Bahaa Taher - Sunset Oasis

I will not repeat the experiment. I still believe that this business of spirits is mere superstition. My fear proved, however, that, like all people, I am afraid of the unknown that cannot be understood. An inherited horror, so there's no need to be ashamed of myself.

There's no need to be ashamed either of the dreams that pursue me, for they are a part of my fear and I'm the one that summoned them. Alexander came to me twice after my stupid call.

On the first night, he came to me in the form that I know from books. He came riding a black horse that flew fast through the sky on its white wings. Then he suddenly swooped towards me and pounced on me, brandishing a sword longer than any I'd ever seen, and I screamed.

The second night, he terrified me again when he came, but this time he had the features of Maleeka and his blond hair was twisted into the same multiple braids as hers. I asked him, 'Why did you do that?' and he laughed and at the same time the braids began to move and twist and change into snakes which started to slither towards me and wrap themselves around my body, and I woke up screaming again.

No, my state is not normal and I have to recover my old self. The first step is to forget all that and start work, the real work that drives out fears and delusions.

I shall confront their leaders themselves and let happen what may.

I set off from our house, which is situated at the bottom of the hill, and climbed towards the entrance to the fortified town. I saw the agwad sitting as usual on their palm-frond-shaded bench in front of the great door.

I had prepared in my head what to say to them. I would repeat what I'd explained to Mahmoud: that I wasn't looking for their wretched treasure in excavating for which they'd destroyed the temples. I didn't want the mummies or the small stone antiquities that the Europeans were so set on finding. Perhaps these words would reassure them and they'd help me. I took with me the big sketchbook so they could understand my request and I ascended the narrow path leading to their gathering place with determined steps.

As soon as they realized I was making for them, they all jumped up and started waving their hands at me to go back. I paid no attention but quickened my step. Their leader, Sheikh Sabir, whom I'd met with Mahmoud on our arrival at the oasis, and who had introduced himself to me, came forwards. He speaks an elevated Arabic which shows that he is well educated, and he expresses himself with extreme refinement, but I find him repulsive. I saw cunning in his narrow eyes. For all that, I may be mistaken, though. Mahmoud told me that this sheikh concerned himself greatly with Sergeant Ibraheem's treatment, in which case he isn't evil. And also, since when has it been enough to judge people by their faces? I should learn from the lesson of Michael and his angelic face.

He came down the slope a few paces while the rest of the agwad continued to yell and wave their hands at me to go back. Despite this, I continued my ascent and Sheikh Sabir continued his descent and when we met he said to me calmly in his classical Arabic, indicating his fellows, 'Your pardon, madame. Are you aware that this gate is that of the agwad}'

He pointed behind him to the thick gate made from the conjoined trunks of palm trees and I replied irritably, despite myself, 'I know, but are you aware that—'

He interrupted me, pointing his forefinger to the left, and saying, 'There is another gate for the women. In our tradition, women cannot enter by the gate of the agwad.'

I tried to control myself. 'I know that too. I know the Qaddouma Gate that is set aside for women. However, you have not had the patience to find out what I want. I have not come here in order to enter the town by your gate, or by the women's gate. What point would there be in entering it when you…? Never mind. I have come to meet the agwad themselves. I want to tell them—'

Once again he interrupted me with his false politeness. 'The agwad may come to you themselves, if His Excellency the district commissioner commands. We are at his service and yours. However, as you can see, the agwad are not at all accustomed to having women approach their gathering. It makes them angry, and His Excellency the district commissioner knows that.'

His repeated and deliberate references to Mahmoud annoyed me. Nevertheless, I opened the sketchbook, saying, 'All I wanted was to ask…'

When I saw him standing unmoving before me, however, as though prepared to prevent me by force from going any farther up, and when I saw his cold eyes and his face, empty of all expression, my enthusiasm suddenly evaporated, and I slammed the sketchbook shut, turned my back on him and set off again without a word. While I was descending the slope, I heard behind me a quavering voice saying in Arabic, 'Madame, wait. Wait.'

I turned round and saw an extremely elderly member of the agwad leaning on a stick and attempting to control his steps as he carefully descended the slope. I waited for him watchfully as he approached and was surprised to see that he was wearing a pair of spectacles secured on his ears with a piece of string. He was the first person I'd seen wearing spectacles in this oasis.

He approached me and said with an Egyptian accent, 'Don't be upset. The agwad don't mean you any harm. It's just that this gate…'

'Is not to be approached by women! I told Sheikh Sabir I didn't want to go into the town anyway.'

'What do you want, then?'

I could hear Sheikh Sabir and the other agwad calling, 'Sheikh Yahya! Sheikh Yahya!'

They continued to gesture to him with their hands, shouting in angry tones, but the aged sheikh didn't look at them and asked me again, 'What do you want? Can we help you?'

I opened the sketchbook and stammered to him, 'I wanted the agwad to understand that I'm not looking for… what I'm more interested in is… What I mean is, can anyone help me to find out if there are any drawings like this in the Great Temple in Aghurmi or anywhere else?'

Then I continued in a rush, 'I swear what I'm looking for has nothing to do with your treasure or any gold. On the contrary, what I'm looking for may bring your oasis lots of gold and treasure. I mean…'

The sheikh said, smiling, the wrinkles on his brown face multiplying, 'Why do you swear? I believe you.'

He suddenly let out a low laugh as he went on, 'I believe that you're sensible and know that there isn't really any treasure, underneath the temples or on top of them!'

Then he put his finger to his lips as though to swear me to secrecy, and I smiled at him as I brought the sketchbook close to his face and asked, 'And so?'

The shouts of the agwad continued and some had leapt up as though they too were about to come down to us. At this point, I was taken aback to see Sheikh Yahya's face turn dark, and in a strong, loud voice out of keeping with his age and the emaciation of his body he shouted and roared at them at great length in an angry tone, turning only his head in their direction. Some of them continued their shouting and muttering but they sat down again in their places.

The sheikh took hold of the sketchbook that I held out to him, holding it with difficulty as he screwed up his eyes. Then he told me in bewilderment, 'I can read Arabic but I don't know the language of the pharaohs.'

Realizing that he could make nothing of it, I said, 'This isn't the language of the pharaohs, it's the language of the Ancient Greeks.'

The man's bewilderment increased and he looked into my face and said, 'There's no one in our town who knows the languages of the ancients. Wait and maybe some foreigners from your country will come.'

Then he thrust the sketchbook into my hands and said, laughing again and pointing to his glasses, 'As for me, I can barely see you now, and you expect me to distinguish between different scripts that I don't know?'