Desert Wind
By
Sophia DeLuna
*****
PUBLISHED BY:
Desert Wind
Copyright ? 2011 by Sophia DeLuna
Cover design
Copyright ? 2012 by Sophia DeLuna
Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.
Footprints in the Sand
*****
I would like to thank my friend and editor, Agota, for all her patience and help, her good advice and continuous encouragement.
You are the best!
*****
Desert Wind
The desert wind was blowing harshly, causing the people of the small village to stay in their houses and to close the shutters. Thus, no one witnessed the lone rider appearing on the horizon.
***
Shev?ra was sitting at her worktable, finishing another earring by attaching a golden hook. Placing the earring next to its companion, she closed her eyes and leaned back with a heavy sigh. Usually, she loved her work, but lately everything seemed to exhaust her rather quickly, and having to work with only the light from the oil-lamp was straining her eyes. And that Mhar?ka had left her was still a sore spot for her, even though over three months had passed since she had last seen her.
But they had been together for over fifteen years. They had overcome the bad times, and shared the good ones.
Shev?ra had lived in the next town with her family, and when she was sixteen, she moved to her great aunt's to do her apprenticeship with her. Shev?ra and Mhar?ka knew each other since they were children, but when Shev?ra moved to the village, their friendship developed into more. And when Mhar?ka's parents moved out of the village, Mhar?ka stayed with her grandparents, working with her uncle as a carpenter and carver.
When Shev?ra's great aunt died three years ago, and Shev?ra inherited the house and the little shop, she and Mhar?ka had moved in together. Shev?ra had loved her aunt very much, but Mhar?ka with her strength and love helped Shev?ra to get over her loss. Together they built themselves a wonderfully promising life. The only thing that was missing was a child. But since this wasn't something they could possibly accomplish, they contented themselves with working toward saving for a carpenter's workshop for Mhar?ka. Nonetheless, Shev?ra couldn't completely give up her desire to have a child, and thus, she often sent a prayer to the Goddess for a miracle to happen.
Sadly, Shev?ra remembered the day when she was certain that her prayers had been answered. They were having dinner, and Mhar?ka had just complimented Shev?ra on the meal. Shev?ra smiled. She had made an extra effort to prepare a wonderful dinner to celebrate the occasion, and she asked,
"Mhar??"
"Mhm," Mhar?ka hummed.
"Our prayers have been answered," said Shev?ra, and finally saying it out loud caused a radiant smile to spread across her face.
Looking up at her partner, Mhar?ka asked, "Huh? Which prayers?"
Shev?ra's smile widened even more, and she said, "We are having a child, love."
Mhar?ka looked at her befuddled for a moment. Then her features softened, and taking Shev?ra's hand, she said, "Darling, we can't have a child, as much as I would love to. But we need to face reality, sweetheart."
"No, Mhar?, I mean it. I'm pregnant."
Mhar?ka had not believed her. She had been especially sweet to Shev?ra during the next weeks, trying to help her overcome her 'imaginary pregnancy' until Shev?ra just couldn't take it any longer, and she shouted, "I am not crazy, Mhar?ka! If you can't believe me, let's go to the healer in town. She will attest that I'm not crazy!"
After they left the healer's house, Mhar?ka refused to talk to Shev?ra until they were at home. She marched into the living room, and bracing herself against the window frame, she gazed out onto their beautiful patio and asked, "Who is the father?"
Shev?ra couldn't help herself, and giggling she said, "You."
Furiously, Mhar?ka swirled around and shouted, "Cut the crap! You've been sleeping around damn it! At least have the decency to admit it!"
Sobering, Shev?ra said earnestly, "I have not been 'sleeping around', Mhar?. I don't know exactly how this happened. I only know that I have been praying to Sh?vashta for a miracle. She answered my prayers, Mhar?. And I am eternally grateful to Her. Why can't you just share my happiness? I thought you wanted a child just as much as I."
