The Screen in the Dust

The Screen in the Dust

Six Days and Twelve Miles

The dust was the colour of dried honey, fine and relentless, coating Selam’s bare feet and the simple cotton of her dress. It was Tuesday, and the sun, already high, pressed down on the vast, open land outside Asmara. Beside her walked her two closest friends, Yonas and Dawit, their satchels—old flour sacks stuffed with slate and chalk—bouncing against their backs. This was the routine, six days a week: a three-mile walk each way to the schoolhouse.

Selam, determined to prove her will was stronger than the heat, forced a bounce into her step. She had two older brothers and a younger sister to set an example for back on the farm.

“Think of it, Yonas,” Selam said, pushing a stray coil of hair from her face. “A moving picture. About the stars.”

Yonas, the most fragile of the trio, managed a tired smile. Dawit, sturdy and quiet, simply hummed, saving his breath. The promise of the day’s special lesson—a documentary film projected onto a white sheet—pulled them forward. None of them had ever seen a moving picture.

As they reached the school, a whirlwind of 200 students gathered in the dirt yard, their excitement palpable. Selam felt a surge of triumph. They had made it. But just as they reached the shaded doorway, Yonas stumbled. His eyes lost their focus, and with a soft sigh, he crumpled silently into the dust.

A Single Thread of Shadow

For a moment, the world narrowed to Yonas’s still form. The crowd of children, a river of eager bodies, flowed around them, surging towards the classroom where the projector’s lamp had already begun to glow.

Dawit was immediately at Yonas’s side. “Selam, help me!”

Selam’s gaze was torn between her friend and the classroom door. The teacher’s voice boomed, “Class 3A, assemble! The lesson begins now!” She could still make it. She could save them a spot at the front, see the wonders of the cosmos, and check on Yonas later. He was always tired.

But as she looked at Dawit’s worried face and Yonas’s pale cheeks, the excitement of the film suddenly felt thin and distant. Their journey wasn’t a race they ran alone. It was a shared pact. They shared water, they shared jokes to pass the time, they shared the weight of their slates. To enjoy the reward without them would make the long walk feel hollow.

The choice became clear.

“He needs water and shade,” Selam said, her decision firming her voice.

Together, they lifted Yonas and carried him away from the noise, over to the deep shade of a large acacia tree at the edge of the yard. The drone of the projector starting up was a muffled ghost of a sound.

Selam unhooked her water gourd. It held barely a mouthful, carefully saved for the walk home. She poured a few precious drops onto Yonas’s lips and dabbed his forehead with the hem of her dress. Dawit rubbed his friend’s legs, speaking in low, steady tones.

After several minutes, Yonas stirred. “The film…” he whispered, his voice cracking with disappointment. “You’re missing it.”

Selam shook her head, a genuine smile touching her lips for the first time since they’d arrived. “We are not missing anything important. We are right here.”

The Shared Light

The three friends sat beneath the tree until the film ended and the other students spilled out, buzzing with tales of rockets and moonscapes. Selam listened, feeling a quiet peace instead of envy. The burden of the walk felt lighter somehow.

Their teacher, Mr. Tesfaye, found them. He held a small metal flask. “You did the right thing,” he said, handing the water to Yonas. He looked at Selam and Dawit. “The projector needs cleaning before it travels to the next school tomorrow. I need three assistants who understand that some lessons are not on the screen. Would you help me?”

That evening, as the sky turned to violet, the three friends had the classroom to themselves. Mr. Tesfaye threaded the film once more. In the quiet dark, the flickering images of stars and planets felt like a secret gift meant just for them.

Selam watched the cosmic dust swirl on the screen, but her greatest joy was seeing the same awe reflected in Yonas’s and Dawit’s faces. The wonder of the universe was vast and cold, but the warmth they shared in that room, the unity that had brought them there, was a brighter, closer star. They had finished the journey together, and that was the most magnificent discovery of all.

About the Story

The Screen in the Dust explores the universal principles of Unity and Brotherhood. Set against the backdrop of 1943 Eritrea, the story follows three friends whose long daily walk to school is a shared struggle. When one friend collapses, the others must choose between a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime film and supporting their companion. The narrative shows that true strength and perseverance come from shared experience, affirming that the ultimate rewards are best experienced together.

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