WEBVTT

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The world began as a whisper of pale

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gold.

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Before the sun crested the horizon,

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the Sahara existed in a state of quiet

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suspension,

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a vast and ancient ocean frozen in mid

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-wave.

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Tarek adjusted his headscarf,

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feeling the chill of the desert night quickly

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burn away

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as the first rays of dawn painted the

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sky

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in soft washes of apricot and rose.

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Around him, the landscape stretched endlessly,

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a magnificent labyrinth of rolling dunes

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that rose and fell like giant sleeping beasts.

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There were no footprints here, no markers of

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yesterday.

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A gentle morning wind stirred,

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sweeping gracefully across the crests,

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lifting microscopic grains of sand to shape delicate,

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shifting ripples that seemed to breathe.

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Every ridge and valley possessed a pristine, detailed

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texture

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sculpted by the invisible hands of time and

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weather.

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Tarek closed his eyes for a moment,

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inhaling the utterly dry, pure air.

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In this boundless silence,

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the worries of the distant cities felt as

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weightless as dust.

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He took his first step,

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his boots sinking softly into the cool powder,

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ready to walk into the heart of the

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golden morning.