Nobody noticed the man standing in the shadows.
The bustling market was noisy with traders arguing and discussing the price of their goods with potential customers. That… thought the tall figure, dressed in a white robe, with long hair and a beard, that hasn’t changed. He took in the odours that were wafting up from the stalls, carried by a hot desert wind. He closed his eyes and lifted his chin, with spice dust and fine sand blowing across his face, he remembered. He remembered his time teaching. He remembered his journeys, spreading the word, walking great distances with his followers.
But this, this time… it’s not the same. The dress is different, and the soldiers in uniforms, patrolling in pairs, guarding the place and the people. They carry guns, machine guns. What has happened here?
A voice came to him, whispering, come away, son. His father’s voice,
Nobody noticed that the man in the shadows was no longer there.