Mhar?ka shook her head in disappointment, and said, "Perhaps, I could have accepted you getting yourself pregnant if you had talked about it with me before you did it. Perhaps, I could even accept it now if you would at least admit it. But I cannot and will not accept you lying to me. If you can't trust me enough to tell me the truth, then I suppose our relationship is over." Again, she shook her head in disappointment and strode past Shev?ra intending to leave the room.
Shev?ra held her back, and said, "I am not lying to you Mhar?ka. Do you remember the dream I had five months ago? The one where I thought I had woken up bathed in light, but then fell asleep again and later thought it had all just been a dream? I am now certain that it was not a dream, Mhar?."
Mhar?ka yanked her arm free and left the room.
The next day, Mhar?ka left.
***
Sighing, Shev?ra shook herself out of her reverie and looked at the earrings she had created. Unfortunately, Mhar?ka wasn't the only one who was accusing Shev?ra of infidelity. Most of the villagers weren't talking to her anymore, either. Mhar?ka was one of them. Her ancestors had been the founders of the village, and her uncle, the carpenter, had always been very proud of Mhar?ka, who, with the touch of femininity in her masterly work, had been a great asset to his business. Thus, now the villagers resented Shev?ra for Mhar?ka's departure; and Shev?ra knew she would soon have to sell the jewellery shop, and perhaps even the house, and start anew elsewhere. She didn't want to move back into town. She liked the beauty of the desert, despite its harsh conditions. And she liked the lavish hospitality and strong solidarity among the villagers. Unfortunately, the very same solidarity had now turned against her, threatening her very existence.
***
Mhar?ka was angrily chipping at a piece of wood. She had intended to carve a traditional miniature statue of Sh?vashta for one of her customers, but when she realised that once again she had carved the facial features of Shev?ra instead of the Goddess', she angrily started to destroy the figure. Why couldn't she get the unfaithful bitch out of her head? Why couldn't she just forget her and move on with her life? Because I'm missing her dreadfully, Mhar?ka admitted to herself, and chipped yet another piece off the wood. "But she cheated on me, damn it!" Mhar?ka cursed angrily. "And she didn't even have the decency to admit it! Tried to cowardly weasel herself out by giving the lame excuse of a crazy dream!" If Mhar?ka remembered correctly, Shev?ra had had the dream the night after she had returned from her weekend in town. Supposedly, she had been visiting her family, and sold some of her jewellery to a merchant. Perhaps it had been the merchant, Mhar?ka surmised. Why hadn't she just told her? Why did she have to insist on the crazy idea of divine intervention? It wasn't that Mhar?ka didn't believe in the Goddess, she did. But truly this was stretching belief a bit too far.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Mhar?ka looked at the piece of wood in her hand. The statue was gone, but what she had unconsciously made of it, caused Mhar?ka to gasp as she looked at a tiny head with the familiar features of Shev?ra. Frustrated, Mhar?ka chucked the little head in the far corner of the room where it bounced off the wall, fell to the floor, and rolled back in Mhar?ka's direction, halting just a few steps from her, facing her.
Mhar?ka shivered. Then she forcefully jumped up, yelling, "This is ridiculous! I'm just having a hard time to get over her, so my nerves are playing tricks on me!" She was about to kick t
he little head, but then she stopped herself. Staring at the head and breathing heavily, she stood frozen for a long while. Then, heaving a sigh she squatted down. Picking up the head, she looked into the perfectly carved eyes and asked, "Why can't I just forget you?" Slowly, she got up, and cradling the head in her hand, she walked over to the window. Looking at the horizon, she saw the desert wind blowing dust clouds over the country, and she whispered, "I wonder how you are doing?"
***
The rider approached one of the houses. Only the piercing blue eyes were visible, while the rest of the face was covered by a cream-coloured headdress. Telling the horse to seek shelter, the rider knocked at the door.
Shev?ra went to open the door, wondering who was crazy enough to be outside in this weather.
"Sh?vashta's blessing be yours!" greeted the stranger at the door, with a deep but unmistakably female voice. "I am bringing something for your daughter." She was speaking in an accent Shev?ra couldn't place, and as Shev?ra looked at her quizzically, the woman gestured at Shev?ra's belly.
