The migrant and the smuggler lay in the shade of the broken down car
They were waiting for the day to cool
How long do think our water will last?
Probably about three days if we are not greedy
Has this ever happened to you before?
Yes it has happened many times but normally I am nearer the large towns
Do you know what is wrong with the car?
If I did we would not be sitting here would we?
I think it has overheated
The smuggler looked at the vast desert that surrounded them
The Murzq Desert is an unforgiving place my friend you must treat it with respect
All deserts need to treated with respect otherwise they will kill you
We are lucky as the terrain here is quite flat
A Cormorant flew past
And then an Albatross
Followed by a Hummingbird
Both men followed the flight of the birds until they vanished from view
Why are you seeking a new life in Europe?
Because my country is poor
So is mine but I stay
You are rich man
If I were a rich man I would not be talking to you
The whole thing is run by the gangs
I only do this as a small enterprise
If I was found out I would most probably be harmed
Would you consider migrating to Europe?
Maybe but not now
Have you any skills?
Yes I am a trained teacher
Fuck man then what are you doing out here?
There are no teaching posts for me
Why?
Because more than anything I would teach my pupils to think
Explain that to me
Before I taught my pupils anything technical
Maths English History
I would teach them to think
You can only understand things if your thinking is correct
You have lost me man
Did you have an education?
No
Can you read or write?
I struggle with both
You will need to read and write if you are to be successful in Europe
I agree
The Europeans will help me
You speak good English
I was taught English by the nuns in my village
They were good people
Then why are you here with me?
Because the rebels drove them out
They threatened to kill them
I am a Catholic
They requested that I follow the faith
I too am a Catholic
It is a wonderful religion
In the distance a woman walked towards them she was wearing a ball gown
Why is she walking towards us?
The woman stopped and pulled at the strap of her gown
What is she doing?
She will expose her breasts to us and then she will simply vanish
The woman exposed her breasts to the men and then vanished
Who was she?
She is a Desert Nymph?
A Desert Nymph?
A whore long dead
In times past the soldiers used to drive from the towns into the desert with numbers of whores
They would consume alcohol and fuck the whores
Sometimes the whores died
Died?
They were murdered my friend
Why?
Because they were expendable
They were only whores
You only see their ghosts now
They try to seduce you with their exhibition but fail
That is why they fade
I do not have a woman
I am hoping to find one in Europe
I am very fit
Women like me
They say I fuck well
XYANDZED
I am in love with Juliette Binoche
I have seen all her films
I want to lay with Juliette Binoche in my arms
The smuggler closed his eyes and watched the actress move about her room
A fan tumbled in the corner and the actress walked towards it
She lifted her arms exposing her dark underarm hair
Thomas you must ventilate this room more I am beginning to stink
But you own my dreams
Civilised people do not smell
How many times do I have to tell you that?
Near where the migrant had seen the whore a camel train was passing
The migrant shook the shoulder of the sleeping smuggler
Perhaps these men can help us
The smuggler opened his weary eyes
They are just ghosts like the whore
The desert is full of ghosts
We might be ghosts soon for all I know
Do you think we will die?
No we will be discovered
This is a well-known route
The smuggler closed his eyes again but the actress was no longer in the room
She has left me
Who has left you?
The fire with the green face
I do not understand you
There is little to understand
The migrant rose to his feet and walked into the afternoon sun
How far is it to walk?
About forty kilometres
Then I will walk it is better than rotting here
You will not make it
I will walk at night
You will die
The stars will guide me
The stars lie
You will become lost and disorientated and the morning will herald you last day
How do you know?
Because others have tried it
You will find their bones
That is unless the desert has swallowed them up
The desert gives
The desert takes
The desert is a whore and a virgin at the same time
She promises much but delivers little
The migrant returned to the shade of the car
As I noted we will await the cooling of the day then I will examine my car
If it is dead then we will await the next smuggler or the next
About two a week pass this spot
I often meet them
Are these the gangs you mention?
Sometimes
Do they threaten you with violence?
No they just rob me if I am unlucky
So you lose your money but not your life
They are stupid I keep a great deal of my money hidden in the fabric of the car
Is there money hidden in your car now
Yes
Then I might kill you
Perhaps but you would not survive
You are stranger and have darker skin than me
You would be killed because you are a stranger
Then why do they not kill you?
Because I am a known face
Why would they kill me if they can rob me again sometime in the future?
It is a matter of economics nothing else
They know I hide money
Everybody hides money
It might be in the car or I might have buried it nearby when I saw them approach
They just steal what is easily available
I also have a gun and they know that
Everybody is armed in the desert
Only the stupid people do not carry guns
With you my friend they would just kill you and rob you afterwards
You are like the whores expendable
So you are saying that I run the risk of being killed
Yes and no
If you keep your mouth shut and act like a dumb boy then you will stand a chance if we are stopped
You are just a package that I am delivering
Just keep your mouth shut and smile
I am not a boy that is a white man’s word
Even the nuns used to insult us if we upset them
All the whites are the same
There are good whites and there are bad whites as there are good blacks and bad blacks
But some people would shoot you without a thought no matter their colour
When I am in the cities I often run into aid workers from many of the European countries they are good people who come to our troubled lands to help
They run an enormous risk
I respect these people greatly
They often work with black people
Who equally run an enormous risk
I also respect these people greatly
A small robin settled on the bonnet of the car
The smuggler stroked the creatures red breast
Do you know that these small creatures are far more territorial than you and I?
