The Kiln

What about the Kiln? Oh yeah, I can do without it.

Forgive me for my slow thinking.

When I first started talking to people on the IRC, they asked me where I'm from. When I said they're from Israel, they said "Cool".

Now, you could say some good things about the land of Iz, but forget that word, okay? Israel, I'm sad to say, is not cool. Not one bit.

And that's the North.

In the south, temperatures invade truly forbidden territories.

As I painfully learned.

Lately.

Short lines - that's how you talk when you're hot.

Easy to get into that mood. I'm not so hot now; Actually, there's an airconditioner here. But I opened the door for a minute to get an impression on what I was writing about, and regretted it immediately.

At least space had been cold. they sent us to a super-secret ISF base in the middle of the desert for the repairs. The nearest outpost of civilization is on the shore of the Red Sea.

(Let's have a minute's break now to get on with all those jokes. Red Fish in the Red Sea. Ha-Ha. So amusing. You finished? Okay:)

Now I really don't know why is it called the Red Sea; It's deep blue. Transparent, actually, if you look at it the right way. They should have called it the un-red sea: The sea is the only thing that isn't red there. The mountains around are red, for some reason; and since we're talking about a desert here, there isn't even any greenery to add a little greenery. The people are red, after they've spent a few hours outside - or, in my case, a few minutes. The air is red, or at least feels like it. At noon, you can really feel it; thick red stuff clinging to your skin like hot marshmallow. You can jump in the water to wash it away, and it sticks back to your upper body even as your feet are still in the water. You can drink a lot of water, and that will give you some idea about what being a sieve feels like: Every bit of water that enters your body through your mouth comes right out of millions of tiny holes you never even knew you had. Yes, it's that hot. No, I'm not exaggerating.

And just to think some people actually pay money to come over and lay on the beach - unprotected - in the heat! This is something I wouldn't do unless forced to at gunpoint, but coming to think about it, it's no big wonder. Brains doesn't react too well to The Kiln, either.