Zoayb's eyes opened, with the complaints which took many decades to save up. It was obvious that his arms would never work as well as they did, before the bricks fell in on him, while helping to build the community tholoi* (arthritis tends to center itself at old age in the wounds of youth). Grudgingly, he pushed himself up from the nice warm blankets, dressed, and walked outside. Being well thought of in his town, and after he recovered from his accident, the village-people made him his own tholoi. When it rained, Zoayb was very thankful, because his shoulders began hurting well before the arrival of the rain.

He stretched his muscles as best he could (at least he wasn't as old as Haram), and looked about for a warm fire. Maybe one of the ladies would let him steal a few bites before breakfast. Oh blast! The fires were just being started, with the ladies hunched over the cookfires, puffing away like crazy. There was nothing yet to eat, but there was the usual entertainment of village life. Haram was berating a poor young girl about colors when, because she was approaching the age when boys would start showing an interest in her, he should be supporting her - not too much, but enough that she won't think she's worthless.

Zoayb began to approach her. Maybe he could get a laugh out of her. Before he got close, however, Asha had already begun applying a salve to the poor girl's self-esteem. She called out, What do you think, Zoayb?, after telling telling her she should do another one in ochre on the other side of the one the girl had done in white.

Zoayb chuckled quietly, then said, If you do that, and he returns to check your work again, he might just ask you if you don't agree with him that the white one is better than the ochre one. At his age, memory dims like the sun at the end of the day. If he does, young lady, do not laugh, just agree with him. Much of what he says is very wise, and should be well heard.

Now Asha, a shipment of clay has arrived from the nearby town of Halaf, and another arrives today from Hassuna. I thought this would be a good day to show you how we make the pottery you've been praising so much. And maybe on the way over, you could tell me about this method you have for putting water around the crops you grow.**

*tholoi= Buildings made by the Halaf were round, domed and made of rock or 'sun-dried' mud and straw bricks. Some had long straight anterooms, made of the same material, and some did not. Many seemed to be ceremonial buildings, filled with female figurines, but others seemed to be just houses.

**The Halaf people practised dryland farming, in which natural rainfall was used, without the benefit of irrigation, just as the Hopi, in Arizona, do today. Their crops included barley, emmer wheat, and flax.