While Scrooge awaited his fortune, Donald was taken on a detour. Forcibly driven by the request of his new acquaintance, the plucky sailor found himself at the city square. Upon Alumak’s request, Donald became involved in sampling one of Jerusalem’s local fruit bars. The shop, “Fuel ‘n’ Fruitylicious,” was a popular location that sold fruit bowls, smoothies, and sorbets in bundles; it was just the thing to quell the blistering heat.

“Ah, my favorite spot!” Alumak exclaimed, “Now this is the spot that is a host to the most. Oh, ho! Ho! Ho!”

“Boy, this place sure gets a lot of people. Say, this place wouldn’t happen to be related to the one that sells the fruit bars, would it?” asked Donald.

“Fruit bars?” Alumak questioned. “Oh no, not Fuel ‘n’ Fruitylicious. They do not dare to do business with those corporations.”

“Why not? They could make tons of money and be well-off! They wouldn’t need to live in this cramped living space,” Donald argued.

“They are a family business, my friend. After all, I have been told by the son that the father inherited this stand from his father, who inherited it from his grandfather,” Alumak explained. “It is generational. As he often tells me, franchising is a destructive path, and those who dare to follow it tend to cast misfortune upon themselves and their loved ones. Part of me doesn’t blame them. A corporate man wouldn’t know sentimental value even if they were the richest man in the world. Why-…!”

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry I asked,” said the sour Donald.

Donald was then met with a hard stare. The tall Arabian irradiated with a violent presence. But then, he immediately broke the tension with a hearty laugh. Suddenly, Donald was given a slap on the back. For a man whose beard was as gruff as his voice, he sure had an odd sense of humor.

“Wait here,” Alumak insisted, “I’ll get us some drinks.”

Alumak waited several minutes before returning to Donald, carrying two shot glasses filled with colorful liquids and squeezed fruits. At first, Donald was reluctant to drink, but as the heat grew too intense to bear, he could not abstain any longer. Reluctantly, he accepted Alumak’s offer and took a single sip, only to be stupefied by the taste.

The pouring of pure, freshly-squeezed heaven drowned his taste buds, and his esophagus shivered as the nectar of the gods entered his system. Never in his life did he think that blended fruit could taste so good, and the revelation made Donald jump for joy, shouting to the heavens about the unending delicacy he guzzled down his gullet.

Donald felt a burst of energy shoot up to the top of his head. His cap spun as his head whistled gleefully. He had so much energy that he could not help but bounce around like a kid in the candy store. Donald suddenly began swinging on awnings, dancing on tables, and spinning on umbrellas. Then suddenly, Donald shot himself into the sky. He flew over the square before exploding into an array of colorful fireworks.

The fireworks display was explosive. Though, the bangs and booms were dangerously close enough to make everyone duck for cover. His acquaintance, however, was unconcerned. In fact, he loved it.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha! It’s okay, everyone!” Alumak heartened, “He just loves the meal!”

Donald soon made his eventual descent to Earth, fluttering blissfully back into his chair. Alumak watched as he fluttered back in his chair. He would ask the sailor if he enjoyed himself. Donald replied with a restful nod. Then, with a smug smile on his face, Alumak asked if he wanted to go for seconds, and Donald’s eyes immediately shot open.

APPROXIMATELY (Presumably) TWELVE SHOTS LATER…

“Ahhh…” Donald exhaled, “Oh boy! Oh boy!”

After guzzling twelve shots of cold fruit purees, the duck was surely full. The delectable drinks even managed to cure his migraine. Nothing more could satisfy him. And yet, he could not sit still. He had a mission to uphold, and he would not dare to face his uncle empty-handed. Donald would tell Alumak that he enjoyed his time, but he had an appointment. Donald politely shook hands with the Arab, then left the alfresco diner.

Unfortunately for Donald, Alumak had grown an odd fascination with him. There was something about his outward demeanor that fascinated Alumak. So much so that the Arabian willingly pursued him. Alumak’s actions made Donald leery. Even the act of shooing Alumak could not make him go away. Donald had half a mind to tell him off, but not even that could get him to off his back. However, Donald had forgotten one of the important rules of politeness: It is impolite to leave a caterer so soon without them wanting something in return.

