Lion Head Mesa They say strange fascination, infatuation

She wanted to stay. To let time slide backwards to when she was smaller and her work was easier, to when she knew nothing and was not expected to do these many other things. To be a girl again. She was still so young but somehow caught between stages: a girl, a woman, certainly not ready to be a mother!
How can you be sure? She asked in a pitiful manner, desperate, hushed. Nazli did not want to give in to the dread that now filled her!
How can I be expected to deny him, if he asks for me? He is -- it is pharaoh! Now her voice rose in pitch; a hurrying body across the hall gave pause but moved on momentarily.