The Parched Sea

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I would like to thank Jon Pickens for burying me beneath a mountain of research material, all of which proved crucial; Jim Lowder for being so courteous with his scalpel; Lloyd Holden of AKF Martial Arts in Janesville, WI for recognizing the techniques in the fight scenes; and most especially Andria Hayday, for not killing me in my sleep when the words wouldn’t come.

Ruha woke abruptly, unsure of what had disturbed her languorous nap. The young woman lay next to her sleeping husband, their bodies touching at the hip and shoulder. She turned to look at his weathered face. Ajaman had the rough skin and thick mustache of a mature man, but his hairless chest was young, lean, and muscular. He was the only man Ruha had ever seen undressed.

As the young wife gazed at her husband, her vision suddenly blurred. An instant later, it cleared and the face of another man appeared in place of Ajaman’s. She gasped in astonishment, but did not cry out.

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