Shev?ra was confused, but since the desert wind was still blowing harshly, she let the woman come in and quickly closed the door behind her.
While the stranger was unveiling her face, revealing the finely chiselled features of a middle-aged female, Shev?ra asked,
"How do you know it will be a girl?"
"Because she is a daughter of Sh?vashta," stated the woman calmly.
A shiver ran down Shev?ra's spine, and she breathed, "Who are you?"
"My name is F?nyara," said the woman, and untying a pouch from her belt, she took out a small casket and placed it on the table. Opening the lid, she said, "This is for your daughter. It will protect her until she is old enough to take care of herself."
Shev?ra looked in awe at the masterly crafted amulet that lay on a velvet cushion in the casket, while F?nyara went on explaining, "And you being her mother, it will provide you with the permission to enter Sent?rosha."
"The Holy City?" asked Shev?ra in disbelief.
"Yes," acknowledged F?nyara.
"You mean it truly exists? It is not just a legend?"
"I will take you there if you wish," said F?nyara.
Shev?ra thought for a moment. What did she have to lose? She had pondered starting anew somewhere else, anyway. "When can you take me there?"
F?nyara smiled. "As soon as the desert wind has settled down."
"Oh, that is a bit too quick. It will take time to sell the house and the shop, and to arrange a caravan for my belongings," said Shev?ra.
"You don't need money in Sent?rosha, and you won't need a caravan either, as you will be provided with all you need. Only take what is of sentimental value to you. I will organise a horse for you," said F?nyara.
"But," Shev?ra protectively laid her hands on her belly, "I don't think I can ride very far."
F?nyara smiled reassuringly, and said, "Do not worry. It will not take long. I would never jeopardise you or the child. Wear the amulet. As long as Sh?vashta's daughter is still inside you, it will protect you also."
Shev?ra asked F?nyara to let her sleep on it, and F?nyara agreed, saying she would return the next day. Shev?ra offered her to stay, but F?nyara declined and left before the wind had even settled down.
It was a restless night for Shev?ra, and that the baby was restless, too, made it even harder for Shev?ra to come to a decision and to get some much-needed sleep.
Strangely, when she finally decided to accept F?nyara's offer, and leave the house and the shop to Mhar?ka, the baby quietened down. Smiling fondly, Shev?ra caressed her belly and whispered, "I'm glad you agree," and closing her eyes, she fell asleep, exhausted.
***
The next morning, Shev?ra started packing the things she wanted to take, humming a cheerful tune. For some reason she felt excited and energised despite having had only a few hours of sleep.
As she came to her worktable, she picked up the little wooden heart Mhar?ka had carved for her, fondly recalling the day when Mhar?ka had given it to her.
Sitting down at the table, Shev?ra took a piece of parchment out of a drawer, opened the inkpot and started to write a letter to Mhar?ka.
My dearest Mhar?ka,
I wish you could believe me. Strangely, it seems though that these days it is easier to have wishes fulfilled which appear to be rather impossible to fulfil.
Yesterday I received a gift for our daughter, as she is the daughter of Sh?vashta, and an offer to live in Sent?rosha. I have decided to accept. I believe our daughter is content with my decision, as her movements are very gentle since I made up my mind. Even though she is a daughter of Sh?vashta, I do consider her to be our child, Mhar?ka, as without you I would not have prayed for her.
Since I will be leaving the village, and I won't need any money in Sent?rosha, I wanted to let you know that I want you to have the house and the shop, as well as my savings (you know where to find them).
I will always cherish you in my memory as my beloved partner. And I will tell our daughter of the wonderful things we have experienced, such as when you gave me the little heart you carved, or our trip to the big city where we saw all the amazing things.
I hope that one day
Sadly shaking her head, Shev?ra crossed out the last line, and signed the letter, With love, Shev?ra.
She had just sealed the envelope, when she heard a knock at the door.
***
Mhar?ka hadn't slept for two nights. She just couldn't help missing Shev?ra, and she was worrying about her ? was wondering how she was doing ? the little wooden head of Shev?ra was now always either on her bedside table, or in her pocket whenever she wasn't holding it in her hand.
