Mirror

By Tim Western

One dark morning when the glistening moon was shining bright, I heard the beautiful reverberating sound of the call to prayer amplified from the Mosque to Mecca. At this time, I and my cherished family would start to pray along with the sound of the mosque. After that, individually, we start our days work by weaving threads

to make mats ready for market. We’ve all been longing for today, since today we will be connected to the world… As I finally complete my mat ready for market, I start to lay the table for breakfast. Soon after that, I collect our chicken eggs for frying, get the milk from our cow, put the kettle on the stove and slice the wonderful bread that we only get once a month. Now everybody is eating, but I only have half of what their having, because I have to saddle up the donkey for travelling.

Eventually, after loading up the saddle, with my mat in it, I set off to market now thinking that my mat is worth more that I originally thought! As I pass the gleaming, sun lit river, my warn out donkey needs a sip of water, so I let him drink from the river water waving around the crumbly rocks. I also start

to drink, making everything is still tightly strapped to my donkey and that neither of us fall in to the deep water, since we both can’t swim!

Soon after, we set back on the road. We are both now refreshened. As we pass farm worker Hassan, waving as I went, he chucked a carrot for my donkey and half a loaf of bread to me. “Thank you!” I call “see you on my way back!” “Take care!” he replied. Hassan harvests all the luscious crops along this mountain, so well, that when my father is angry with me, I wish that I was his son!

Now, I am about to enter under the grand arch that separates the out lands from the city market. My father had once told me that the arch was over one thousand years old, so every time I pass under it, I always feel privileged.

Finally, after three hours of traveling, we have reached the bustling market of the desert. Me and my donkey are very relived to be here. But when I entered the market centre, It was if there was a spinning

earthquake that shuddered the dusty ground underneath us! I heard the bleating of lambs, the clucking of chickens and rings of phones. I knew that I made a sound as well, I also knew that without me, the sound of the market would not be the same, and that together-they would make one- as some sort of being.

I am getting more and more exited, as I get closer and closer to the world. I start to set up my stall and feed my donkey the carrot that Hassan had given me on my way here. Soon after I had made my market stall, a foreign man walked up to me and gazed at my mat. He spoke perfect Arabic and French. as soon as I the opportunity came, I had to ask him whether he would buy my mat or not, but before I could, he asked if he could any way. Straight away I said, “Yes, 2500 dirham’s please!” “Sure, here you go,” he replied. Finally, I had it; I had the money I needed in order to buy my connection! Jumping up and down, I was hugging the man as I went, “Thank you, thank you!” chanting this time and time again I chanted.

Now that I have bought my connection, I start to pack everything up, back on my donkey, ready to set home for my family.

Passing back across the dusty and rocky landscape, I meet Hassan again. But he is harvesting his crops now, so he has no time to talk to me. I keep on traveling. As I pass the beautiful and magnificent minaret, I step off my donkey, and let him drink from the meandering river as I start kneeling down, getting ready to pray. I pray to Mecca. I pray to thank thee because; in a few hours we will be connected.

Soon after that, my donkey and I carry on traveling, miles and miles we travel. At last, we can smell the sweetness of the roses reminding us that we are nearly home.

Thirty minutes later, we are finally home and my father helps me unload our connection to the world. But before we can use it we must feed our chickens, goats, our cow and my special donkey and then make dinner. Once our dinner of steamed rice curry, pitter bread and sweet mint tea was made,

my family and I gorged the wonderful food down our mouths. (I ate the most because I had only eaten since breakfast and even that was small for me)

Even though I am completely starving, I still want to use my connection. But I can’t. I keep on saying in my head whilst eating and swallowing my luscious food.

As the moon shone over our home, glistening as it was in the morning. I plugged it in and turned on our connection. I turned on our new computer! Straight away a picture of our world came up and we all lent forwards saying

“Wow, that’s amazing,” murmuring slowly seeming interested. With the oval shaped object called a mouse, we span the world around zooming In and out time and time again in different places. By nine

o’clock I had to go to bed, ready to start another working day…

By Timothy Western