In a remote village where houses held secrets whispered only in hushed tones, a woman named Noura lived. Noura was not one of those women who draw attention; she was quiet, gentle, and always bowed her head as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. Noura married a man named Salem, a man who knew nothing of men but their names, cruel and sharp-tongued, his voice rising before his hand, sparing neither soul nor body. Noura endured for the sake of what little patience she had left, or perhaps for some hidden reason she did not know, but she endured.
On a bleak winter night, with the wind howling through the trees and the house window trembling as if weeping, her son Saif was born. His arrival was not a celebrated event , but a tragedy in the eyes of Salem, who shouted, “A boy! Who said I wanted a boy?”. Noura’s heart trembled. She looked at her small son in her arms, weak, with a rosy face, helpless and powerless. She whispered to him, “I will protect you, even if it costs me my life”.
From that night on, shadows began to loom over Noura’s life. Salem no longer slept in the house or returned unless he was drunk or angry. He would not approach Saif unless his eyes were burning with hatred. Noura did not sleep; she held her son all night, fearing he would be snatched from her suddenly. In her heart, an unextinguished question lingered: “Why does he hate him? What is his sin?” , but the answer was not within her reach.
Days passed, and Noura knew no sleep except on the edges of anxiety, and no tranquility except as an illusion she deceived her heart with. Saif grew a little, but not as children grow in the arms of their fathers; he grew like a flower in a rock with no water or shade. Only a mother fought to keep him alive with affection.
One night, Salem returned to the house uncharacteristically. He knocked on the door violently, his voice roaring like thunder. Noura, who was nursing Saif, trembled and clutched him to her chest as if hiding him from death. She opened the door slowly, and when she saw her husband’s face, she knew that evil had entered her home. He said in a voice broken by drunkenness and anger, “I came looking for that ominous child. Where is he?”. Noura’s throat went dry, and she said in a faint voice, “He’s asleep. Please, Salem, leave him. He doesn’t understand anything”. Salem raised his hand and struck her, a slap that shattered the night’s silence. He said in a terrifying tone, “I swear, if he stays in this house, I will bury him with my own hands”.
Noura backed away, her arms wrapped around her son like the wings of a terrified dove. She spent that night sitting in a corner, not sleeping, not speaking, not eating, not crying; she just stared at the ceiling as if waiting for something. In the morning, Salem left, leaving the door open and anxiety gnawing at Noura’s heart. She repeatedly asked herself, “What if he really comes back to do it? Should I believe him? Should I run away?”.
That day, while she was turning things over in her head, an old woman named Umm Khadija knocked on the door. She was known for her wisdom and had loved Noura since her youth. She said to her in a low voice, “My daughter, I saw Salem yesterday. He was speaking incoherently and saying he would never see that boy again”. Noura froze, and a strange, impossible decision began to form in her heart, but it was getting closer.
The hours of the day passed slowly, as if time itself was afraid to move. Noura sat in silence, holding Saif, looking at him as if it were the last time. The old woman Umm Khadija came in and sat beside her, whispering, “Do not think about injustice, for injustice has its time, and God does not lose sight of the wronged”. Noura looked at the old woman with a sad look and said in a broken voice, “And if injustice comes in the form of a husband, should I stay and watch until he kills my heart?”.
Umm Khadija bowed her head, then took Noura’s hand and said, “Running away is not a shame if it brings salvation”. But Noura did not think of running away; she had no family or refuge. At night, while she was nursing Saif, a tear fell on his small cheek, and she said, “I will take you far from him, even if I have to take you to the ends of the earth”.
A terrible, almost insane thought came to her mind: “I will hide him there, in an empty grave, for two or three days until I find a way out”. She collapsed to her knees from the monstrosity of the idea, but Saif’s innocent face, Salem’s terrifying voice, and that past night all pushed her toward this insane fate.
The next day, Noura left before dawn, wrapped her son in an old woolen blanket, and carried him to her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the dirt road leading to the graveyard. When she arrived, she entered an old cemetery with a small open grave. She knelt beside it and whispered, sobbing, “My Lord, do not hold this against me. He is in Your hands. You are more merciful to him”. She placed Saif inside and covered him with the cloth only, without dirt. Then she said in a trembling voice, “I will come back every day until I get you out. I swear it, my beloved”. She left, walking as if she had lost her soul there.
