My Night, Me and the Devil on the Banks of This River

In the long nights of life, where the heart groans burdened with worries and smiles hide behind a veil of pain, my story begins. A world that has exhausted my soul for lean years,

its days clothing me in garments of gloom and torment. A past haunts me like a ghost, a present looming over my chest like a mountain, and an unknown future looms on the horizon with a threat. On the banks of this river, where I used to cast my sorrows into its silent waters, I did not know that fate held for me an appointment that would change everything. My night... me... and the devil who

Materialized on these banks, to turn my life and the lives of those

Around me upside down

Suggested Table of Contents:

My Night, Me and the Devil on the Banks of This River

A World Wearying and Memories of the Past

The Lake's Banks... A Temporary Refuge

The Beauty of Nature and the Charm of the Place

Omens of the Coming Event

A Terrifying Message

Confrontation with the Unknown

Grandfather Nabil

The Fragrance of Memories and the Scent of Flowers

The Rose's Message... A Language of Love and Peace

Loss of Memory... The Devil's Influence

Tears Without Feeling... Increasing Anxiety and Fear

Searching for an Answer in Grandfather's Library

"Was That the Devil?"

A Temporary Return to Calm

Grandfather's Talk of the Past and Future

A Surprising Question About the "Devil"

Sin

Confronting Grandfather with the Question of Following

Grandfather's Denial and the "Devil's" Anger

The "Devil's" Shocking Words

Attempting to Calm Grandfather's Worry

Insistence on the Truth of the "Devil"

A Bitter Confession of Sin

Grandfather's Attempt to Soothe and Contain

Moments of Weakness and Succumbing to Desire

The Aunt's Arrival

An Unexpected Return and a Shocking Discovery

Shock and Betrayal... The Collapse of a World

Threat of Revenge and Exposing the Secret

Regret and Moments of Recalling the Beautiful

Internal Conflict and a Desire to Escape

Grandfather's Anger... and the Emergence of another Face

Attempting to Prevent a Catastrophe... and Loss of Consciousness

Anisa's Lie

Awakening to a Bitter Reality... Crime and Investigators

A Fabricated Story... Accusations and Lies

A Suspicious Absence... and Urgent Questions

Anisa's Confident Testimony... A Tight Plot

The Appearance of Officer Essam... The Beginning of an Investigation

The Investigator's Questions... and an Attempt to Trap the Victim

Confusion and Silence... and the Renewed Appearance of the "Devil"

A State of Delirium... Fragmented Words

The End of a Love Story

Awakening in a Strange Place... A Mental Hospital

Officer Essam's Visit... The Beginning of Hope?

Discharge from the Hospital... and a Return to the Past

Painful Memories... and an Attempt to Forget

An Unexpected Encounter... and Confirmation of the Lie

Facing a Difficult Choice... Scandal or Silence?

Surrendering to Deception... The "Devil's" Path

Perjury... The Face of False Innocence

A Meeting Filled with Longing... and the Beginning of a New Relationship

Days of Amusement and Love... and an Unexpected End

Mahrous's Execution

The Shocking News... A Sudden Death

Another Crime... A New Mystery

The Decision to Seek the Truth

A Confrontation on a Moonlit Night... An Open Ending

My Night, Me and the Devil on the Banks of This River

The world has exhausted me for years and years, the days bringing me pain and misery, the abundance of wounds and torment. A past haunts me, a burdened present, and an unknown future...

In long nights, smiles find no way to my lips, most of them filled with pain, sorrow, and misery. My heart grew weaker with its weakness and endured more than it could bear. Whenever a calamity struck in my life, I felt happiness in the sky's brow.

How many empty days have passed, my heart empty, my hope gone. A heart torn by

Exhaustion and fatigue, humiliated by the world, and burdened by sorrows. A murdered conscience and the devil of life seized for it misery and torment, a burden that, were the earth to carry it, might reach its limit.

My life was nothing but a daily series with no end and no order to its episodes. Whenever the world elevated me with beauty and wealth, my heart burned with worry and misery.

I hear from my maid her envy of my state, and I hear from my servant his begrudging of the blessing in my hands.

Life often restricted itself, and I distanced myself from many, but the necessities of life require dealing with everyone.

I took a seat for myself on the banks of the lake, where I habitually went to escape my condition and cast my worries into the lake. I feel nothing in the world there. How many nights was I nearly killed by worry, only to go to my seat and cast my worries there.

Since that time, I have become accustomed to going out to my seat whenever the world weighed heavily upon me.

I began to arrange the seat in an organized manner. It was close to the water, but the other seat was closer to my left. However, the place had a magical charm.

And how wonderful the world was! The beauty of the seat was enhanced by the planting of several gardens near it, and between the seats, greenery and roses with distinct colors and fragrances spread.

The seat became as if it were a garden from heaven.

The clear city sky reflects the faint waves of the lake, and the breeze carries the fragrance of flowers, roses, and trees, mixing it with the scent of water, refreshing the heart, purifying the chest, drying the tears, and renewing the hopes of the world painted in the colors of the sun's spectrum as it sinks into the lake. The outpouring of feelings revitalizes the heart and stirs the longing of the soul to live in a moment that encompasses life and all that it holds, and to cast behind you all that occupies your mind, even if you gathered the world's worries in your hands. Thus I became, and so it continued...

I did not know that this seat would change everything in my life, and that I would be on a date with an event that would change my life and the lives of those around me, and that it would be a night in my life – my night, me and the devil on the banks of this river.

The Message

The breaths of anger increased within me, and angry cries rose. A state of distress and suffocation overcame me.

I tried to release this distress and expel the hell of angry breaths from within me, but their intensity only increased.

The state of anger intensified, driving me to leave and head towards the lake's shores.

I walked, filled with anger, the fires of rage blazing within me, and the tightness in my chest threatened to tear my insides apart. I was unaware of myself until I found the thread of water melting in the sun's spectrum amidst the birds' singing.

It was the birds that had begun to bid farewell to their day with melodies and sounds of happiness, singing among the trees, filling life with hope and joy.

Finally, I reached my seat, bidding farewell to the day like the birds, singing with breezes carrying the sweet scent of the water, mingling among the trees, carrying their fragrance, and adorned with their flowers, giving them its sweet scent.

The lake's breezes intensified, spreading their sweet scent throughout the place, and the birds' singing rose. My chest swelled with joy and widened, sending out a new hope that soared to sing with the world.

The more intense the lake's breezes became, the higher the sound rose, and hope increased, as if it were the sun of hope that had returned to shine after melting the wounds, the pains, and the worries at the lake's end.

At my usual seat, I placed my feet in the path of the winds, alternating in their movements as if they were turning a machine.

A machine of time, renewing the hopes and sorrows of the past, and the image suddenly cuts to depict the present, continuing to pursue the future, building dreams and stealing hopes, cutting off one path and renewing another, returning to the distant past. Images and sounds clash like the waves of the sea, carrying the years and days, rising and falling with them.

Until that machine stopped, or so it seemed to me, for my feet stopped moving. That sound was the whistling of the winter wind.

And those birds no longer sang, their voices now only cries and wails. The trees swayed, the waves rose, and the sky darkened with clouds, as if it were an autumn sky.

My breaths quickened with anger, and I was seized by anxiety and terror in those moments I felt.

I resolved to return home. He looked at me, smiling without a sound or gesture.

I asked myself, trembling with horror and fear, and water pouring from my forehead like rain: "Who is this? Where did he come from? I didn't see him moments ago? And how did he enter my seat without me seeing him? My eyes didn't wander, and I didn't overlook my right or my left. And if he was there, how didn't I see him when I arrived?"

Then I looked at him intently, and my heart trembled with terror.

My body began to shake and tremble with horror. He terrified me.

He is very strange in his appearance, the features of his face, his eyes, and even his clothes. I don't think he is from our village or city.

He doesn't seem to be from our country at all. I looked at the ground and looked at him again.

I asked him, trembling, "Who are you?"

He looked at me silently and smiled a terrifying, horrifying smile, unlike any I had ever seen in my life.

The terror in my heart increased, so I turned slightly to my left and then turned back to him, asking, "Who are you?"

He didn't answer and remained silent for a long time, then rose from his seat, heading towards the riverbank.

Curiosity drove me to know who he was, and despite my fear and terror of him, I insisted on knowing who he was, no matter the consequences.

I took my path towards him, my feet barely carrying me, feeling them falter as if I were crawling towards him, not walking

Grandfather Nabil

The night breeze intensified, scented with the fragrances of the garden near my residence. Grandfather Nabil was keen on tending to and planting that garden himself.

He has been a lover of flowers and roses since his early childhood, having spent years of his life working and studying in this field.

But in those moments, the scents of the flowers intensified. Every time I inhaled the air, the fragrance stirred joy and happiness within me, as if it were walking closer to me with every moment, until the breeze dissolved me with its fragrance. I closed my eyes, and my lips and face touched that soft texture. The intensity of the breeze in my nose stirred me, and I quickly opened my eyes to the laughter of Grandfather Nabil.

He began to remind me of what I had forgotten. I was accustomed to passing by him daily to take the bouquet of flowers he used to present to me himself.

He believes that flowers are a message of love between people, that they support the pillars of love and peace, and that they are more effective and influential than moral or material messages. Their charm is unmatched by the charm of words or the charm of matter, no matter its value.

He began, in astonishment, to ask about the reason for my delay in seeing him that day, reminding me of what I do daily and teasing me with the response he usually expects from me. In that daily routine, I realized that the devil had been with me, for he had made me forget everything.

Since the previous night, I had not been aware of time or life, to the point that I did not know how I had spent the day, what work I had done, or even what I had eaten for breakfast or lunch.

I assured him that the reason for my preoccupation with matters that had kept me from him was that I had been busy with several complex tasks. He was perhaps not convinced by the answer and looked at me in astonishment.

I was surprised when he looked at me like that, but my astonishment quickly disappeared with his question:

"Are you crying, Layla?"

I was crying without realizing it, and this began to frighten me and provoke my question: How could I have cried and tears have flowed without me feeling it?

Fear tightened its grip on me, and a state of trembling and tension began to take hold of me.

He said to me, "What's wrong, Layla? You're trembling, and you seem tense and afraid." He insisted on accompanying me home and not leaving me in that state.

