Behind the Sea (Liazzat/Public)

Liazzat stood on the dry lake bed looking up to the clear blue sky, a hand blocking the bright sun from her dark eyes. Three black shapes circled in the skies above, her hawks. Her babies.

The Kazakh would have never expected to find such an empty place such as the boardwalk. Well, not exactly empty but with most of the shops closed and the main attraction, the once sparkling lake, reduced to nothing but a mere puddle, business wasn't 'booming'. It was the perfect spot to train her birds without distractions.

Realizing that they had probably honed in on a small, unsuspecting animal (there was no drawing their attention from it now) she began to stroll along the once-been lake, exploring.

Here and there she would find freshwater mussels, animal prints imprinted into the dusty earth, and a boat left behind by a careless owner. It was small of course, a row boat, but it was certainly eye catching.

Liazzat walked around it observing its peeling paint, its splintered wood, its sunken seats... By this time, she would have turned her attention on something else, something more interesting but this-

This.

It tugged at her heart and filled her with sadness; everything about this place did. The Kazakh found herself swinging her legs inside, sitting on the more stable seat with head buried in lap. Whether it was the sudden burst of feelings or her illness, Liazzat felt absolutely ill, her head was swimming with all sorts of thoughts.

Why was the place so familiar or, rather, the situation? It wasn't like she was in America during this drought and there was nothing at home (that she could remember) like this. Yet, in the back of her mind, it did happen.

And she felt more effected by it than she understood.

(This is so lame sorry. |: Doesthetitlehavetomakesense?)

It was a day off for the ragtags. Altynai tried to help with chores, but the mothers of the carnival said they didn't need help. She was always met with the response 'Oh, it's so nice out today, you should play-' or something of the like. They didn't seem to understand that Altynai wanted to assist. She didn't consider herself to be a kid. No, she was a woman, and she had responsibilities. She was supposed to, but they didn't let her. What, did they expect her to pick pockets with Emiliana? Or maybe to watch Faraz play with his tigers? She had hoped Liazzat would let her help. Liazzat would understand. However, when she looked for Liazzat, she was only informed that the woman had went off somewhere. Where? Altynai had heard to the boardwalk- to the lake nearby.

She could have waited, but she didn't. She was determined to walk there. She liked the water, anyways, it was a hot day, a little water would feel nice- it would cool her off, prevent her from fainting. She followed the signs, with hope. The lake was supposed to be coming up.

But she walked, and walked, and it was nowhere to be seen. There was a boardwalk. A boardwalk, that seemed to spread out onto a grassy plain. Why would someone build it there...?

And then, the Karakalpak girl saw that small boat. That was where Liazzat was. Altynai found the lake. She found Liazzat. But she did not feel releaved. She looked around. Businesses sprung up around the boardwalk. And they were empty now. That boat....

Altynai walked towards the boat. The person who owned that boat must have lost their livelihood, once the lake was gone. She felt sick. She felt for the person who owned that boat. The girl had been on a boat before, on the Aral Sea. She had stared at the sea, and felt the breeze on her face.

But she had also felt the dry, bitter and breezeless desert. She felt it now. She felt the blood drain away from her face, almost in horror. She had to stare at her surroundings. She had to stare at the houses that used to be near the lake. What happened to all the people...? What happened to the fish...?

Her footsteps could be heard behind Liazzat. The girl walked into another side of the boat. It was just abandoned, not by it's owners, but by the water.

Altynai's thin, and pale fingers moved to the back of her dear Kazakh friend- the woman who had become a sister to her, in their period of knowing each other. Altynai knew Liazzat was sick, they were both sick, Altynai's older brother was often sick- so many people, people the young girl cared about, were sick. Why?

Surely God did not do this. God could not have made her family sick. God could not have destroyed the lives of the people on this lake. He would never abandon his children, like that. The government was supposed to abandon their children. God wasn't supposed to. The pat on the back turned into a full embrace. She didn't like to see Liazzat sad and sick. She didn't like to be sad and sick, herself.

"Liazzat...Do you want me to go back to get your medicine...?"

Liazzat kept her eyes closed, falling into her own little world. She could feel the soft breeze, the sun beating on her back, hear the sloshing of water, the pounding of...footsteps?

