Nile woke up inside a room of wooden structure. Through hazy eyes, he saw a boy sitting at the corner of the room, with a puppy on his lap. He noticed the sunlight coming through the cracks on the ceiling and from its angle, he deduced it was before noon.
Besides him on the floor was a bowl of a concoction that he did not know. The boy nodded at him and he understood that as a sign to drink. He drank and felt the flow of liquid inside his throat. It tickled a bit but quenched his thirst.
He saw the boy looking at him but could not decipher his face from the distance. The boy patted the puppy's head gently with his right head. The boy kept his gaze fixed at Nile as he continued patting slowly. Nile's brows felt heavy and he dozed off.
In his slumber, he sensed something familiar, an odor. Faint yet perfectly distinguished. Narjes flower extract. The smell of his mother. The scent took his by surprise and he started to look around but he could not see. It was pitch black.
A strange silence suddenly hit Nile's eardrums. The absence of sound was so pronounced that Nile feared that he's gone deaf for a second, but before he could fret, light came in.
With light came vision, and Nile was able to see his surroundings. He was standing at the bank of a motionless river at a clearing. on both sides of it was a forest with dark green trees. A large sun rose above the horizon majestically.
Sitting with his back to a tree trunk and munching on a pear was a humongous being. Nile recognized Teher and walked towards him with a frown.
- "I see the little boy was crafty" said Teher
- "Yes" replied Nile, with a somewhat cross demeanor, "he managed to convince me to drink that liquid without a word"
- "I guess when one's desperate he puts his trust on anyone"
- "Do you know what was on that drink?"
- "Poppy mist"
- "God damn it! and what is this place I woke up in?"
- "It is a monastery"
Nile stood in front of Teher and took an authoritative stance.
- "What monastery?"
- "I love when you try that, but I'm not in the mood today" said Teher, and his tone changed "Drag that rock and take a seat" he pointed to a big rock on the waterside. Nile looked at it. A minute later he was dragging it across. He placed it facing Teher and sat down. This new juxtaposition seemed to lighten the mood a bit.
- "I'm sorry for that" said Nile. It seemed the effort released a bit of his tension.
- "No problem at all" replied Teher. "Now, enough with details and start asking the right questions"
- "What is this place?"
- "This is an opium dream" said Teher, "Your first!" he added after a short pause, with a touch of bemusement. "Most of what's here is from your memory, a representation of your subconscious".
Nile started looking around, exploring the space with his eyes.
- "I can smell her" Nile said. "I can smell my mother"
Teher said nothing, but seemed to murmur a prayer.
- "what is an opium dream exactly?" asked Nile.
- "Depends on who you ask" answered Teher "As far as I'm concerned, it is a delirium state caused by consuming poppy mist"
- "If everything in here is from my memory, what is this river?" asked Nile
-"This is the red river" said Teher, "I don't know why it is here. Perhaps my own memories are manifesting as well"
"Ok I've had enough of this" said Nile promptly. "How do I get out of here?"
Teher smiled. He seemed to enjoy Nile's temperament shifts. "poppy mist need to wane off" he said "take this opportunity to heal, you've been heavily wounded".
Nile remembered what happened. How he was about to die, just before Teher took over. In this
- "So I take it you took care of the two beasts" he said
- "I did what I had to do”, replied Teher “Took no pleasure in it”
- "And how much did that cost me?"
- “A lot” said Teher “but not your life” he added a moment later, looking at Nile.
Slinece ensued and the two exchanged looks. Teher looked worried.
- "Say what you have to say, Teher"
- "You know it already. You are too reckless"
- "Again with your breaching!” said Nile, irritated.
- Teher spoke calmly “I can save you from a lot” he said, keeping his gaze on Nile. “but not from myself”. “I don’t set the price and I don’t control payment”.
- "I don't need your help" Nile insisted
- "As it happens, you do" "you might not need it if you act more craefully, but for the moment that's not the case"
- "You smug prick, your day will come sooner than you think" said Nile with a smidge of disgust.
Teher looked away from Nile "Your anger is misdirected" he said in a dry tone "You should be angry with yourself first and foremost, and then with the old man".
- "Oh yeah" said Nile "that old fucker, Zolf" " I did not forget about him".
Teher stood up. Almost as tall as the tree he was laying his back on, and started to walk away. "I'm going to the other side to pray" he said without looking back. "take the remainder of the time you have here to heal and reflect". The earth thudded under his feet.
Nile looked at him as he walked away. The sheer size of Teher always amazed him. He walked on the other direction and found a tree that he lay under and started murmuring prayers. Silence calmed him and uncovered sounds that were hidden. Birds chirping. Water Flowing. Leaves crackling. he looked again at the direction of Teher and he was but a small dot on the horizon. He closed his eyes.
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