We arrived home. I had walked a considerable distance, yet I did not feel the movement of my feet or notice the signs of the road.

Am I asleep? Is this a dream? It's reality, but how can I not feel everything around me or sense my feelings and emotions? Or is it that the devil's words have captivated me to the point that my mind and heart are oblivious to events or changes within me?

In the large room, I sat in front of the fireplace, looking at the huge library, searching for an answer in any of these references or books. Am I entering a complex phase in my life?

Or am I going insane? Or do I need a psychiatrist to treat me? Or is it over, and I must be admitted to a mental health facility for treatment?

The matter is complex and perplexing. Am I talking to myself? Or is it better to remain silent?

Perhaps speaking will ease my chest, release what I'm hiding in my breaths, and dispel the obsession within me.

Or perhaps speaking will prove to everyone my illness and mental disorder, and the dilemma remains: silence or speech.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyelids, when a cup appeared before my eyes. It was Grandfather Nabil, who had brought me some drink to help me relax and calm down. He thinks I'm sick or that some painful memory from the past has returned to him, so he smiled gently.

"Layla, drink this to calm your nerves and rest."

I reached out my hand, which was trembling even more, and took the cup. He gently held my hand.

He said to me,

"Calm down, what's wrong?

You're not the Layla I know. Has something new happened to you?"

I returned to the huge library, looking at the shelves filled with books and references from end to end.

I try to find among those references and scientific books an answer to my question:

Was that the devil? And why didn't he continue talking? And how can I talk to him again if he returns?

I slowly began to return to my normal state. My breaths began to regulate, my feet and hands steadied, and the awe faded away, and all signs of anxiety disappeared.

Until I heard Grandfather Nabil say, "You seem better now, don't you?"

I said to him, "Yes, I'm much better. It seems I was just exhausted from the party the day before yesterday."

He laughed, saying, "Or have you returned to the past too much?

You never sit on the riverbank without your memories returning, Layla. Leave behind what happened and what was.

You are now in the present, look for the future, and never turn your face back."

Grandfather Nabil noticed my eyes wandering in the library, so he looked at the library, smiling, and said,

"Are you looking for a new book? Or do you want to read about botany?"

I didn't hear his question the first time, not even when half of the question was repeated a second time.

I said to him, "Are all these books about plants and agriculture only?"

He replied, "This is my profession, my favorite hobby, and my study. Are you looking for something specific?"

I said in a faint voice, "The devil."

He said, "What did you say?"

He started to move to bring the drink again and turned his back.

He said, "I didn't hear you, Layla.

So I raised my voice and said,

Books on life, literature, and psychology, various books

He brought me the drink, extended his hand, and leaned on the mantelpiece in front of me in his usual sitting position. He began to trim the roses as if he were preparing a bride for her wedding night, saying,

"Layla, you have a library full of valuable books and volumes. Your grandfather was a wonderful, creative man of high culture and science. We learned a lot from him, and your looking at your grandfather's library might benefit you greatly."

His answer drew my attention to something important: indeed, there are books in this field, but I haven't read them, and I don't think they have the answer to my question.

Sin

I went

to Grandfather Nabil, facing him,

And said to him, "Are we followers of the devil?

Do we carry out what he wants and help him achieve his goal?"

He shouted,

Laughing, "The devil is waiting for us to help him? No, no.

The devil is an infidel, disobedient, and cursed."

I looked at him in astonishment.

The devil said to me, "You are my partners in falsehood

and my friends who cooperate with me in my message. I have not dragged anyone by their feet to destruction, nor have I offered you alternatives. Rather, you are the ones who seek alternatives, rush to spread them, and attract millions of people to them."

Grandfather Nabil fell silent, and his face turned gloomy,

Saying,

"What's wrong, Layla? We will not cooperate with the devil.

The devil urges us to corruption, and we fight him.

But

Why are you saying this?"

I said to him,

"It's not my words; it's the devil's words. He's the one who said this."

He looked at me with pity, remained silent for a few minutes, and then resumed his conversation.

He said,

"Layla, you look tired and exhausted from yesterday.

Go to rest, and I will accompany you home because I fear for you walking alone."

I said,

"Grandfather, I'm not tired. The devil spoke to me and said

to me that we cannot resist our desires, that we are the ones who went to him, and that we..."

He interrupted me angrily, saying, "Even if he said that, what's

Strange about it He’s the lying, arrogant one."

I said to him, "But he doesn’t lay, Grandfather."

He looked at me angrily, objecting, "He doesn't lie?"

I said to him, "Have you forgotten the past and what I did? I've

Discovered that I was a follower of the devil's whims, and what I did in my life is much less than what the devil did."

Then I laughed sarcastically.

I continued speaking, saying to him, "I'm worse than

The devil."

Grandfather Nabil said to me,

In a tone of pity for the sick,

"Layla, you're regretting the past. All that you heard

And felt was nothing but your conscience tormenting you for your sin and what you did. And now, doesn't the devil see us?

Is he dragging us to his path? Or are we stronger than him?"

I wiped away my tears with my hand. He extended his hands and wiped away the tears from my other eye with all

Love and gentleness

He began to touch my hair, touch my ear, and caress me,

Saying,

"You are beautiful in your sadness and in your joy. I wish

I had known you in my youth."

I said to him,

"You are a gentle and kind-hearted man, with tender feelings.

I wish I had learned at your hands."

I kissed him, and he kissed me, and the kisses increased the feelings

and emotions. We didn't realize that we were being drawn to our evil state and that we were meeting with the base self, pulling us to satisfy vile desires, leaving us in the mire of life.

The blood rushed in the old man's veins, and my ecstasy began,

and the erection of youth began between the old man's ribs. We lingered until the fire of longing and love melted us, and my breaths dissolved with the breaths of the old man, their voices rising with moans and dissolving in the gushing, hot water, to cool the glowing body and extinguish the fire in me, to cool the body.

As soon as we finished, Aunt, Grandfather's wife, entered. She

was traveling to her sister's, and she feared she wouldn't find a train the next day, so she returned early.

Because she had bought a lot of luggage

and supplies, she passed by the house of Mahrous, the servant, to take him with her

to the house. Aneesa, her maid and Mahrous's wife, promised her that they would come after finishing some household chores and attending to her sick father,

to help her husband prepare the house and food.

Aunt didn't expect, in the worst of circumstances, to discover

his betrayal with this daughter whom she had been taking care of for not a long time, except that she confirms that this is her daughter whom she did not give birth to.

The shock almost killed Aunt or paralyzed her.

Likewise, the servant Mahrous was deceived by this old man, believing that he was an example of morals, principles,

and values, who only speaks with his wisdom, mind, and composure.

His message is beautiful, it doesn't appear in a place without arousing admiration

and joy in those present, and the conversation with people doesn't stop, no matter how much time has passed, leaving them with a mark of his presence wherever he is.

The heart of this woman, who lost the most beautiful

years of her life to make this treacherous old man happy, was torn apart...

I saw her tearing apart like

Volcanic lava tears apart the earth. She appeared in a form I had never seen her in before, with a savage look in her eyes, teeth that appeared like sharp blades, her voice thickening and its intensity rising, threatening Grandfather Nabil with exposing his affair in the city

and taking revenge on him.

She began

to threaten him with taking revenge on me and her husband, and that she would not leave me alone.

The fierce beast breaks down in tears of regret and remorse,

Reviewing what this kind woman presented throughout her journey with her husband, and what sacrifices she made, and how she embraced me and made me her daughter whom she did not give birth to.

She headed

to the door and turned to the stairs to go up to the upper floor, threatening him with taking revenge on him and me.

Grandfather Nabil felt that he was in trouble and had to find

an alternative to get out of this situation. Signs of treachery began to appear in Grandfather Nabil's eyes, and the features

of the devil began to appear in his features. He hurried to the stairs

to go up to the second floor, then stopped himself

for a moment, then returned and took the sickle for garden work. I held him back so that he wouldn't commit another sin.

I assured him that she wouldn't do anything.

I continued to plead with him and beg him, and I implored him to stop, but he insisted on doing so. He hit me with the handle on my head, and I didn't feel anything except the world spinning around me, and the world tossed me between rights and left until I fell to the ground, unconscious...

Anisa's Lie

To the sound of many footsteps and voices, and a strong, irritating smell that might resemble the smell of garlic, onions, or ammonia, or all three combined, I opened my eyes and found many people I didn't know. I realized then that they were the police and these were the investigators who had come to investigate the crime of murder and suicide, as I later learned, and my rape.

The doctor reassured me about my condition and confirmed that I was fine, but I don't know anything. Where am I? What happened? The matter became clear to me later. I am in Grandpa Nabil's house, but on the upper floor.

But what happened? I didn't realize. I only know incomplete images flashing before my eyes, the screeching and howling of birds, and the appearance of the devil. All I grasped was from Anisa's words...

Anisa, Mahrous's wife, sat asserting Grandpa Nabil's attempt to rape me and that the aunt was surprised by this upon her return home. She threatened Grandpa Nabil about it, saying she would expose him among the people of the city. However, he hit me and rushed to kill the aunt, murdering her on the upper floor. He didn't notice Anisa's presence, or perhaps he was confused. After his actions were discovered, he shot himself with his gun.

As for Mahrous, the servant, the aunt had asked him to travel to her sister because she had forgotten some of her belongings there, as she was in a hurry to travel.

I didn't know what she was saying. None of that happened at all. Where did Mahrous the servant go? And how did Anisa come to the house? I witnessed Mahrous opening the door with my own eyes, but there is something mixed up, or something suspicious might be happening. I don't know what it is.

Anisa continued to narrate the fabricated events, speaking with complete confidence and composure. She had entered the house moments after the aunt, carrying groceries and supplies in her hands, which slowed her down. Thanks to that, Grandpa Nabil didn't notice her presence at the time, according to her account.

The aunt went upstairs, and the grandfather hit me on the head. Then he started shaking my body to make sure I was dead. He went upstairs and attacked his wife while she was talking on the phone, asking her friend to come to her immediately and that she was coming with the police.

He killed her, then sat crying when he realized what he had done a little later. He pointed his gun at himself and killed himself. Anisa entered and found me still alive, covered me, and called for help.

A tall, muscular young man with a handsome face and clear eyes appeared to me.