Finally, giving up pretending to be able to forget Shev?ra, Mhar?ka decided to go back to the village and see if her partner could forgive her.
As she found the shop closed, Mhar?ka went first to her grandparents' house as it was on the way to Shev?ra's. Mhar?ka was quite surprised when her grandmother handed her a letter from Shev?ra and told her that Shev?ra had left the village. Taking the letter up to her old room, Mhar?ka sat down on the bed and broke the seal.
She couldn't help the tears spilling over as she finished reading the letter. Pressing the letter to her breast, she felt overwhelmed with regret for not having come back earlier.
When she had regained her composure she went down into the kitchen to ask her grandmother about Sent?rosha.
"I don't know, Mhar?. The stories about Sent?rosha are very old. Perhaps it is just a myth. I know of no one who has ever seen it with their own eyes, and no one knows its exact location as each of the stories places it differently. Some say it is in the middle of the Grand Desert. Others say it lies beyond it. And yet, others state that it is not visible in this realm at all, and that only someone who is invited will be able to see it."
Sighing, Mhar?ka said, "I need to find her, grandma."
Her grandmother gently took Mhar?ka's hand and said, "I did not want to tell you this, Mhar?, but she was not alone. She left with a man in desert clothes. I suppose he is the father of the child. I don't know what she is aiming to achieve with this story about Sent?rosha, but if you ask me, it would be foolish to go after her. Let her go, Mhar?."
But Mhar?ka could not let go. What if this man had tricked Shev?ra? What if Shev?ra had fallen prey to him? What if he was using Shev?ra's emotional instability to lure her away from the safety of the village by telling her the child was a daughter of Sh?vashta, and he would take her to Sent?rosha? No, Mhar?ka could not let go. She at least needed to know if Shev?ra was all right. If she was happy with the man, then Mhar?ka would have to let go. But what if she wasn't? "I need to find her!" said Mhar?ka with determination.
And while she organised horses and supplies, she asked several people if they had seen Shev?ra leaving, trying to gain a hint as to which direction she should choose. To her puzzlement, everyone seemed to have seen something else. Some said she left with a woman. Others swore she was riding al
one, and yet others were in accordance with her grandmother that Shev?ra had left with a man. All statements were in consistence, however, that she had left the village south bound.
Thus, early the next morning Mhar?ka prepared the horses, and set off south bound, Shev?ra's letter in her breast pocket, and the little head in a small pouch that hung from her neck and nestled between her breasts.
***
Shev?ra had been quite surprised when F?nyara pointed at the tall massive white walls of Sent?rosha in the distance. For Shev?ra it had felt as if they had just left the village, and she turned slightly in the saddle to look back. However, all she could see was the beige sand of the desert, stretching as far as the horizon. As she looked ahead again, she shook her head in puzzlement, as they were already approaching the huge, richly ornamented gate.
As soon as they reached the gate, the guards opened and nodded in greeting. Inside of the city, Shev?ra looked around in amazement. It was the most beautiful city she had ever seen; and most definitely the greenest. F?nyara took Shev?ra to a beautiful house with a large garden, and introduced her to Yosh?ga, a kind old woman, who was a healer and a friend of F?nyara.
Soon after, F?nyara left them, promising to stop by the next morning, and then Yosh?ga guided Shev?ra to a large bathroom where she helped her out of her clothes and into the tub. She gave Shev?ra time to relax, and when she returned with fresh clothes, she gently washed Shev?ra's long hair, helped her into the clothes and showed her to her room.
Shev?ra slept wonderfully well, and when F?nyara joined them for breakfast the next morning, she expressed her joy at Shev?ra liking the place.
***
Mhar?ka had just passed yet another caravan. This one had crossed the Grand Desert, and they hadn't met a human being for over a week. And just as the others Mhar?ka had met before, they told her it was foolish to search for someone who was chasing a myth, and she had better return to her village. They offered her to travel with them, but Mhar?ka declined.