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

feel his ignoring, and that he even doesn’t see me, I completely feel sure that he mistook me for someone else. I forget them altogether and my ears search for another two person. It becomes as I wish and the conversation between two men who are sitting at the table next to me, engages my mind. One of them takes a thoroughly blackened cigarette case out of his pocket and hold a squashed cigarette in front his own face and looks at it while roll it with fingers. Then, with a nervous laugh, he says:

This is it! This is one year by now that I’ve spent with a pack of 20. This is the last one. Imagine! Almost two cigarettes per month. What kind of life we are living!? Why we should get involved in such a misery? This much we were comfort there, but don’t think we had a better condition than here. It was all the same, but there, I had three pack of cigarette instead of one pack.

His friend who has rested his chin on hands, says in reply:

It is true that we were hard pressed for something, but there was our home; and what is more, we haven’t arrived at their main shelter yet. There, we can certainly find a good condition for ourselves.

The first man breathes a sigh and put his cigarette on the table and says:

Something? Say what we had? Nothing! We thought that here would be different, but it wasn’t. Their condition is worse than ours. Although it wasn’t so bad in “Life” shelter, it can’t be considered as a home.

His friend, while is smoking a cigarette, says:

I still don’t know why we left there?

‘It is all talk! Just have a look around yourself. What is the difference between here and there?’ The first man replies.

‘No, it was true. One of my friends who held a good rank, said this. He himself went there before us. And more, are you blind that can’t see so many people here?’

His friend, who has a long hair and bushy beard, takes his look off the table, moves his eyes around as his hands play with the splits of the table, and then lower his head again and says:

All of them were seduced. There wasn’t a serious matter, they just wanted to eject us from there. They couldn’t find any better reason than this.

He put his empty case of cigarette in his pocket and replies:

Don’t be foolish! They don’t eject their people, and what for? For what reason? Maybe to lessen the crowd, ha?

Maybe.

I said, don’t be so foolish. Its news has been spread out everywhere. It is true.

His friend just gives a shrug and says:

By the way, do you know how long has it been since we are in journey?

The man rubs his lips in token of ignorance and says:

How should I know, but I’m sure it’s more than one year! If only I had some tobacco.

His friend smiles, then dislocates himself on the chair and finally lays spread-eagled on it and says:

It is one year and three months since we began our trip. Just we’ve got here. During that, we suffered hardship as long as one hundred years. Now we should start from the beginning. If only we’ve stayed in the “Life” shelter. Everything was ok there, there was no need to come so far at all.

The other man takes his lighter out of his pocket, lights a cigarette and smokes heartily:

No, I should see their main shelter. Maybe we could do something there. There should be a place for us. These shelters are full and the only thing we can do here is to clean the lavatories.

Then, while shaking his lighter, says nervously:

Damn! This lighter has no gas anymore. Now I don’t know how to fill it again.

His friend, while his face assumed a pleadingly figure, says:

Do you know how long it takes to get there? Here are some easy work to do.

The man replies:

It is like you have forgotten we’ve traveled half of the world. You mean we have come so far to clean the lavatory? We deserve better jobs so they should give us a becoming one. If they know our background, they would admit us easily.

Then he stands up and take the last puff at his cigarette:

Enough of that! I am going to see if I can find something to eat. I’m so hungry.

The only thing that I think about during this time is their red eyes. Most of the people here have red eyes, with pretty faces and attractive eyes. When I look at each one of them, I see a specific beauty. All of them have the same attractive eyes. There are also common faces among them. I didn’t think they could come here. Nonetheless, the population will increase suddenly. Water, food and domicile shortage will wage a bloody war. The war in which men may kill each other just for a drop of water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

The red refugees

 

 

 

All of a sudden, someone who was dressed in a dark and long clothes, calls a waiter from my behind. I turn and look at the man who called the waiter. He is the man who was staring at me. The waiter moves toward him slowly. Midway, when he is almost near my table, he collides with someone else and falls on my knapsack which is near a leg of the table. It falls on the floor, unzips and my belongings pour out of it.

The man who collided with waiter is one of the two men who were sitting behind me. He unweaves his hat, then, as if newly realized that, begins to apologize:

Sorry, I’m afraid I didn’t see you. I was talking with my friend and I didn’t see you at all.

Then he bows down to take the waiter’s hand. The waiter looks at him angrily, and then gets up. He looks around for a while and says:

I don’t need your help. You’d better watch yourself and be attentive.

The friend of hat man comes to help him and says:

Hey man, he begged your pardon. You are going too far!

