The Journey of Mee’Na – Chapter Two

Posted on | July 28, 2006 | No Comments

Mee’na trudged wearily through the desert sand. She found her spirits sinking into despair once more. With her food and water supply dwindling rapidly, she didn’t think it would last the seven days she had calculated her travels would take. It was now day four and there had been no change in the terrain. She knew that the desert couldn’t go straight into the mountains, so she had expected some vegetation to appear slowly.

The sun was just starting to crest the horizon and before the sun reached half way to its zenith she would need to stop and set up a place to rest and keep cool. Mee’na uncorked her water bladder and took one swallow, just enough to stave off thirst and to cleanse her throat of the dry, dusty feeling.

A day ago, she had finished off her loaf of bread and had gone through half of the fruit, by the end of the day she would have to eat the rest before it started to rot; the heat of the day almost cooking the fruit within her satchel. All that would remain would be the dried, preserved meat strips. She hoped that they would last her the remaining three days.

In the last four days, Mee’na had throught of little beyond the city she was traveling to. She had kept her mind blank beyond that. She would not allow the desolation she had felt those brief few hours to creep in, so that she would not just collapse into the sand and wait for death to claim her. Her family would not have that for Mee’na. She might not have been of their blood, but she was certainly of their spirit.

She continued to carefully but one foot in front of the other in her planned path. The sun had risen at her right to the east and she continued to the north. By mid-morning, Mee’na lay down her satchel and other belongings, unwrapped her shawl from around her head and placed part of it on the sand and used the rest to cover her head and arms from the sun. She positioned her body to point north, as a reminder of her direction.

It took some time for Mee’na to relax and regulate her breathing, her thoughts once more swirled around the city of Betrasa and the people she envisioned inhabiting it.

Hours later, the sun now approached the western horizon and a cool breeze blew over Mee;na, which jerked her awake in a full body shiver. She sat up and noticed the encroaching darkness to the east and she moaned in sorrow. She had hoped that her journey would be free of such perils as a sandstorm, but knew it was no longer fated to be.

There was no way to out run it and nothing on her to provide complete protection. She estimated that she had only a few moments to prepare before the storm was upon her. She turned her face and body down towards the sand, buried he face into the satchel and threw her shawl over her head and anchored it with both arms. She prayed to all known deitys that the storm would not tear her skin and body, that the sand would not cut through her clothes.

The sound of animals stampeding combined with an immense thunderstorm was heard just seconds before the sandstorm hit. Gusts of blowing wind that carried tiny particles of sand blew against and over Mee’na; whipped fiercely at her clothing and stinging her exposed arms and feet. The push of the storm against her was almost suffocating, the air was so thick she could barely breathe. She felt the salty tears stream done her face, as she prepared hersalf to say her final prayers. He rpeople had always believe in a higher being, that there was an afterlife. They called this spirit, See’teth — the one who sees beyond death and into the afterlife.

Mee’na slowed her breathing and calmed herself. Her body was already numb from the constant battering and buffering, so the pain was now a dim memory.

With what she thought would be her last dying breaths, she began to sing a song of forgiveness and farewell, “To the sun that rises and sets, to the winds that ebb and flow, my life has been full of happiness, anger and woe…”

Before she could inhale again to continue the next passage, the roar of the storm quieted and the oppressive weight lifted. Mee’na pulled the shawl from around her face and saw a clear blue sky turn to pink as dusk began from the setting sun. The tears that had flowed down her face just moments ago in sadness, sprang forth once again but this time in joy and relief. She had lived to see the sun rise and set once again.

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