Desert Sands

Where were you, when I walked on the lone desert sands all by myself? Yes…the moon was there. But it was still lonely as I wrapped its blanket of blue around my body. The wind played with my hair and fine grains of sand blew into my face. I licked my dry, cracking lips and swept back the hair that fell over my face. The three pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaura loomed over me, a silhouette against their gigantic presence. The Sphinx lay before Khafre…dedicated and loyal, the ironic smile wiped off from his face by a mysterious force. It saw me approach and cast me a wary look.

The sand seeped into the folds of my toes as my leather sandals sank into the blue sand. I shivered as I walked towards the tombs of the three royal wives.

Where are you now? I am sitting here all by myself, a thin shawl wrapped around my shoulders, shivering not in the cold, but in anticipation.

The stars are twinkling softly. The silence is fraught with a palpable tension. It is interrupted by the sudden wail of the desert sands. I am playing with the sand absently, letting it slip between my fingers and then grabbing a handful immediately. I am really tired. Really, really tired.

It is two in the morning. You are still not here. The watch on my wrist ticks on mercilessly. It clicks its intricately designed steel hands in disapproval. Do not wait any more; it tells me, you have waited long enough.

I hold the worn leather diary to my breast one last time. I weave through its yellowed pages once more. You promised. You promised you would come. I let the diary slip. It gets covered with a splattering of sand brought forward by a gust of wind.

I left without looking back. If only I had. Maybe I would have seen the second figure that cast its shadow on the pyramids. Maybe I would have seen his nimble, delicate fingers dusting away the thin layer of sand that covered the diary. Maybe I would have seen him pick it up and kiss its cover. Maybe I would have never let him walk away.