Two things mustn’t be combined in this world and it’s strife and heat. Yet somehow, in this wretched, dry land baked by the sun and turned over by civil unrest, that was all that was moulded together into an elastic soup. Rotten food and waste covered the margins of the sandy streets. The narrow alleys saw the worst of it, where the residents truly believed out of sight was out of mind. Despite this, they still arrived in droves every day to buy and sell and barter their wares. Stalls of all sizes lined the streets selling food, tools, clothes, jewellery, drapes and everything one can think of. Men carried goats and chickens on their backs, women dragged sacks of goods and children alike, and children ran amok in nothing but loincloths. The atmosphere was thick and dry and the dust seemed to clump onto every atom of breathable air making it an impossible task for Gany to breathe let alone hold conversation. She brought her scarf over nose and mouth as she walked.

  “This doesn’t bother you?” She asked. Mede shook its head. Its thick curls bounced with the movement around the full body wrap. Of course it didn’t, Gany thought, must be normal where you come from. She reached into her waist pouch and pulled out a gold piece. This would get her some fruit, rice with meat and enough water for the day with left over change. She turned to her companion and stopped herself from offering - Mede didn’t eat like a human after all.

  “Fresh fruit fresh vegetables!” A man called. Gany steered in his direction as he fanned the flies off his fruit.

  Gany picked a boiled potato and a bunch of grapes and asked where she could buy water.

  “End of this street toward the tower.” He said. She collected her change and headed to the tower.

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  Mede watched from the street. A man bumped into it but instead of picking a fight he sauntered off thinking he’d just hit a pole. It had been days since they’ve known each other. Gany’s ritual had drawn it to the sea where she incanted and that time had been her third attempt. Any commoner would have stopped by now, but strangely this woman hadn’t. Was such a bond possible? Mede had heard of human fortitude and even felt its weight when the sorcerer carved their seals and tantalised its kind into pacts. But this woman was desire personified. Though she ate and slept, every moment outside of that was spent carefully planning her next step. It was calculated obsession and by the third day, Mede had seen enough. If a child was what she wanted then a child she would get and perhaps then she’d be placated and stop her bothersome escapades into ritualistic magic. This was just a short vacation from its life of survival. It found some amusement in watching this human dabble in things she didn’t know about and observing her made the days shorter and the trials lighter.

  They came upon the tower where a man sold water from a large ceramic pot. Gany filled her leather pouch and paid and just as she was about to leave a crowd of people approached the man. Their clothes were dirty and torn and she caught some with stains of blood. They looked ragged, as though they’d clawed their way here from another land. The man yelled at them to wait and present something of value if they had no money. Mede pulled Gany away from the commotion.

  “Where do you think they came from?” She wondered. Mede shrugged. Then she overheard the stragglers as they passed by.

  “We’ll never get water!” One cried.

  “This town is big we’ll find something!” A woman snapped.

  “All this way and we have nothing!”

  Gany tapped the woman’s shoulder. “Excuse me but, what happened?”

  “Treachery that’s what! Helpless farmers and farmland burned and for what! Do you have food? Then leave me!” She scowled and shrugged off her hand.

  “They probably came from the outskirts. That’s terrible, isn’t it?” Said Gany, turning to Mede. Mede was pulling dirt from its hair. It didn’t seem the least bit fazed. She sighed and headed off to main road back to their original route and the being wandered along behind her.

  “How far do we have?” She asked.

  “3 days.” It said.

  Gany looked at the high sun and the sun bleached sand and the sparse trees. What you won’t do for your kids, she thought and ducked her head under her scarf from the sun.