Predict

Will Tarik punish those who talk about Hamed?

One day, the youngest shepherd came to Nadia’s tent calling, “Come, Nadia! See Hamed’s black lamb, it has grown so big and strong!”

But it was not Nadia who came out of the tent.

It was Tarik.

On the sheik’s face was a look more fierce than that of a desert hawk, and when he spoke, his words were as sharp as a scimitar.

“I have forbidden my son’s name to be said. And I promised punishment to whoever disobeyed my command. So shall it be. Before the sun sets and the moon casts its first shadow on the sand, you will be gone from this oasis—never to return.”

“No!” cried Nadia, hearing her father’s words.

“I have spoken!” roared the sheik. “It shall be done!”

Trembling, the shepherd went to gather his possessions. And the rest of the clan looked at one another uneasily and muttered among themselves.

In the hours that followed, fear of being banished to the desert made everyone turn away from Nadia as she tried to tell them of Hamed and the things he had done and said.

And the less she was listened to, the less she was able to recall Hamed’s face and voice. And the less she recalled, the more her temper raged within her, destroying the peace she had found.

By evening, she could stand it no longer. She went to where her father sat, staring into the desert, and stood before him.

“You will not rob me of my brother Hamed!” she cried, stamping her foot. “I will not let you!”

Tarik looked at her, his eyes colder than the desert night.

But before he could utter a word, Nadia spoke again. “Can you recall Hamed’s face? Can you still hear his voice?”

Tarik started in surprise, and his answer seemed to come unbidden to his lips. “No, I cannot! Day after day I have sat in this spot where I last saw Hamed, trying to remember the look, the sound, the happiness that was my beloved son—but I cannot.”