He introduced himself as Officer Essam, and with him was the investigator. They wanted to continue their work with me after the doctor who was with them confirmed that I was in good condition and doing well, but that I needed a period of clarity and relaxation and should not be exposed to strong influences.

Essam promised not to exhaust me and that they would begin their work, taking into account all the doctor's instructions. They started asking the usual questions.

The investigator began by saying, "Why were you at the house?"

I told him, "Grandpa Nabil invited me."

"Was his wife at home?"

I told him, "No, no one was home."

Then he continued his question clumsily, saying,

"Are you keen on frequenting Nabil's house without an invitation?"

My feeling was that he was trying to lead me into admitting that we had fallen into sin.

He didn't succeed in leading me on, as I quickly closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and said to him, "I... I..." and I stopped answering.

The investigator was astonished and began asking, "Are you still exhausted? Would you like to rest?"

I continued my answer, saying, "No, thank you. My relationship with Grandpa Nabil is that of a grandfather with his granddaughter. I often went to him for his advice on everything new that happened to me, and I followed his advice. And I was never..."

I waited silently, and the devil's message began to renew in my ear, almost as if its voice was loud, louder than all the voices around me. Images were drawn before my eyes, displaying the lake, the gathering, the devil's face, and Grandpa Nabil's laughter.

Those present noticed the matter, and the investigator looked in astonishment and surprise. Then he signaled to his assistant to stop taking my statements. Essam said, with concern and confusion in his voice regarding my condition, "Are you still tired?"

I didn't feel those around me at the time and repeated my words several times, like someone suffering from a fever and starting to hallucinate as their temperature rose, losing consciousness and becoming delirious, saying:

"I am Grandpa Nabil, Aunt Ne'ma, the curse, the lake, the devil, the river." I began repeating words from here and there, saying one word and repeating another, while the officer and the investigator asked me to calm down and compose myself. They immediately ordered a drink to be brought so I could quench my thirst and calm down, and they urgently called the doctor.

Angry feelings increased within me, and I felt fire consuming my limbs. My heart almost stopped beating, and the trembling in my body intensified. I began to murmur incoherently.

The doctor noticed him and asked me, "What did you say? Do you want something?"

I began to recite the devil's message: "You are my partners in falsehood and my friends who cooperate with me in my mission. I did not drag anyone by their feet to ruin, nor did I offer you my alternatives. Rather, you are the ones who seek alternatives and rush to spread them and attract millions of people to them."

These were the words the devil mentioned to me on the banks of the river. I don't know if it was today, yesterday, or before that. I didn't feel it then, nor at any other time. I lost my sense of the day, my sense of time, and of those around me. Did the devil tell me the truth in his message?

Are we truly carrying out the devil's desires?

Are we truly weaker than the devil?

Was my sin with Grandpa Nabil new evidence of the truth of the devil's message? I lost my balance and fell like a collapsing tower.

A Love Story Ends

I didn't open my eyes until I found myself in a strangely shaped room. In front of me was a large balcony with white curtains, and the air fluttered them as if the world was fluttering before my eyes. Every time the curtain rose, the smiling sun appeared, striking the side of the room with its light, illuminating all its corners.

From the side of the window, the large garden was full of flowers. I noticed the movement of girls and women, all in the same white clothes. I realized then that I was in a private hospital for mental and neurological diseases.

The matter was confirmed to me by the entry of Officer Essam, holding a bouquet of roses.

Essam had come to check on my health, and I didn't know if it was part of his job or if he was attracted to me. This could be a new stage in life, and a near date would bring us together for love and the beginning of a new journey, folding our past and renewing our present. Or was this just my desire and my wish?

The time didn't last long. He looked at his watch, asked to leave for work, and told me to call him if anything happened.

Finally, the hospital administration wrote my discharge order to complete the treatment definitively. I left the hospital.

I headed home with a strange feeling, wondering if all that had really happened or if I had been in a dream.

I arrived home feeling like I was returning from a long trip, having been away for what might have been years, or like it was my first time entering the house. I started with joy and happiness, wandering around the house as if it were my first time. I stood in front of the main garden balcony, watching the sun reflect its light on the swimming pool water and how the water circles reflected its rays and dissolved them in the water. My imagination drifted to the time this machine was installed inside the swimming pool, and I remembered the conversation, its sound.

It pounded in my ears, and I heard nothing else...

Until Umm El Hana interrupted my solitude, saying, "Welcome back, Madam."

I turned to her with a look of astonishment. She said to me, "I'm sorry, it seems you were busy with something." I told her, "Not at all." She said to me, "I've been talking to you for several minutes, Madam, and you haven't responded." I told her, "It seems I was really busy." She said to me simply, "Welcome, Madam. You have brought life back to the house." I told her, "Thank you, Umm El Hana, you are kind-hearted." She is my maid and attendant; she has been with me for years and years.

She indicated to me that a man and a woman had come to the house asking to see me. The man and the woman had arrived a few minutes ago.

I went to the reception room and found Mahrous and his wife Anisa had come to confirm what I would say to the investigator the next morning...

They were emphasizing the need for us to agree on a single testimony, because it was in everyone's interest...

I didn't like this approach and felt that they were exploiting my feelings and provoking me...

Either a testimony confirming

Anisa's story, or scandal and shame. Nevertheless, I later began to be convinced by Mahrous's words.

I would appear as the victim of that old man who had lost his mind, gone astray, raped, killed, and committed suicide. The victim would find sympathy from everyone and their worth would increase.

She wouldn't hesitate to help many and almost got killed by her good deeds. That was the logic that moved me to walk my path to the devil until it became inevitable for me, and I became indebted to the devil to carry out his plan...

And before the investigator, words of lies, deceit, and fabrication stand out. This face, resembling the face of angels, and eyes of righteousness and benevolence, depict all appearances of innocence...

Those words confirm the ugliness of events fabricated by the self and imagined by the mind, so that the matter ends, the incident disappears, and the perpetrators escape any accountability, even disciplinary...

Outside the investigator's office, Essam waited for me with longing and eagerness. He had been captivated by me, and his longing to meet me was intense, even hoping that we would be together forever.

He greeted me with joy and delight, assuring me of his belief and conviction that I was a victim. He began to express the extent of his longing and love since our first moments of meeting...

And that he would never leave me again. I was the girl of his dreams, for whom he had spent many nights and days searching tirelessly...

And that he had vowed to make things easy for me so that he could stay with me for eternity. I was captivated by the tenderness of his words, the gentleness of his speech, and his calm, soft, harmonious voice. Soon, the days brought us together...

We would meet, go out daily, play, run, and have fun, one day here and another there. On a water journey, we would roam the world in our imagination, and the wave would pull our boat to cross the sky and reach the end of the dream. Longing fueled the fire of our hearts, and affection filled the corners of the universe around us, until the ship of fate anchored us in my bedroom on the second floor of my house.

We melted in the passion and fire of love. My limbs almost shattered from the violence and intensity of the encounter, a long night I had never seen before. The encounter continued; I wished the sun would never rise and that the longing and the flow of emotions would never subside...

But the flood of water ended, the heart dried up, the fire of longing went out, and the strong feelings dissolved with it. The body lowered and cooled after the flames were extinguished. The sun appeared, striking the corners of the room, and Essam hurried to leave due to several tasks. This time, he didn't bid me farewell with his usual words, "I will see you, and your smile will greet me."

He only advised me to take care of myself and not to grieve no matter what happened, as if giving me his last testament.

Mahrous's Execution

I learned of his death from the newspapers. He couldn't have called me or had anyone inform me, a new shock, but it came at the time a new catastrophe emerged. Mahrous had killed his wife Anisa and fled. This made me suspicious. I feared he would be arrested and confess something, or that there was a mysterious matter I didn't know about. I decided then to actually look for him. I started searching for him until I found him.

On a moonlit evening, I spread out in my sitting room on the second floor. I started listening to calm music to soothe my nerves and have a moment of harmony with myself, only to be attacked by Mahrous, interrupting my solitude.

He said, "Welcome, Madam."

I said to him, "Welcome to you, Mahrous. Welcome."

He said, "I heard you were looking for me. Why?"

I said to him, "Why did you kill your wife?"

He said, "She was a traitor."

I said to him, "I want to help you as you helped me. Wait for me until I change my clothes and come to you."

He looked at me, laughing, his heart filled with reassurance.

I hadn't felt before the extent of my power and deception over people, but deceiving Mahrous and his reassurance towards me confirmed that I am very influential.

I said to him, "Would you like to drink something?"

He said to me, "Please, any cold drink. The weather was very hot today."

I smiled at him and had my maid bring a cold juice. When she brought the juice, I put a sedative in it and offered it gently with eyes filled with longing and deceit. He started drinking until he lost consciousness. I tore my clothes, brought a knife, and broke some of the belongings in the room. I used a spray anesthetic so that the characteristic of hosting him would be negated from me. Then I started screaming until the workers came. They found me lying on the ground, called the police, and the police started investigating.

In court, I began to explain to the judge how he had attacked me, intended to kill me, and destroyed the room. I played my role with competence and skill, not hesitating for a moment, and my conscience and heart did not soften until I brought him to the gallows.

On the morning of the execution, the world couldn't contain my joy. Finally, I was done with this disturbing nightmare. The matter was over; nothing would trouble my days anymore.

The days passed, carrying something within them that I couldn't define at the time, but I realized that something was about to happen. The happiness I was experiencing were moments I didn't know if they would last or not. What had been going through my mind? How long had I been feeling this happiness? I had spent nights, days, and years without ever knowing the joy of the heart.

The worst thing a person can live through is the obsession with their happiness at the expense of others. Had I become like that? Or had I taken the path of the devil?

Or had the devil taken me as a follower and partner in carrying out his deeds so that he could win his argument with himself that he is better than humans?

It seems that the devil's message to me was correct...

My evil-commanding self had dragged me to commit several crimes in a few days.

I had sinned with Grandpa Nabil, falsely testified that he had attempted to rape me, covered up the crime of Mahrous and Anisa, and sent Mahrous to his death with false testimony...

Yes, he killed, but he didn't try to kill me. The knife I placed in his hand and the sedative were all my arrangements.

I noticed something more important: my black history. I had lived my past life in lies and hypocrisy, with no place for morals, principles, honor, or values...

Illegal trade was the way of life; everything was permissible in business.

I manipulated feelings, emotions, and holy books.

