Fardja, The Orphan

Courage, Courage, the old man shouted to the young girl who was about to give up climbing the date tree. They both had been starving of hunger for days in the desert with no food and water. At view, they seemed to look all bones and their neck that was then short seemed to have now elongated. The girl was an orphan, she had lost both her parents in the fire that burned the village. Her grandfather was now her only family and she was about to loose him too in the deserted desert where help seems to be nowhere.

Fardja is around eleven years old, she was born in the first days of the ninth noon her parents had told her. Her name means brave and from her childhood to now, she has always been a brave girl. she was always singled out from her friends for courageous and a fighter. Though, now that she was exposed to this new calamity, her braveness seems run away from her.
" Don't give up Fardja, the dates seems to be far from your reach but, you can make it". Fardja was almost breathless with no strength. she was struggling for their lives and the little energy that she had was about to used up. After some minutes, she reaches the dates and brought some down. With the help of a stick, they filled out they bags and continued their long way in the hope of finding another village.

The sunset is here, the sunlight that accompany them is fading. The darkness of the night is saying Hi to them and still, Fardja and her grandfather have not yet found help and relieve. Their prayers toward God's seemed to have not been heard and the hope that kept them fighting is now turning into despair. The clarity of the noon and the sound of violent wind are mingled with the night. Fardja is scared. She holds her grandfather tight and asks him to protect her against the endless and frightening sound of the desert. Grandfather covers her with the old loincloth that belonged to her mother and the child passes to sleep.

Morning has come by. Fardja and grandfather had a horrible night. The sun is brilliant and they are thirsty. They have no water left and no river seems to be near. They are surmounting the dunes of sable one after another hoping to find help. Another day is about to end and Fardja and her grandfather cannot hold one more day in this desert. They have no more hope and despair has taking over their soul. Grandfather is very old and he is now tired and starving of hunger. He stops and says to the little Girl " Fardja, my time is limited now, I am old and I cannot fight anymore. If I do not survive this, strike for your life and always be nice to people my daughter. The meaning of your name is who you are Fardja, a brave girl ". As she hears the word coming out of her Grandfather's mouth, she trembles and tears run out the her eyes. She yells" please grandfather, don't leave my here alone, I need you, don't died now". As she finishes yelling those words, grandfather is no more breathing, and now, Fardja is alone in this world. There is now no one to care for her and her prayers have not yet been heard.

Fardja continues her way alone, crying and desperate. suddenly, she sees a people, it seemed like a little village. She runs, runs and before she gets there, she faints. When she woke up, she was cercled with people, she had been sleeping for two days and she had been taking cares of. At her surprise, the notices a face that is familiar to her;It was grandfather's . He did not died and the villagers also found him and gave him care. Fardja cries" grandfather, you are alive, you were not dead ". He hugs her and tears of joys run out of their eyes.