Explosive Yearning: Jan & Salma's Story of Passion and Survival.

The day began as any other, with a high-pitched scream.

“Where is it? Where is it?”

“I don’t know!” I yelled back. “It was in the tent last night, I swear!”

I started to trudge through the grassy field that we called home. It was early morning and the sun was just starting to rise on the horizon. I was already exhausted; every time my girlfriend left me alone in the tent, I would start thinking about all the things that could go wrong while she was gone. A tank could roll up and shoot us in our sleep. The tent could catch fire and we would slowly roast to death before anyone noticed. Or, if we were really unlucky, the tent could collapse from lack of sleep and we would wake up buried under several feet of earth and rainwater. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about these things.

Then there was a loud *thump*.

“Found it!” she said triumphantly as she walked back into the tent carrying two wooden spears and her musket over her shoulder. “You should really keep your eyes open more often, you know what they say about gift horses…” She trailed off when she saw my face. “What’s wrong? You look like you saw a ghost.”

She laid down her weapons and wrapped her arms around me tightly. “Hey, it’s alright… what happened? Did someone die? Are we moving? Did you get a promotion? What is it? Tell me! Tell me! Tellmeeeeee!” Her voice got higher and higher with each repetition until she was almost shrieking at me. I closed my eyes and listened to her breathing until it slowed to a manageable rate. This was something else that happened frequently: whenever she got excited or nervous, she would say everything twice or three times at top speed until she calmed down enough to speak normally again. It got annoying sometimes, but at least there was an end in sight this time—she had only repeated herself five times so far today—and every time, it took less time for her to calm down than the last time she did it, as though she were learning from experience with each successive repetition cycle.

When she finally stopped repeating herself, I took a step back from our embrace and looked into her eyes. They were still red from crying—or rather, screaming at the top of her lungs—earlier in the day when I returned empty handed from hunting for deer; then again, they always seemed to be red since we had left Germany four days ago on a whim after receiving word that our comrades were being ruthlessly massacred by Englishmen in a place called Flodden Field. Still, even though they were bloodshot from crying or some other unknown reason most days lately, they remained beautiful somehow: deep brown with flecks of green throughout that reminded me of rich soil during springtime on my grandfather's farm back home.

"Where is our breakfast?" she asked suddenly, breaking the silence between us. "Did you find something yet?" The concerned look on her face made me want to cry too—so instead, I quickly grabbed hold of both sides of her head firmly with both hands and pulled them close together until her forehead met mine. Then I kissed her passionately before pulling away.

There was no need for words between us most days anyway: we knew exactly what the other person needed or wanted without having to ask them first. We were perfectly in sync with each other's needs and wants without having to say a single word, just like today. All we needed or wanted right now was food! And God help whatever creature happens along our path today because we are hungry!

Neither one of us showed fear nor faltered once during all this time together when we fought side by side against anything that came our way because we understood completely what the other person needed or wanted without having to ask them first. We would fight together until either one or both of us died trying because not only did we love each other deeply, but we also hated absolutely everything else in this world that threatened our survival! And God help whatever creature comes our way today because we will kill them if there is any chance whatsoever that doing so might make us live another day together longer than otherwise expected.

With determination in our eyes and hunger gnawing at our insides, we set forth once more on our perilous journey, seeking sustenance not just for our bodies but also for our souls, bound together by an unbreakable bond of love and a shared hope for a better future.