I amassed a vast fortune, every part of it stained with the blood of shame, treachery, and betrayal...

For I was nothing but a picture painted with beauty and creativity, beautiful and the daughter of a righteous grandfather known in his village for his righteousness and truthfulness.

I seized every piece of information and every letter I acquired. Even playing with me taught me a lot, and I read more until I became like a fortified castle that destroys all the values of the earth...

Until it achieved its desired goal, I excelled in human psychology and social sciences to control everyone around me. I was not just the wolf that preys on the weak, the poor, and the simple...

But also the strong, the rich, the intellectuals, and the researchers

Unfortunately, I always managed to control them successfully.

I managed to be that lady, a dream for most of the great, the intellectuals, and the wealthy.

This is my evil self that led me to do that, and this is my mind and my heart. It seems that the devil's message was indeed true, and that a person like me does not deserve to be obeyed, honored, or treated fairly. Could this be the beginning of believing in this cursed devil, or is it regret and remorse?

Following the Devil

I didn't raise my head or look at anyone around me. It seems that my immersion in my thoughts was stronger than the sounds of Engineer Ibrahim's car, which alerted me several times, but I didn't pay attention until he gently bumped my rear with the front of his car. I looked at him with intense anger, only for him to laugh and say with youthful warmth,

"What's wrong? Madam, he's a lucky man."

I looked at him, unable to speak, staring at him with strong astonishment, not comprehending his words. I controlled my anger and said to him calmly, "What did you say?"

He said to me, "I said he's a lucky man."

His reply increased my astonishment, and I said to him, "Who is he?"

He said, "The one you are thinking about now, who occupies your heart and mind throughout your journey..." He smiled at me, and I said to him with a reproachful flirtatiousness, "I'm angry with you, Ibrahim."

He replied in surprise, asking, "Why?"

I said to him, "You almost ran me over with your car just to tease me and say these words to me."

He said playfully and gently, "I didn't try to run you over. I'm trying to enter my house."

I said to him, marveling and astonished, "And what is my relation to your house?"

He replied with a smile in his beautiful gaze, "You are standing at the entrance of the house."

The matter was surprising, so much so that I almost couldn't believe it. I had indeed turned onto the entrance of his house, even inside the garden. Ibrahim's house is not a short distance from mine; it extends for several kilometers and might be more...

Usually, I reach Ibrahim's house from mine by car in half an hour or a little more...

It seems I had been daydreaming for a long time. I returned to reality as if I had been dreaming or returning from a long journey. I began to feel tired and very exhausted, so Ibrahim insisted on inviting me for lunch. Indeed, I had walked for a long time because I hadn't realized that it had become noon. I had started my way from near sunrise.

We sat at a round table to drink some hot coffee after lunch. Time had passed, and we talked a lot, but I didn't feel that time because I wasn't paying attention to the conversation until I noticed the devil's word, so I said to him,

"Ibrahim, excuse me, I didn't pay attention to your conversation. Please repeat what you said?"

He said, "Layla, what's wrong with you? You seem upset. Are there problems in your life?"

Maryam entered, tying her hair and tightening her wristband. She cares a lot about her appearance and beauty. She said,

"Certainly, Ibrahim, she is busy with one of her business deals or interested in implementing a new project. You know she is the successful businesswoman of the city."

I closed my eyes, almost bursting with rage. I had lost track of the conversation, and Maryam provoked me with her words. I said to her dismissively, "And you are the beauty of the city and its first lady, but you must publish every new thing about women so that their taste and beauty can rise to it."

She said in her provocative way, "You mean, elevate their taste?"

She provoked me with her linguistic correction. I said to her, "Indeed, that's right. My tongue betrayed me, and I didn't consider that in my words. Excuse me." Ibrahim usually says, "Did you hear what happened in the city yesterday?"

I said to him, preoccupied and annoyed, "No, I didn't hear. What is it?"

He said in a sad tone, "The principal was killed."

I said to him, "Who killed him?"

He replied in a calm voice, "His eldest son."

I was astonished. He thought I hadn't listened to his words or that I hadn't understood the matter well, so he decided to confirm what I had heard. I said to him,

"What? Professor Rabie, the teacher?"

He said with a tone of sadness and regret, "Yes."

I was surprised. He was a righteous man and a successful teacher, one of the best people in the city, known for his integrity, competence, and good morals. Moreover, he had no enmity or rivalry with anyone, so why was he killed?

I decided to inquire further, so I asked him in astonishment and also regret, "Why?"

He replied with deep sadness, "In the previous period, Khaled, the principal's son, learned about drugs and was led down the path of the devil. Khaled dragged a large group of friends with him. He entered to rob his father, who caught him. He tried to escape, so his father hit him, killing him."

I said to him, "And where is he now?"

He said to me, "He has been arrested, and his companions have also been arrested."

His words didn't feel strange, and words echoed in my mind. I said to him, "Evil..."

He replied quickly, saying, "Indeed, the self is inclined to evil."

At that moment, the devil's message began to return to me again.

"You have forgotten that you are weak souls, unable to resist your instincts and your own selves. I commanded you to do evil, and you attributed all of that to me. You are my partners in falsehood and my friends who cooperate with me in my mission. I did not drag anyone by their feet to ruin, nor did I offer you my alternatives. Rather, you are the ones who seek alternatives and rush to spread them and attract millions of people to them..."

I began to go back in my memory to the lake, the devil, and the ominous night, until I decided to leave and return home. I felt something, either the devil's words were true, or the youth had followed the devil and he had seduced them...

Lawyer Amin and the Gang of Honorable People

I don't know what I'm thinking about, or what I'm going through with my heart and mind, a feeling of distress that almost tears my insides apart. But I noticed the sound of my maid's voice and the tap of her feet on the floor.

She had come to inform me of the arrival of my private lawyer, who is almost a partner in my businesses. He had come to ask for permission to enter, so I ordered her to let him in...

The lawyer entered, a man accustomed to not caring about his appearance, his clothes, or his demeanor, yet he is considered a genius. This old lawyer, who is over sixty years old, is a prodigy of his time.

He loves money and alcohol, a seller of everything and anything, and doesn't hesitate to sell his morals for a glass of fine wine.

He shook my hand violently and kissed it submissively, not raising his head from the ground, asking for my forgiveness for not being present during the past events...

However, he had reviewed all the procedures that had been taken and met with the investigator to ensure the safety of my position...

And that the matter had indeed ended and left no trace.

I downplayed his apology and embarrassment and told him what had happened and what had been done, that everything was fine, that no harm had befallen me, and that it had ended safely.

He kept emphasizing in his words how important I was to him, that he couldn't bear any harm coming to me, and that he wouldn't hesitate for a moment to do everything in his power to save me from any misfortune that might befall me.

Why not? We are partners in crimes and have long vowed to support the devil. We are followers of the path of delusion, never hesitating to defend it.

I asked him if he would like to have a drink. He smiled greedily at the wine, happy for my safety, and I was surprised that he drinks morning and evening. However, he insisted that he only drinks for joy and to celebrate my survival.

Amin began to drink, his nerves calmed, and he started talking to me about deals and businesses, advising me as if he were an economic news bulletin, presenting the latest financial events. I stayed with him until the sun began to draw its curtains and bid farewell to our session. The business meeting ended. Amin informed me that I was invited to a lively party held in honor of my presence, and the hosts insisted on not accepting any excuses that would prevent me from attending the awaited grand gathering.

They are some of Amin's followers, merchants and business owners, and the elite of the city, its women and men, its politicians, and those close to princes and kings, at a very high level, bringing together a mix of financiers, rulers, and intellectuals.

They were very keen to attend the lively party so that they could find an opportunity to push them towards concluding deals and businesses, or they could complete their new businesses or start them.

What struck me at that time was not the brilliance of this charlatan and his companions, but that this time he was sympathetic and merciful to some of his victims.

However, the devil's words began in my ear with a voice that almost rose above the voices of those present and seated, who were accustomed to always speaking loudly.

It wasn't a problem for me, but every letter in the devil's message had come true before my eyes. This mayor of the city, in his fifties, a man of piety and faith, had embarked on the laws of religion and didn't fall short, yet he confessed that he couldn't control his instincts or himself. He was weak before his whims and desires...

And without confession, this is evident to everyone like the sun in the sky, and almost everyone in the town knows it. He had previously been involved in several misfortunes that almost destroyed him, and even his wife, who only endured and persevered to maintain the structure of her small family, despite what she carried in her heart of the shaking of her innocence, the shattering of her feelings, and the undermining of her dignity, endured for the sake of her daughters and sons, the eldest of whom was only twenty-four years old.

And this Adham, one of the city's major merchants, confesses to his trade in selling false dreams and pleasure to people, and that the devil is his first partner.

Boasting about it, saying that if the devil knew him, he would repent his actions

Adham was not lying about that. He traded in the dreams of the youth, the poor, and the simple, and in their food, drink, and clothing. Despite being a representative of the townspeople to solve their problems, he was their first concern and the first and biggest problem in their lives...

As for the doctor, a traitor to his profession, who plays his role in corrupting the health of patients, robbing them of their treatment, and trading in all forms, the most heinous of which, he provides alternatives to people. He has performed several operations for girls who have lost their virginity, restoring the hymen as an alternative to adultery and fornication, or he aborts women who have fallen into sin, multiple alternatives that may, in their presence, facilitate the cancellation of the original.

He also offers sexual advice along with some scientific instructions for enjoyment without some falling into the fruit of sin. What can this cunning woman do but listen to her private doctor to create a situation that allows her to betray her husband without him noticing anything...

And from sellers of their consciences to sellers of humans, to the merchant of worry and the merchant of disease, to this one who bought food not even suitable for animals, containing harmful substances, and gives it to the poor...

How many merchants sell in the name of values and holy books what the devil himself would be ashamed of and not imagine...

And sick souls place their evils among people to reap the pleasures and delights of their lives.

The matter became clear to me. I hadn't left my city or renewed my acquaintances. All that happened was that I matched the devil's message with myself and those around me, friends and acquaintances, and my doubt in that became a confirmed certainty that needs no interpretation or explanation...

For he said, "You are weak souls," and what I was certain of in my past and present, and what appeared from the people around me, is that we strive to confirm his message...

He was better than God in his favor, for we are the ones who confirm, even execute, his plan to prove that, and we follow him, not the other way around.

