The hills of andalusia were only two hours away, but there was an entire desert between him and the pyramids. yet the boy felt that there was another way to regard his situation: he was actually two hours closer to his treasure… the fact that the two hours had stretched into an entire year didn't matter. how does the author create a sense of time and place? by expressing the boy's frustration, the author expresses the boy's fear that he has made a mistake. by showing how much time has passed and how far the boy has to travel to realize his goal, the author emphasizes the boy's journey. by contrasting the pyramids of the desert with the hills of andalusia, the author emphasizes the beauty of the boy's homeland. by comparing how long it took the boy to get to the desert with how long it took him to become a shepherd, the author emphasizes the slow passage of time.