Ahmed, Merit, and Maryam

Our story deals with a subject that I, as a writer, do not believe in and disassociate myself from—namely, the concept of reincarnation in human bodies.

The story begins with a teenager no older than eighteen, a high school student. His father is a villager, a landowner with agricultural properties. Ahmed was intelligent, diligent, and excelled in his studies, always ranking first in his school and sometimes even in his entire province.

Ahmed comes from a village in Sohag Governorate. His house was a traditional rural home made of mud bricks, and he had his own private room. In addition to his schoolbooks, he was an avid reader, particularly fascinated by history, especially Pharaonic history. He often joined his peers on trips to temples and Pharaonic monuments, deeply admiring and scrutinizing the intricate artwork and inscriptions on temple walls and columns, marveling at their unchanging colors despite the passage of time. He was also a talented artist and had a passion for drawing. Whenever he participated in school or provincial-level art competitions, he consistently won the top prizes.

Ahmed's grandfather was a revered Muslim sheikh in their town, and his library was filled with books covering various subjects, including religion, medicine, engineering, astronomy, and history. When his maternal grandfather passed away, Ahmed's mother inherited part of his library, and Ahmed, with his love for reading, ended up with the majority of those books.

One night, after finishing his schoolwork, under the dim light of an oil lamp in the quiet hours before dawn, he picked up one of his grandfather's old books. This book detailed the Pharaonic dynasties, their kings, queens, children, wars, and conquests. Immersed in his reading, he suddenly heard a strange noise—an unfamiliar, eerie sound. Fear gripped him, and he quickly closed the book, thinking it was just his imagination due to his deep focus. He pulled his pillow close and fell asleep, waking up in time for school, keeping the incident to himself.

A week passed without anything unusual happening, and he dismissed the experience as a hallucination. However, when he picked up the book again at the same time of night, he was drawn into reading once more. Suddenly, he experienced something unexpected—a faint whisper in his ears, as if he were receiving a signal in an era devoid of such devices or even electricity. Looking toward the foot of his bed, he saw what appeared to be human legs draped in a robe, and then a full human form—a woman dressed in exquisite Pharaonic attire descending from the ceiling before him. Her face was covered with a sheer veil.

Ahmed was speechless, unable to move or utter a word. Then, in an instant, she removed her veil, revealing an extraordinarily beautiful young woman adorned with the royal crown. She exuded grace and authority. She reached out, taking his hand and slipping a ring onto his finger. He instinctively resisted, but her expression changed, and he found himself unable to stop her. He was utterly powerless, as if under the influence of a spell.

All of this occurred through a sensory connection—there were no spoken words. After a brief moment, she retreated the way she had come, and the encounter ended as quickly as it had begun.

The next day, Ahmed confided in his cousin, Jabir, who was very close to him. Jabir was skeptical, suggesting that it might have been a dream rather than reality. He asked Ahmed where the ring was, and Ahmed explained that after he had shown reluctance and attempted to wake his family—though unable to—she had removed the ring from his hand. However, he showed Jabir the mark the ring had left on his finger.

Jabir proposed spending the night with Ahmed to keep him company, and Ahmed agreed. On the second night, nothing happened, but on the third night, as Jabir slept, Ahmed saw the princess, Merit, once again. This time, as he tried to wake Jabir, she firmly held his hand, preventing him from doing so. Ahmed complied with her silent command, and a conversation began.

Ahmed asked, "Who are you, and what do you want?"

Merit replied, "I am a princess from an ancient Pharaonic kingdom. I have been watching you since your childhood because we had a past connection before you came into this world and left me behind. Your name in my world was Jet, the beloved prince of all. But you left before me and entered this world."

Ahmed was astonished by what he heard, finally realizing that this was not just a dream but something real.

The next morning, he decided not to go to school and instead stayed home to talk to his parents about what had been happening. His family was alarmed and feared the situation would escalate. As a precaution, they removed all of his grandfather’s books and stored them away in an old cabinet.

Despite this, Merit's visits continued. Eventually, she asked Ahmed to marry her in her world, as she had informed her people that she had found him. She made him promise not to tell anyone about this secret.

Ahmed’s father, concerned for his son’s well-being, suspected supernatural involvement. He sought out experts to assess whether Ahmed was affected by any spiritual entity. However, all evaluations showed no signs of possession or external influences.

Left with no choice, his father decided to transfer Ahmed from his village school to one in Cairo, where his brothers lived. By moving away, Ahmed was able to escape Merit's presence.

When Ahmed enrolled in Cairo University, he was at the student affairs office registering his information when he noticed a young woman also registering. She scrutinized his features, and he thought to himself, "These beautiful features… I have seen them before. Could it be her?" As names were being recorded, he saw that her name was Maryam, and she was from one of the major provinces of Greater Cairo. To his surprise, she then asked him, "Have we met somewhere before?"

Ahmed was stunned, thinking that she might be Merit in another form. He replied, "I think we have met before, but not in this world."

The two laughed, and their friendship blossomed. As their studies progressed, they eventually married.