Episode 1. Preface

Sarah stared blankly at the ceiling. The wooden ceiling, stained in places, looked exactly the same as the one she had always seen, and she sighed heavily. Looking from the ceiling to the walls, she saw dry, bare, sun-dried bricks without a hint of emotion. The bed was a simple wooden structure with a thin mat and a shabby white sheet covered with dirt. On top of her naked body, a naked, tanned, dark-skinned man lay on top of her, shaking his hips frantically. This man was not Sara's husband or lover. Not even an married woman's secret lover. The only reason Sarah was doing this in a crude bed in a crude sun-dried brick house was, quite simply, for money.

After the act was over, the man quickly put on his clothes, left the room, went to Namima, Sarah's grandmother, who was waiting in the living room, greeted her briefly, and left. Namima put the money she had paid him in advance in a metal box, took three coins out of it and came to the bedroom.

"Are you tired?　　That's all for today. I'm going to make lamb soup for dinner, so use this to buy some meat."

With that, she threw the coins on the bed and left the room.

Sarah put on a coarse linen tunic and skirt and looked into the mirror, which was chipped at the edges. Her skin was wheat colored and her eyes were bright blue and clear. Her hair was blonde, a rarity for the residents of this area, and it was from her mother's. After fixing her hair, Sarah grabbed a coin and went out to the front. The sky in the west was turning golden, signaling the onset of dusk. In the eastern sky, the pale stars were already beginning to shine. The dry air quickly dried her sweat. As she walked down the alley in front of her house to the main street, the area was crowded with people leaving work. The boulevard ran in a circle around the oasis. This was a small oasis village in a corner of the vast desert. The surface of the water reflected the night sky and was as calm as a dark blue mirror. Looking at the beautiful surface of the water, Sarah was annoyed at the difference from her own desolate mind. Picking up a pebble from the roadside, she threw it into the oasis with all her might. The pebble made a circular wave on the surface of the water and sank to the bottom. Sara was pleased to see the water surface ripple slightly.

When was the last time she had spent a happy time in this oasis? It was a long time ago, but it felt like she was living the truth back then. She sat down at the edge of the oasis and stared at the still water. The cold, clear water, the source of life for everyone, brought back memories of the past to Sarah's mind.