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Unfortunately, I was too blind to see my life wasn't the only one I was sacrificing. My parents who were both too frail to take care of themselves withered away without me, my sister broke both her legs in a terrible accident, and..." His voice, which had been so clear it seemed to be inside my head until this point, cracked, " my love."
"You were to be my successor, and at first, I was disappointed when you turned away from my path…until I saw why you had changed your mind. Her face was so familiar; it was like a painted image. It wasn't her of course, it couldn't be, but she was similar enough to remind me of all my regrets. I saw you both at your wedding, I saw you when you're precious little girl was born, and I thought this was the life I could have had, the one I should of had. In my journey to save everyone I had lost the only ones who mattered. When I heard of your daughter's illness I was heartbroken, but when I heard you were going to take the pilgrimage, the shattered pieces turned to dust. I didn't think I could stop you at the time, but I realized at the end of my journey I should have." I tried to argue with him but he held up his hand to silence me. At the gesture all the birds flew to the edge of the trees. "Do not speak. You have a life any man should wish for, I will not let you make this mistake. You can have my word that your daughter will be fine. She calls for her father, so go to her. Do not die to appease the customs of that dead city. The church will never be able to give her what you have to give." I hadn't seen it coming from inside the trees, but a sandstorm was blowing overhead. We were protected from the worst of it by the four dunes surrounding the oasis. It was still hard to see Gabriel through the sand.
"You can rest here until the storm passes. There will be clear skies long enough for you to return. If you are to listen to one piece of advice, please take this one." I couldn't keep my eyes open in the dust any longer. When it was safe to open them again Gabriel was gone and I was half covered in sand. The oasis was half it's original size and likely too dirty to drink, but the fountain continued to pump clean water into it. It would be back to it's full size in a few days time. The fruit from the trees were blown off and covered in sand. Most were still edible so I took a few with me. As I walked to the rise in the dunes I looked at the horizon in all directions. Further into the desert I could see more dunes that may conceal more small pools. I could hop from one to another each day until I found another civilization, or their could be no other cities or even pools hidden in the dunes.
In the other direction was the flat barren desert that led home. There would be no chance of any water or food. The only colorful sights would be a multitude of dead birds, if they weren't already covered in sand. If my vision had just been a dream or hallucination, how could I trust that I wouldn't just be caught in the open during a storm? How could I trust anything? Gabriel could still be alive. The city might even have been wiped out by a series of storms. Sophia might not even be alive... But I couldn't bring myself to believe that. It didn't matter if it were a dream or not I would see my daughter again whether it was during my journey or at its end.
Nick Lamb