TUET

I ran with all my strength towards the Great River.



I’d lost the sandal from my right foot just minutes after leaving the palaces for the water's quiet wet comfort. After running for some time, I found my legs to be loose as dead snakes, but I kept running.



I had gone with Father, and my brother Re, on three of their last trips to various points within his kingdom. It was my first trip to the lands not far along the Great Sea of the north. It was a particularly beautiful country, in fact, it seemed somewhat magical. The men dressed in the finest of white, red and gold cloths. They lived in homes made of mud and linen and rode animals the color of sand with large lips, eyes, and humps on their back for which the men sat and traveled back and forth. Did they not have horses? The food was good, too. And then there were the women, and they were the best part! They had larger tops and bottoms than the women of Egypt, and they covered their faces with what looked to me like colored fish netting.



Oh, but how those women did move. Rhythmically and seductively they danced for Father and his men. I sat to his left, my usual spot in visits such as this so that I may learn from their words, but I could not keep my eyes from them. Their beauty was unimaginable. The flow of the women’s dresses moved easily with the command of their hips, legs, and arms. Music came from the brass emblems they held in their fingers and hung loosely around their ankles and waist. At over half a generation in age, this was a mesmerizing site. One of them looked directly at me as she danced. She wore a color blue that reminded me of the waters in the palace pools – cool and inviting, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I vowed to return.



Now, I’ve just returned from my second trip to the more southern border regions of our kingdom, but there was no magic coming from these lands – unless it is black magic. Their skin was darker than ours, and many of them had lighter colored eyes, like my mother’s. These were a tall, and strong people for whom Father had many dealings over the years. Communication had weakened between them and war was sure to come. From the time that I was a very small boy, I had been told that all of these lands would be mine to command someday. Like Father before me, and his father before him, all the way back to Djoser, the first man-god Pharaoh, I would rule the largest and richest realm in the world. This is why I ran.



Not far from the palaces was the small river bend. The wildness of the water drew me to it like no other. The other privileged children of the palace preferred the clear waters of the pools rather than the muddy cloudiness of the river. Although the river fed directly into the Great River, none of the other barges or boats could fit into this particularly narrow section and I regularly had this section of the river alone.



I quickly reached the tall and wet grasslands. I removed my tunic and left sandal. All that remained were my hair clasps and collar. Continuing to run I finally made it to the dead oak tree. It was very tall with its branches reaching high and over the river’s edge. Expertly I managed to shimmy up the large trunk of the tree and was able to grasp the largest branch that leaned over the water. This is when I usually jumped off, landing full force into the water. However, this time I suddenly stopped.



I hadn’t noticed that the water was extremely high on this day. It was late summer and the river usually didn’t raise this high this far after spring. Unfortunately my depression got the better of me, and I continued to climb.



The higher I climbed, it seemed, the louder the noise from the river. I peered across the water and could see the other side clearly. Its bank wasn’t as wet as this side’s so I knew that getting out wouldn’t be difficult. Leaning against the branch I closed my eyes to the sound as well as the thoughts of doubt that wouldn’t leave my head. I felt the branch move in the breeze and oddly this felt good. I didn’t need the water after all. Relaxing my entire naked body I allowed myself to drink in the wetness of the branch itself when I heard the first crack.



The branch started to pull itself away from the dead tree. Looking down I could see the water moving more and more forcibly towards the Great River. Panic-stricken, I tried to back down towards the large trunk before the branch I leaned on finally broke. Keeping my eyes closed I began to inch, slowly, trying to touch the trunk of the tree with my toes, guiding myself without seeing.



The water’s rush seemed to get louder, but it was slow going for me. I took a deep breath, and continued to move backwards, but the branch dipped and swayed with every move I made. Twigs and leaves from the tree broke off and fell into the water as I moved my body around to get more traction, and that’s when it happened.



Crack!



Since I kept my eyes closed, I didn’t know what happened, till it happened. The large branch that held me had fallen hard. Fortunately, it hit the soft muddy area on the bank of the river and I could just reach a handful of tall grass trying to pull myself up and out. Reaching for the stalks, and forgetting I was without my sandals, I slid down the muddy bank and backwards into the river.



I had fallen in very deep water. It was so deep that I could feel the undercurrent whipping around my toes. I was more frightened than I had ever been, but the strength of the river seemed to wash this fear away. Now, I felt only hopelessness for I knew that I would die here. It was then that I first saw the curly-haired boy…

He was running towards me with a rather large stick in his hand. As the river carried me towards the Great River, where I would surely drown, this boy just kept running towards me and screaming at me with words that I did not know. Still, I did what I could to reach him. I dipped my head just below the surface and did my best to rest myself away from the violent undercurrent. This was very difficult, and it took three times before I succeeded in beating the river’s force and I did my best to swim towards the shore.



However, this was more difficult than I thought it would be.