Mysterious River

Mysterious River

I rose from my bed and looked left and right in astonishment every thing is all right it was a nightmare! I sighed but when I took a second look to the left window sunlight used to stream through every morning when I wake up. I glanced to my alarm clock and notice one of the indicators fixed between seven and eight, I jumped off my bed straight to the window, watched closely the dark clouds covering the sky, I stretched my arm to figure out if it is raining seeking any possible drop, no sign for paths of rain even on the outside wall, put on my blue jean and t- shirt, I was sure I will be wet later on today
It rains rarely in Dider I remember last time we had rain six months ago.
I like rain as many of my friends running on the rain seeking a place to hide was such a great privilege for us.
“Your breakfast is ready Hambaza” said my mother hambaza was the name she had chosen to me. It was my uncle’s name.
-I am coming mum give me two minutes. Enough time for me to fill in my bleu jean and black t- shirt
-sit down and eat, why are u always in a hurry?
-I want to be outside when it rains.
“You need to be careful boy, don’t cross the wadi it may rain and the river is sometimes fast you may be stuck at akmout. I know you miss around there every day”.

“How are you guy you woke up early today this is unusual ” said akhamok my best friend while walking on the way to the empty yard that we managed to play soccer some rocks scattered at the corner.
- I had a night mare last night
- Tell me the story
- No, I will not. We have a telling in our society that a nightmare when narrated may become true. “Let’s go to the opposite district we”
We crossed the highway to the opposite side and headed toward the mighty gardens lying on about 100 hectares full of palmers as the most cultivated trees in the region; at the other side a very long oued separating the massive agriculture lands. we walked in the middle of the alley watching the trees, plants, electric posts all in that valley used to fall when the river pay us visit once a year. but each time they are replanted at the same places.
When you look straight far away, you see a souk: the big market crowded all the day by customers very high prices you need to speculate go and come back to buy some thing. I pass by usually to buy a packet of cigarette from kacim, the only son of his family his father had died a year ago, leaving him with his old mother and three daughters.
We left the Souk and headed to akmout
I was talking to akhamok about the little boy suddenly we heard a scary voice as if a plane were passing low above our heads that’s what we thought
We continued to akmout the small district hided in a massive of palmers at the front side, and a huge mysterious mountain in the other side.
The village is separated from the rest of the region by the long oued, long and snake stiff all over. The strange sound came again
-did you hear that?
“Yes what is it” said I as we were getting closer to the entrance of the long tunnel made by the gardens fences leading to the small village yard. The sound came again but this time continuous and then sounded like a plane crashing against the big mountain a mass of people came behind us to find out what was that strange sound; we looked up to the mountain “ it is vibrating” cried akhamok
The dream came to my mind I looked back and watched the oued the same like in the terrible dream,
“The river” I said loudly, “the river, let’s go back” said I to akhamok who was watching me in astonishment.
-What is it?
- I think some thing awful is going to happen
We returned back and walked speedily then the sound of falling stones came, the picture was complete in my mind I shouted to the crowd scattered in the oued
“Every body go back”! , And started running.
Akhamok was following me, when I crossed the middle of the wadi I glanced far to my left side and seen a very large river coming towards us. “My god” said I,
“akhamok run as fast as you can!”,
I heard no answer so I looked back he was standing looking bewildered to the coming huge river, I went back and grabbed him by his collar then headed to the nearest point. The river was very close straight in front of me the dam was two meters high made of stones wrapped in a wiring net
“We have to rich the dam, run, run” said I
I could smell the river it has a smell of death at that time I felt death was chasing me, stretching it’s arms to get me, to get any part of my body it may rich in that wadi .
The only sound I could hear while I was running was the rivers.
No way to look back I had to continue I have no time even to think until I get safe.
I am in a few meters from the dam but the river’s voice is deafening my ears know I could tell.
Death is coming closer and closer. I jumped on the dam and looked back as I felt safe
“Look at that man there” said I. but akhamok was not by my side as I thought I turned right and seen a young kid then I looked around but akhamok is no were.
Have you seen my friend boy, the man with a black trousers and brown t-shirt?
-“Yes, he saved my life” replayed the boy terrified water dragged him along the way while he was trying to drop me on the dam.
[Went with the river], how could I say this to his mother or his sister he has been her close friend and brother, I sat down on that wall thinking hoping that all this was a nightmare, my head in my arms, tears falling from my eyes like it never happened before. The little boy was standing next to me squeezing his hands to his chest and looking at me.
I felt a tap on my back “are u fucking crying” said a familiar voice behind me
I turned around to see akhamok laughing at me, sun of a bitch, you cry like ladies
-Because of me, you like me so much don’t you?
-I am not crying because of you, but I was thinking of your sister’s sorrow when she hears your news her. I will not bear seeing her beautiful eyes bathed in tears
-“What did you say” and he squeezed my neck,
-I was joking, take it easy man.
He released me, poor Akhamok he gets crazy when I allude to his sister. A pretty girl she has a beautiful eyes you have to be courageous to look at her eyes, she know that as well very confident, she has difficulties to find a boy friend. Because no one dares to tease her as long as her brother is called akhamok. A very tough guy
I used to see her at home when I come looking for her brother. I used to call him first in his mobile to make sure he is not home. He spotted me once talking to Dimetta his sister at the entrance. Thanks to god I had some kits for him, and I told him “I was going to live your stuff with your sister, so there you are great”.
-But you didn’t tell me about that on the phone.
Just when we hung up it came in my mind your microphone and plugs.

