The last days have been very stressful and exciting for Aphrodite at the same time. Slowly she gets used to the nomadic life. Her power syringes will soon run out. She does not yet know how she is supposed to hold out for many hours of running. Only when women are sick or very pregnant can they be allowed on a pack animal. The men, no, the warriors, disdainfully look down from above, riding on their horses like lords. They all came and admired her blonde hair. But the person underneath didn’t get paid any attention to- she is only a woman to them. In doing so, the men treat her as if she had been a commodity. She knows why the initial enthusiasm for her is so negative. She doesn't fit into their picture.

The boy, on the other hand, is doing splendidly now. Yesterday she removed the last of the stitches. The young man proudly shows everyone his small scar. The scar, the unknown thing, is marveled at like a miracle. Due to her success, she has been treated with much grace for a long time. Aphrodite tries very hard to take on the role of a nomad, only with moderate success unfortunately. She notices from the sympathetic smile of the women that she doesn't seem to succeed. She's too slow at everything, too clumsy. But she still doesn't want to give up. The women wonder why she has not learned anything about the household. Slightly embarrassed, she explains that such works are unknown where she used to live. There's no one there who can ignite a fire their way. No one has to work hard for food.

The women replied incredulously, “This can only be paradise.”

Since her success as a healer she has visited Mehmet more often. At least that's how it was until two days ago. Mehmet came to her several times a day for a few minutes. He used the time and reported cheerfully about his former adventures in faraway lands. She is sure he wants to impress her. So, he tells her about the time he spent in Carthage. He talks about insurmountable walls, sky-high towers and huge golden gods guarding this magnificent city in their temples. His descriptions tell of many miracles. But she remembers the professor's pictures of Carthage before it was destroyed by the Romans. The walls there were barely twelve meters high, in the highest case twenty meters high. The towers rose only a few meters above it. Only the port facility was really impressive. But a certain curiosity about this city cannot be denied. Smiling, she listens to his stories. Often, he only walks with her for a short distance. She is certain he's embarrassed to walk beside a woman. But his glances and how he says something to her let her suspect that he soon expects more than just a smile from her. Even the small attentions are an unmistakable sign of this. Sometimes he gave her a handful of dates, sometimes he hands her the water. The insinuations and jokes of the women have also not been lacking in clarity in the last few days. Soon Mehmet will ask her all the questions. Then what will she tell him? Uncertainly, she wanted to talk to Kasana three days ago with allusions about it. Kasana immediately became more direct and asked when she wanted to marry him. No, she was not interested in the whether, but in the when. That was like a robbery for her. She was shocked, and, out of gut instinct, she said, “Of course not.” The woman was horrified. The woman reacted very aggressively to her cautiously questioning what would happen if she said no'. Her gaze seemed like deadly arrows on her. She felt an unknown hostile attitude. Instead of an answer, the woman asked in a very harsh tone: “Will you stick to your no”?

Aphrodite didn't say a word back then. The woman seemed to be waiting for an answer.

After minutes of collective silence, Kasana said threateningly: “So no. Just because you saved the boy's life, Mehmet won't kill you for this shame. If he had the right to kill you, he would. But the prince will arrange a competition. The victor will marry you. It's still a real stroke of luck for you.”

On Aphrodite's frightened and refusing gaze, she continues with a cynical regret: “If you reject the winner, then you have definitively violated our laws, no, trampled underfoot. If the prince then refuses you his personal protection, everyone can do with you what he wants. The men will use you and the women will spit on you and throw stones at you. With a bit of luck you may also become the slave of the tribal lord and you will not die. For he alone may have and possess slaves. No woman in the world shall insult a man with impunity.”

Aphrodite is shocked by the woman's open threat and stops stunned. She doesn't believe in the threat and danger. She thinks it can't get that bad. At the next meeting with Mehmet, she wants to talk openly with him about it. There will be a solution for everything. But she hasn't seen or heard anything about Mehmet since then. It's been going on for two days now. Horrified by such terrible prospects, she thinks of escape. But she would never find her way back to the courier or even to the module alone. She'd be sure to die on the way there. She has never seen human settlements since.

“I'm so stupid.”, she insults herself. “Why didn't I go to the sea and make contact with the Greeks or Romans?” So in thought, she goes a little off the beaten track. The chatty Kasana must have immediately told the other women of her rejection of Mehmet. The women haven't been that friendly since then. Less friendly is an understatement. She's the enemy of women. No one's bringing her anything to eat now. Now she has to fight for everything. They're just pathetic leftovers anyway. Only her secret reserves prevent her from starving. Aphrodite is torn from her mind as a young girl approaches her.

The young girl asks in a mocking tone: “Why don't you want to marry Mehmet, since you have accepted his gifts? Will you leave Mehmet to me now?”

Aphrodite responds cautiously: “Who says I don't want to marry Mehmet?”

