The Dreams

Dream 31

A donkey carried me through the midst of the fields with monotonous steps, stripped of any feeling under the rays of the autumn sun. A dog’s barking hailed us, and the donkey halted. I prodded him with my heel and he resumed his gait.

The barking and wailing returned, and I screwed up my vision to scan for the man I was seeking. A woman appeared, surrounded by a pack of dogs. She shouted at them to keep quiet, and they obeyed. I greeted her and said that I had come to meet the shaykh, on the basis of two letters we had exchanged. The woman replied that she was the person ultimately in charge of this matter and that she was able to offer the requested services — just as she was able to annihilate whomever she wished, if she set the dogs upon them.

I answered that I had come in peace, not war, and I wanted work. She motioned toward me, and I came down from the donkey’s back, standing before her in submission. She walked, and I followed, the donkey trailing behind me, with the dogs all around us. She stopped in front of a small building, and the whole procession stopped with her. She commanded me to go inside: I entered, and she said that I should wait within. She warned of the dogs that would show no mercy if I ventured outside. I asked her how long I would have to comply — and what about my job? The shaykh, I pointed out, had promised me a good turn. She paid no heed to what I said, but mounted the donkey and rode away, leaving the dogs encircling my prison.

She has been sending me the things I need through tough-looking men, who never say a word. Sometimes I think of taking on the dogs in a battle of life or death, but hope is triumphant.

And I wait.