Sands of Redemption

14

'Hi, Mum. Sorry I've taken so long to call you. It's been busy here,' Georgia said, coiling her fingers through the telephone cord. It was an old phone: the paint chipped, the wiring at the wall exposed. It was mid-afternoon and blistering hot. The air-conditioner coughed beside her. She looked up at a clatter as Hana dropped something behind the reception desk.

Her mother's voice crackled with interference. 'That's okay, sweetie, just as long as you do.'

'There's just been so much going on lately, that's all.'

'I understand. It's just good to hear from you.' There came a pause. 'Are you alright? You don't sound like your usual self.'

Georgia shifted in her seat. 'Yeah—no, I'm alright.'

'You know you can always come home whenever you want to. We have your room ready and waiting.' The hope in her mother's voice stung.

'Yeah, I know.'

There came a click. 'Hey Georgie,' grumbled her father's voice from the second phone.

'Hey Dad, what's been happening?' she asked, more cheerful.

'Nothing much, but no news is good news, right?'

'I guess so.'

'So how have you been going? Do you have enough money?'

'Yes, I've got plenty, thanks.'

'Are you sure? Because it's no bother to drop some into your account,' her mother stressed.

'No, it's fine, really.'

Over the next twenty minutes Georgia explained about her time in Hamrachi, leaving out the bits they really didn't need to know. Partway through, her mother had to leave—'breakfast on the stove!'—leaving her father alone on the line.

There followed a strange silence. 'Errr, hello? Are you there, Dad?'

'Sorry, Georgie,' her father said. 'I just had to make sure your mother was out of the room so I can talk to you about something.'

'What is it? Is everything alright?'

'Yes, yes, everything's fine. It's not about us. It's about you.'

He sounded much too sombre for her liking. She clutched the phone tightly. 'Oh. What is it?'

'I've been hearing much more than I would like about what's going on over there and I'm getting concerned. I want you to come home—now.'

'What do you mean? There's nothing to worry about,' Georgia said hurriedly. 'If you're talking about the fighting in Karduh, it's nowhere close to here and it's been going on for ages. I told you about it before I left, remember? Nothing much has changed.'

'It's not just that. I hear news about this Bishara fellow and these protests going on. I don't like it, Georgie. It worries me.'

'It's fine, really. It's mostly media hype, you don't need to worry.'

'But what about this group, these terrorists, these ...' he stumbled over the word '... Mujahideen?'

Georgia bit her lip. Trust Dad to follow things so closely. The Ittihad ul-Mujahideen, or Union of Holy Warriors, had become more prominent in the news over the past few weeks, spouting their twisted views on Jihad and Sharia with increasing intensity.

She remembered when Jasper had first spoken about them at the café. How he had so easily dismissed them. It was remarkable and terrifying how quickly things could change.

'I wouldn't worry about them,' Georgia lied. 'Nobody takes them seriously.'

'I don't know, they sound pretty full-on to me.'