Cassie saw the lightning strike the ground in front of her campfire and she jumped, startled by the sudden flash of light. It was an electrical storm that night, so there was no rain. Then Cassie noticed a large scorpion, struck by the lightning and burnt to a crisp just a few feet away. "Oh my!" Cassiopeia gasped in astonishment. The scorpion had come within just a few feet of injecting her with its deadly venom. Fortunately, the lightning struck the scorpion or Cassie might have died that night. The lightning had saved her life. Maybe someone sent the lightning to kill the scorpion.
The magic carpet Cassie saw was not for sale and she wondered if it had any answers. She sat cross-legged next to a bright orange campfire on the dusty desert floor, a myriad of stars twinkling overhead. Cassie watched as forked lightning strikes flashed in the night sky above her but there was no rain. A warm breeze swept a thin curl of gray smoke from the fire up into the night. A few shrubs surrounded her campfire and wolves howled off in the distance. Stars in the night sky sparkled near the Milky Way and Sagittarius was right where he always was, next to Jupiter.
The magic carpet must have floated in on the night breeze, Cassie wasn't sure, but she knew one thing, there was a reason the carpet had appeared near the fire that night. It had something to do with the magic carpet's journey, or perhaps where it had come from. Four tassels hung from each corner and there were indigo and burgundy swirls contained within a silver hued rectangular frame. The carpet lay swaying gently in the evening breeze a few feet above the sandy, desert dust while glittery stars shined brightly overhead. Cassie stared at the magic carpet and the clumps of sagebrush surrounding the fire and wondered what a magic carpet was doing in the middle of the desert on a hot, dry evening in August. The magic carpet gave no response, and neither did the night sky.
The fire snapped and crackled, scattering sparks and embers to the wind. The carpet's silken tassels fluttered in the breeze and Cassie gazed away from the sagebrush toward a dark forest that appeared out of nowhere in the night. The trees stood tall and silent behind her while Cassie watched and listened and waited. Lightning struck off in the distance and the campfire crackled as Cassie turned toward the clearing. A distant oasis shimmered on the horizon beneath a silver full moon in the night sky. A swirl of the breeze swept dust, sparks, and a thin trail of smoke up and around her in the night sky. Cassie spun around and around on the warm desert night as the magic carpet lifted her up in the moonlight. After the carpet's silver, glittering tassels were beneath her, Cassie closed her eyes and she was gone.
The Archer pulled another arrow from his sheath and wondered what a Magic Carpet had to do with his daughter Cassie. The weaver added another log to keep the fire burning throughout the night and settled down to watch events unfold. She saw the carpet shift again slightly on Sattar's back and another scene came to life. A small, white car driving down a thin strip of black pavement, surrounded by desert on either side. Another flash of lightning struck the night sky.
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