Chapter 10: Zikula day

Khaled was still standing in front of the massive gate of the city, and as soon as he passed through, he felt a strong tremor running through his body, and a severe pain in his head almost killed him. 

He fell to his knees, holding his head in his hand from the pain he had never felt before in his life. His pain continued for minutes until it began to gradually fade away, as if nothing had happened. 

Then he continued his walk into the city.

Khaled walked through the city as if he were walking in a dream city. He looked at the faces of the people and their different expressions. 

Some had smiles on their faces, while others had sadness imprinted on their foreheads. They were dressed in various styles; some wore robes with turbans on their heads, indicating they were elderly. 

As for the youth and children, they wore loose trousers from the top and tight from the bottom, reminiscent of the fishermen he was used to seeing but with more elegance. 

They wore elaborately patterned loose shirts made of leather or fabric. As for the women, he found them wearing loose, brightly colored dresses, and none of them wore anything on their heads. 

He noticed the beauty of many women in the city and feared looking at any of them, unsure of how they would react in this city. He admired the diversity in clothing and the elegance that appeared on every boy and girl in the city. 

He walked through its streets, amazed by the adjacent buildings, which displayed architectural skill. They were all of moderate height, not exceeding three stories, and built of fired bricks and wood.

Khaled continued his journey until he found a place serving food. He heard his stomach growling, reminding him of his hunger. He approached the place and sat down. 

He asked for food, and a man brought him bread and meat, saying, "Thank you for honoring us, rich man." 

Khaled smiled "Honoring? Me, rich?" He ate until his stomach was full, waiting for the man to come and take his money, but he never came, so Khaled left. His strength returned, and he resumed his walk through the city.

He found another place for making and selling clothes. Khaled looked at himself and realized he needed to buy clothes to blend in with the other people of the city, to understand where he was. 

He entered the place and the man asked him, "Aren't you from Zikula?" 

Khaled nodded in agreement, and the man gave him suitable attire - wide trousers and a cotton shirt - without taking any money. 

Like the restaurant owner, he said, "Thank you for honoring us, rich man." 

Khaled smiled, recalling the encounters he had in the desert and how strange it was that they called him generous. He thought to himself that the people he had met in the city were overly generous.

He walked through the city in his new attire, looking around. He noticed something he didn't understand: every place for buying and selling had numbers and units written on them - ten units or five. What those units meant, he couldn't figure out. 

He continued his walk until nightfall. He was surprised to find that despite the apparent wealth of the city, it still didn't have electricity. 

Then he was amazed when the city lit up with fires, and the brightness spread everywhere. The illumination wasn't much different from the lamps he was familiar with. It was another architectural marvel. 

He sat on the side of a street, feeling sleepy. He saw the people of the city getting ready as if they were celebrating something. Everyone was playing and having fun, and the children were dancing.

 He wondered if there was some kind of festival. It seemed so. He rejoiced at the thought, and soon, all the people of the city were out of their homes. That companionship would alleviate his loneliness without a dwelling. 

He approached a boy and asked him why people were celebrating like this. The boy answered joyfully, "The celebration hasn't started yet. It will begin tomorrow."

 Khaled chuckled teasingly, "Has it not started yet? When will it?"

 The boy was puzzled, "Why is your accent strange?" 

Khaled replied, "I'm from the north. I'm a stranger." 

The boy corrected him, "You were a stranger. But now you're one of Zikula's people."

 Khaled smiled and patted the boy's head, "I know Zikula is the land of generosity." 

The boy continued, "Today, everyone is getting ready for the celebration. The real celebration will be tomorrow. It's the greatest celebration in the world. Many people from distant lands come to the neighboring plateau to watch our celebrations." 

Khaled was astonished and asked him about the reason for the celebration. 

The boy seemed surprised, "I thought you were rich. Please don't make me doubt my ability to recognize the rich. Our celebrations will start tomorrow, celebrating Zikula Day. It's the day that makes Zikula the most famous city in history. It's the day that brings joy to all the people of Zikula." 

Then he paused for a moment and continued, "Except for one person, of course."

 Curious, Khaled asked, "Who is that person?" 

The boy laughed, "It seems you don't know much about Zikula." 

Then he sighed and looked at him, "Sir, on Zikwala Day, the poorest person in the city is slaughtered."