“Wait,” I yelled, but she wasn’t listening. When I saw she wouldn’t even look back, I realized she wasn’t fooling around. She started running, and I tried to follow her but couldn’t keep up.

“Hey, what’s going on? Wait a minute!” I shouted, but she still wouldn’t listen. Then the shade came. A large stain that gradually spread across the desert. The sandstorm bit into the sun, which instantly turned into a faded white dot in the sky. I ran as fast as I could, but all the dust made it hard to breathe. A wave of sand washed over me. I couldn’t see. I had no idea where to turn. She didn’t answer. I cursed myself for getting stuck there, in the middle of a goddamn sandstorm, when I could have been sitting in an air-conditioned college auditorium.

Her hand emerged from within the dust, pulling me toward her. I followed her, grabbing on for dear life.

“Careful,” she said as I took another step and almost slipped down the staircase. She slowed down, leading me one stair at a time. “Slowly,” she instructed, and I listened. I heard the door opening and she pushed me in. The door slammed shut behind me, and I kept my eyes closed.

“It’s okay, hon, you can open your eyes,” she said.

I waited a few more moments before opening them. The room was awash with a pale light, like the glow of a sunset. Sand was trickling in through the holes in the ceiling, forming small mounds on the floor. Ayala emerged from the bedroom with a few buckets. “Snap out of it already, it happens. Don’t take it so hard.” She handed me a bucket and told me to put it in the middle of the living room.

“Believe me, you were lucky I brought my ski goggles,” she announced.

When we were done, I slumped down on the couch. The storm had made the apartment even hotter. There were three large holes in the ceiling above the couch, and the sand pouring through them was piling on top of me. I tried falling asleep but couldn’t.

“You can come in here,” she shouted from the bedroom. “And bring a glass of cold water.” I quickly followed her orders, pouring water into a glass and placing it on her bedside table. Then I brought another glass for myself and lay down beside her. We stared at the ceiling in silence.

8.