Noura returned from the graveyard, her heart not in her chest but buried there in that cold tomb. She walked to her house, the wind whistling as if reproaching her. The wind seemed to say, “What you have done, Noura, is not done even to the dead”. But she could not hear. She walked without seeing anything—not the roads, not the trees, not even the tears on her cheeks. When she reached her house, she saw Salem sitting in front of the door like a wolf waiting for its prey. He looked at her with narrow eyes and asked, “Where were you?”. She said, trying not to let her voice tremble, “At the market, buying food”. He nodded, then looked behind her and asked, “And where is the boy?”. Noura froze, then placed her hand on her stomach and said, “Asleep. I left him in the room”. He didn’t comment, but his eyes kept watching her like a hunter watching a wounded fox. Noura entered the room, closed the door behind her, and then fell to the ground, weeping.
The next day, Noura left before sunrise and went to the cemetery. Her hand trembled as she pushed the cover off the tomb, her heart on the verge of stopping. But when she looked, she saw Saif alive and crying. His face was flushed, and his lips were dry, but he was alive. She immediately took him and pressed him to her chest, saying, tears washing her cheeks, “Praise be to You, my Lord. He is alive. You kept him alive”. She nursed him there and sang to him in a low voice while the sun rose over the graves. Then she wrapped him again and placed him back, saying, “Be patient, my beloved. I will return tomorrow”.
What Noura did not know was that a strange eye was watching her from afar, from among the bushes. She did not know that someone was following her and that her steps to the graveyard were not a secret as she had thought. It was Fahd, a young man in his early twenties who lived on the edge of the village and worked as a shepherd. That dawn, he happened to be passing by the graveyard road and saw what should not be seen. He hid behind a thick tree and could not believe his eyes. He saw Noura bending over an open grave, taking out a small baby, nursing him, and then putting him back inside. He said to himself, his eyes wide, “Is that Noura? What is she doing there? Has she gone mad?”. He did not speak or interrupt her but waited for her to leave, then slowly approached the grave. He looked inside and saw the baby sleeping, wrapped in cloth, his face pale but breathing. He stood in disbelief and said in a trembling voice, “My Lord, this is not a dream. This is a crime!”.
He ran back to his house and then to his close friend Emad. Fahd told him, “I saw something unbelievable. Noura is hiding a baby in a grave”. Emad looked at him with suspicion and said, “What you’re saying is serious. Are you sure?”. Fahd replied, his body shivering, “I swear I saw it with my own eyes. She nursed him, then hid him and left”. Emad shook his head and was silent for a long time, then said, “What you saw is terrible, but don’t tell anyone. Let me check it out for myself”.
That night, Noura did not sleep. She waited for dawn to go to her son again. But she did not know that two men would arrive at the cemetery before her. Emad and Fahd arrived with the first rays of the sun. They approached the grave, and the baby was there, weak and pale, but alive. Emad said in a low voice as he gently took him out, “My God, what kind of heart does this mother have? Does she save him or kill him?”. Fahd said, “Let’s take him to the Sheikh”. Emad replied, “No, we’ll put him back as he was. We want to understand, not to judge”. They put him back in the grave and hid at a distance, waiting for Noura to come.
A moment later, Noura appeared, carrying a piece of bread and a new piece of cloth. Her face was pale as if she was carrying the world on her head. She approached the grave with light steps as if afraid to awaken a sleeping sorrow. She knelt and slowly lifted the cover, whispering, “Good morning, my heart’s salvation. Is your little belly hungry?”. She reached her hand in to take him out, then held him to her chest and began to nurse him, crying silently and saying, “What is your sin? Why did you come in a time that hates children?”.
The two pairs of eyes, Emad and Fahd, were watching her from behind the wall. While Fahd was seething inside, wanting to come out and confront her, Emad stopped him with his hand and whispered, “Be patient. I want to hear from her without fear”. After Noura finished nursing her baby, she took out a clean piece of cloth from her bag, covered him with it, kissed his forehead, and said, “My Lord, this is my son. If you take me, do not take him”.
