He said “I’ll be back in a minute,” took a mouthful of his beer and darted out of the bar. When he returned, the barman stared curiously at his now reddened face, only to see him slap fifty English pounds onto his bar.

“You don’t have to pay for your drinks here, Sir.”

“It’s yours.”

“Mine?”

“Yes, take it.”

“What? I can’t. Why?”

“Just take it,” and he slid the notes across the bar.

“I…I…” he stuttered, “I can’t. I have to work half a year for this kind of money.”

“Well you just worked half an hour for it.”

The barman was speechless. Sam took his seat, sipped his beer and felt good about the world. A volley of freshly poured beers helped him catch his breath.

+++

Mo got up at about half past three. He sat on the side of his bed and delicately rubbed his tired, red eyes. The house was empty, including its fridge, so he had showered, made a phonecall and left within half an hour of awakening. He kissed his family portrait on the way out.

+++

The sun was still blazing in the eternally cloudless sky and the sunbathers were still bowing down. Lizards scoured the grounds for adequate hideaways. Tropical fish drifted through life without a care. It would seem they had long given up on avoiding the masses of euphoric humans, and had turned to finding a euphoria of their own.

Sam sat on the beach with a half-filled notepad and the barman’s recommended bottle of water. He looked all around. His eyes found the pictures, his brain found the words and his hand found the pen to write them onto the page.

Twenty yards in front of him was the still Red Sea. It had a pleasant eeriness about it, appearing almost frozen until its light-blue surface was disturbed by snorkelers. This light-blue extended to about five or six hundred yards, and there the deep sea abruptly began in a delicious contrast of blues. Only a narrow sandbank, parallel to the beach, separated the luscious blues of the Red Sea. Thirty yards to his left stood a sunbathing camel. A dark, robed man held his hands under its mouth; it was feeding time. The camel lapped its big lips around the food, and when it had finished, the man moved to its rear to catch its previous meal. Thirty yards to Sam’s right, somebody apparently had the same stuff coming out of their mouth, as mother and daughter argued.