The Kazakh lifted her head up immediately yet didn't look back when she felt a small hand against her back. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was, she already knew. There was only one person kind enough to comfort her when she needed it and only one person Liazzat would ever return the feelings towards.

"Altynai...?"

The woman glanced back in mild surprise when the pat turned into a hug. Was she giving solace or seeking it..? It was as if Altynai felt the same amount of sadness she did, maybe more.

"No, no I'm fine.." A coarse laugh escaped her lips. "I was..just thinking.."

Slowly, she stood up and stepped out of the rotted boat, cold hands wrapped around the girl's. She wanted to lead her away from the place, lead them both away, before they were too engulfed with such strange yet familiar feelings.

Liazzat's arm linked with Altynai's and she began to make long, quick strides back towards the boardwalk. She would have broke into running had she not been so worried about her young friend's physical capabilities.

"Did you travel all the way here alone?" Liazzat finally slowed to a stop near an empty, broken-down store. Her chest still felt heavy though. She wanted to ask if Altynai felt the same, or if she had felt sadness at all.

"Why are you here?" The Kazakh's words always seemed harsh when she didn't mean it. She gently reached out and brushed the child's hair from her face. She hoped she knew this too.

Altynai was glad to know that her friend was not ill... Just thinking...? The empty lake left a lot to think about. It was depressing, horribly depressing, and somewhat familiar. Maybe it reminded her of her home...? Her family too, was destroyed by an act of nature. Some ecological disaster that had destroyed the entire cotton field. It left them with nothing to do, nowhere to work. Much like the people who lived around this lake. She had to stare around, as her Kazakh friend lifted her through the mess. She was grateful to be taken out... But even as they moved away from the lake, even as her shorter strides tried to keep up with the longer strides of her friend, the girl could not help but stare at what they left.

It was too impressionable.

Liazzat's question snapped the girl back into reality, though. She turned away from the empty lake, and gave a slight nod. Did the older woman seem mad? At first, Altynai thought, maybe. But when the harsh words were followed with a gentle gesture, Altynai knew that it was only just her tone. Her friend, she could be stern, but they were close, they were close as soon as they met, for some reason.

"I was looking for you...Someone told me that you were here..." She began. Once the question was answered, her mind had no choice but to shift to the lake. Her eyes had to follow. They were quiet for a while.

"You know...I think I've had a dream about this before." She voiced, still staring to the lake. As if it would give her some answers. It didn't give her anything but sadness, sadness and questions. Was it the dream that invoked these emotions? She felt her eyes fill up with tears. She tried to blink them away, but one spilled over. That dream, the dream that included her, her brother, and even her friend had the same effect. That image, along with the image of the lake was too overwhelming.

"Do you know...who did this to the lake...?"

Liazzat tilted her head curiously. It was..eerie to hear things like that come from the teen's mouth, especially she knew she was never one to make things up. The Kazakh didn't doubt for one moment that Altynai had a dream about this and she didn't doubt the effects it had on her. The woman brushed her thumb across the girl's cheek, wiping the tear away.

"No rain and hot weather, they call it a..ehhh.." She tried to remember the English word for it. "A drought."

Just a natural phenomenon. Not a person. But her strong feelings said otherwise. It confused her, angered her- She just didn't understand it.

The Kazakh's attention turned back to Altynai. She was concerned for the girl and the thoughts the environment provoked in her. Placing her thumb and forefinger in against her lips, Liazzat whistled and one by one her birds came swooping down by her side, the youngest perching on her shoulder.

"How about we go back..? We can go to the market and buy stuff to go with manti." A smile grew on her face. Altynai liked dumplings right? She wanted her to be happy.

"And tea, I'll make you tea too."

"Shouldn't it have survived a drought...? The lake was put here to last. People wouldn't have built their lives around it-," and she was quieted, as her older friend's finger was placed to her lips. Her words, and her emotions were at first frantic. She was seriously concerned, and seriously moved. However, the 'hush' had provided little solace. It did remind her, that the girl really had no reason to worry about this, as it was not affecting her. There was no need to be so upset. But she was still worried. She still had so many questions that had to be answered. So many questions had welled up. They welled up with her emotions. There were so many, questions and emotions, she didn't even know where they came from. "...if it could disappear," she whispered quietly, having to finish the thought.

