Dead Weight

Amir squinted against the bright sun. He had dismounted his camel and was now leading it through Najd. The Nothing was what it meant. Amir's best friend Jaul was slung across the back of the camel. Jaul had been stung by a scorpion, which meant that he had hours to live. Those hours would have been invaluable two days ago, when he was stung. Jaul was dead , had been for almost two days now. The reason Amir was lugging around a dead body was that Jaul's father lived and worked at a port. The two friends had decided that they would leave arabia, taking a ship from the port to England. Though Jaul's journey was over, Amir planned to continue his journey, no matter what.  He wiped away some beads of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. His vision had began blurring an hour or two ago, as he was severely dehydrated. Amir had used all his water trying to wash out the scorpions poison, to no avail. 

Some hours later Amir collapsed in the sand. He was dehydrated, weak, and finished. His camel stood beside the slumped over Amir and waited patiently for him to resume his walk. Amir cursed and weakly slammed his fists into the sand. He couldn't walk anymore, and he would be able to ride the camel, but Jaul's body was too heavy for the both of them. Amir sighed and walked slowly to the back of the camel where Jaul's body laid. Dead weight , Amir thought. He pulled Jaul off of the camel and left his body to lye in the sun. 

Amir rode the camel all the way to Abidas port, where instead of going to Jaul's father's house, as had been planned, he went to the docks. Approaching on of the workers, Amir stood and asked tentatively 

"Hello, I am Amir, and i was hoping to find a ship to Britain" The dock worker slowly lowered the crate he had been carrying and dropped it onto the ground. He then looked at Amir inquisitively , breathing hard. 

"You don't look like the kind of man who has anything to do with Britain. What in god's name you want ta go there for, eh?" 

"I have important business there. Now is this ship going to Britain or not?"

The dock worker grinned, showing an almost toothless mouth. "Sure, stop by here tomorrow morning and i'll see what i can do. You have to work though, no free rides"

"Of course not. I am at your disposal, thank you greatly"

Amir grinned widely as he walked down the street. He was going to Britain! An extra hop accompanied each of his steps. He calmed himself and thought of his next move. First he needed a place to stay for the night. The tavern down the street would do.He Turned and made his way to the tavern, where dusty adventurers sat on stools and told tales. Amir took a seat at the back of the Tavern and listened into one Adventurers story of how he had escaped twenty Arab slave traders. He was an englishman. Not able to find enough excitement in Britain, he had traveled to Saudi Arabia, where he planned to amass fortunes. It sounded much like Amirs plans, only the other way around. Born and raised in Arabia , Amir had become an expert on survival early on, learning the tricks and tips. Where to get water, what to eat, what animals to avoid. He knew it all. Amir wasn't without flaws though. At an early age he was orphaned and was brought in by a gang of street urchins. He lost his pinky finger when he had failed to escape capture after robbing an stand one day. Amir now gazed down at the stub that had at one time been his pinky finger. He was snapped back from his thoughts as a fight broke out between two Arabs who had been playing a game of dice. 

Amir decided that it was time to go to his room. He walked to the barkeep and beckoned him. 

"I would like a room tonight, sir"

The barkeep stared at him for a moment "But you have no money. am i right?"

Amir blinked, taken aback. "Err, well yes , i am free of coin"

The barkeep nodded and shifted on his feet. "Your room has been paid for" With that he handed Amir a key and walked quickly over to one of the tables nearby.

Amir held the key in his hand for a moment. Who would of bought him a room? He grinned and looked down at the key, which had the number seven loosely scratched into it. He made his way up the stairs and passed a couple of rooms until reaching one with a seven, matching the one on his key, scratched into the door. Amir slipped the key into the lock, slid it and unlocked the door. He paused for a moment, then gently pushed the door open. 

A beautiful woman sat at the foot of Amir's rented bed, here name was Johara, which meant jewel. It was true that she was Amir's jewel, and rightly so, as she was the most beautiful woman in most of Arabia. Her long brown hair flowed down past her shoulders as her smooth legs sat crossed. 

"Johara" Amir sighed as he entered the room. She giggled cutely. 

"Amir"

"What are you doing here" he asked quickly,walking closer. 

"Come now Amir, did you think that i would let you leave without me?"

"It doesn't matter now, we are together, and together we shall start a life in Britain" He grinned and walked forward, reaching out and hugging her.

After their hug she stepped back and looked about as if something was missing. "Where is Jaul?" 

"He, he didn't make it"

Johara nodded quietly. 

The two talked of old times as they waited for the sun to rise, symbolizing their new life.  I longed for the same thing as i laid in my hammock. The sun would symbolize my first day in arabia, as the ship was to make it to the Abidas Port in the morning.

 

Author's Note

I resubmitted this and changed it , as it didn't follow the order of events correctly