I began to observe from a distance the actions of many around me, not to confirm the evidence, but to increase the argument for my mind...

The Righteous Sheikh

Ne'mat, my mother's sister who lives far from our city, called me. She urgently requested to meet me. I had to travel in haste. After preparing my travel belongings, I decided to travel by train instead of by car...

I had always been accustomed to traveling in my own car, but I feared the journey might be difficult for me, especially with my lack of focus and preoccupation with several thoughts that often recurred in my mind whenever I remained silent.

On the train, we passengers were busy arranging our seats, placing luggage, and checking tickets.

The train began to move, leaving the station. I looked at the road, returning to my memories, to the lake and the devil, events passing before my eyes as if on a cinema screen.

I noticed the sound of a child screaming and crying. I looked at the front and rear of the carriage but found nothing...

I was astonished by this, wondering if the obsessions that haunted me had returned, or if I had entered a stage of auditory hallucinations.

I became certain that I was right, for the child's voice returned again, but it was close to me...

So I began to feel around and cast my gaze at the back seat. It was an old man with his daughter and grandson. But why was this child crying, and why wasn't his daughter speaking?

I turned around and returned to my seat inside the large salon.

There was a man, his wife, their children, and his wife's mother, who had come to sit down. They were my travel companions.

Of course, I didn't choose them, but they came into my path on the journey...

The children's playing and the man and his wife's conversation about private matters put me in an awkward position...

But I couldn't find a better reservation than this. I could have waited to book on a special, distinguished service train, or found places in the luxurious first class.

However, I was in a hurry, and this was the only solution before me...

I ordered a little coffee and took a corner facing the back seat so that the happy family could feel comfortable without being embarrassed.

He was a simple employee, with his wife and family. They had saved money from their work to travel for a picnic and spend their vacation...

In manifestations of joy and celebration of the beautiful day, I found it best to keep my worries away from them.

The old man came to me, greeted me, and asked me to sit with them. They had a seat, and he assured me that letting this family sit alone was better, Madam, so everyone would be comfortable...

I reached their gathering and sat with them, finishing my coffee, and began to get to know the lady, her son, and the old man.

She was Batta, her son was Karim, and her father was Dr. Taher El-Sherif, one of the scholars and professors of religion, and a teacher in a religious college.

I noticed this old man in the way he was teaching his grandson. He was careful not to let anything pass me by without expressing his observations.

The boy had been stopped by the fall of this large man as he passed by, and he laughed.

The grandfather reprimanded him violently, emphasizing to him with verses and sacred sayings about it so that he wouldn't repeat the matter again. And the matter didn't end there; the old man continued with rulings and sayings, but the boy had committed a new mistake...

But this was not an intentional mistake or an act of misconduct, but it was a question that silenced the grandfather, and the mother paid attention to it...

For this boy, who was not more than fifteen or less, asked the man,

"Who is the devil?"

He looked at him smiling and said,

"The devil is the enemy of God and cursed in this world and the hereafter..."

The boy asked him, puzzled,

"Is he one person? Which devil?"

The Sheikh replied to him gently, with the wisdom of a righteous teacher,

"The devil has offspring of devils... And every wicked and unjust person is followed by a devil who accompanies his path."

The boy said to him with more astonishment and confusion...

"But do I have my own devil who tries to make me a bad person?"

He replied, "Of course, don't you think so?"

The boy replied quickly, saying,

"But if I mock someone, is that the work of the devil?"

He paused for a moment, then looked at the train window, saying,

"Of course, my little one, for in doing so, you are following the devil..."

The boy said in astonishment,

"But which is the greater sin, mockery or murder?"

He said to him with wisdom and complete calmness...

"Sins are measured by the harm done to oneself and to others, and there is no small or large sin."

The boy was surprised by the answer, as if it was unexpected from him, and remained silent for a while, then resumed his words and questions with renewed astonishment,

"But what does the devil gain from that?"

He said to him with astonishment, as if the question surprised him...

"If you mock someone, you plant the seed of hatred in society, and he listens to this, so hatred begins to multiply within him, and he begins to resent his situation."

The boy interrupted him, saying,

"To this extent?

So the old man looked at him smiling, saying,

"If malice were not from the devil, God would not have urged us not to follow the devil or walk his path. It seems logical and reasonable at the beginning, but it carries within it evils for all mankind... And how little a word may begin with, but it carries disbelief, wickedness, disobedience, and clear error, which man does not know at the time but realizes after it occurs."

Therefore, God Almighty has placed what cuts that off and blocks the devil's path.

His words amazed me and captivated me, as if he was sending his message to me.

I began to wonder to myself, were these words directed at him?

Fate had brought this righteous man so that I might understand my situation and know what I did not know...

But this little boy and this gentle lady, how could I speak while they were sitting?

This boy's mind has not yet matured, and he has not grasped my words...

Nor does he know about the appearance of the devil.

My words might be, for him, something from the occupier, causing him to lose his mind, his thoughts to become disordered, and the matter to terrify him.

Lord, I am in great confusion. I do not want to leave this righteous man who came with the lamp of his knowledge to illuminate a path for me, the sides of which darkness had covered.

My Mother's Sin

I noticed Batta, that beautiful, simple woman, offering me pieces of candy with utmost love and fraternity... She spoke to me as if she were a lifelong friend, a younger sister, or my twin...

From her soul emanated love, compassion, and empathy... Her eyes held affection and purity, and she told me how she makes candy with her own hands, without following TV food programs or reading cookbooks. The art of cooking and candy-making she had inherited from her mother, the best ways to cook and make sweets, and she was famous among the family for presenting the most delicious foods and tastiest candies. I engaged in conversation with her...

From one topic to another, she began to tell me and complain about her husband's weak financial situation... A fiery love story had brought them together. Her husband worked as a craftsman and his wages were low, but she felt content with him. Despite the high prices burdening and exhausting them, especially with the increasing need for daily expenses and needs, which always ended in daily problems, she lived the life of queens...

I asked her in astonishment, "How do you live the life of queens?"

She replied with a sigh of longing and love, and a look in her clear eyes that almost illuminated the world with beauty, saying, "If you love what is around you, accept your lot, and do not complain, you will find yourself a queen to whom the world submits..."

We reached the end of the journey and became friends. We exchanged addresses and numbers to contact each other later and extended invitations. But I wished to continue longer with this righteous man and reach a point of convergence between us in conversation, away from his daughter or grandson. So I insisted that we ride together in a car I rented to take me to my aunt's. At the same time, I might find an opportunity in that, but Batta blocked my way, and perhaps she was right, as I was going south and they were going north.

All the way, the man's words echoed in my ears. I didn't notice the car driver speaking to me, saying, "You have arrived," several times. I didn't listen to him until I paid attention. He laughed, saying,

"You certainly haven't been here for a long time."

He thought I was lost in my memories.

I arrived at my aunt's. She was bedridden; it seemed she was ill and her illness had worsened. But despite her severe illness, she seemed happy to see me and eager to embrace and kiss me... As soon as I sat near her, I checked on her and reproached her for not contacting me since she fell ill...

But she asked me to come closer and pay attention to her words and not interrupt her until she finished speaking, and then I could say whatever I wished.

I felt that the matter was serious and that something unexpected would be revealed to me.

But she was exhausted, and speaking could affect her...

I asked her not to speak and to rest for another time...

She scolded me, insisting that she was able to speak. She began her speech in a tone of sadness and sorrow...

"Your mother lived days searching for a love and a heart to embrace her, but she didn't find it. Your grandfather forced her to marry your father by force. This lineage could not be abandoned by the family, as he was one of the prominent wealthy in society. And the unequal marriage brought together the spoiled seventeen-year-old girl and the sixty-five-year-old or older wealthy prince..."

After the father's death, your mother and her husband left the city and traveled abroad for a long time. Years passed until they returned to the city, and the changes in life, values, principles, and the behavior of individuals and people appeared, and multiple social classes emerged...

One day, your mother went out to make a family visit as usual, but her car broke down, and she wanted to fix it. She walked on foot until she found a young man working in car repair. Despite his extreme poverty and difficult circumstances, he was noble and honorable. He went with her and fixed her car, but he captured her heart and mind with love and passion...

Over time, they met and became more and more attached to each other until she decided to divorce to be with him. But this arrogant old man felt lost and helpless in his life, so he sought revenge on her... He was stubborn and insisted on humiliating her, breaking her pride, and torturing her. So she decided to flee with the young man to compensate for what had been stolen from her in her past.

She fled with the young man, and the devil seduced her, and she sinned with him. Soon, the man was able to restore his dignity, seize her with a strong grip, kill the young man, and imprison her in his prison again.

The young man died, and your mother returned as she was, but worse than before... He didn't keep her out of love or attachment to his wife, but he held her to humiliate, torture, and insult her...

Soon after, your mother died, about two or three months after his death. Your great-grandfather, who was over ninety-one, was waiting to see you to compensate him for what had passed and sent for your mother to live with him...

But she refused at first, but after several years, when you were five years old.

Your mother died, and your grandfather asked us to agree to you living with him.

Everyone agreed because the circumstances were difficult for raising you and for your expenses, and each of her siblings had one, two, three, or four children, and our livelihoods became tight. We went through harsh conditions that were common among the people of our city...

After your grandfather's death, you became a grown young woman, you learned, and you became a successful businesswoman...

And I had to keep your mother's secret and die

with it, but a mistake happened that I didn't realize at the time... But I am certain of it now. Your uncle Hamed, my younger brother, heard your mother's story. Hamed is a wicked, resentful, greedy man... And Hamed is in prison; he is a criminal by nature, and when he gets out of prison, he will start looking for you...

Because you are a treasure to him, and before he went to prison, he began to spy on your grandfather's cousins because if it is proven that you are an illegitimate daughter, the wealth will revert to them.

And proving that with evidence: your father was infertile. He married more than once and didn't have children, and there are many who will not overcome Hamed in his matter.

She looked at me, collapsing into tears and sighing, saying,

"I only revealed this secret to you so that you would be careful and manage your affairs and not hesitate to defend yourself... And know that your mother was not a harlot, but the matter is different... Your mother suffered a lot, and do not hold her accountable for her sin. The time for her reckoning has passed, and do not expect her reproach now."

