A Persian Tale. Kevin J Todeschi

empty gourd jar and unused flask that could be found. A few of the men began marking off the area that Sumi had designated for water storage. Joell had decided to watch, for a time, before committing his own involvement. After much debate and final consensus, they decided to construct a large tent with thick walls of hides and parchment, beginning their digging within the walls of the structure itself.

      Throughout most of the households, uncommon activities had created a new sense of anticipation. A few mothers rallied together to watch the tiniest youngsters, allowing some of the other women to join in the work. Young men and warriors alike forgot for a time their desire for women, and began herding all of the livestock into one place. Ravi had ordered all animals to be roped off on a stretch of land set apart from the people. No longer would goats and camels and sheep wander unhindered throughout the settlement, though dogs and chickens were exempt from the arrangement and Ravi’s own horse would not consent to be corralled. A portion of the Dakhyu was responsible for gathering manure and human waste, as well, placing it far from the camp to be buried or dried—any dried waste would be used as fuel for the fires.

      Ravi and his sister joined with members of the council to inspect the crops. For much of the morning they walked throughout the city taking careful note of the conditions they saw. Most of the vines of the wild grapes had become withered and straggly. To their surprise, however, the tiny berries were still moist. It was Ibsen who speculated that the grapes could do with little water but they had been damaged by the windstorms. The scarce crops all had problems.

      The few stalks of corn were shriveled and barren; the plants needed more water. The pungent pepper vines were hearty but produced little fruit, causing Ravi to suggest the shrubs were too close together and needed, instead, to be suspended on thin twines of rope. The dates and figs were sparse and the melon plants produced stringy vines but no melons. Only a steady water supply could reverse the condition of the crops.

      While the crops were being examined, two caravans of fourteen tribesmen each left the settlement on the first water journey. One traveled to the hills in the direction of Lydia and the other to the nearest oases. The exodus caused Oman to issue cautionary orders to his warriors: the city’s borders were to be continuously guarded, lest a rival settlement or desert bandits attacked while a full one-fifth of their ablest were preoccupied elsewhere.

      Two full days would pass before the first caravan returned from the closest oasis, and it would be the third evening before the camels and horses returned from the source in the hills. Yet it was not a time of waiting, for there was much to be done: the gathering of the animals, the digging of the pit, the clearing of refuse, even the pruning of dead crops and the planting of new. Late in the afternoon, however, Margi found time for rest in her labors and her footsteps led her toward the tent of their ruler. It wasn’t long before she found the one for whom she had been looking.