Child Gathering Eggs Before Dawn in Oman

Heavy rain sheets down along a narrow feedlot lane in Oman, turning the packed earth into a dark, slick surface. A child stands in deep shadow, their form outlined by a thin rim of cool pre-sunrise light breaking through the storm clouds. Water beads on the rough wooden slats of the nearby henhouse, while raindrops blur the air between the figure and the structure. The child reaches into a dim nesting area, hands moving with practiced urgency to collect eggs before the morning light fully arrives. Wet straw rests on the ground, and droplets streak the dark wood, showing the steady, unyielding rhythm of the wet season. one drop of water hangs from the edge of a wooden beam, ready to fall.