In exchange for treating him to drinks, Alumak offered to be Donald’s tour guide. Alumak used a light dose of persuasion and a pinch of bartering to get Donald to keep him around. He insisted that Donald would not be able to get a mile out of Jerusalem without him. Alumak even suggested that he knew all the important locales that one can visit on a modest budget.

If it meant getting him to shut up, then Donald had no choice but to agree. Alumak fluttered and gleefully shook Donald’s hand. Donald groaned, thinking to himself that it probably would have been better if he had been hit by that car.

“Alright, tour guide,” Donald uttered, “Show me around this place!”

“Oh-ho! You will not be disappointed, my friend! Not disappointed at all!” Alumak promised.

Donald rolled his eyes and began walking. He and Alumak wandered through the city square. As promised, Alumak pointed out the various pit stops and local shops that the square had to offer. He would even introduce Donald to the types of citizens who dwelt in this city. They, in and of themselves, were colorful individuals. Some of them even knew Alumak personally, for better or for worse.

Along the way, Alumak asked Donald questions about his life. His questions started small, until eventually they got more intrusive. Much to Donald’s annoyance, he asked Donald about his life, his childhood, and life in America. His fascination with the country stemmed from the history books he had read throughout his time. He never really had the chance to meet an American up close until Donald came along. He was aware of tourists, but they never seemed to really give off that “American Feel” like Donald did.

Donald rolled his eyes at the many questions thrown his way. He kept his reservations when asked about the more personal questions. But when it came to his life in America, Donald had an easier time answering Alumak.

Donald first brought up his lifelong friendship with a dippy dog and a scheming mouse. He reminisced about the troubles they would get into and the tricks he would pull on them. Some of his more successful pranks gave Donald a laugh. Donald then brought up his home life. He mainly discussed the difficulty of raising three kids for a sister who had a tendency to exist and not exist simultaneously.

Next, Donald would bring up his girlfriend. Alumak’s interest piqued in this topic. Donald, however, tried to play it cool. He would explain that while she was beautiful, sometimes she could be very tumultuous. He thought that maybe it was those magazines she constantly read, but he could never figure out a reason why he ended up with such a backwards woman. Yet at the same time, Donald had moments that made his girlfriend question why she ended up with such a backwards man. In fact, he worried that Daisy would want nothing to do with him if she had the choice.

Alumak would make a rude comment about Donald’s girlfriend, to which Donald was quick to defend her honor. Donald affirmed that he loved his girl. Every day, he would compliment her for her love and understanding, and for sticking with him despite his faults. He would even admit, embarrassingly, that she was the only person who understood a word he said. A fault that even his uncle and nephews failed to understand.

Alumak saw the seriousness in Donald’s assertion and quickly humbled himself. He apologized for offending Donald, then offered him a word of advice.

“True love is a bond forged in fire,” said Alumak, “Even a tumultuous path can be conquered by those with the strongest bond. Even in families.”

Alumak’s expression touched Donald. The duck would soften, then apologize to Alumak. He would even say that he now felt compelled to do something nice for Daisy once he returned home. But then, Donald realized something. He was being grilled intensely about his life, and yet Alumak spoke little about his. Donald quickly stopped Alumak in his tracks and said, “What of you, Arab? What’s your story?”

Suddenly, Alumak’s smile disappeared. What followed was a stare so grim that it could cower a man down to the deepest recesses of his soul. Donald gulped aloud and tried to run, only to be held down by an Arabian vice grip. The Arab spoke darkly, ordering him to stay in place. Then, with a hardened breath, he would lock eyes with Donald and tell him his story.

“My story is not one to be taken lightly,” Alumak began, “Growing up, I knew of only two lives... a conformist and a warlord. For as long as I have lived here, this country has been a breeding ground for war. War has been a constant presence, even before my lifetime. And yet, when I was born, life around here was nothing more than mindless conformity. You see, being a farmer’s child meant you never had a voice. If you even dared to explore a hint of expression outside of your domain, you would be beaten. It was times like these when I questioned if I was even alive. I wanted more out of my life, but I could not see beyond the confines of my strict household. But it was that same conformity that forced me to become my own man. So I left. I left my home to start anew. But as luck would have it, the moment I set foot outside of my village... the bombs dropped, igniting war once more.”

