Book 1, Tea in the Sahara: Chapters 13-15 Summary

In Chapter 13, Port and Kit ride bicycles out of Boussif. They pass into the plains and through a small village, continuing until they reach a high ridge. They climb up the ridge, until they reach a precipice overlooking a grand plain where a solitary man mediates in complete stillness. The sun is setting, and Port talks about the sadness of daybreak and the vastness of the sky. For him the sky is a sheltering canopy, protecting them from the darkness behind. Kit feels that she will never be able to join Port in his contemplation of the infinite, which terrifies her. Kit sleeps a while, and they ride back to Boussif. After she goes to her room, Port returns to the bicycle vendor and asks for another bicycle. He returns to...