A warm welcome back to Ronald Mackay with his second travel highlight in this year's contest.
If you are interested in entering, you can find more details on the Competitions page here.
If you are interested in entering, you can find more details on the Competitions page here.
Water Melons
Both barren roads lead to Khebir. The coastal longer; the desert shorter.
I wait. The horizon yellow, shimmering.
Water melon-laden, a truck brakes.
“El Khebir?”
I climb up.
Pleased, he chooses desert. “Alone, I no risk!”
Blistering heat. An hour. A tire blows.
More nimble, I place the jack. I raise the axle on soft asphalt.
He sweats.
“Right!”
He wrestles.
Time slows. I watch as jack penetrates asphalt; as the differential approaches my skull.
He jams the wheel.
I breathe, crawl back into the sun.
Neither of us speak.
The sun smiles. The desert grins. “Got you now!”
Both barren roads lead to Khebir. The coastal longer; the desert shorter.
I wait. The horizon yellow, shimmering.
Water melon-laden, a truck brakes.
“El Khebir?”
I climb up.
Pleased, he chooses desert. “Alone, I no risk!”
Blistering heat. An hour. A tire blows.
More nimble, I place the jack. I raise the axle on soft asphalt.
He sweats.
“Right!”
He wrestles.
Time slows. I watch as jack penetrates asphalt; as the differential approaches my skull.
He jams the wheel.
I breathe, crawl back into the sun.
Neither of us speak.
The sun smiles. The desert grins. “Got you now!”
 | Ronald Mackay The summer before his final year at school in Scotland, Ronald Mackay hitchhiked alone to Tagounite, Morocco and back in three weeks. He wanted to look at the Sahara Desert. He survived. |