If another Robin landed on the car then it would be a battle to the death
Only one would survive
XYANDZED
By all rights I should kill you
The migrant gave the smuggler a startled look
I have your money
But I will not as I am an educated man
I am not a brute
Many of the smugglers bring people like you into the desert and either shoot them or just abandon them
I often see rotting corpses surrounded vultures and other vermin
I can see you are a kind man
I am a pragmatic man nothing else
If I was able to teach I would teach
If I was able to travel to Europe and live with Juliette Binoche then I would
But I only meet her in my dreams
The sun was getting lower and the vast sky was beginning to show its age
In an hour it will be dark
Let us look at the car together
Do you have a knowledge of mechanics?
I used to mend lawnmowers at the convent
That might be of use
The smuggler lifted the bonnet of the car
It is still hot hand me that rag
The migrant handed the smuggler a rag which was in fact was the remains of a blue Nike tee shirt
He glanced at the logo
Yes that man did not make it
He upset someone in the port town who just shot him in the face
And I stole his tee shirt
I used to like Nike tee shirts
That was many years ago and I now use it as a rag
It never fitted me
The smuggler fiddled with the engine frequently asking the migrant to turn the ignition key
After a number of abortive attempts the engine suddenly spluttered to life
Good as I thought the engine had just become too hot
The migrant climbed into the front seat
I am going to turn the engine over a few times and then we will go
We will be at our destination in about three hours and then I will leave you there
My trusted friend will arrange your passage
Is he to be trusted?
He is my brother and also a sailor
If you are lucky he might smuggle you on board his ship
If not you will have to take your chances on a smaller boat
Mark my words my friend you will long for the desert if you travel in a smaller boat
They are not safe
I will take my chances
To do what?
To arrive in Europe
And then?
I will become a rap artist
A rap artist
Have you any talent?
I have the anger man that is all you need
You are delusional
Not even talent gets you by
It is who you know
There are plenty of talented rappers in ports on both sides of the Mediterranean
They are angry like you
They want to fuck the white man’s country
But they are mistaken
If by any remote chance they are successful then they will live the white man’s life
The whole world wants to live like the white man and fuck his blond sisters
Why do you think people like me exist?
I am a parasite living off of your dreams
They destroyed my country
They bled it dry
Where are you from?
My family originated in the Belgium Congo
They told me stories of the white mans greed and cruelty
All its resources ended up in the pockets of the white man and I just want to fuck them all in revenge
That’s is empty my friend
The black man has fucked you as much as the white man
My father told me stories of the atrocities that Belgium committed in the time of my ancestors
And these stories are true
Then why do you support the white man?
I do not support the white man
How old are you?
I am twenty-seven
What do you remember of your home?
Very little as we have lived in Ghana for most of my life
My father worked there in the export trade
All you remember is post-independence in your home country
My country is dead the white man killed it
I agree with you to a point but what really killed your country was your independence
You gained it too soon
That is shit man
No
The white man came and used my country
In the beginning yes but do you realise that when independence was gained your country had hospitals and schools and railways
Good roads were normal
Ships sailed on your mighty river
It was quite European
It was to serve European needs
No it was serve everybody’s needs
That was not what my father told me and his father too
Since your country gained its independence a lot of the European infrastructure has vanished
Enough of this discussion my car is ready
It is cool enough to drive
The smuggler and migrant had been driving for about an hour
It was dark with only the headlights of the car breaking the darkness
The smuggler stopped the car
See in the distance there are the lights of the port town
Do you really want me to take you there?
That is what I paid you for
You might drown if my brother cannot smuggle you onto his ship
I will take that chance
Why do you not stay in Africa?
I want to make my mark
You have as much chance of becoming a rap artist as I have of becoming the Pope
It better than no chance at all
Your choice
The smuggler started his car again and the men drove in silence until they were in the port town
I will accompany you to that ship
We will meet my brother and after that you are on your own my friend
Take care I hope that God smiles on you
But do not forget Africa
XYANDZED
The following day as the smuggler was driving back towards his home
He had rested in the port town
As he was driving past the shell of an abandoned car a man jumped out
The smuggler braked hard
I could have killed you
Who are you?
Are you going to rob me?
I am armed
The stranger was wearing a crumpled white suit
Of course I am not going to rob you
I just wanted to know if there is a better place to paint than this
The landscape is amazing
Are you an artist?
Where is your equipment?
In the abondoned car
My paints were melting
How did you get here?
I was driven here by one of your countrymen
Do you plan to paint out here?
That is the general idea
You will die of thirst
You are crazy
No my driver will fetch me this evening
The smuggler looked at the artist
Are you an American?
Yes I am from America
Do you have a name?
I am called Thomas
A fine name
My name is Mark and some people think of me as an artist
Well Mark unless you want to cook
I would only paint during the early hours of the morning and during the cooler short evening period of the day
Otherwise you will become crazy
Will you stay with me until my driver returns?
He will not return
He gave me his word
His words are empty
Oh dear then may I have to pay you to drive me back to the port town?
I am heading in the opposite direction
I am a rich man
Do not tell anyone that you are a rich man
In this part of the world that is suicide
I will stay with you and when the day is cooler then I will drive you back to the port town
How much will you need?
Just enough to cover the gas
Will a hundred dollars cover your expenses?
It will do
I think I have been too trusting
XYANDZED
The artist and the smuggler lay in the shade of the car
They were waiting for the day to cool
Do you know Juliette Binoche?
I have always wanted to meet her
As it happens I do know the actress
She has one of my paintings hanging on her wall
The smuggler closed his eyes
May I see his painting?
It is on the wall facing you
The colours almost float it is as if it was painted in the desert
It was
All these paintings were completed whilst Mark was in Libya a number of years ago
Now Thomas stop wandering about
Come back to bed I am so exhausted