"Take it easy and do not grieve, for the past has ended and its matter has been decided, and you will not be able to change or modify it. What we have reached today is the result of a matter that was predestined."

She stopped talking and moving, and I realized that she had passed away. She died after sending me her message. It seems that her departure from life depended on completing her message to me, and that she had thus paid her debt, fulfilling the message to me completely without कमी.

The Aunt's Death

It wasn't the shock... Her death was inevitable; illness had struck the organs of her body, and the expectation of her passing had been anticipated for a long time.

I burst into tears, and I don't know if it was the weeping of parting from my mother's sister, who was like a mother to me, or if it was for my own tragedies and the story of the treacherous mother and the illegitimate daughter, or because the devil had now confirmed his message to me once again.

The funeral ceremonies, condolences, and prayers ended, and people flocked to offer their condolences and sympathy, as is the usual custom, from people I knew or didn't know. This has been a prevailing tradition since time immemorial.

After my aunt's death, I didn't return to the city and waited until the forty days of mourning were over... This is a custom we have, and I seized the opportunity to connect with Batta and Sheikh Taher...

I was surprised by their presence on the second day of my aunt's death to offer their condolences and sympathize with me in my loss. Sheikh Taher went to the men's gathering, and Batta stayed beside me in our gathering... Another obstacle prevented conversation with Sheikh Taher and being alone with him.

The more my longing to speak with this pure Sheikh increased, and to draw from him the light of knowledge, the more that moment, which was delayed for so long, eluded me until I believed it would never come.

Batta invited me for lunch, and I accepted her invitation and went to them. How simple they were, yet their house was filled with happiness, joy, and delight... Truly, I hadn't found it in most palaces and among the wealthy. What was this happiness that floated around the house, almost making the walls dance with joy and delight...? And although she began her conversation with complaints and blame, she spoke as if she were telling jokes and anecdotes... The way she complained seemed to draw a smile on her lips, as if she were recounting her love story and narrating the feelings of joy of a small child... She talked about her problems and her family's problems as a little girl talks to her mother about a story she had read. She wasn't insensitive or hard-hearted, but how can a person endure to this degree and see that the amount of problems in their life doesn't represent a speck of sadness, regret, or pain? She is strong, or she has a source of strength...

The arduous journey laden with secrets, pain, tears, and misery ended, and fate did not allow the awaited meeting between me and Taher, with whom it seemed I had made an appointment for myself, and he hadn't set a time for me.

I headed to the train station, returning on my way back, having left everything behind me. I adopted the cries of pain and sorrows, and tears accompanied me until my return... I saw nothing from the train window or on my way but tears that flowed like rivers and images that followed one another before my eyes, striking my heart and stabbing it, and I felt nothing but the grip of sadness... It possessed me, broke my ribs, and increased the worry inside me. I found no outlet for myself, and minutes passed as hours, even days, and sometimes years, and my lips barely uttered anything but sighs... I couldn't feel my tongue; sadness had tied it up and paralyzed its movements, and the joy of the world had melted into a cup of bitterness and torment that had never entered my heart before.

That is the truth. I am the daughter of fornication, I came into the world through the crime of fornication and murder, then I set out into the world to begin implementing the devil's plan... For the devil knew before that and refused for us to be better than him... So why would he prostrate before us as long as we are in this sin? The devil was right in what he said, and I find no fault in him now.

This is what I began to believe, even repeating it between myself and myself as I looked from my house balcony, casting my eyes to the farthest reaches of my garden.

And people I knew and who knew me lined up before me like a king who had risen to the highest of his throne, and his retinue lined up around him to enjoy seeing him.

I decided to go to the devil to speak with him and took the shortest paths to reach his gathering.

I spent long hours until sunset and found no one...

However, I noticed the absence of anything, even the sounds of birds were not there. Something had happened. I felt like I was facing a deaf painting with no soul or life, to the extent that the air wasn't there. The handkerchief fell from my hand and didn't move; it remained still... I stretched out my hand to pull the handkerchief, and I found the fallen leaves still and fixed in their place. I headed home but didn't succeed in meeting the devil.

The day ended like any other day, and nothing new happened in my affairs except continuing my work and meeting partners and friends as was our constant habit...

In one of the usual gatherings, we met, drank, laughed, amused ourselves, and talked as we always did about our trade, our businesses, and the latest developments and changes...

It was a clear day; the sky looked like a clear sea, with no waves or crookedness, and the air carried breezes of fragrant scents, and the spring breezes flowed into our gathering.

I didn't finish the gathering with them and left for home. I spread out on the bed, and the time was approaching ten past twelve in the evening of that day.

I began to fall asleep, and before I was fully asleep, the maid knocked on the door and entered, asking for two days off... A dispute had occurred between her son and his wife, and there was a matter between them that might reach the courts, necessitating intervention...

Her careful words and the intensity of her speech drove sleep from my eyes and woke me up further. I gave her money and asked her to travel to her son until the matter was resolved. She thanked me. Before leaving, I asked her to bring me a cup of coffee.

I was surprised by that, as I was supposed to sleep, but I explained the matter to her...

The maid apologized for causing me worry and sleeplessness, but I assured her that I wasn't bothered and that I would return to sleep after making an important call...

That was so she wouldn't feel guilty, as she is my maid who loves me and always cares about my affairs.

The Awaited Meeting

I took the coffee and headed to my sitting room, drinking the coffee and lighting a cigarette.

I couldn't light the cigarette; every time I tried, the wind extinguished it...

I noticed the intensity of the wind, the flying leaves, and the trees almost uprooting themselves from the ground... I wasn't very surprised; the sky was heavy with clouds... And the light of autumn had arrived in all parts of the world... I realized that the devil had returned again, and this was my chance. I quickly put on my clothes with lightning speed and took my car keys to arrive quickly...

I hurried down the stairs, and before I opened the door, the maid called out to me, astonished and surprised. I looked at her and asked if she wanted anything else.

The shock was terrifying from her fright and agitation. I didn't know what was wrong with her. I approached her, and she screamed, heading towards her room quickly...

But my haste for my appointment didn't give me the chance to know what had happened to her. I sped towards the lake with insane speed, not paying attention to anyone who called me or listening to any of them... And the closer I got to the river, I saw a glowing light appearing in the distance. I stopped near the gathering place, with tangled trees and branches hanging down from both sides of the road between me and the gathering place... A glowing mass, like a fire that didn't sway with the wind or dance, became apparent between them... The trees were almost torn out by the strong wind. I didn't stay long and opened the door, heading towards it... But the wind was strong and violent. I went out with great difficulty, almost flying away from the intensity of the wind. My clothes rose, and my hair flew. I heard the sound of wailing, screaming, and howling until I reached the gathering place.

Finally, I arrived at the long-awaited meeting. Finally, the conversation would begin, and I wouldn't let him go this time without reaching a complete answer to my question with him.

The world stopped completely. The wind fell silent. The sounds of screaming and howling rose. I sat beside him, and a complete silence possessed me. I didn't whisper or move...

He smiled, saying,

"My words have proven true, haven't they?"

I said to him with a sadness that tore my insides apart,

"It seems so to me, but I still don't know if you knew we would be like this?"

He said with a look of superiority and arrogance, and his laughter intertwined,

"I knew with certainty, and I appealed to my Lord for that, and I was not evil."

I was astonished by his words, saying to him,

"But you tempt people with your magic?"

He replied with a smile, saying,

"I wagered with God Almighty on your disbelief and disobedience to me, and I said that you would be disobedient, and when your own selves commanded you to do so, you would fall into error. And that any influence on you would make you disbelievers. So God asked me if I could mislead you, and I said to Him that they would follow me whenever I called them."

I said to him, "Your words seem to hold the truth, but why did you do that, and why did you start the enmity between you and Adam?"

He replied confidently, saying,

"Adam was not better than me. I followed God and did not disobey His command, for He created me for that. And I was surprised by the creation of Adam for that, and yet He honored him at His Throne and favored him over me."

"And he is weaker than me, and not favored over me, and cannot control himself and his desires. I have not lain in wait for the children of Adam throughout his life, for his own self will drive him to clear error."

I looked at him, contemplating his eyes and his ugly face and evil features, saying to him,

"But there are humans who have been righteous since your descent with Adam..."

He said to me with his mocking laughter...

"The whispering of the evil self began in them before my whispering. If you listened to the talk of your present state, you would know that you do not deserve sanctification or honor... My Lord punished me in this world with His curse because I said a word about His creation, but He will have mercy on me and forgive me after the truth is confirmed."

I said to him, "And what is the talk of our present state?"

He stretched out his wide hands and began to wave them as he spoke, as if he were beginning to draw the events with gestures or design a painting for it...

"Indeed, the entire world bears witness to the crimes of the son of Adam and his shameful deeds. How many crimes have been committed and how much blood has been shed for the sake of the evil self, desires, and lusts? And how many people have made with their own hands a god to whom they draw near and prostrate to gain favor and forgiveness? And how many wars, battles, and souls have been lost for the sake of money, women, and forbidden pleasures?"

"The son of Adam has devoted his life to fulfilling his pleasures and desires and enjoying the delights of the world, believing that he has entrusted the devil to account for the crimes of his own evil, wicked self. As soon as he approaches God with forgiveness and pardon, God will allow him... But he denounces forgiveness for Iblis, Iblis alone, excluding all others in the universe, for he is the only one cursed in this world and the hereafter."

Man thinks that there is no wrongdoer but Iblis is behind him...

And he did not consider his own actions, that his own self had turned to polytheism, disbelief, and disobedience, and that he had killed, stolen, raped, tortured, and transgressed without measure.

After Adam descended from Paradise with Eve and they married, they had sons and daughters, and Adam began to marry some of the sons to some of the daughters, as his Lord had entrusted him, so that the offspring would multiply.

******

Prehistory

Kaftanioum, one of the sons of Adam and his descendants, began. When he married Hammuria in love and infatuation, Najtarithoum began to meet and make secret promises... until Najtarithoum felt the seed of sin in her womb, so she decided to get closer to Ablatnadioum... She gave birth to three daughters and three sons, yet she continued to cohabit with both men, Ablatnadioum and Kaftanioum.

