I didn't ask them who they were, although it is possible that they told me and I forgot. My memory has started to slip while I rot here in the desert with no one to speak to most of the time. I hate this place.

 

* * *

 

I was guarding the amphitheater alone. Titus had abandoned me again to go see his wife. He never brought me back any wine.

 

Bored, I was sitting on a big piece of stone I had knocked down from the wall, throwing pebbles at geckos. The midday sun was strong, and flies swarmed my leftover meal. Red dust coated everything.

 

A man and a woman appeared out of nowhere, startling me. They rode richly bedecked camels, all sparkly with mirrors. They had an eeriness about them, like they were from the city.

 

They showed each other an uncomfortable amount of affection, so I called them Conjux, the lovers. I never knew their real names. Their accents were harsh, so we communicated mostly through signs.

 

The woman was very pretty, with long blonde hair tied back. She tricked me into giving her my sword by asking to see it. She inspected it while the man beat me as if it were a game. He laughed as he wrestled me to the ground.

 

They picked me up and dusted me off, explaining something that I didn’t understand. The woman put me on a spare camel. I had never ridden one before.

 

I had nothing else to do, so I went along with them. It beat drawing rude pictures in the sand with a stick.

 

* * *

 

Conjux took me into the desert. After a while, I got used to the camel and started enjoying the journey into the hills. When the sun started to drop, we stopped against a small crag to set up camp. I made the fire as Conjux seemed not to know how to. They talked to each other and ignored me. I prepared the meal.

 

As night fell, the full moon washed over us. The stars were crisp, and the air was oddly damp.

 

Later in the evening, two others appeared, peculiar in a straight-laced way. They rode small creatures with no humps. One man, one woman, tradespeople I sensed. The man was strong, and the woman was regal. I called them Julius and Hera. They seemed important.

 

After the meal, Conjux threw strange fruit at me while they sang. It was sweet and gooey. While everyone else slept by the fire, I stayed awake. I stared at the stars and worried about the amphitheater. What if something bad happened while I was away? The Legion didn't take kindly to such negligence.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Conjux wanted to do something fun, so I suggested a tour of the ruins where the old kings were buried. I had been up there once when a praetor came from Rome on an inspection tour.

 

For a couple of hours, I was happy telling tales. The strangers seemed pleased with the entertainment. I enjoyed being away from the amphitheater.

 

Deep in the maze, we discovered a statue of a woman with a sun on her head. Conjux shouted, then mumbled a sort of prayer, both kneeling down and bowing. Julius and Hera stood by and watched. Everyone forgot about me, so I took a nap in the hot sand, shaded by a camel.

 

Late in the afternoon, the pretty woman handed me a water jug. I drank deeply, not realizing how thirsty I had been. I was groggy, so I sat in a daze for a while until she motioned for me to get back on the camel to return to camp.

 

* * *

 

In the middle of the night, thunder sounded and a bright light flashed a trail of yellow and blue across the sky. Peculiar shiny chariots appeared, floating down to the ground. Conjux shouted and waved their arms in welcome. It felt like a joyous homecoming.

 

Julius and Hera bowed as creatures emerged from the silver boxes.

 

The newcomers glowed in many colors when they spoke. In the desert, I only saw red sand and blue skies, so it was wondrous. Their speech was a grating, sharp sound that I could not grasp.

 

I felt calm in their presence and smiled with happiness.

 

As they talked together, I drank a clear, intoxicating liquid that the newcomers gave me and fell into a deep sleep full of delightful dreams.

 

* * *

 

I awoke at my post at the amphitheater, my head aching. My toga was filthy, and I had bruises and strange markings on my head. Although it was early morning, spectators were already arriving for the midday games. A small company of gladiators was in town for a few days.

 

I was watching the crowd stir up red dust, wondering what the point of it all was, when Julius and Hera stopped by to visit. They kindly returned my sword. We chatted in indistinct words for a few minutes. I managed to ask about Conjux. With arms swooshing upwards, they indicated that they had left during the night with the people from the sky. Nothing left to say, they saluted me and tossed a small leather bag at my feet.

 

I opened the bag with care. Small glowing stones in every color that existed, and some that didn't, filled it. I poured them out and was at peace. With them warm in my hands, I dreamed of the stars.

 

I didn't know who the strangers were, but I knew that they spoke for the gods and had given me a gift no mortal should have – joy and hope.

 

* * *

 

I miss the strangers and hope they will come back one day. I want to go to where there is no red dust to stain my toga and make me sneeze. I want to be away from this place.