The Eternal Glass Ceiling :: The Neo-Reconquista

Through The Jungle

After the display of such a dangerous dilemma, the Moorish army began walking for hours until the night began to hunt them down like a wild lioness stalking her prey. The sun had set leaving the sky painted with violet and pink with a compliment of orange daubs smeared across the canvas of the horizon. Yusuf wanted the group to advance as far as they could into the deep jungle but the darkness covered the trees leaving them at a disadvantage, unable to distinguish their whereabouts. They eventually decided to set up camp, catching up on some rest. A few guys stayed awake on look-out duty. Razin was one of the men cursed with insomnia that volunteered to stay awake counting the hours, rather than counting sheep. Ashiq sat down and talked with Razin for awhile to past time.

"You should get some rest, Ashiq. There will be much more walking tomorrow." he said as he sharpened his blade.

"Yeah I know, but I'm not sleepy, Razin." Ashiq replied as he sat down next to him.

"That may be how you feel mentally, but physically your body needs to rest. You say your not sleepy but as soon as you lie down and get comfortable you will fall fast asleep." Razin explained.

"I know but I don't want to close my eyes . . . " the boy whispered.

"Don't worry, you are guarded by the best mercenaries in all the motherland. No harm shall come to you." he boasted pridefully.

Ashiq smiled at Razin then gazed out into the shadows that lingered between the trees enclosing the army. "So many shadows, hidden among the trees . . . " Ashiq thought to himself. Then he confessed the real reason that he was hesitant of embracing his slumber, "I'm not afraid of any Spaniards. I just keep on having strange dreams."

Razin looked at the boy curiously responding "I see . . . So what kind of dreams do you have?"

Ashiq paused for a moment and took a deep sigh.

"It's a very vague dream. In this dream I find myself standing in a murky marsh with a big tree looming behind me. But, the tree isn't normal size "big" like these ones laid here before us. It's huge! and tall, like the height of a minaret. There's also a lot of fog as well so I can't really make out anything."

"That doesn't sound like such a bad dream though." Razin chuckled.

"Thats not the strange part. Inside the tree is a giant face. It's broad and made out of stone, but it's stuck inside the tree . . . then off in a distance . . . there's this giant figure . . . " he whispered.

"What does the figure look like?" he asked.

"I could never make it out . . . Then the dream ends." he sighed sadly.

"Hmm, when we return back home you should have a magi interpret that dream for you. It might have some kind of esoteric meaning to it. But for now get some rest young prince." he replied calmly.

"Yeah, maybe your'e right, Razin." Ashiq murmured.

But before the boy left he proposed a question to Razin asking, "Hey, Razin. You're Malian, right?"

"Yes, I was raised in Kouroussa to be exact. But we later migrated to The Kano Sultanates with a Bedouin caravan. That's where I became apart of the Sokoto Caliphate. I was introduced to tariqa; a specific form Sufism that taught the concepts of mystical teachings and spiritual practices in an aim of seeking haqiqa, which translates as 'ultimate truth'. Why do you ask?" Razin questioned with his arms folded.