The Siege of Haniya [ONC2024] ✔

3. Flicker of Hope

Chapter Three : Flicker of Hope

"Peace be upon the broken part in my heart, the one that does not make any noise."
-Mahmoud Darwish

⏳_⏳_⏳

A flicker of light caught my eyes as I sat on a rock at the mountaintop, my arms crossed against my chest because of the chilling wind. The occasional light snores coming from Leila cut through the eerie quietness of the desert. Prof. El-Azizi slept on the furthest side of the mountaintop, a big and rectangular rock served as a barrier between him and the cliff, as he curled into a ball like a sleeping animal in winter. His arms bent under his head, functioning as a support and a pillow against the hard and dusty surface of the mountain.

The previous orangish horizon was replaced by the pitch-black night sky, filled with hundreds of twinkling specks and a luminous crescent amidst the stars. It was the only source of light on this lonely, quiet night. The only familiar object in my sight during the first night of my banishment.

For a crime I could not recall. Would it make a difference, though? Whether I remember it or not, I was still stuck in the desert. Maybe Prof. El-Azizi was right. I should appreciate my ignorance while it lasts. But it was hard, since I didn't even know how long I could last in the desert.

I blew some air into my palms, although it did little to warm my body in the chilling temperature. I glanced at Leila and Prof. El-Azizi, wondering how they could sleep so soundly. Leila said to me before that the prison guards used to take the blankets from the captives' during the cold nights as some sort of punishment if they were in the mood. That was only the tip of the iceberg, though. I stopped Leila from continuing her stories as they got more violent and changed the subject of my life in the Chermin Kingdom. My weak heart would not be able to handle it.

I bit my quivering lips as tears prickled my eyes. The images of my parents' smiles and my siblings' annoying antics flooded my mind. My youngest little sister must have grown into a teenager now. I had lost so much of their lives. I had lost so much of my own life. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the overwhelming emotion engulfed my senses. I took a deep breath to calm my rapid breathing.

"No matter what happened," I wiped the tears with my sleeve. "I need to keep going. My parents would want me to keep going. Everyone who loves me would encourage the same."

With a shaky breath, I glanced up to the crescent, promising myself to keep moving through the unprecedented storms of life and find a way to return to my family for as long as it takes. Wiping the mucus that came out of my nose with the end of my sleeve, I stood up from the rock to try for a sleep. But my step halted when I realised a silhouette stood behind me on the mountaintop.

A screech with a mixture of fear and panic left my mouth, making Leila and Prof. El-Azizi stir from their sleep. Leila rubbed her eyes before saying groggily, "Salwa, are you alright?''

Gulping down the bile that formed in my throat, I raised my shaky hand to point at the figure in front of me. He wore a worn-out, faded yellow headscarf that wrapped around his head and face, leaving only his eyes visible. His deep brown eyes stared at me in confusion as he tilted his head to the side, as if I were a foreign sight to his eyes.

"There's someone up here with us," I managed to squeak through my shock.

As I stood petrified on my spot, Prof. El-Azizi stood up from his position, fully awake after hearing my scream. He went to the man and began to speak in Arabic, probably asking who he was. I watched their conversation, not understanding what they were talking about except for when they greeted each other with salaam. Leila came to stand beside me, observing the stranger with her thick eyebrows knitted.