Petronas Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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The girl was hiding behind a large rock. She put a hand over her black eye and stared at the wavy patch of sand nearby.

"Baba, Baba!" Tulsi was calling out in his irritating, mosquito voice.

She put her hand over her blue eye and squinted at the patch. Hmm, still wavy. Odd. She hadn't seen sand like that before. It looked like the heat waves that shimmered over the desert on a very hot afternoon.

"Baba," squawked Tulsi.

"Oh, go away," she murmured under her breath, "you stupid boy."

As if obeying her command, like the ever-faithful servant he was, Tulsi's whining voice started to recede, fading into the distance.

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He was probably going back to the camp for reinforcements.

With a sigh, Baba stood up, smoothing down the front of her golden smock, and stepped towards the wavering patch of sand. All around her was the usual desert: rocks, gravel, sand, the occasional cactus or spindly tree. Overhead was the usual creamy blue sky.

One step, and the soft leather of her sandal touched the wavy sand. Nothing happened. Not that she was expecting very much to happen, but still . . . Disappointed, Baba turned around to go back to the camp herself. But now, instead of the usual rocks and sand, there was grass: long, luxurious grass.

The girl gasped. She turned around on the spot. She was standing in a field of grass that stretched away to the horizon. Not a horrid cactus in sight. And over there — what was that?

Baba shaded her eyes with her hand. White buildings.

"Ha!" she cried.

She was about to rush towards the buildings

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know how to ggghdfghfgh get back to the desert. Looking around, she found a trampled circle of shivering grass. That must be where she came through — like a door, of sorts. Baba whipped off her red silk scare and looped it around a bunch of upright grass. There — she'd be able to find that again.

Baba set -off at a trot, her golden tunic flapping in the breeze, the grass slapping at her soft trousers.

A blank, smooth wall of pale stone rose up from the ground ahead of her. Beyond were the roofs and windows of buildings. Panting, she slowed to a walk. She had never seen anything like it. Not even at the market town where the desert prince lived.

Who would live in such a place? What kind of people? She hoped they would be friendly. But then, she was Baba, the leader of her people — others might not have heard of her, but that didn't matter.

She was closer now — and approaching an arched entrance way. Through the arch she could see a beautiful yellow tree. Baba stood with her

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ands on her hips, looking up. A single word was etched into the white stone: Petronas.

Baba held her breath and took a step forward. Despite herself, she was listening hard. If she heard a shout or a cry, then she would run very fast back to the desert.

But all was silent. Not even a bird sang.

The girl stepped into a large courtyard and looked up at the tree. It was so lovely. Trees like that did not grow in the desert. Now, something else caught her eye. Could it be?

Baba gasped, then laughed out loud.

It was a miracle — a dream come true.

Tulsi ran back to the camp in a panic. "She's
gone, she's gone," he cried to the first person he
bumped into, who happened to be Baba's aunt.

"Calm down, Tulsi," said Aunty "Tell me what's happened?'

"We were playing hide-and-seek, up there around the big rocks?' The boy, his skinny frame shaking with anxiety, pointed further up the

valley where enormous rocks were scattered like giant marbles. Once, many years ago, a mighty river would have flowed through here. "And now I can't find her."

Aunty patiedjulsi's shoulder. "Don't worry, she'll just be hiding."

"But I've looked everywhere," he wailed. "What's up?" asked Jad, Tulsi's father. "Tulsi's lost Baba," said Aunty, smiling

thinly.

Jad nodded sagely. "Baba will come back when she's ready."

"Don't worry about Baba," adsed Aunty. "Come and help us with the cactus."

Tulsi sighed and followed her over to the makeshift kitchen. Others were already sitting around on mats, cleaning and slicing the cactus pads. They wuld be cooked into a stew that night for dinner. It was one of Tulsi's favourite meals. Not that he enjoyed dealing with the prickly cactus.

He sat on the mat next to his sister, Ming. She was a year younger than Tulsi, but she was still able to clean and slice up a cactus pad in

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valley where enormous rocks were scattered like giant marbles. Once, many years ago, a mighty river would have flowed through here. "And now I can't find her."

Aunty patiedjulsi's shoulder. "Don't worry, she'll just be hiding."

"But I've looked everywhere," he wailed. "What's up?" asked Jad, Tulsi's father. "Tulsi's lost Baba," said Aunty, smiling

thinly.

Jad nodded sagely. "Baba will come back when she's ready."

"Don't worry about Baba," advised Aunty. "Come and help us with the cactus."

Tulsi sighed and followed her over to the makeshift kitchen. Others were already sitting around on mats, cleaning and slicing the cactus pads. They would be cooked into a stew that night for dinner. It was one of Tulsi's favourite meals. Not that he enjoyed dealing with the prickly cactus.

He sat on the mat next to his sister, Ming. She was a year younger than Tulsi, but she was still able to clean and slice up a cactus pad in\

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less time than it took him just to remove the spines with a sharp knife.

Ming gave him a sideways look. "Lost her again, have you? What's that Baba done now?" she asked.

"Nothing," muttered Tulsi.

He didn't understand why some of the girls didn't like Baba. Jealous of her special treatment, he supposed. There was no chopping of cactus or gathering of herbs or milking of goats for Baba. For himself, he was proud to be her attendant. All of the Babas, stretching back through generations, had had their own attendant.

Baba's cousin, Tai, who was cutting up a cactus pad on a flat rock, laughed. "Maybe she's back in her tent, eating sweetmeats."

Tulsi blushed. She was talking about the last time he had lost Baba, only to find she had double-tracked back to the camp without him. But what if something had happened to her and he wasn't there to help? A snake could have bitten her. Or she could have fallen into a hole and hurt her leg. It was his job to look after

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Baba. Though she didn't make it easy for him.

Tai jumped to her feet. She started mincing up and down, flipping a pretend scarf over her shoulder. "Look at me," she simpered. "I am the great Baba. Seehow beautiful I am!"

The other girls were falling over themselves laughing.

Tulsi's blush deepened. "Stop it," he muttered. "She's not like that."But the girls just laughed harder.

Then somebody said, "Shush — she is coming!"Ming hiccuped and hid her face in her hair.

At the edge of the camp, Baba had appeared. Had she heard them? With her chin in the air, the girl walked through the camp. She did not even look at the girls around the cooking area, but went straight towards her tent.

Tulsi hurried over. At the tent flap, he gave his usual cough. "May I enter, oh Baba?" No reply. He crept in through the flap and knelt on the soft mat. Baba was sitting cross-legged on a cushion at the back of the tent. Quirt was nestled in her lap. "Call the elders," she said, not looking at Tulsi, "I have found water:'