Sandstone

That whole night, Daku thought about the two people. Sally and Adoni. Adoni and Sally.

Earlier, Daku had dined with Sally in the Blair Hotel. He found out that her father owned the hotel and that they lived in a huge penthouse at the top.

Sally was wearing a long periwinkle-toned dress. Her eyes about the same color, complimenting her black hair and tan skin.

Daku thought that she looked like an angel.

He, himself, wore a tuxedo, which was supposedly used for fine dining. Daku hated it, even though he looked pretty good in it.

The meal was delicious, the salad was fresh and green, and the steak was juicy.

During the whole evening, Sally listened to what Daku had to say, and had some interesting things to talk about.

As Daku paced around the room, he felt rather empty, as if he had forgotten something precious. His curiosity got the best of him, so Daku walked across the hotel room to his desk. As he turned on the light, he searched for his planner.

It was hidden under a couple papers. The planner was red leather, a gift from Adoni.

Daku gasped. Adoni! He opened up to today’s date, October 3rd.

There, just as Daku predicted, was the words ‘Adoni’s birthday’ written in his handwriting just beneath the date.

Daku felt a pang of guilt. Well, more like a stab. He knew Adoni really missed him. Suddenly, Daku wondered what Adoni was doing right this second.

Would she be picking cacti plants? Or would she be celebrating. Could it be possible that this very second, she was wondering what he was doing? Would she be waiting for a letter from Daku?

“A letter”, Daku breathed out. He mentally slapped himself. It had been nearly two weeks since he had written a letter.

Daku realized how much he missed his home, his family, and Adoni. This new world was so strange.

In the middle of the night, Daku sat down to write a letter. He took a deep breathe and started to write.

‘Dear Adoni’, He began.

Adoni yawned. Today, even though it was her birthday, she still picked cacti plants. She was happy it was night, now. The sun was still hot in the day, even though it was October already.

“And still no letter from Daku,” Adoni said to herself bitterly. It had been two weeks and she was growing impatient.

Maybe Daku had forgotten about her, and found another, more beautiful girl, that was worth his time.

She pictured Daku dancing and dining with another girl, the girl laughing flirtatiously, and Daku coming on strongly. The thought made Adoni cringe.

Adoni tossed and turned in her bed, but she couldn’t sleep.

Quietly, she walked out of the room, and out the door. The night sky was lit up by a thousand twinkling stars.

Adoni walked farther and farther away from her adobe, until she couldn’t see her village anymore.

The dunes where soft under her bare feet, like a pillow filled with feathers. The moonlight shined down on her.

The night air was so cold. In fact, the whole desert was cold, and Adoni was part of the desert.

Chills went down her spine, and she felt like the whole world left her behind, left her so she could be sucked into the cosmos.

Adoni stopped dancing. She was so cold. But it wasn’t because of the temperature, it was her heart.

“How could you forget me?” Adoni asked the sky,” I thought you where my friend. I loved you. I still do”

She felt crushed. The happy moments where gone. To her surprise, only one tear rolled down her cheek, pure and clear.

Adoni was in the sand now, lying down and wishing. She wanted sleep more than anything else.

“Sleep,” Adoni thought she whispered to herself,” Sleep. The blur between reality and dreams. The thing I want most.”

“Daku,” She whispered.

Soon enough, she succumbed to the soft tug pulling her into sleep. Adoni’s sleep was fitful and her dreams vague, but she managed to sleep thought the night, with nothing so much as a blanket.