The Tale of the Second Option

Travelling to the east of Arabian Peninsula, dusty and windy, the strong winds and blowing sands hasn’t passed yet. It’s been 2 days since Haider saw the clear sky. The heaven’s red horizon grudging the air, his breathing’s slow and his keffiyeh is almost covering his eyes and face to avoid any blown dust and sand. Even his camel could handle any harsh condition in the desert. He can feel the troubled heart, and anxiety, but they need to keep going to surpass the storm; 26km more to reach the last water well.

The desert is changing, the landscapes are disappearing. The wind is blowing from different directions. He might lose track of the journey but he kept his instinct alive. Finally, when he decided to rest before nightfall, the storm began to calm. He found a small oasis and under a tree, he ate his oat and shared his last bottle of water with his camel and whispered; “I’m still on my right path”.

Suddenly, he sighted a passing caravan but in his surprise, they stopped. A man is coming to approach him. He was stunned and do not know what to do. He cannot see or even recognize the face of the man. He waved his hand and stood.

When the old man draw near him, he offered his hand and the old man asked him, “My brother, where are you heading?” He just pointed his finger to the east. The old man invited him to join the caravan. Yet, Haider is reluctant, but he thought about it and he replied that he is on a journey to the east to bring the goods carrying by his camel.

The old man continued, “My brother, the desert is deceiving, you may not make it alone. You still have a long way before reaching the last water well. But Haider is determined and focused. He thanked the old man for the invitation but then again, he reasonably preferred to travel alone.

Note: I just came up with this very short story, after reading Paulo Coelho's blog "The Five Regrets". You may continue reading about it on this link The Five Regrets