condensed master

Will Bonner
stumpy legs to operate them. The countryside was hurtling by making it difficult to
recognize, but at one stage Will thought he saw a familiar building, but concluded
that he was probably mistaken.
Will shouted over the noise of the vehicle. "How much farther to go?" The man
turned causing the car to swerve towards the side of the road. The steering was
so bad, it took several seconds to get it back under control again.
"Just a few more minutes," he shouted, and to Will's relief the car slowed down
to manoeuvre into a dirt road, towards a few houses, and pulling up in a cloud of
dust in front of one of them. The man got out gesturing for Will to follow. Walking
up the verandah steps they approached the front door.
The house was of typical middle east structure, appearing to be in the upper
bracket range. It was one of three in an area that appeared isolated. Turning to
look back, Will noted they were about a quarter of a mile from the main road,
which seemed deserted at that time.
I wonder how I'm going to get back? Will pondered. The little taxi man was
probably hired for that, so he dismissed the thought from his mind. During this time
the little man had been impatiently knocking on the door which eventually opened,
revealing a man with a badly pock-marked face, dressed in a Arabic fez and white
gown.
He spoke fiercely in Arabic to the little man. He's telling him off for banging
too hard on the door, Will thought. Money changed hands and the little man,
beaming once again at Will, took his final bow before proceeding to his taxi, which
sped away engulfed in a cloud of dust.
After the noisy drive up from the Queen of Sheba's Wells, Will immediately
became aware of the silence which was creating an awkward moment for him, not
knowing how to handle the situation from here on. The man beckoned him inside
without saying a word.
He doesn't speak English Will concluded, following him into a dim
passageway, its walls lined with individually designed carpets in the form of murals.
The usual smell of the East wafted through the air, rising and falling in intensity as
they went further into the building.
Will was beginning to realize that the house was much bigger than his first
assessment. Several rooms branched off from left to right, but they were heading
towards the end of the corridor which opened out into what appeared to be quite
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