Suddenly, Fahd moved from behind the wall and said in a loud voice, “What are you doing?”. Noura froze, her heart trembled, and she fiercely hugged her baby, saying, “Don’t come closer. This is my son, my son”. Emad also came out, held out his hand calmly, and said, “Calm down, Noura. We didn’t come to harm you, but to understand”. Noura fell to the ground, clutching Saif tightly, and burst into tears. She said, “He wants to kill him. My husband hates him. He says he’s not his son”. Emad asked her, “Is he his son?”. Noura replied in a choked voice, “Yes, but he doesn’t believe it. He accused me of something I couldn’t bear. I swore to him. He hit me. I was about to be killed”.
Emad slowly approached and sat in front of her, saying, “Is a grave a place for life?”. She said, “I have no refuge, no family, no friend. And if he found him, he would kill him with his own hands”. Emad was silent for a long time, then said, “You will leave with us now. He cannot stay in this place any longer”. Noura was flustered and hugged her son as if she feared he would be taken from her. Emad said, “If you love him, follow what’s good. We won’t abandon you”. She looked into his eyes and found a sincerity she had not seen in years. She got up, held Saif to her chest, and said in a faint voice, “Take me where no one knows”.
Noura left with Emad and Fahd. Her heart was terrified with every step. She had left everything behind, everything she had lived, even her son’s grave, people’s hearts, and her lost dreams. The sky was still gray and the wind was cold, but Noura felt the heat of her tears. The further she got from the place where she had put her little one, the more her heart ached. She was sure she had made a mistake, but she had no other choice.
Fahd walked behind her, his eyes constantly watching her. Emad walked beside her, trying to calm her down. Emad said in a calm tone, “Don’t regret it, Noura. We are here to help you”. Noura looked at Emad and said in a faint voice, “But what about my husband? What about the village? What will I tell everyone?”. Fahd sighed impatiently and said, “We will face everything. The important thing is that you are strong”. But Noura was in another world, thinking about the dark future that awaited her. With every step, questions about her and her son’s fate raced through her mind. There was a strange feeling that haunted her, as if she was running from something she could never escape, no matter what she did.
They reached the outskirts of the village where there were a few huts on the edge of the road leading to the mountains. Emad said, “We will be safe here. We can hide you for a while until things calm down”. But Fahd thought this was not enough and said with a skeptical tone, “Are we really safe here? We don’t know what will happen when they find out what happened”. Emad said sternly, “No one will know what happened. We will take care of everything”.
At that moment, Noura burst into tears and said, “I have done something unforgivable. Will God forgive me? Will I be able to protect my son?”. Emad held her in his arms and said, “No one knows what the future holds, but we are here with you, and you will not face this unknown alone”.
What Noura did not know was that the village was in a state of turmoil. Her husband Salem had started asking about her disappearance and was searching in houses, farms, and cemeteries. He suspected that she had run away with something and that his son was missing. He felt that everyone was hiding a secret from him. As time passed, suspicion turned into overwhelming anger. At that moment, they heard the sound of a horse neighing in the distance. The men of the village had begun to search.
Emad looked at Fahd with concern and said, “We must hide. These people are not here to seek the truth, but for revenge”. But Noura had lost the ability to think. Fahd said, “We will not face them here. We will go to the mountains now. There is no time to wait”.
The road to the mountains was very long, but she could not stay here. At that moment, Emad turned to Fahd and said in a decisive voice, “Take Noura and go to the mountain. I will distract them”. Emad said in a low voice, “They want her. I will distract them. There is limited time”. Fahd ran with her to the mountains, leaving Emad behind, who jumped toward a tree to hide from view.
Suddenly, one of the village men who thought Noura was Emad’s wife approached and asked him, “Where is she? Where is your wife Noura?”. Emad tried to stay calm and said, “I haven’t seen her for hours. Are you looking for her?”. But the man, who was carrying a sword, said as he stepped forward, “We are looking for the truth. Neither she nor her son will escape”. Then he said harshly, “You are involved in this matter, and you know where she is”.
Emad ran toward the mountains, while the two men quickly mounted their horses and headed for the mountain path. The closer they got to the mountains, the more the wind howled through the trees as if the sky itself was announcing an impending catastrophe. As Noura and Fahd ran, her heart was pounding violently. The shouts of Salem and his companions began to rise in the distance, and there was a certainty that they were coming and the end was getting closer and closer.