A smile did peak up, though a little forced, to the thought of manti. Trying new foods were nice, but eating your own food was better. Liazzat knew so many of the foods that Altynai knew. It was nice for them to cook together.

"We haven't had manti in a while, and you are so good at making it." She smiled, walking forward. Manti was almost as common in her old home as plov. "But it's a little far to the market...and then back to the carnival...You will be okay...?" Altynai reached for the arm of her older friend, her voice displaying some concern. Even then, the girl began to walk, and to bring her friend along, towards the direction of the market. She quite liked the market. Americans were very stupid at running them.

Liazzat let out a small giggle and patted Altynai's back. "Only because you help." Another giggle escaped her, slightly nervous. The Kazkah didn't like having the young girl worry about her health when she wasn't all too well herself.

She matched the girl's slightly eager steps. "I was able to do it the other day, yeah?" And she came back with a sore jaw, gut, and fatigue like never before. Maybe that wasn't the best of examples. "You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine. I promise." Liazzat offered a reassuring smile.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before the older female decided to circle back to the girl's previous comment. "Nature does odd things... It's unforgiving. " Liazzat was quick to add another comment, hopefully it would be a comforting one. "I'm sure those people near the lake..I'm sure they're fine." She smiled despite herself. Deep down she knew they weren't. That was their only means of business, she was sure. Now that it was gone, all previous life went with it. No more shops, no more anything. She patted Altynai's shoulder once more, only now trying to give herself some comfort.

"Is there anything special you would like from the market?"

Altynai smiled, at her friend's words. Though she frowned, when Liazzat's previous adventure to the market was mentioned. She didn't like to see her friend harmed, and her friend was obviously harmed after that encounter. That man was obviously in another town, but it still frustrated Altynai.

"You should go to the market with me all the time! So nothing like that happens again." The girl stated firmly.

And when the topic of the lake was brought up again, Altynai so quickly lost her passion. Her walk slowed down, and she looked towards the older girl. A shake of her head, soon followed. She knew that was wrong. It was obvious, anyone could tell. The people were not well. Just look at the city. Unless the lake came back, then the people would never recover. She had a lot to say on the topic, but at the same time she had nothing to say. So she kept quiet. The lake was gone, with it out of sight, she wanted it out of mind.

"I don't know...." She began, eyes shifting away, again. "Your manti and tea are good enough for me," she belted out another smile. "You are so good at making both of them, your husband back at home must have been very happy." And she could only assume that her friend had a husband back at home. She was too old not to.

She laughed again. "Fine, fine. I will.."

And then her smile dropped when the girl fell behind. Liazzat should have never brought up the topic again, now she felt terrible. She waited for the girl to speak up yet she didn't, so instead she stood by until Altynai would begin walking again.

She did and she perked up as she spoke of the Kazakh's food. A smile began to creep on her face, she was so proud that the young girl loved her food so much, but it was halted by the mention of a husband. Liazzat stared at the ground as they walked, silent for only moments.

"I..I don't have a husband." She didn't even have an engagement arranged before she left. Her parents, whoever they were, took no care in trying to find her a husband..Possibly because she wasn't good enough for one.

"You don't have a husband?!" Altynai could not even hide the surprise on her face. The girl always assumed that she had a husband. Something had just happened to the sacred unit of her family, that caused it to break up- similar to what had happened to Altynai's family.

Altynai, though, never would have guessed that her friend was never married. Her friend was so old. How couldn't she be married? Wasn't she going to get too old to have children soon? Did she plan to never get married? Altynai wouldn't understand why she could ever plan something like that. Altynai had been planning her wedding, and her husband since she was very small. Surely Liazzat too, wanted to marry a nice boy, like the boys from back home.

She must have. She must just be unfortunate in finding a husband. Altynai understood. Her brother was in the same situation when their parents searched for his wife. He, like Liazzat, was also very old now. And his parents were no longer there to arrange his marriage, like with Liazzat.

They both were very unfortunate. But together, perhaps, their unfortunes could become fortunes!