“All women say that. You are as repellent to Mehmet as the water is to the fire and have given him false hopes. You speak with your tongue split like a snake. We despise you.”, mocks the girl and leaves laughing. The girl had heard what she wanted to hear and disappeared again between the other women. All she hears is laughter.

Aphrodite is feeling anxious about the girl's words, because the danger of being isolated in the tribal union is becoming more likely. Isn't it? Now, only one thing is clear to her: she cannot live with the values of the twenty-second century. But isn't it already too late for her? Mehmet hasn't seen her for two days. The other women must have let him know her negative attitude. “Is there anything to be saved now?”, she asks concerned. She tries in vain to discover Mehmet among the men. It's like he was trying to hide from her now. But then he shows up a good ten meters ahead of her. Friendly she smiles at him now. But he looks through her as if she was air. His face looks as hard as stone.

Has the decision already been made? Has the sentence been pronounced about her long ago? She's got panic in her. What will she do?

With the courage of despair, she now struggles her way to Kasana and asks loudly that all women can hear it: “Is the judgement about me already made? How could you be so sneaky and tell everyone about my confidential thoughts right away? Do I not have the right to refuse a man?”

Kasana builds herself up with her arms crossed and says: “I came to you as your friend. I just wanted to help you to fix what you two seemingly have been tacitly agreeing to for a long time. That's what we all thought. Of course, you have the right to refuse a man. But then you shouldn't have accepted his gifts. He thought, no, he was sure of your love when you accepted those gifts. When you enjoyed the daily conversation with him, there was no sign of rejection. You hurt him badly. He made a fool of himself in front of the men because of you. I came to you then to prepare everything for your wedding. Instead, I heard your outright rejection. I even asked you twice. You persistently kept quiet. From my point of view, you've been silent for far too long. It was also a slap in my face. You have insulted and deeply hurt us all. What kind of a fake game are you playing with all of us?”

“I can't believe what I hear from you. What can I expect now? Can I still hope for Mehmet?”, asks Aphrodite insecurely. But Aphrodite seems to have written it in her face that she doesn't really want this man.

Kasana explains with a bitter smile and a cynical undertone: “Mehmet will not marry you. It's too late for that now. Your words hurt him too much. Because I was supposed to prepare your wedding with him for you three days ago. Your “no” has ruined everything. Forever. He wanted to kill you right away. But the council of the ancients will do right by you today. Today you will receive your appropriate punishment. No man wants you!”

Shocked, she falls back. She does not need to ask the woman any more questions. If she had revised her “no” immediately three days ago, everything would have been fine. There's nothing left to save now. Full of self-doubt, she continues alone at the end of the caravan. If she were to fall behind now, no one would help her. Has that self-doubt been expelled yet? Full of fears, she continues to follow the caravan.

*

The midday sun burns mercilessly as the animals become restless. Is there a sandstorm coming up? No, on the eastern horizon a small cloud of dust becomes visible, but what is that?

Suddenly screams, commands, people running wildly.

She hears Mehmet shouting out loud: “Robbers! Bandits! Slave hunters!”

The black cloud is coming closer and closer. Soon she sees many horses wearing riders with flashing helmets, swords and lances.

Tightly packed into a circle, the riders are expected by the Bedouins. Only hesitantly she is allowed to go to the women's center. Everyone treats her like a leper.

In contrast to the women around her, she looks up and observes the foreign riders excitedly. Without even stopping, the riders rush towards the nomads. First arrows put struck people to the ground. The superiority of the attackers is enormous. Most of the men who have confronted the horde are long dead. There's no more defense.

Horrified, Aphrodite seeks shelter between the dead animals, lying deep on the ground, desperate. Then suddenly everything happens very quickly. A terrible slaughter begins. What is happening now in front of her can simply not be a reality. Her mind refuses to believe her eyes. A slaughtering of old men, women and children begins around her. In panic-stricken fear, Aphrodite hides even deeper in the confused luggage of a dead camel. When she is discovered by a man, she seeks her salvation in flight. She jumps up and runs for her life. But a violent pain in the head causes her to fall and a second blow makes her unconscious.

*

When she regains consciousness, one of the armed men pulls her clothes around. She notices that she is hardly wearing clothes any more. Next to her, one of the chieftain's wives starts screaming desperately. One of the black men just brutally offends the young woman. The same fate will await her now. A man pulls her away from the dead camel's hair. He drags her by the hair over dead children and women. The last shreds of cloth on her body are torn down. While the man acts brutally against her, she has to watch as the boy, her barely healed boy, gets his throat cut. His staring, wide open eyes constantly stare at her during the rape. The sight of the dead boy hypnotizes her and makes her feel only as if this rape were happening in the background of her mind.

So this is what hell looks like. This is what eternal damnation looks like, Aphrodite thinks. The man's brutal grip and the pain in her abdomen are now becoming unbearable. She awakens from her rigidity. Anger and despair arise in her and with all her strength she defends herself against the brutal rape. Another violent blow with the man's fist on the back of her head makes her lose consciousness again.