wasn’t exactly dark in the desert, but it wasn’t bright either. I switched on the torch.
Click. It wasn’t turned on. Click. Click. It still hadn’t turned on.
After several attempts, I had to admit that my torch had broken. I tried looking for a lighter in
my bag, yet it just seemed to have disappeared. Obviously the odds were not in my favor.
At that moment, I felt the side pocket of my jacket glowing warm, literally. I stretched my
hand into the pocket and grabbed. On my palm was my ever-precious stone, glowing a faint
crown of green light.
Out of curiosity, I tossed it in my hand. The light glowed brighter and brighter until the whole
circle around me was filled with green light.
That moment was wonderful. I almost felt the odds were on my side again and even more I felt
like my father was on my side. It was like he knew this day would come. The thought fueled me
and washed away all the desperation I had.
With the help of the glowing stone, I made another 3km that night. Maybe, just maybe, I could
get out the desert alive.
It struck again. The sandstorm, I mean. I was packing up, troubled by the insufficient amount
of water when waves of sand came rushing to me. In one second, I was surrounded by nothing but
dust. I dropped everything in my hand and braced myself.
When the wind stopped howling, I looked up. Looking at my belongings that were scattered on
the rocky ground, I could feel my heart beating with frustration. It was almost automatic that my
hand went into my pockets, but I felt nothing of the familiar shape of the stone.
I was sure my face drained out of colors at that moment. I quickly went through my bags and
pockets, only to have found everything but the stone.
I looked up at the dimming sky and held back my tears.
The temperature at dusk was best for travelling, but I felt like everything was against me. I
was running out of food, of water and losing the only thing that reminded me of why I was there
and why I was still surviving. As the stars emerged when darkness fell, I had never felt so helpless
and lost than ever before.
On the sandy land stood a man with silver hair in military green shirt and pants. I couldn’t
see his face, but his height and figure gave some sort of familiarity to me. It was strange, but a
word immediately slipped out of my mouth. “Father?”
The man didn’t turn around. He just stood there in silence.
I wanted to cry out loud, but the certain eerie thickness in the air stopped me to do so.
“Is that you, Father?” I said breathlessly. “Please. Help me. I’m lost in the desert. I nearly run
out of food and water. Whoever you are, please help me. I don’t want to die.”
The man with his back to me didn’t reply. Instead, he seemed to be slowly walking away. I
stretched out my hand. Despite the fact that he was seemingly standing a meter away from me, I
couldn’t touch him. He walked farther and farther away, leaving me standing there with a silent cry.
The moment before he disappeared in the blur, I spotted a glowing green stone next to his
* * *
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