A long time before story year 2010, Sahmad once stumbled on a nest of desert leeches. They were disgusting little creatures. They nested on the ceilings of caves, and that was where their young hatched. The babies clung to the roof, waiting for someone to pass underneath. Then, they rained down on the victim, attached themselves to any exposed flesh, and fed on his life energy. When one found oneself under a nest, the first thing one felt was anger, for being so stupid as to walk into a cave and not look up. Sahmad described it as "the worst feeling you can imagine."1