The sharp rays of the sun pricked on my back and bare arms, extracting beads of sweat from my skin and warming up my body. After five minutes in the blazing sun, I decided I would need a shade. The bright yellow ball was high up in the sky, spreading warmth and light through the world, and maybe even a bit of irritation to people like me. I walked through the sand dunes, the rays soaking my right side I noticed so that I could return to the completely unnoticeable spot. There was nobody around, not a single being. I found holes in certain places, but neither was there any sign of a shade. I didn’t know what to do as the sunlight kep on beating down upon me and tiring me.

I must have walked in one direction for half an hour, and it was late afternoon. The sun seemed to have moved a little, but was still to my right. I swept my eyes around on the barren landscape, but there was nothing at all. As I was walking along, I tripped on something. Small needles pricked my ankles as I regained my balance and looked down. There was a small plant there, green and wet. The most important part was that it was covered in small needles. I touched my ankles, where a few of them had gotten stuck just above my shoes. Slowly, I pulled them out. They were tiny and a little flexible, yet there tips were sharp. Pain flew out every time I pulled out one of them, sitting on the sand, but none drew out any blood.

A sudden sound alerted me. I scrambled up and looked around. The only sign of life I had seen there was the weird prickly plant, but I had definitely heard something. Beyond a distant sand dune, I saw an oddly shaped head emerging. It was a long, wide brown snout surrounded by strips of leather. Stretched drooping eyes made the creature look rather sleepy. As it ascended the dune, I saw that it was rather tall, and had a protrusion like a hill on its back. A hump. On either side of it hung a cloth bag. As it slowly walked through the sand, I saw the strips of leather stretching behind it. Another creature emerged behind it. A human. He was dressed in simple, light coloured clothes, with a big yellow turban on his head and a beard hiding his chin. He was holding the reigns and walked along with the humped animal. Two more creatures appeared behind them, one humped and another human. The other human looked younger, and had a hairless face. His black eyebrows were arched up but his eyes squinted against the sunlight. I wondered who they could be.

They were still quite far away from me, and I wondered whether they could help me. All I had come for was to find Raghav, but if they lived nearby they might know where he was.

“Hello,” I called out with a wave as they neared me. They suddenly turned to see me and their eyes expanded like they had just seen a dinosaur. I wondered what was up with their hostile expressions. They kept glaring at me but didn’t reply. I gave them a smile, hoping it would melt some ice.

“What do you want?” the older man asked in a gruff voice?”

“Do you know where I can find Raghav?” I asked.

“We don’t know anybody called Raghav,” replied the younger man.

I scooted away from one of the tall humped creatures that was bending down to sniff my head. “You don’t? I’m looking for a 13 year old boy who passes this desert.”

“Lots of people pass this desert, little girl. And even get lost in it. There are innumerable sand dunes around here, almost identical. Maybe your little friend got lost in them,” The bearded man sneered.

“I don’t think so. He would know his way around here,” I said, hoping desperately that he did. The comment had put a big question mark in my head, and I had to rely on the belief that Raghav would pass by soon.

“Maybe, but how do you plan on finding him?” the younger one asked.

“He should come around here in a bit of time. He passes through the desert with some people from his village carrying water,” I tried explaining.

“Would you like to come along with us? Maybe we could help you find him?” the old man smiled, showing yellowing, crooked teeth.

There was something eerie about that smile, something that unnerved me. And the glint in his eyes? I didn’t know whether I could trust him or not. Something flashed in my eye. A thick golden ring was shining on the bearded’s man finger. He kept staring at me expectantly.

“He should be here soon enough,” I replied, trying to reassure myself. Even though I knew I was alone and clueless there, I was dubious about joining the two men.

“Are you sure? You could get lost, and it is already evening. We can help you find your friend much faster, and you can even ride the camels,” the old man raised an eyebrow.

I was tempted. The sun was continuously beating down upon me and I wanted to escape its flaming wrath. Any kind of protection would help. As to riding a camel, which assumed were the tall, snouted creatures, I was uncertain. And yet I didn’t know how long I would have to wait before Raghav appeared. Maybe travelling at a height above the camel might help me get a better view and find him sooner. I would only have to keep in mind where I was going and check the footsteps so that I could trace my way back to the hole that led to Rothem.

“Alright, but only for a little bit. If I don’t find him in an hour, I will go home,” I negotiated with them and stepped forward. The older man’s eyes were twinkling as he scratched his beard, while the younger man came toward me and bent down so that his face was only two inches from mine. “What is your name, little child?”

I felt very annoyed at hearing him call me little child. I was 15 after all, and was no longer in a state to be called ‘little’ but I guessed I did appear tiny in front of him.

“Melga,” I replied, trying to stand up taller.

“Would you like to sit on the camel, Melga?” he looked down at me. To him I was just a baby.

I gazed up at the gigantic creature, considering my chances. I was a little scared, but it couldn’t be so bad if other people did it. And I would be able to steady myself with the reigns. “All right.”

He picked me up from my waist, astounding me so much that I let out a tiny scream. “What happened?” He asked as he placed me on a thin cloth like saddle on the camel’s back just before the hump.

‘That was … unexpected,” I said, grabbing onto the creature’s long brown neck to make sure I didn’t slip right off.

“Let’s get going, shall we?” the bearded man with a round tummy said. He grabbed the hanging rains from the camel I was on, shifted its luggage to the other one’s back and started clucking with his tongue. the animals started moving, and the camel I was on lurched forward. I almost slipped and fell back, but then grabbed some reigns around its neck. It walked through the sand, while I looked down from its back terrified by the view. I might have become used to looking down from the ceilings of Rothem, but sitting atop a camel was a completely different and terrorising experience. The older man beside me kept stealing glances at my face, my arms, my legs. He was walking right next to my right leg, barely two inches away. I wanted to scoot away, but there was no space to move. I looked to my upper right, expecting to see the great hot ball gleaming down, but i was astounded to find empty blue sky. Deeper down, closer to the horizon and to my right back I could see that the ball had turned orange and sent long slanting rays over the silent sand dunes.

A sudden clatter in front of me made me look ahead. A group of people emerged in the distance, wearing white clothes and carrying lots of pots and bottles. I recognised some of them, they were the people from Raghav’s village. As the procession wandered towards us, I saw Raghav hanging a little behind, glancing around distractedly. He fidgeted with his bottles, bent down to see something in the sand, and then finally looked up to see me atop the camel.

“Melga!” he ran over to me in full speed, a frenzied expression on his face. He turned to the two men in apprehension. “Get her down, now! And leave her behind, you cannot take her beyond this point!”