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