BROTHER! BROTHER! Don’t hide the good stuff from us! Share it with us, please!’ a young man whispered. I could barely make out his face in the soft glow of the lamps in the tent. Oblivious of being the one addressed, I kept talking.
Under two hours before, I had experienced the most amazing sunset I had ever seen. As the sun cast its golden glow over the Sahara, I suddenly understood why our driver had been in a mad rush to get through our itinerary, and I had only one sentiment: gratitude to be alive that New Year’s Eve, to witness the last sunset of the year surrounded by red sand that had swallowed kingdoms, and given birth to them.
‘Brother! Brother! I’m talking to you!’ the young man entreated. He had been joined by another, and their earnest faces had taken on looks of confused curiosity. They could not understand why I, who was dressed from head to toe like a Berber, was ignoring them.