The night had begun to fall on the mountains. Noura said in a low voice, “Where will we go? Where are you taking me?”. Fahd replied, looking at the rough mountain path, “To a safe place far from people’s eyes. We will avoid the main road and keep moving at night”. But at that moment, their voices had reached the ears of the village men.
Salem had approached the mountains with a group of village men, anger burning in his eyes. He was now not just looking for Noura, but for revenge. Salem said in a loud voice, “Where is she? Where did she disappear?”. While Emad was watching the situation from a high point, Fahd was hiding behind a large rock with Noura. He said in a low voice, “We have to move now”.
Suddenly, Emad, who had arrived via other paths, approached them and said, “I want to tell you something”. Fahd said with concern, “What is it?”. Emad replied, “The men at the bottom of the mountain know our location now, but there’s something you must know. Salem is not who he seems to be”. The words that came from Emad were full of mystery, which made Noura feel greater terror. She said, “What do you mean? What is he hiding from me?”. Emad replied, “Salem is not the child’s father”. Noura was shocked by what she heard. She said, “What? How can that be?”. Emad pointed to himself and said, “I know everything about his past. He didn’t want the child and was planning to get rid of him from the beginning”.
They all ran in silence between the mountain rocks. After they had gone a little further, Noura stopped and sat on a rock. She said, “Will we be running for the rest of our lives?”. Fahd said, “Running is not the end, but it is the only way now until we reach safety”. But Emad remained silent for a few moments, then said, “Noura, you must know something. What I told you was not complete”. Noura looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and said, “What other wound is there that they haven’t uncovered?”. Emad sighed and said, “Salem didn’t hate the child because he doubted his lineage, but because he was under the influence of something else”. She said in surprise, “The influence of what?”. He said, “Magic. He was under an ancient spell that his mother had cast to make him turn away from you, hate you, and reject your son”. Noura was shocked, and her eyes widened.
She finally said, “I felt that something had changed in him suddenly. He wasn’t like that before. He was affectionate”. Emad shook his head and said, “I was watching the matter in silence, but I found out the truth too late, and his mother… his mother was not an ordinary woman. She dealt with a woman named Ruqayyah”. Noura uttered the name in a trembling voice, “Ruqayyah? That old woman who used to visit us secretly and mumble strange words?”. Fahd said, “The same one, and since then everything changed. The magic that was made for Salem was of a dark kind”. Noura said, “And how do we break this magic?”. Emad said, “That’s what we will try to discover, but first, we need to protect the child, for he is at the heart of this secret”.
At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching. Everyone fell silent, and terror crept into their hearts. Suddenly, a man emerged from among the trees. He was not one of the village men; he was a stranger. He said in a low voice, “You are searching for the truth then. Come closer, for you are walking on a dark path of no return”. Everyone froze in their places. Noura said, “Who are you?”. He replied, “He who seeks the truth must be prepared to pay its price”.
The stranger raised his head and revealed an eye filled with blackness, then said, “I am a servant of those who lived in darkness. I was once among your village people, but they cast me out, just as they will cast you out”. Emad asked him, “Do you know about the magic? About the woman named Ruqayyah?”. The stranger nodded and said, “Ruqayyah? The one who used to sow destruction in every house’s heart? I know her well. I was even her student before I fled from her curse”. Noura stepped forward and said pleadingly, “Help us, please. I want to get my husband back. I want my son to live in peace”.
The stranger approached her and said, “It’s not that simple. Your husband is not under ordinary magic, but a rare kind of magic that is tied to the soul and blood”. Emad asked with concern, “What does that mean?”. The stranger said slowly, “It means that the child himself is part of the pact. The magic was tied to them both. If it is broken for one, the other gets hurt”. Noura stepped back and put her hand on her chest, saying, “Impossible. This is not logical”. The stranger replied, “Sometimes madness is the truth we don’t want to believe”.
