Abrihm reached the top of a towering sand dune, practically dragging himself up it, camel in tow. He hadn’t had water in over a day now and dehydration was taking its toll. As he rounded the top of the dune, he saw something that was simultaneously cause for elation and despair. At the bottom of the valley were the remains of a tree, one that would have dwarfed even the largest ones from his region. Its width would have the circumference of a small town and even the stump that remained had walls that towered like cliff faces. What was left, however, was a craggy husk of what once was and there was not a single sign of life around it. Abrihm let out a long sigh, this was likely the end of him. No oasis, no water…
