It was not so easy a journey for the man.

In the aggravating heat of the sun, he started to feel his feet going numb, and the thirst became more and more grueling. He has come a long way, he assumed, as he could not see the ocean behind him anymore. The one fact that bewildered him more than the stretch of sand was that he was still alive. As the lone survivor staggered across the blazing desert, the previous happenings were just parts and pieces of faint and stagnant memory drifting inside his mind. A raging storm, a tempest-tossed ship, and the sight of an island were all he managed to summon up, for recollection was a luxury to a man who could barely keep himself standing in the scorching waves of desert' winds. ....... The man woke up as the ocean waves caressed his face gently. The sea had becalmed and continued on chanting its ambient rhythms after the storm. The man squeezed his eyes shut as the sunlight penetrated his eyes. Suddenly, something caught his attention. He could have sworn he heard something far beyond the roaring of the waves, coming from within the desert. A voice, perhaps? Oddly enough, he could see no precursors of the surviving, or even the remnants of it. Neither was there any signs of a shipwreck, nor was there any sign of his crew members. Only monotonous sand dunes traced back to the horizon, with the occasional surfacing of rock hills and promontories afar. Picturesque, it was, but it was no less picturesque than daunting a sight to him. It was clearly no time to waver, and the man knew that well. He must find a safe retreat before the dusk, as dangers always lurk in the darkness. With that in mind, he set foot on his quest for a shelter, into this desert where the voice the only sign of life - had come from. And here he was, struggling to keep his feet moving across the deadly heat trap. There were so many hallucinations, of people, animals, oases that had he caught himself in along the way that, at one point, he might have failed to distinguish between reality and illusions. At last, the man widened his eyes at the solitary black lines that broke the stretching of golden sand. Sand dunes? He squinted at this blurry figure, walking faster and faster towards what might be his only way out of the seemingly endless journey. There was a column of smoke coming from behind those dunes far away. This was a good sign. Or so he thought. Without giving it a second thought, the man set foot on his journey towards, what he envisioned, the camp fire. However, the desert was never known to be merciful to human. When he was just a few steps from his destination, he could barely lifted his

exhausted limbs anymore. As if all his energy was suddenly drained by the heat, he collapsed as fatigue seized the last bit of his consciousness The lovely melody resounded in his head again. That voice the voice that led the man to the desert was calling out to him from somewhere within the darkness. He could hear it clear than ever now, accompanied by the trickling sound of running water Water? As a droplet of crystal-like water jumped down his cheeks, he awakened once more. But to his amazement, he was no longer in the scorching desert. He was encircled by trees and plants, and he could hear the sounds of water streams running by. He stood up and rushed past the rainforest, towards the origin of the sounds he had been scouring for It was irrefutably the most magnificent scene any human could have ever seen. It was as if beauty itself materialized into a woman. Under the radiance of the silvery moonlight stood a maiden, whose beauty somehow glimmered in the resplendent light. As she raised her angelic voice, the stream seemingly came to life, sending its glistening water beads swirling around her in a mesmerizing symphony that perfectly symbolized the existence of miracles. He stood in awe, his eyes riveted on the slender figure moving gracefully through the forest. You should not have woken up so soon the maiden said as she approached him, pulling him out of the trance the man was caught in. I He stumbled. The moon is waning - she spoke again before words could escape his mouth. This time he could see a trace of sadness deep in her eyes. These mysterious words confused him greatly. But he said nothing. Everything seemed so surreal to him that it couldn't have been more than a fleeting illusion. You should get some more rest - she insisted - It seems like exhaustion has got the better of you - she smiled, and walked away. But who are you? Where is this place? he asked, running after her. She was then nowhere to be seen. -------------------------After the storm, the sea has becalmed and continued on chanting its ambient rhythms.

At last, the man widened his eyes, for the very first gleam of daylight to penetrate the crack of dawn titillated his instinctual senses of survival. He was wide awake now, and still he was uncertain whether he was alive, or... He was still alive, and this bewildered him. He to summon up. The previous happenings were parts and pieces of faint and stagnant memory drifting inside his mind. But he could have sworn he heard something far beyond the roaring of the waves A voice, perhaps? Oddly enough, he could see no precursors of the surviving, or even the remnants of it. Neither were there any signs of a shipwreck, nor were there any signs of his crew members. The surroundings were surrealistic, as if colored by the pigments of his peculiar childhood dreams. Monotonous sand dunes traced back to the horizon, with the occasional surfacing of rock hills and promontories afar. Picturesque, it was. But it was no less picturesque than daunting a sight to him. Fear, one feeling the man was apparently stranger to, was settling in. As he surveyed the surroundings, he noticed something unnatural. There was a column of smoke coming from behind the sand dunes far away. This was a good sign. Or so he thought. Without giving it a second thought, the man set foot on his journey towards, what he envisioned, a camp fire. It was not so easy a journey for the man. In the aggravating heat of the sun, he started to feel his feet going numb, and the thirst became more and more grueling. The landscape was unnatural and unscientific, but it never occurred to the man. There were so many hallucinations, of people, animals, villages that had he fooled along the way. At one point, he might have doubted his ability to distinguish between reality and illusions. He has come a long way, he assumed, as he could not see the ocean behind him anymore. The sight of the pillar of smoke was clearer than ever, but he could barely take another step. He collapsed as fatigue seized the last bit of his consciousness. It was one of those moonlit nights. And he heard that voice once again. As a droplet of water jumped down his cheeks, he awakened once more. But to his amazement, he was no longer in the scorching deserts. He was encircled by trees and plants, and he could hear the sounds of water streams running by. He stood up and rushed past the rainforest, towards the origin of the sounds. It was irrefutably the most magnificent scene any human could have ever seen. It was as if beauty itself materialized into a woman. Under the radiance of the silvery moonlight stood a maiden, whose beauty somehow glimmered in the resplendent light. As

she raised her angelic voice, the stream seemingly came to life, sending its glistening water beads swirling around her in a mesmerizing symphony that perfectly symbolized the existence of miracles. Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew him. You should not have woken up so soon she said, pulling him out of the trance he was caught in. I He stumbled. The moon is waning she spoke again, this time he could see a trace of sadness deep in her eyes. These mysterious words confused him You should get some more rest she insisted. It seems like exhaustion has got the better of you she smiled, and walked away. But who are you? Where is this place? he asked, running after her.

But she was nowhere to be seen. And he found himself back in that very desert. The desert was never known to be merciful to human. Amidst the myriad of sand, nothing could fight its way through the oppressive heat at day and the bitter cold at night. But it did not matter to the man. He was inclined to find the