The Frozen Desert by Moein Mansoori Fard (free e books to read online TXT) 📕

His son finally cut his father’s words and says:

What’s the problem about that, what happens if we live there?

Vorarin sneers at them and says:

Nothing will happen but when you reach there, there would be no place for you. Further, this is just an experience, if it works, but nothing is certain.

Vorarin words’ affects the old man late, so he remains unchanged. Then vorarin points at the son and says:

You mean that in these buildings each with fifty floors there is no room for us?

Sun movement makes Vorarin to set the position of the umbrella again:

Not the fifty-story buildings; they are just seven-story buildings, and furthermore, they have a capacity of less than five thousand people. All of the “Hope” inhabitants know this and have occupied all the places.

In the same time, the son stops searching in his knapsack, pull out a picture and says:

Isn’t it?

The picture shows a city which its streets are full of cars and its towers and skyscrapers reach the sky. The people are living their lives; the life which has destroyed many years ago and now the way of life has changed entirely.

If you assume this not ten percent, but one hundred percent retarded in comparison with the “New World “, then you can say yes, it is the same town. I say it again, this is an experimental plan.

Their countenances show as if they don’t agree with Vorarin. The son pays no heed to us and tries to intimate his father something. The old man, who seems doesn’t like to hide this from us, tries to calm his son by shaking his hand. Then he turns to me and says:

If you want to help us, just mark its location on the map.

Vorarin shrugs inattentively and says:

Seven kilometers over the “Hope” shelter.

I look at the map and find the “Panisora” mountain. Then I mark the place at a distance of seven kilometers from it. Vorarin gives back the picture to old man. The son takes the route guide from me and after a simple appreciation, they depart for their dreamland. Vorarin watches their going. I look at the people who are leaving the shelter continuously.

It was agreed that it remains hushed up until it comes to good result, and being tested on few people.

I reply him:

This isn’t a case they could hide it.

He makes a sound without he opens his mouth in confirmation. Then he says:

God only knows what problems would happen with this people.

Surely they have thought about all aspects of this case. What do you know about there?

It is the first town which has been built after the world destruction. With this town, we can come out of the shelters; the narrow and dark shelters. The Fear of death finishes. You can walk there carefree without you have to walk with death. You don’t need to wear glassy clothes. You can order food and buy clothes with money.

Money?

This is why it’s called new world. There are clothing store, grocery and also restaurant. Some other shops are being opened which belongs to the rich people. They do this just for fun, because nobody has redundant money. They have money just insomuch they can buy “Railar” clothes and feed themselves. For the time being, just one of those people could buy a shirt since the clothing store opened.

Railar clothes? How they earn money? Who pays money? Should you pay for clothes and food?

People who live in “New World” town must pay for themselves. Neither Railar clothes nor Railar food accrue to them and nor any share of Railar will be given to them. Railar is the headquarters or, in common language, government of the “Hope” shelter. Railar is responsible for supplying foodstuffs for the people, I mean they resolve people’s needs for free, as you did in the ”Hope” and “Life” shelters. The foodstuffs which you were receiving, were from the Railar. This town is also built by Railar to allow us come out of this dark and worthless life, and we’ll be able to back to our previous lifestyle. It’s enough living as animals. We should back to thirty years ago when everything was good.

Passing some people by us cuts our talks. A woman has fallen on a man and begs water from him continuously while groaning. The man pays no attention but finally he is forced to leave her on the ground. The man curses almost loudly, then bends over his knapsack.

The rest of the group don’t stop for them and go on their way. The woman, unlike the man, has a nice face but the dirt on her face hides this beauty. She has a slender body and is of medium height. The man is similar to her in body and height but his muscles show him as a man. No delicacy can be seen in his body. His face is covered by beard and is fretted. The man leaves his knapsack and brings a water flask to the woman’s mouth:

Come on, open your mouth, hurry up you goddamn, they went away. Till when I should suffer for your sake? Hurry up! Or I may regret.

The woman implores him on the hot sands like a fish in frying pan. She has put both hands on her stomach like a fetus and agonizes. But the man pays no attention to her and he rises while cursing:

You don’t deserve any favor. Come along! Get up, I fell behind. Bitch! Don’t you want I leave you here, do you?

He drinks his glass of water and then puts his knapsack on his shoulder while he cleans his mouth with his sleeve. He goes toward the woman, takes her hand to lift her up, but suddenly a voice says by my side:

Leave her alone!