One day, Kaftanioum was late in returning to Hammuria. She went looking for him but couldn't find him, so she returned home worried about him. But she decided to ask his closest friend, Adiotch. She went to his usual place under the tall forest trees and heard voices rising from a distant place, and one voice sounded like her husband's... When she arrived, she found him with his sister Najtarithoum. When they feared she would confess to their parents, they decided to get rid of her...

After Hammuria's death, the aunt realized that she was going to live secretly with her brother and lover to care for his children... Ablatnadioum agreed to that, and she cohabited with him in broad daylight. One day, Ablatnadioum entered their place and found them bathing together. Najtarithoum decided to get rid of Ablatnadioum so that her secret wouldn't be revealed. Thus, they remained together.

Over time, Kaftanioum distanced himself from Najtarithoum and was drawn with longing to his middle daughter, Itakouna, and began to commit adultery with her.

Najtarithoum was drawn with longing to Atinankoumi and Dinsiloum. With the birth of Itakouna's child, Batioumi, she killed Kaftanioum so that shame wouldn't befall her, as she was cohabiting with her son and husband at the same time, which led her to get rid of him...

Afterward, Najtarithoum fled with Dinsiloum, and Itakouna fled with her son Batioumi.

From the lineage of Batioumi came Fari'ab, the king of kings in the first wilderness. The lineage of Dinsiloum mixed with the god Yaqul, the god of the East in the wilderness. The cousins met in fierce battles, in which Fari'ab overcame Yaqul. Then Fari'ab prepared his army, defeated Yaqul, and cut off his head. During the battles, Yaqul captured women and raped them with his armies. They returned pregnant, so Fari'ab couldn't get rid of them, so he did to them what he did to his own women. Biradisin gave birth to three knights from Fari'ab's people. One of them killed King Fari'ab and returned to Yaqul, marrying his half-sister, the knight Mohamourom, and had a son with her whom he later killed to seize his kingdom and make a statue of his father and mother from rare stones to become a masterpiece that the world at that time couldn't match.

After cohabiting with his daughter Sandis, who gave birth to Britakoum, he killed her so that his affair wouldn't be exposed. Sandis gave birth to a daughter and three sons. She committed suicide after her husband fled with her maidservant, whom she used to torture and humiliate. Britakoum took over the kingdom in the east and was killed by his wife, so her youngest son, Ijabadioum, came to power. Ijabadioum was homosexual, and his mother knew he was gay.

Likewise, she would watch him while he practiced obscenity and supervised it herself. He enslaved the subjects and was known for his rule and perseverance. Although he was gay, he lived among his people with prestige and pride. He married Iftitnayoum. His guard and minister practiced vice with her on his behalf. To ensure the guard's submission, to which she was inclined with longing and admiration, the mother brought the king's minister to torture him in front of the guard and kill him before his eyes. Thus, the guard remained submissive, not daring to raise his head before them.

Iftitnayoum felt that she was the queen whom everyone must obey and please. Out of greed for that, she decided to get rid of the king's mother and killed her with poison. But the queen of the throne was surprised that she had made a terrible mistake... The mother's death did not clear the way for her as she had planned and plotted, because the king had entered a stage of depression that ultimately hastened his end, and he ended his life with his own hands, committing suicide.

The queen hid the news of the king's suicide to consider her affairs and rearrange her matters. After the announcement of his death, his memory among the people was surrounded by all the meanings of gratitude and love. Iftitnayoum grieved deeply; the king was lost, and the kingdom passed to the eldest nephew of the king.

She saw a resemblance to her husband the king in a simple stone worker. She took him to a distant place and hid him to plot against him. She began to prepare him as a king. She rode with him in a grand, majestic procession. The people of his city, his sons, and his cousins knelt and prostrated before him, and he became a god to them, not a king. For years and years, he gave them the gifts of a god, and they prostrated and prayed to him until the great wars arose. He survived certain death, and his family captured a war caravan. His body was embalmed alive as he was a god, and they continued to worship him for a long time.

From the lineage of Ibajdioum came the sons of the East, and from their lineage, they dispersed to the north, northeast, far north, south, and west of Amintaniyam and Abithoulm. And from them came those who went to Qirandium, and among them were the daughters of Ibajdioum's cousins and the descendants of their daughters and women in their great wars. And from their captives were those they captured from the daughters of their brothers, and the wives of their uncles and brothers...

And from the sons of Aktandioum and Toundioum came the one god Atitioum and their third god from their sons Atitantium and Atanditnium... Not many ages passed before some beliefs and sayings were lost, and the children of Adam could not preserve their history or what they had reached, or even preserve their beliefs, opinions, and history, good and bad.

I did not leave them at that time and was following them from the nearest place to them.

They lived in a time of ignorance and darkness, living life in endless conflicts inherited by generations, children after children, each generation paying the price of the sin of their fathers, their fathers' fathers, and their great-grandfathers... So the matter did not settle for them in their conflict from the descent of Adam until the Hour...

As for Hawamitinoum, he was the last of the captives, the Itahani whom they had captured in their great war... He turned his face towards the east of the land, but his owners tortured and oppressed him, so he fled to the west of the land and settled in the most beautiful parts of the world.

He married Afrinam and had thirteen sons and two daughters with her. The eldest son disobeyed him, so he left him... He returned to him after gathering wealth and found him killed in a war that broke out between the tribes. So he resolved to avenge his father, gathered four of his brothers, and entered the tribe, killing seventy-two men and six of their daughters... But because of his deed, a fierce war broke out between the tribes of the people of the west of the land, lasting for years, reaching more than sixty-six continuous years.

Sin caused the sons of Ithab and Imoujdirim to engage in a war that renewed for twenty-six years after the truce ended, until the god Abtouloun, the third god of the lands of the west, revealed a secret that gathered the nation around him. For he saw in his dream that Abidoum would come on the night of the moon and water the earth, so it would grow fruits, and goodness would prevail among them.

And he took his servant as a likeness of the god Abidoum and did to the earth what he had told them, so they worshipped him. And Imoujdiraim killed his servant, perhaps so that his affair would not be revealed, but Ahourin was following him. So he ordered him to inform the people to follow Ahourin and bring him poisoned drink, and he took his body and embalmed it so that Ahourin would become the god again.

So he killed, stole, plundered, and enslaved women, cohabiting with them by rape and violating their honor, as well as children. No boy was safe from having his honor violated, and he ordered him to drink his urine.

One night, he fell ill with a fever, so he asked the doctor to rest on his bed until he brought him a good medicine with the effect of magic...

So the doctor went outside the room, where Imtanir and Kautharlidour attacked him, turned on him, and killed the doctor.

They entered the god's room and began to torture him until they poured fiery lava and molten metal on him...

So Imtanir asked Kautharlidour to take the body to hide it, but they noticed an important matter. They needed someone to help them, so they gathered their loyalists. They gathered to hide that body, but when they finished their work, Kautharlidour blocked their way back...

He ruled alone, claiming divinity and that he had saved the nation from the cursed criminal and had placed him in the fire.

The First War

God was aware of that, so He sent them prophets, messengers of good tidings, and apostles. And He chose from the children of Adam those who were superior among their nation and gave them the highest status.

But the human soul would not accept the matter and was arrogant within itself about this, and would not stand or align itself except with the path of error, and the many followers were eager for that, hoping to find a way out of their life's dilemma or the breaking and rebellion of the soul.

And the group of the fearful and those seeking a future hope went, or with those who wanted to adorn themselves with the eye of victory despite their defeat, to join those who were weary of their lives and had lost their opportunity for a life of blessings and the fulfillment of their desires with them, believing that they had reached the highest abodes and attained the ultimate victory and the hoped-for aspirations...

And the children of Adam were not surprised by his actions, for they found justification for him, for what had happened and what would happen.

It was the contrivance of the accursed devil, but he was innocent of his deed.

He forgot at that time that he came from the act of fornication, unlawful bloodshed, and murder, by which he paved his way to build empires and boasted about it in their histories, with nations and people guided by them on the path of righteousness.

For his mother cohabited with her brother and conceived from him, then married another, killed her husband, and cohabited with her son.

Out of greed for his father's wealth and what fate had allotted him, he stole it and killed him to conceal his crime, so he became surrounded by glory and honor in his city. Then he moved with his power as a god, striking the east of the land and seizing people with his story, and his biography became like a light from which souls drew their filth and error.

And thus, mercy and compassion vanished among the children of men, each blaming the other, boasting of what his putrid soul carried.

He found no pleasure in life other than satisfying his filth and the folly of his conscience.

He is man, unable to resist instincts, and may suffice to mention that the devil seduced him, so the heavens forgive him, and the earth surrounds him above all others, for this one sinned, repented, and God forgave him.

And whatever he achieved in his life, wherever his affair was, he chanted with his awakened conscience and the warmth of his heart for the justice of faith, not wronging anyone, whoever they were. When he became aware of his affair, he mentioned that the devil had forced him to his deed, and he was weak.

So whenever the soul confesses its affair, the tongue of the blamer stops, and forgiveness prevails under any circumstance. And they do not realize that they have submitted to their own selves and their desires, thinking that it is the nature of creation and that they do not err.

From their lineage came the people of Canaan, and from the lineage of their cousins came the Pharaohs. And from the children of their sisters came the Persians and the Romans, and among them were the Hyksos, the Magi, the sun-worshippers, the people of the sea, the barefoot of the earth, and the people of the horns...

And among them were those who inhabited the high mountains and descended into the valley of snow or crossed the sea from its highest point to its lowest.

Abidoumanthou sent to Gabirintou that he had found the treasure of the lost land, and by it, they would abide in Paradise after inheriting the earth.

So he sent with him twelve thousand warriors to enter the city of the treasure, but he lost his way.

So he entered the land of the cursed, which those who had entered before him had been cursed in. Gabirintou and his soldiers married women from their land, and she bore him sons, so I shared them, so that we would become afterward a progeny for us, with strength and abundance like all the creatures of the earth.

From their lineage emerged craftsmen who made life and dazzled it, and did not corrupt it.

However, their cousins resorted to raping their mothers to give birth to siblings for themselves.

And they did not survive the battle of the land that broke out over their heads until their kingdom fell into the hands of invaders who were originally the children of their aunts and the captives of their maternal aunts...

And the matter did not last long until the first god appeared on earth...

The god Birqou'an, the most evil of the people of the earth, came from the rape of Gabirintou's soldiers in the war of the land...

