Part 2 (1/2)
”T rue . T he boy is lucky to be alive.” then she suddenl y handed me a water bottle. ”You look tired, thirsty. Come, si t over here and rest.” t he woman led me to a spot a hundred yards to the right, d eeper in the pit, where there was a row of boulders . I sat an d a.s.sumed she would join me, but she excused herself .
”I cannot stay,” she said, and quickly walked away . S itting inside the crater, I marveled at how much richer th e red-colored sand was here than on the rest of the job site . I t was then my hand brushed a piece of material stickin g out from beneath the ground . I t was as red as every thing else, b ut it was definitely cloth . T he more I pulled on it, the mor e came out. Finally I yanked it free-a thick sheet, about seve n feet long and four feet wide . I t was so completely coated wit h hard red dirt, I was surprised I recognized it at all .
Yet the instant I held it in my hands, my fingers trembled . I knew it was a carpet. A very old carpet .
Chapter Two.
t He HiKe tO tHe CrAter, and the effor t I had spent digging up the carpet, had exhausted me . I di d not want to interrupt Amesh during what was surely a joyfu l time, but I needed a ride back to the entrance. Particularly if I was going to carry the carpet. With all the dirt on it, the thin g weighed at least forty pounds . I took out my cell and dialed his number .
He sounded happy to hear from me. He sounded happy, p eriod! spielo was alive! Yet whatever joy he felt over his friend' s rescue vanished when he finally caught up with me and saw wha t I was carrying .
”You're crazy! You can't take that with you!” He and hi s moped were covered with red dust from the celebration in th e bottom of the pit. Again, I was struck by how well-muscled hi s legs were .
”Why not?” I asked innocently .
”I t's dirty! no taxi's going to give you a ride wit h that thing. ”
” We'll wash it off . I t'll dry quickly in this heat. ”
” Why bother? it's a just piece of old cloth. ”
”A mesh, get a clue! it's a carpet! it might be a really ol d carpet.”
He gave it a closer look, but was not impressed . ”I f it is a relic, then there's no way you can take it . T he guards at the gat e will stop you. ”
”I already thought of that . I have a plan. ”
”N o plan . N o way either of us is going to jail. ”
” Would you at least listen to what I have to say?”
He wiped the sweat from his brow . ”S ay it. ”
” Help me wash it off and I'll tell you,” I said .
Only a handful of men were heading back toward the entrance . M ost were probably still in the pit. Amesh was able t o stow the muddy carpet on the back of his moped-he had a fair-size basket-but there was no room for me . I had to hurr y to keep up . N o one paid us any heed . N ot far from the gate, he veered behind an office buildin g that stood beneath an elevated water tank . T he tank's hose wa s a s thick as a fireman's . I ndeed, it was probably there in case of a fire . T he nearby office building had no windows. We appeare d to be alone .
Amesh tried shaking the dirt off the carpet, but it wa s too much a part of the material. He ended up laying the carpet on the ground and turning the nozzle on full strength . I had to stand on one end of the carpet to keep it from was.h.i.+ng away. We worked on a strip of asphalt that could hav e fried eggs, it was so hot . T he cool water felt fantastic on m y bare legs .
”T urn it over, Ames.h.!.+” I shouted . T he ”old cloth” wa s magically taking on color, and I was not the only one wh o was seeing it in a new light . E xcitement began to show o n Amesh's face. ”Let's lower the water,” I said . ”I don't want t o damage it. ”
” We need the water on hard to wash it clean,” he said, i gnoring me . T here were no two ways about it-Arab boy s didn't like American girls telling them what to do . I knew w e weren't going to get the carpet out of the complex withou t a fight .
When he was done hosing it off, I laid it on a dry piec e of asphalt . T he instant the scalding heat and damp materia l touched, a wave of steam rose .
One side of the carpet was almost supernaturally black . T he material was so dark it seemed to absorb light . T he othe r side was navy blue, decorated with an a.s.sortment of stars, p lanets, and dozens of tiny figures-some human, others mythological .
”I want to take it back to the hotel,” I said .
”I f you're right and this is a relic, then it belongs to th e government. We have to report it. Otherwise, it will be stealing.” I called his bluff. ”Fine, call your boss. Hand it in.”
He blinked. ”What? I thought you said you had a plan. ”
”T hat was before you accused me of being a thief. ”
”I didn't accuse you of anything.” I snorted. ”You just said I was trying to steal it. ”
”T ell me what your plan is. ”
”N ot unless you apologize. ”
” For what? ”
” For the mean thing you just said.”
He simmered. ” I'm sorry . N ow what's your stupid plan? ”
”N ever mind. You're right; it is stupid . T he carpet belong s to your government. ”
”T he smart thing to do is hand it in,” he said .
”Whatever. I'm too hot to argue. Go ahead and cal l your boss.”
He took out his cell. ”All right. ”
”B ut be very careful which boss you call,” I added .
He stopped. ”What do you mean? ”
”I f this is a relic, then it's worth a fortune. Whoever yo u give it to- they'll probably keep it for themselves, at least unti l they can sell it on your black market.”
”What do you know about our black market?” h e demanded .
”I know it exists and that many precious relics ar e sold there.”
Amesh shook his head. ”this is turkey. We don't have th e corruption you have in America. ”
”I was just going by how your taxi drivers behave. ”
” Huh? ”
” You had to fight with the last one so he wouldn' t rip us off. ”
”I f you think all turks are liars and thieves, then you don' t know us. ”
” You're right, what do I know?” I muttered .