We stood for a while looking at the river carrying trees, electric post that had fallen down in about five hundred meters
The wadi was full of water right now linking the entrance of Akmout to the dam
The sound of the river was huge, I could distinguish scream of some people at town center go back it is surrounding us. “Have you heard that” said Akhamok “come on let’s go” the power went of all of a sudden in the hole city as we withdrew from the dam limits almost 100 meters walking in a corridor separation tow gardens three meters from the national high way I felt my feet in water we realized by then that the river had reached even the national high way witch is higher than the ordinary valley
“Come on man we have to cross as soon as possible”, we new that if we get trapped in patch then no chances for us to make it.
Water was shallow, thanks to god, so we crossed easily the stream.
“Where did all this water came from?” said akhamok, completely puzzled
“God bless us all”
We where in about 2 kilometers from downtown, the houses are 80 per cent gathered on a mountain from the crest to the bottom, our ancestors had anticipated such flood a hundred years before, my grandmother told us her father witnessed some thing similar in his child hood this is why they moved to the top.
“Have you seen that” said akhamok
-What?
- Look at the refrigerator truck turned up side down; I hope the driver is alive.
We run toward the truck.
“Here he is collecting his belongings”
-“are you alright?” said I
I am perfect! What do you think I am loosing a merchandise of Millions Dinars and you asking me if I am all right.
- Take it easy man, you will offset the losses is there any thing we can do
- No thanks
We proceeded toward the city, I started thinking about kacim, the little boy at the souk what happened to him did he make it. That’s sad I asked the first person we met: do you know what happened to the people at the souk?
- “The river ravaged the hole market, intervention guys had saved some lives but as I heard many people didn’t make it down there”
-If you have a relative you can ask at the town hall they started an “emergency cell”
50 people are already declared lost.
. There is always a back up generator for emergency situation in the hospital, so they linked the town hall to it to manage rescue missions properly. That’s why the town hall was lightened when we came close.
“I think we are in troubles” said I to Akhamok as I have seen my brother
-“Where the fuck have you been” said my brother and why did you switch off your cell phone we have been looking for both of you all the day
“Delete them from the list” said he to the emergency recorder
We sat on the bridge close to an intersection leading left to the town hall, in front of us a long trail ending by the famous souk but noting was visible darkness is covering the hole town, suddenly I heard footsteps.
“Some one is coming”
“Yes I believe”
I could see nothing in that darkness but distinguish a figure of a young man carrying a box, his movement look familiar for me, “that’s kacim” I cried, where have you been?
He was not terrified of what happened,
-“I was there” said he, and when the river came I took my box and crossed,
“You crossed that river?” Said akhamok,
“Tell me something I can believe, look at the river, where it reaches, you can’t cross by feet that incredible flood”.
-Tell us what exactly happened boy?
I was standing in my usual place near the big tree, watching my box as you left me this after noon, the market wasn’t crowded as usual, no one was expecting it, and suddenly we heard some one screaming flood, flood get the hell out of there
Tents, people, stuff beasts all of them drove by the river I still wander.
My god! I could do nothing at a second I noticed the river was all around me I thought I would sink. then I lifted my cigarettes box from the little table and walked towards the bank I felt myself walking on the water but I didn’t realize it was true at that time my anguish to get out of there was dominating my thoughts rather than how. Then when I felt safe out of the wadi I replayed the scene in my mind and am still wandering how did I walk on that flood
“You weren’t meant to die in there! The mysterious river just spared you may be for a reason” said I
“May be because of your family you are the only one feeding them and it will not be fair for them if you pass away and live them for an obscure future”
I think you better go home now kacim your mother must be worried about you after all that. You are lucky
-"ok then see you in the morning" said akhamok
As he left I kept looking at him until he disappeared in the darkness and then thought of his fortune that saved him from that catastrophe
Listen akhamok I think there is an explanation of all that. My grand mother told me about the ancient flood something that may explain all that
What?
Wise men of that time explained the mysterious river by a divine punishment and a will of god to restore justice rich people had complete power on poor at that time. they treated them like animals they took control of all the land and left nowhere to live for the poor who settled desperately on the mountain the river that day was terrible said grand ma the hole land was graded gardens houses nothing was left.
Any way let's go back to home.