"My brother does not have a wife, either!" Altynai had spoken to Liazzat about her brother before. She had shared that he was in the country. Maybe, Altynai could find him again, for Liazzat. He had promised that he would meet up with her again. "You would love to meet him, I am sure. He is a very hard working man. You should see how well he helps mama, I bet he would help his wife like that. He would make a good husband, I think. Next time, next time we meet, you have to meet him!"

And her pace towards the market so quickly hastened.

(Why do you hurt me in these ways Altynai-)

Liazzat could feel her face become more and more hot with embarrassment. Why was Altynai so surprised? Sure, she was past the marrying age but that didn't mean anything now that they were in America. She had heard of women getting married at as old as 30.

"O-oh? He wouldn't want somebody like me-" The Kazakh did her best to hide her blush, her cheeks turning bright red at the thought of marrying the girl's brother. Altynai had mentioned all sorts of nice things about him before, making sure to emphasize his strength and hard work, and admittedly Liazzat wouldn't mind meeting this man. The way the young girl described him made him sound like a wonderful person.

"What's..what's his name?" The Kazakh found herself asking as she hurried to match the excited girl's pace.

Altynai grinned, her friend seemed to be somewhat interested. She had mentioned her brother to Liazzat before, but she had never mentioned him as a bachelor. Maybe this peaked interest meant there was hope? Altynai had considered her brother hopeless for the longest time. Timur probably saw himself the same way. That was because he did not meet Liazzat, though!

"Timur... Just like Amir Temur. You should hear him when he spoke to mother about a wife. He speaks about nice, traditional and modest women. Though you aren't an Uzbek woman, you are closer to that then any of these Americans!" Well, though he often went off (away from their mother) about those Russian women who he visited in the city, he made it clear that those were not the type of women he would like to marry. "Here, there are no women for him. And you would not like these American men, also, right?"

"You would be perfect for him, I am sure." She wrapped her hand around her friend's arm. "There are no other Central Asians in this country, I think. None except the three of us. You must meet soon, when my brother next arranges for a meeting. You will fall in love." Well, Altynai imagined she would. Though she never bothered to mention if her brother was attractive....she was sure Liazzat didn't care about that type of thing. But maybe she could mention his teeth...? Liazzat should know all his positives. And he was so proud of his teeth.

"And he has three golden teeth." she grinned, pointing on her mouth, where they would be. After they left their country, that was where he stored all his money, in his teeth. He must have seemed very wealthy.

She shook her head politely. "No, no American men." She thought some were attractive but they weren't anyone she would marry, they were rude and crude. Timur on the other hand sounded kind and sweet. Maybe meeting him wouldn't be so bad.

Liazzat shrugged off her Central Asian comment. There were probably more of them, like the asshole at the bazaar, Altynai just hadn't spotted them yet. Liazzat hadn't either.

The next comment caught Liazzat off guard. Golden teeth? Didn't the lemon man have...? The Kazakh frowned at herself. No, it was probably just a coincidence or her mind playing tricks on her; That man was too poor to afford teeth probably and he was nothing like how Timur was described. That didn't stop the woman from wondering though.

Approaching the market, Liazzat began to slow down. She was beginning to regret ever wanting to go to the market. What if Timur was the lemon guy? She swore she never wanted to see that asshole again and she planned on sticking to her word.

However.. she couldn't just offend Altynai like that.

"What does Timur do?" She also wondered why he wasn't in the ragtags with his sister. The girl admired him so much it seemed, yet he was never around for her.

There was only so much Altynai agreed to let on about her brother, and her family life. She stuck to the conviction that everyone had bad family stories, and that it was best not share your own bad stories with others. Family was not meant to be thrown out in the public realm, to be judged by others. The only judgement should be good judgement, so Altynai would go on about her brother's strengths. She did not bother to tell her how corrupt, or aggressive, or even abusive her brother could be.

But when she asked what he was doing now...How could Altynai answer that? Last she knew, he was conning people. That was how they got so far in America, by stealing. She would at times help. She glanced at her friend, as they reached the market.

"At home he picked cotton...Like the rest of us..." she sighed. "But in America, he doesn't need to do that anymore. Money can fly around here, and Timur is very good at... changing the path of the money..." The best euphemism she could think of for conning.

