11Noontime at the site was quiet, with many being called regularly to pray by a man's voice, at times melodic, at other times staccato, against the backdrop of Egyptian desert stillness. Hearing the bell ringing and the chanting five times a day became synonymous with the camp routine, particularly noticed if it did not happen on time. Many of the laborers took advantage to sleep off the high noon heat. Tarik, the young boy responsible for ringing the prayer bell, did not go with the men to pray. Instead, he hung around camp, helping where he could. Each time Chione saw him he would smile and wave. Somehow, his over-friendliness seemed strange, almost as if he had some sort of hidden agenda. Many young children, who seemed to belong to no one, had already taken to bribing workers, saying t
