Chapter3:

As previously mentioned...

She had taken with her a male and a female servant as companions, designated to assist her on her challenging and uncertain journey ahead. It was clear that the path wouldn't be easy, and I wish she hadn't done it. A person who exhibits negative behavior in their later years is unlikely to transform and become better at that age, as emotions are established in childhood and tend to remain unchanged throughout one's life.

From this perspective, the servants became a new source of misery for Wadaa,

driven by their intense fear of what might happen to them if her brothers found out about their scheme. In one of the nights, while the poor woman was deeply asleep after an exhausting day of travel, the servants stole the sickle. They dug a hole, buried it in the ground, and replaced it with a regular iron sickle of no value.

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The next morning, as Wadaa prepared to continue her journey, she took the sickle that she believed held a piece of her father's spirit and asked, "Oh Father, which path should I take?" But nothing happened. She repeated her question over and over until she lost all hope. She had no choice but to continue her journey with the guidance of her servant.

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Here the story stops mentioning the servant, as the tale didn't elaborate on what happened to him. However, it seems plausible to me that he might have passed away during the journey. Wadaa and her servant, his wife, likely assisted her in digging a grave and burying him, marking his grave with a distinctive sign, hoping that his wife would return to visit him later on.

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Wadda and the servant completed the journey without a guide, in reality, they were without a guide ever since Wadda lost her sword. But what drove her to continue her path was the hope that fate would kick her to the place where her brothers had abandoned. On their way, they found two blessed water ponds, drinking from a mountain spring and a small river, both so pure that no one could resist the desire to swim in them; they were a natural wonder. The two ponds were enchanted, one for the masters and the other for the slaves.

In some way, the servant realized this and went straight to the masters' pond. When Wadda wanted to jump in after her, she stopped her, explaining that the masters had their own special pond, which, too, had to be dipped in to avoid harm. Wadda believed the trick and did what she thought was right, fulfilling the servant's wish.

After passing the two ponds, the servant gradually transformed into a fair-skinned woman with a flushed face, showing signs of a happy and content life. Meanwhile, Wadda's skin turned dark, her face pale and faded, bearing the marks of a life of misery.

It was clear to Wadda that what happened to them was a result of the two ponds. She could have reported it to the rulers of one of the villages they were descending upon, but she didn't, because the servant threatened to kill her if she even thought about telling anyone about what happened, even before she faced her punishment.

Here, to avoid suspicion and out of fear of punishment towards the rebellious slaves, Waddah was forced to give up her elegant clothes and wear the maid's attire. In her place, she put on the old, worn-out servant's clothes. As she continued the journey on foot, the maid continued her way on the back of the horse that had accompanied them since the beginning of the trip, following the maid's instructions and tracing her footsteps.

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Here, I wonder...

Didn't it occur to Waddah that the maid might not search for her siblings? Didn't it cross her mind that the maid might take her somewhere else? Doesn't the maid have a mother or a brother she longs for and wants to meet after all these years?

Here, I want to draw attention to the suffering that our fellow humans, those with dark skin, endured. I also wonder, can the two servants be excused for their betrayal of Waddaa, her mother, and her siblings, for the suffering they are experiencing? Don't they have the right to aspire to a better life as well?

But shouldn't the aspiration for a better life not come at the expense of others?

Yet, if others are the cause of my misery, what should I do?

I'll leave the answer to you...