The Garden of Allah

Domini Enfilden lies awake in a quiet hotel on the edge of the Algerian coast, the memory of a tumultuous sea voyage still echoing in her mind. The night is warm and still, the candle on her bedside table flickering against the red‑brick floor while distant sounds of a bustling port drift up from the Place de la Marine. Outside, the sleepy town is deserted, its cafés closed and its streets emptied of the usual chatter, leaving only the soft rustle of curtains and the occasional sigh of a lone gendarme.

Through the open window Domini watches the arrival of young French recruits, their ragged bundles and bewildered faces a stark contrast to the exotic, sun‑baked landscape. Their uneasy steps and nervous glances hint at a journey far beyond the shore, a search for purpose that will soon intertwine with her own restless spirit. As the desert’s mysteries begin to unfold, Domini finds herself drawn into a world of hidden desires, cultural clashes, and the promise of an unexpected love waiting just beyond the horizon.