"He said, though...He said that it was only until he had enough money to get a home. Then he would get an honest job again, and find a husband for me. You can live with us too, then, and we would all be very happy. It'll happen very soon, I'm sure." Well, she wasn't completely sure. She hoped someone wouldn't find her brother out, and she hoped to God, he would not be arrested. If he was arrested, he'd probably be sent home. And who knew what could happen then...

"At the end, it's all for the better. That's what he says..." She stated with a shrug, spacily gazing through the market for the right food.

It seemed like today wasn't a good day for Liazzat, she really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. She kept draining the happiness for her poor friend with each comment and question she posed.

She walked silently towards a booth alongside Altynai, taking in what she said. She didn't seem to proud of what he did, she probably wouldn't be proud either, but the Kazakh assumed it was the only way for them to get by. It seemed like a lot of foreigners here got by from stealing out of others wallets. Liazzat offered a smile when the girl went on about hope for a new home.

"If he takes a liking to me.." She picked up a squash, looking for bruises and scratches. She hated how roughly the Americans treated their vegetables. "and we get...married..then we will have enough money combined to buy a big house for the three of us." There was always the high chance that he would not like her, but Liazzat didn't want to seem too negative.

"But even without my help, I'm sure he is very close to having enough. Things will turn out well in the end, don't you worry.." Another smile grew on her lips and she glanced down at the girl.

"He will take a liking to you!" The girl chirped out, fists clenching in some quick determination. She was so sure that her brother would love Liazzat. Altynai thought Liazzat would be the perfect wife, why wouldn't Timur think the same? "And you'll like him, and you will have to get married!" That really would be a dream come true. If her closest friend could also become a family member... The family had become so small, it was Timur's job to expand it, and now, maybe he really could.

She picked up a vegetable herself, examining it over, like her friend was. Back at home, she went to the market so often with her family. She was experienced at these sorts of things.

"You need to meet him soon, you know, I don't know if either of you will be able to make lots of children for much longer. My brother is also very old." She laughed, as she found the perfect vegetable to hand to her friend. "I want you to make lots of children when you get married, though. When we get a big house, it should be filled with many children, and you can cook for all of them, and make them all very happy. Then I will get married, and our children will play together."

Though Altynai was marriage age, these dreams for herself seemed so far fetched nowadays. She hoped with all her heart that they would manifest themselves into reality... But she never knew if they would. She longed, more than anything for a normal house again. Did she regret leaving with Timur? No, it was already too late for that family. There were now prospects for a new family.

Her mouth fell slightly agape. Children? That wasn't exactly the first thing that came to mind when she talked about marriage. She didn't even think she could have children. Well, she could but she was sure they'd have problems. Just like her. Did Timur even want kids?

Liazzat placed the vegetable down and picked up another nervously. "I'm not that old..am I?" Surely being 22 didn't make her ancient, the little girl was just exaggerating..Hopefully.

Anything further thoughts about her own age when the idea of Altynai's future kids playing with the Kazakh's was brought up. She smiled down at her and laughed.

"Sounds like a plan."

Unsatisfied being unable to find a fresh, healthy looking squash, she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and guided her over to the next stand. A sneer was on her face. How these people could call themselves vendors and sell this crap was beyond her.

"Well...If you start as late as you want to, you won't have much time to make lots of kids. That means you have to have a lot of them in a short period of time." Which would not seem very nice. Altynai was the youngest in her family, so she would not have known her mother's displeasure during pregnancy. She did however, with others in the family, witness births. They did not seem very pleasant. No, the screaming implied that they were quite painful.

"Which is very painful." She stated, while being guided over to the next vendor. It probably seemed strange for a 15 year old girl to be giving her 22 year old friend a lecture on childbirth. But children and marriage and family were what Altynai cared most about. She longed for them all, though the fates always seemed to try to pull those hopes away from her.

"The food was so fresh in the markets back home," the girl reminisced, picking up another bad squash. "And the food was so good. I think a lot of people here don't know how to cook. Some of the women at the carnival can, but none of them are as good as you..." she quieted down, as she looked through this new batch of squashes.

"My brother is also very helpful with food. He makes the best bargains at the market, and gets the best foods. He can even cook, he's almost good as our mother is..." She began again, looking up to her friend with a wide grin. "I bet you could cook all sorts of good meals together, when you get married!" The girl smiled. Already, even at her age, she was showing signs of being a persistent saleswoman.