the kind village elder in China, but am brought back to my senses when the man speaks to Orkai and myself with a kind look on his face
“Welcome, gentlemen, to the local hospitality centre. How may we help you this evening?”
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XV
House Of Hospitality
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“Umm.. We need a place to sleep tonight..” Orkai speaks up.
“Oh, how lovely,” the man, who we can now assume is the owner, smiles, a bit too widely.
“We always love new guests..” The man seems to draw out his statements, and as a result comes off a tad strange. Despite our suspicions, Orkai and I decide to give this man the benefit of the doubt. The man speaks up once again,
“So, I assume it is two beds and two stews, yes? Or perhaps you gentlemen prefer to share a bed..?” my brother and I shake our heads vigorously,
“Two beds, definitely two,” I blurt out, repulsed by the notion of sharing a bed with my brother.
“Excellent… Come, you two. Help yourselves to a bowl of stew while I prepare your sleeping arrangements…” I hurry to the stew table, immediately grabbing a bowl and inhaling its contents in one gulp. Many other people appear to give me looks of disgust, but when you go nearly a week without one proper meal, you tend not to acknowledge how others view you, rather your main priority being satiating your crippling hunger. I am about to reach for another bowl when Orkai suddenly pulls the bowl out of my reach.
“Brother, my God, pace yourself! I am just as hungry as you are. Besides,” Orkai says with a mischievous grin, “Can’t let you tackle this whole stew table by yourself.” We both start clearing the table together. In less than thirty seconds, there is not one drop of stew remaining on the table. As if on cue, the owner who first greeted us approaches the table, his facial expression a mix of shock and contempt.
“Damnit, you two! I cannot believe you consumed the last of our remaining stock! Now what are we supposed to tell people who are plagued with gnawing hunger when they come in? “Tough shit”? “Too bad, so sad”? You know what?? Get out, both of you!! I do not care if you starve to death overnight!”
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𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓂸𓀐𓀐𓂸
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Orkai and I ended up sleeping under a tree that night, and the looks of scorn people gave us passing by did not cease after we were both deeply asleep. The whole village had apparently caught wind of our brotherly gorging spree. But we did not care, for we both would awaken with full stomachs in the morn.
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XVI
Operation: Get the Hell Out of Punt
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The following morning, I rose from my slumber, my back sore from sleeping against a tree all night. I rubbed my eyes, peering around the tree to see Orkai still sleeping soundly, and I could hear a faint snoring coming from him. I sighed, rising from my sitting position and stretching, letting out a long yawn. I walked around to the other side of the tree, grabbing a stick lying on the ground nearby, and nudged Orkai’s arm with it. Nothing. I groaned, and tried once again to wake him, prodding his arm with the stick. Still nothing.
“Damnit, Orkai,” I cursed under my breath, before finally accepting the fact that I would have to resort to more forceful measures if I wanted to bring my brother out of his deep slumber. I picked up a small rock from the ground, checking to make sure it was not too sharp, and I drew my arm back, taking a couple steps backwards, and hurled the rock at Orkai’s arm. That woke him. As soon as the rock made contact with his arm, my brother woke with an angry shout.
“What the f---?! WHO WAS THAT?! I SWEAR I WILL CHOKE THE LIFE OUT O- Oh, its you, Saiu,” Orkai suddenly switched his tone to one much softer, but still upset.
“Did you have to throw a freaking rock at my arm?”
“I saw no other options, brother,” I replied with a voice which indicated I had no regrets. “Besides, I needed to wake you up because I have come to think our presence is no longer accepted here. In other words, we have to keep moving.”
“But why, brother? As far as I am concerned, this is the best we’ve had it since we left Pakistan! Think about it, we have access to food, albeit illicit access but we both know how to steal things with ease. Plus, we-” I interrupted Orkai sternly,
“Knock it off, what about Mother? What of our sister? All throughout our boat ride YOU were the one so hell bent on us not stopping for one second. Then, as soon as we arrived here, you sang a different tune entirely, almost as if every ounce of persistence to reunite with our family had left your soul. Now, It is MY turn to do the ordering around. We are getting the hell out of here and sailing to Egypt. No stops.” Orkai chuckled.
“Little brother, little brother, always so stubborn. You are just like our fa-”
“Do not dare speak his name,” I growled dangerously. Orkai put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.
“Fine, fine, I won’t. All I am saying is, would it not be nice to just let loose for a while?” I glared down at Orkai.
“I do not know what the hell has gotten into you, brother. I am leaving with or without you.” With these words, I stormed off, walking for a few minutes before reaching the port once again. I was expecting to find our boat nearby, which I did, however I did not expect to find it fastened to the port. There was a small metal loop on the tip of the boat, and there appeared to be a rope that had been threaded through the loop, and the other end of said rope had been wrapped tightly around a wooden beam on the dock, firmly securing the boat to it.