Donald’s collar tightened as hard as the grip on his shoulder. He shuddered as he combed over every word of Alumak’s story. Donald shuddered to ask about what happened to Alumak’s family. His question resulted in a tighter grip on his shoulder. Alumak gave Donald a dead stare. But then, as if it was done deliberately, Alumak laughed.

“Hah! Oh, them. They perished when a rocket destroyed the farm. It came from a faction that was supposed to be our allies at the time. I guess they never got the memo about rocket safety. Ha! Ha! It is amazing what people will do in the name of conquest.”

Donald tugged at his collar once more, even if he felt like he was going to faint. The grip on his shoulder lightened, but the story was far from over.

“The times of war gave me exactly what I needed,” Alumak continued, “You must understand, my friend. Where others struggled in war, I felt alive. The freedom I experienced was more than I could ever ask for. Somehow, I felt more peaceful during times of war than I ever did living in conformity. The only thing that was a bother was the numerous factions that emerged during wartime. War is like the seasons. Factions will come, factions will go. Give or take a few months until the next set grows up with their own values. Young men think they know more about life in a war than they did in school. Not me. I cared little for their values. I fought for so many causes to the point where I can’t even keep track of what is actually good for this city anymore... let alone this entire country! I have brothers-in-arms in almost all factions. They all tolerate me, but they absolutely despise each other! Why, I started to realize I was lucky when I kept getting taken off guard duty! Alas, here I am... a drifter. And in my experience, I’ve come to accept that.”

Alumak ended his story with a half-hearted laugh. Afterwards, he released his grip on Donald, then fell back against a slab of rock. Alumak leaned against the mud-brick stone, letting its sand sprinkle on his keffiyeh.

Donald was left stupefied. He did not know what to say. How could he? He had just listened to a war veteran happily dump his traumatic backstory on him. Even worse, he did not know whether this man was a terrorist or a victim of circumstance. Just the thought of experiencing, and possibly causing, the consequences of war on all angles made Donald feel a bit sick inside. He would even worry if Alumak was even sane. The thought of such horrors rubbed Donald the wrong way.

But as Donald’s feathers paled, Alumak gave him a side-eyed smirk and laughed. He flipped the tension over its head with a laughter as callous as ever, almost as if his story was just a sick attempt to pull at Donald’s leg. He sent Donald on an emotional rollercoaster, and he was laughing about it.

Alumak’s actions made Donald’s blood boil. Mix that with the extreme heat, and the sailor was about to throw a huge temper tantrum. But before he could do that, a sharp pain struck Donald’s temples. Suddenly, Donald collapsed. He clawed at his skull to try and ease the pain.

Donald’s head throbbed heavily. His eyes peeled back layers as the dust under his feet melted before his very eyes. His sinuses closed up. His tongue swelled until it choked him. Suddenly, Donald grabbed his throat in one hand and his chest in another.

Panicked, the Arab threw himself on Donald, pinning him against the floor. He lifted Donald’s shirt and gave him the Heimlich maneuver. He applied pressure forcibly on Donald as the sailor clung to what remained of his life. Unfortunately, the hallucinations worsened, and so did his vision. Alumak applied faster pressure, even making sure to slap Donald’s face to keep him conscious.

It was a grueling few minutes…

“Come on, Donald Duck,” Alumak uttered, “Stay with me.”

Each second was more painful than the last.

“Stay with me!”

Alumak did everything he could. He could keep Donald conscious, but he could not keep him sane. Donald began to hallucinate as the extreme heat and extreme pain attacked him on all sides. And yet, there was one vision that cleared up in Donald’s mind. It was a sign that hung over a tall ramp overhead. Somehow, the cleared vision gave Donald just what he needed.

“National… library…” Donald muttered.

“Easy, my friend,” Alumak ushered, “You must rest, not read.”

Then, to Alumak’s surprise, Donald quickly sat up. Donald’s vision cleared instantly, allowing him to read the sign above him. Donald’s eyes widened. He shot up and exclaimed, “The library! I found it!” Somehow cured, the excitable duck thanked Alumak for his help and rushed to the library. He rushed in, eager to find his lead. Alumak followed behind just to ensure the safety of his new friend.