Erämaan halki

On the banks of the canal that links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, fourteen‑year‑old Stas, a Polish boy, is drawn into the turbulent politics of the region. He tells his eight‑year‑old English friend Nel why the authorities have seized Fatma, the wife of a man who has joined the feared Mahdi, a rebel commander whose reputation haunts Egypt and Sudan. Their conversation mixes childhood wonder with a grim awareness of danger, as Stas promises Nel that one day she will understand the full story. The scene unfolds against restless birds, pink desert flowers and the distant hum of a massive steamship.

Together they follow the canal toward Port Said, watching the landscape change from shimmering lagoons to a stark, sun‑baked desert that seems to swallow sound. The journey introduces a cast of characters—an enigmatic caretaker named Dinah, soldiers in foreign uniforms, and locals wary of the Mahdi’s growing influence. As night falls, the golden light on the water hints at both beauty and the hidden perils waiting beyond the horizon.