Gazing Stars of the Desert

Sand storm in the eternal desert of Arabia filled nomads of the 11th century with exasperation and helplessness. There were hundreds of souls who begged the gods to show mercy.The winds blew constantly for five days and five nights, taking away many lives and stock.

On the sixth day, the dust settled. The elders amongst, suggested to halt and sent men to count for the surviving lives. All children travelled in the middle of the caravan. While some voices celebrated, the teary callings of young twins Jafar and Kamal could not reunite them with their parents. Men, women and children moaned for the lost ones across the travellers stretch under the fiery heat.

As the sun settled below the horizon, camels were unburdened and shelter was laid from what was left. Water was used scarcely.

Soon the night unrolled a starry sheet across the sky.

Women chatted around small fires to keep themselves warm. Men with their children listened to the adventurous stories of the brave.

Jafar and Kamal laid on the bed of sand not far from others and watched the night sky.

The glow took away their pain for some moments.

“As we are looking at the stars, do they also look at us?” asked curious Jafar.

“Shall we ask them?” asked Kamal with the same curiosity.

Jafar nodded.

“O the bright ones, can you see us ?” asked the little boys looking up.

After a brief moment.

Jafar saw a shooting star in the sky . “Look Look Kamal, the flying star…”.

“I think they can hear us.” said Jafar with sparkle in his eyes.

“They are so far away from us…. it will be very difficult for us to hear them…and so may be, they talk to us through their twinkling light ” said Kamal with a wondering look.

The boys started making shapes of animals on the dotted canvas above.

Pointing at the brightest star, Kamal said “ This one helps the elders to find the way through the desert.”

There was a deep silence.

“Which one will show the way….to us ?” asked Jafar in a saddened voice.

Kamal became troubled with his brother’s question.

After a long pause, he replied

“Every star covers the night so that when we look up, we do not become afraid of the black sky.”

Turning to Jafar, Kamal took his hand and held to his heart.

“And we always find a way when we are not afraid of the dark.

These stars will always be there, to show us our way whenever we will choose to look above.”

The brothers looked at each other with reassurance and slowly fell asleep under

the lullaby of the gazing stars…. of the desert.

—The End—