I looked around for a sharp rock to grind away the offending rope, when I suddenly heard a familiar voice behind me. I turned around to see none other than Orkai himself.
“Seems you have yourself in a bit of a pickle, brother.”
“It's almost as if someone did not want us to leave,” I replied sarcastically. I knew this was Orkai’s doing, as he did not want us to leave this place. He must have done this the previous night while I was asleep
“You will need more than a rock to cut that rope,” Orkai said. I then noticed a sharp blade in his hands, and before I could ask the origin of said blade, he replied,
“I had to break that guy’s jaw to get this blade.” I immediately knew what guy Orkai was referring to: The weirdo who owned that “House of Hospitality”. I did not question exactly why my brother had engaged in unnecessary violence with the man, as my biggest priority was still to set sail once again. Orkai approached the rope, slashing it cleanly with a single downward swing of the blade. Afterwards, Orkai handed me the blade.
“Here, now you will have a little souvenir to remember this shithole. Let us sail the open ocean once more, we have a family to reunite with.”
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XVII
The Reunion
1,264 miles from Punt: Eastern border of Nubia
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A little over 2 weeks after leaving Punt, Orkai and I arrived at another port, though this place seemed very different from Punt. One thing my brother and I immediately noticed was that the terrain was all desert as far as the eye could see. We docked the boat at the port and exited, taking a moment to assess our surroundings. As I stood there, I could feel the humid air hitting my face, and I had to shield my eyes from the constant assault of sand particles with my hand in front of my face. We suddenly felt the wind pick up, and it almost knocked us off our feet.
I glanced to the side to see Orkai wheezing, the harsh sandy winds taking his breath away.
“We have to find shelter, fast,” I managed to shout over the roaring air. But there was no shelter out here, only a deserted canvas of sand stretching out into the horizon. The only option we had was to start moving. So we did, and we continued to walk well into the night. By the time the sky was pitch black, the rough winds had died down, allowing Orkai and myself to let loose a bit. We crouched down onto the sandy floor, Orkai first then me, and laid back as we took a moment to gaze up at the starry sky. Orkai spoke up,
“You know, you are quite similar to those stars up there, Saiu.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Just like those stars, we will all die out one day, some earlier than others.. But you, my dear brother, are most like a young star because, like a young star, I believe one day you will shine bright.” Orkai sighed softly. “I am like one of those dying stars, because I believe my time has also come .” I sat up, my expression turning serious and worried.
“What? No, you cannot possibly think your “time has come” already, you are only three years older than me!”
“Age does not matter, Saiu, any living thing can perish earlier or later than expected, depending on circumstances. You, my brother, have ambition, a vision.. A hope for a brighter future. I simply followed after you. I am no leader… Half of the ideas you come up with, I could not even understand if they hit me in the face. You were born to be great, I can just see it. Have you ever seen me fight more than two people at a time? YOU took down an entire army of trained warriors! You did that. Simply because you are my little brother, does not mean I do not look up to you.”
“B-but.. You can’t go! You can’t just die! Are you going to just leave me to myself?!” Orkai sighed deeply again.
“There.. There’s something you need to know, brother, something I never told you.. Remember the Celtic army I told you about? The one that murdered our father’s siblings? They.. We didn’t actually flee from them.. They let me, Mother and father go, with a price.. They told our father that I would be cursed for eternity, and that they would have their revenge.. They never knew you and our sister would come along..” I suddenly felt tears welling up in my eyes, and I grasp Orkai tightly.
“I cannot let you go… Please, brother, don't go!” Orkai quickly embraced me in a brotherly hug, telling me it would be okay..
“Shh.. it is okay, Saiu.. you are strong.. So be strong.. I believe in you, you are the lucky one…”
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Orkai’s voice echoed in my head, those same words repeating over and over as I fell asleep…
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(Orkai’s perspective..)
It was early in the morning, as I was being dragged through the desert by the Celts, my wrists and ankles shackled by metal chains. One of the soldiers spoke, holding his jam jar in one hand.
“We finally got you, boy. You shall pay for your family’s defiance. You understand?” I refused to reply. This angered the soldier, and he shouted into my ear,
“I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!” I still stayed silent. Another soldier shook his head, and stopped walking.
“Let us just kill the boy if he refuses to cooperate.”
“Fine.” One of the soldiers placed his jar of jam on the ground, wrapped his hands around my neck. Suddenly, I felt one solid cracking sound, and the last thing I saw before everything went dark was the endless desert stretching into the horizon.
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I woke up, and slowly noticed everything was bright around me. I stood to my feet, and I was immediately greeted with my father’s solemn but understanding face.
“Welcome home son, do not feel sorry for being incapable of escaping fate..”
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