What Strange Paradise

Mohamed asks Maher where he plans to go and approves when he tells him he wants to go anywhere. Maher left Palestine because he wants to be left alone and to read in peace. Kamal asks an old man for gum; the old man does not respond. It begins to snow.

Mohamed, Walid, and Kamal argue about the ethics and economics of Mohamed’s smuggling business. Walid accuses Mohamed of being a black-market thief, and Mohamed agrees, telling Walid he is in for disappointment in the West. Kamal breaks up the argument, bringing attention to the old man. Mohamed curses: The old man is dead.

Vänna wakes before Amir and waits for him in the mouth of the cave. When he awakens, he is momentarily terrified by Vänna until he remembers who she is. He joins her, and they eat some of the snacks the maid gave them. Vänna helps Amir peel the dead skin from the sunburns on his back he received on the Calypso. Vänna points out the tip of the lighthouse, just visible in the distance, but Amir does not understand. Looking through the children’s books Madame El Ward gave them, Amir is delighted to see the comic is Zaytoon and Zaytoona, his favorite.