Previously on the Arabian Night series: The Nihilist There are dangerous men... and then... there are dangerous men. Howie belonged to the latter category. He was a 60-year-old Indonesian friend of mine who lived on myprison block; short, bold, wore thick-rimmed glasses that made his eyes appear doubletheir size, and always walked around with a … Continue reading The Arabian Night: WMD →

Previously on the Arabian Night: Operation Camel Jockey 10:15 P.M-CELL # 128 It was Saturday night and that could only mean one thing: camel racing! I was reclining on my bed waiting for the race to begin on ESPN Desert Sports, while my friend Sami was standing beside my bed. Prison cells are tiny by … Continue reading The Arabian Night: The Nihilist →

Previously on The Arab Night series: The Golden Nut 8:15 P.M. – TOSA Headquarters, North Virginia “Colonel, we have positive identification of our target, but there is a problem, Sir.” A drone operator spoke into his headset as he stared at his computer screen. “What’s the problem Sargent?” the colonel’s voice crackled through. “Sir, the … Continue reading The Arabian Night: Operation Camel Jockey →

Previously on the series: The Arabian Night clinkclinkclinkclinkDUFF! I woke up startled and looked ahead to see a blurry vision of a man resembling Officer Hadfield standing at my cell door. "Good morning Amara. Sorry to wake you up this early, but the Warden wants to see you in the yard” Still alarmed and half-asleep, … Continue reading The Arabian Night: The Golden Nut →

ACT 1: THREE WISHES I entered my cell at around 8:15 p.m. last night. Seconds later, the steel door behind me began to close itself. clinkclinkclinkclinkCLUNK! I hate that sound! I once glued grey strips of sponge across the entire edge of the door hoping that it would mute this awful sound, but... clinkclinkclinkclinkCLUNK! If … Continue reading THE ARABIAN NIGHT →

(Illustration by my friend Justin Kleinsteuber) Those who refuse to embrace despair and let go of hope, are the only souls that reach this place. I’ve been waiting for you. And you, have finally arrived. Do you still remember the first lesson of the desert? Everything that is to come is already near.  I am … Continue reading THE OASIS →