The man leaves her and looks toward the voice. When I look at my side I see Vorarin whose eyes are filled with anxiety and pity. He takes his pad off the ground and goes toward the woman. Then he spreads out the pad on the sands, lifts her up slowly and makes her lie down on the pad.

Zairas, take and bring me my knapsack and the umbrella. Hurry up!

The people who pass by, just look at us, and with their looks they interfere in our work; in the meantime a man who is standing at a distance of a few meters from us, looks at us once in a while. His eyes are full of anxiety, and he plays with his fingers. Sometimes he looks toward the shelter, and sometimes he looks at the woman who groans. He seems is waiting for someone or maybe his aim is something else.

When the woman’s groan turns to a bitter cry, he becomes more agitated as if he is to hang up. He looks around and strokes his face continuously.

I go toward Vorarin’s knapsack and pull the umbrella out of the ground and then I go toward the woman. I put the knapsack near Vorarin and dip the umbrella into the sands so that its shadow falls on the woman. Her man says derisively and cruelly:

It seems some people are here who feel pity for you. I wouldn’t leave you alone so easily. Don’t think you can cheat me acting like this.

Then he laughs again. I wait for Vorarin’s command:

What should I do?

She suffers from kardik. We should give her medicine before she becomes worse.

We have to take her to the shelter. They have medicine.

No they haven’t medicine anymore.

I say to that man loudly:

Hey you, do you have any drug for her malady?

He shrugs like the fools and while a quick flash lights up his eyes, he says:

No, but even I had it, I wouldn’t waste it for this bitch.

Vorarin dips his hand into his knapsack immediately but with a slight hesitation. Then he takes out a small box of pills. Now I realize his hesitation; all eyes focus on the small box and stop going. The number of the people isn’t so many but it may be troublesome. Their looks at the pills are as toothily as of the hungry wolves.

The people are leaving the shelter one by one or in small groups but here more than five people are standing. The man when sees the pack of the pills, as if he is hypnotized, jumps and all the people take a step forward with him.

I anticipated this through vorarin’s hesitation. For this, I gather all of my hate in my fist and pound that man’s face so that blood drops scatter out of his mouth and I see their glitter in the sunshine for a second. Seeing this, people take one step back and some proceed on their way. All the people look at me frightened and they seem review this scene in their minds. The man falls on the ground on his breast at a distance of a few meters away. He gets up hardly on all fours and stares at the blood flowing out of his mouth. Then he wipes his mouth off with his sleeve and stands on his feet hardly.

During this time, Vorarin puts a pill into the woman’s mouth and helps her to gulp the pill with water. The dried tear drops have washed away the dirt on her face and have left some clean routes, as flowing water makes stream. But this is not her first cry; the tracks of her cries in the past also can be seen on her face.

When the man rises, the woman stops moaning, but she squeezes her stomach with her fingers. When I look at her carefully, I find more beauty on her face. The long eyebrows, a rather tiny and proportionate nose to her face and finally the big red eyes which make her face attractive more than the other parts, even than her lips.

She seems to be less than twenty five or six. Her face looks tired. The man, with his red eyes, roars like a dragon but it seems he is doubtful about his decision. He rubs her face and stares at me:

Alright, I’ll settle with you. It isn’t time to do it but we’ll meet again. I donate this corpus to you.

Then he turns back and follow his group. Midway in his way, he says some curses and threatens continuously. The people also go on their way with the end of the event. I steel can see the hesitation and the regret about the pack of the pills on their faces but my fist affected them so that they would rather to go than taste it.

Chapter 11

The bloody sands

I turn toward Vorarin and sit on my knees on the sands. My knees feel the heat of the sands immediately and the heat gradually turns to hotness. Then while I try to put myself in the wind blow direction to get the cool air, I say:

How’s she?

She’s good but we should take her to the shelter. She needs treatment. This way…

A shrill voice cuts our words and says:

No need to do this. I have to go as soon as possible.

The young woman opens her eyes and tries to get up from the pad:

Thanks. I’ll compensate your efforts, I’ll never forget you. For the time being, I just can appreciate you.

Vorarin tries to make her lie down:

No, you should back to the shelter.

But she resists, she sits on the pad and leans on her hand. Her hand is still on her stomach.

I should reach the “Ray” shelter. Ouch!

She tries to rise on her feet but suddenly a voice stops her from doing that:

Hello my lady!

I see a shadow which stops by me. I turn back and look toward the voice owner. He is the man who was standing a few steps far from us and was waiting for someone. His clothes is covered by dust, yet it can be seen that his clothes is black. His thoroughly white hair is combed to one side and his beard is wispy. His face