"At last I was here. It had taken me twenty years but now I was here. My dream to visit Petra had come true. I'd walked a mile down a rocky path between huge cliffs and then through a narrow cleft in the rock, I got my first glimpse. The crowds of tourists, the noise and heat disappeared. I was alone. My eyes filled with tears and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. My mysterious, secret Petra. I felt as if I had come home. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I was afraid of breaking the spell. I found a rock to sit on and stared, mesmerised, trying to fix the scene forever.
An Arab approached and asked if I was OK. I explained how much I wanted to be here, how Petra had drawn me through time. He left, and returning a few minutes later, he gave me this piece of rock. Take it and whenever you hold it, remember today."