The woman was raped sixty-three times, and Birqou'an was the fruit of that sin. The mother fled with her pregnancy to the east of the land until she settled with the ironworker whom men used in war...

And he claimed that he was sent from heaven and that he was in contact with the one god, but he practiced vice with the woman.

And every soldier who went to him was amazed by that woman, who committed adultery with him, and he obtained a price from her for what that woman had delighted him with.

Until Birqou'an was born and grew up in the filth of this woman until the ironworker killed her, and Birqou'an crucified him and fled the city.

He returned after years, exceeding twenty-two years. He entered the city and bought from a blind man, then killed him out of greed for his money.

But his affair was discovered by Benhadoum, and they agreed that Benhadoum would play the role of the blind man and that Birqou'an might heal him, and from here his fame as a god began. They entered upon him and found him smiling, thinking he was pleased with them. He manifested for them an idol worshipped for thousands of years, which nations spoke about, and that it watched them and punished them, and what reached them was that he had come to fulfill his mission, and it had ended.

Benajnal seized his father's throne and tore apart the body of the god Birqou'an until he took his father, placed him in a coffin, and poured liquid lava on him, so his body solidified.

He placed him in the coffin of the god Birqou'an, and his affair ended with him telling the people that the king had chosen him as the god's successor.

And the people remained devoted to prostrating before the slain king, thinking that the god had appointed him as his successor.

Originally, the Greeks, Romans, and Phoenicians came from their cousins... And they were originally the children of one mother, and had it not been for the great wars, no children would have split from them. Because they were the children of captives in the great wars, and most of them were from the lineage of their tribes of females.

However, men from their sons, who were their cousins, had originally married their sisters, mothers, and aunts from the captives.

Some of them thought that by that they had won their lives, but they did not know that their misery in that was the misery of sadness and regret.

The more families increased, the more nations distanced themselves, the more people multiplied, the more offspring increased, the more kinship was lost, and the races mixed...

Post-Prophets

God knew what the people of the earth were doing, so He commanded the earth, and it was destroyed and returned as a new creation... It was not the end for all who lived in that time, but so that those whom God saved would understand that there is One higher than that, who does not incarnate in the form of man or inanimate object.

Multiple nations emerged from them, spreading throughout the earth, and some engaged in fierce wars and battles, casting thousands of women, men, and children to destruction.

God sent His messengers to all nations, but they were disobedient, arrogant, and haughty, and I was not a guardian over them, but their worldly life and their evil souls deluded them into disbelief and error.

After the death of each prophet, everyone would distort his religion and the words of his prophet to restore his glories and the glories of his ancestors...

For he might not find pleasure with his wife as he finds it with his friend's wife, so his evil self imagines that his pleasure with his friend's wife is unmatched by the pleasures of the world.

On the outskirts of Basra, Hisham met his friend for the first time after his marriage. Hisham greeted Asim, as they were cousins and had fought battles together in different stages. They insisted on hosting Asim in Hisham's dwelling. When he arrived, Hisham's wife entered from behind the curtain, presenting them with a meal, and Asim noticed the edges of her hands.

His gaze was drawn to contemplate and scrutinize that alluring leg, and his eyes fell upon her eyes, and they exchanged glances.

After finishing the food, Hisham insisted on hosting him overnight in his dwelling, and indeed they spent the night peacefully. With the light of dawn, he decided to leave...

Her glances never left him, and his own self pushed him to get closer to her, so he sent a letter from Damascus inviting him to visit him for his kind hospitality. When Hisham responded to Asim's greeting, Asim returned to Kufa, and in the dead of night, he knocked on Hisham's door. When his wife opened it...

She was surprised and told him that Hisham had gone to Damascus according to his desire. So he denied this letter and asked her to help him find what had fallen from him on the night he stayed. She went in to search but found nothing and returned to him, asking him to search himself. He went in and began to caress her until they fell into sin...

Hisham's tribal beloved wife loved Asim and became involved with him from that night. He hurried to travel to Damascus until he reached Hisham and began to entertain him until they finished their business, and Hisham returned to Basra. In the middle of his journey, Asim struck him with an arrow, killing him.

And Hisham's wife sent her message to Asim, but his reply was that he had left Damascus several weeks ago, and the seed of betrayal began to ripen in her womb...

So she sent for Asim, and he returned to Basra and married her. After marrying her, he decided to get rid of his first wife, Salma... He returned to Damascus and was struck by a fever, so he remained bedridden for many long months.

The beloved didn't endure her husband's absence, so she fell in love with her cousin and conceived from him.

Asim returned to her after his recovery, and she hid her pregnancy from him. After she gave birth, he thought it was his seventh child and didn't take that into account. Their relationship continued until his sons grew up; one was his own son, and the second was the son of adultery...

One day, Asim entered and found the tribal beloved sleeping naked, and her son had begun to massage her body with oil...

It was a shock that almost killed him, so she said to him with bold eyes, "He is my son, not yours..."

Asim fell paralyzed, unable to move. She began to have sex openly in front of her paralyzed husband, and when people found out, she fled with her son.

Asim became unable to live or die until he committed suicide.

As for the tribal beloved, she settled in a neighborhood on the outskirts of the Persians in garments of purity and faith and called people to righteousness.

And her son was from the people of Jerusalem and enjoyed the blessings of knowledge and piety, and he had great ability in miracles. He would meet with the women of the city and be alone with them.

He amassed vast wealth and disappeared from the city with his mother and returned after more than sixteen years...

He traveled with her in the cities of Andalusia and some countries of the Arab Maghreb to reside in Persia until he died, so the people erected a shrine for him to worship at, him and his mother, until now.

And all the women who had committed fornication with him became righteous saints, and they are still esteemed as being among those specially loved by their Lord.

And until one of the thieves sat waiting in front of the mosque to steal the shoes and belongings o the worshippers... And as soon as they gathered for prayer, this thief began to collect the shoes and belongings of the worshippers...

When he finished his business, he found the villagers who were late for prayer arriving, so he entered the mosque and placed the shoes and belongings in his bag, appearing to be praying...

When the people finished praying and wanted to leave, they didn't find their shoes and belongings...

However, a fierce battle was raging, so the worshippers retreated inside the mosque and found their shoes with the thief... He told them that he feared they would be harmed, so he pulled their shoes so they wouldn't go out and be harmed. The people kissed his hands, and he became a righteous saint, and a shrine was erected for him, for he was one of the righteous.

And although the actions of people were shameful and disgraceful, I had no sin in them. If my Lord did not give me control over people, but gave you protection from my evil, then if you remember your Lord, I will move away from you and not touch you...

But your own selves continue to lead you to your desires and instincts...

The children of Adam have disbelieved, associated partners with God, accumulated sins, and committed transgressions since ancient times...

And their crime still increases on the face of the earth in their greed and whims, and they do not hesitate for a moment to sacrifice all values, even the most precious, to gain a moment of lust and satisfy a wicked desire with it...

*****

End of the Conversation

He paused his speech for a moment, then looked at me smiling, saying, "Haven't you realized now that my disagreement with my Lord is a disagreement based on certain knowledge?"

"I expected that, and what is to come is even more misleading than that. I was not a disbeliever in my Lord, nor did I associate partners with Him. I never followed anyone, and I will never follow anyone."

I looked at him, unable to respond, and my worry, sadness, and sorrow increased. Every word he spoke was the truth. For we have the psychological crimes

that drag us to destruction, and we cannot overcome our desires...

His words were strange, and his story was fascinating and enjoyable. Everything he said, I believe, had never been described or written before with such precision. He mentioned specific names and detailed events going back thousands of years...

But what did he mean by this talk? However, I noticed something dangerous, so I asked him, assuring him that he had lied to me about something...

I said to him, "But you didn't mention anything to me about the land of the cursed, which those who entered it were cursed in. And Gabirintou lost his way and entered it and married from the offspring of the devil. So where did they go? Are none of them left now?"

He looked at me, his eyes filled with evil, and the flames of anger emanated from his sides, saying, "They perished with the perishing ones."

I said, "Originally, why was that land cursed, and who cursed it?"

He became agitated in his anger and strayed in his sitting, moving away, then returned and said to me in a voice of brokenness and fear, "It is the land of my ancestors. May God curse whoever of mankind enters it. It is the land of the jinn..."

I felt a sadness that almost tore my heart apart, then his gaze terrified me, and he smiled the smile of a victorious knight.

Yes, he had triumphed over me, or over my own self. He confronted me with myself, and I felt he was right in his words. I was defeated and broken before him and became unable to speak. The devil had possessed me, and I believed every word he said.

I looked at him, unable to speak, and I was exhausted and fatigued, so I don't know if his affair was that... He had told me the truth this time as well, and now I have no choice but to believe his words.

And I don't know what fate holds for me, and whether my life will end without me knowing which truths were the most truthful. His features began to change, and a strange state overcame him. He slowly rose from the gathering place to begin his flight, like that ominous bird...

And he disappeared from before me, and all the features of autumn vanished, and moments of singular joy increased among the sides of the earth.

I turned my gaze to the sky, and the spectrum of the sun began to appear from behind the black curtains of the sky. The breeze of spring fluttered within my ribs, and the fragrance of water with the scent of trees wafted among the sides of the world, and the voices of birds rose, singing, chanting the dawn of a new day, and the complete tableau harmonized for the world to begin welcoming the sunrise of a new day.

That night was an ominous night. I returned home, not knowing what had happened or how it had happened? I didn't even realize the world around me and collapsed onto my bed in a deep sleep. I was exhausted from fatigue and didn't feel my time. I woke up to the sound of the maid calling me and trying to wake me up. I began to open my eyes...

I found the maid telling me that I had slept for a long time. I looked at her in surprise. She was supposed to have traveled yesterday. How was she in front of me now? I asked her about her travel.

She replied that she had resolved the dispute between her son and his wife definitively. The answer increased my astonishment and surprise. I wondered how many hours I had spent sleeping?

I got up, unable to move. I felt exhausted, intensely tired and fatigued. I began to move, feeling shortness of breath, weakness of the heart, and my chest tearing with pain, worry, and sadness.

I finished showering and entered my room to complete my adornment and put on my clothes...

And just as I began to lift the towel from my head

. The door opened, and as soon as my gaze fell upon the door, I screamed a scream that echoed throughout the house, that those at the ends of the earth might hear...