Hat man confirms what his friend said with shaking his head. The waiter who has a rather athletic body, takes the offensive position and comes one step forward:

I don’t need your apologize. Just keep your distance as much as you can. No one invited you here. Here has its regulations.

All at once, all of the red-eyed in the shelter rise from their chairs in support of two men. When two men see their backing, dare to breast the waiter and say:

You’re talking too much! Watch up what you say!

The rest of the waiters and the common people, who have not red eyes, rise and rush to help their friend. Like two nations in the battle field, they rencounter. The shelter divides into two fronts. An invisible line separates them from each other and each groan at the other. They are just waiting for a sign to attack. Although the reds are more than the commons, the waiter says:

It is mean to be you hear something like this. So be ready for it.

The two outsiders move among the red-eyed crowd like devils and agitate them:

Your words cost you dearly!

Then he looks at the red-eyed crowd. It is like his eyes can hypnotize them. All of them reply him saying hurray and I can see their clenched fists. Against them, the common crowd reach out their hands toward the tables and chairs to use them. Some other are standing near the walls neutrally and just look. All are ready and their eyes stare at each other like a viper and tiger. Their teeth are gnashing under their lips. Their eyebrows are close together and their body halfcocked against each other. I am standing there just like before and look at them. I don’t know what should I do, but just know the first one who would hurt, is me. My sensations threaten that the war is imminent.

Hey, wait a minute!

I hold my hands toward them as a stop sign, and, while trying hard to keep my self-confidence, say:

Do you think the only thing you can do in this conditions is fighting? Here, beside you, are some other people, don’t you see women and children? You may hurt them.

Both men look at me agazed and from the Rakovan’s look, this is the name which is written on the ID card attached on his shirt, it seems to me that he is shocked. I can see the effect of my words on each face. In some of them anger is subsided thoroughly, some are waiting for my words going on. I search for a more effective phrases to say. Suddenly, Yatilan intervenes and stands by me. He is the same man who brought me clothes. His short beard has covered his face, in which an especial kindness can be seen. He frowns a little, then says:

Be calm. Here isn’t the place to fight. Please respect each other. If someone has a grievance, he can report it to the chief of the shelter. It is certainly more effective than quarrel.

Then he points to a crying child and continues:

You can behave in other way.

The outsider’s jaw begins to shiver:

Why your chief of the shelter isn’t here to answer his subordinate’s actions?

The waiter unweaves his frown and replies:

What’s wrong? Anybody has said something wrong?

The outsider shows Rakovan with his eyes and says:

He thinks we are his flunky!

Yatilan turns his face to Rakovan and asks him just with his eyes, but only sees his angry look and remains unanswered. As Yatilan takes a deep but short breathe, shakes his head to show his regrets and says:

I’m sorry, I’m sure Rakovan meant something else.

The outsider gives him a derisive smile:

Just this? Finished!? It seems here all things would be amended by excuse, how nice!

I can’t do anything more, I apologize again. Rakovan will be punished as well.

The outsider shrugs and raises his eyebrows:

Zounds, how effective it was!

All of the people scatter while griping and wisecracking. Again, the atmosphere inside the shelter becomes calm, but people talk about the event. The red-eyed are still upset and angry, and contempt can be seen in their eyes. Rakovan forces his way through the crowd and enters the room near the fireplace. Like a fountain which falls after it soars, the tempest of the crowd subsides and all of them back to their place. Only I and my knapsack, which is scattered on the floor, remain there.

The commons keep their distance from the red-eyed, separate their chairs and tables and sit in their group. The red-eyed sit at a distance of the common persons.

I bend down over my chair and gather my belongings. The hat man comes to help me but his friend joins to his people. I wonder at his behavior that may make another quarrel. Maybe he wants to compensate his previous act. Although he gathers my outfits, his eyes look around. It is like he wants to see if anybody looks at him. As I see him with suspicion, I don’t want be heedless of him even for a second. I don’t want to lose anything of my belongings. His behavior is a little suspicious. I can’t find any reason for his help in this quarrel. Yet I can’t refuse his help.

When all of my outfits are gathered, that man gives me a box and goes toward his table. I open the box to make sure the ring and the necklace are in the box. Both of them are in the box. I should think up an idea about them; they are all my life.

I look into my knapsack. It seems everything is there. But yet I think I have lost something; I look under the table again. My guess is correct, the bunch of key is near a leg of the table. I bend down hardly and pick it up.

I go on the way to the room which