The stranger continued speaking as he took out a piece of black cloth with strange symbols from his pocket and said, “This is the document of the pact. I have kept it a secret for years. Without it, there is no hope of breaking the circle”. Fahd, looking at the cloth with suspicion, asked, “What do we have to do?”. The stranger replied, “You must return the child to the cemetery”. Noura screamed, “No, I won’t put him back there. I won’t leave him alone again”. The stranger replied firmly, “Not to leave him, but to begin the rituals. The pact was written there, and only there can it be broken”.
The fire of hesitation flared up inside Noura’s chest. Fahd approached her and said calmly, “Perhaps this is our only chance, Noura. The nightmare will only end there”. Noura looked at the sky, her eyes filled with tears, and said in a shaky voice, “If there must be pain, then let it be for his salvation”. The stranger looked at them and held out the document, saying, “At dawn, we will meet at the cemetery”. Then he disappeared as he had appeared.
As dawn broke, Noura, Fahd, and Emad began to creep along the rough paths toward the old cemetery. Noura said, “I want to save my husband. I want him to be as he was”. Fahd said, “Do we really know what we’re facing there?”. Emad replied calmly, “We don’t know, but we have no other choice”.
They arrived at the cemetery. Noura stood in front of a large grave and said, “Here is where I left him, and here I may begin the end”. The stranger stood near them and said, “Are you ready?”. Noura replied, a new determination in her voice, “Yes, we want to save them, my husband and my son”. The stranger took out a piece of black cloth and began to read strange words. He said, “The magic is very old, and the deeper it is, the greater the price”.
At that moment, the ground trembled beneath their feet, and a faint light appeared. They heard a sound approaching. Emad said, “Is it him?”. The stranger said, “It is the return”. Suddenly, the grave burst open, and Ruqayyah, the old woman they had talked about, appeared. She smiled a distorted smile and said, “You have come here to face the darkness, but the darkness is what will judge you”.
Noura defied her fear and said, “I will not let you destroy my life again. I want my husband back”. Ruqayyah said with a sarcastic tone, “Get your husband back? You can’t. Everything is over”. Then suddenly, Salem appeared before them, but he was not as he had been. His eyes were empty, and his fingers were twisted, as if his soul had been lost.
Noura looked at him and said with steady steps, “Salem, can you hear me? I am Noura, your wife”. But Salem did not answer. He raised his hand and let out a deafening scream. Ruqayyah said sarcastically, “It’s not him. He is now part of the curse we created for him”. Noura screamed, “I don’t believe this! Salem is my husband. I know him”. But Salem looked at her with his dead eyes and then whispered in a low voice, “You are not Noura. You are the ghost who was swallowed by my darkness”.
Noura, still holding on to hope, said, “Salem, please come back to me. Come back to Saif. I need you”. Salem moved toward her with heavy steps and said, “There is no escape. No escape from the darkness”. Ruqayyah said, “If you want him back, you must pay the price”.
Despite all the pain, Noura refused to believe that her husband had changed to this extent. She began to recite ancient words she knew deep in her heart. In a moment, Salem’s features changed, as if a spark of awareness had lit up in his eyes. He said in a weak voice, “Noura, please, I… I don’t want this”. He shouted at Ruqayyah, “I don’t want this! I don’t want to be part of this curse!”. Ruqayyah stepped back, but Salem continued to resist.
Noura, holding his hand, said, “If darkness has entered your life, we will fight it together to drive it out”. Then she closed her eyes and remembered her mother’s words: “Darkness is only defeated by light”. Suddenly, Noura began to hum those words she had learned in her childhood. Salem began to feel an invisible force freeing his soul from the grip of darkness. The shadows began to recede little by little, as if Ruqayyah’s curse was beginning to fade.
Ruqayyah screamed in anger, “No, this is impossible!”. But the darkness was fading before them. The stranger said, “Now everything has changed. You have regained your strength”. Salem began to regain his health, and his eyes returned to their human glow. He smiled at last and said, “You are with me now, Noura. We are together and we will not be separated”.
But Ruqayyah was still struggling and said, “I will not let you escape. I will not leave you”. But her power began to weaken, and the shadows around her quickly disintegrated. As she disappeared into the darkness, Noura looked at her husband with deep love and said, “You are back, Salem. We will live together in the light”.
With Ruqayyah’s defeat, a price had to be paid. Salem felt that he was not the same person. They heard a strange sound coming from afar. Emad appeared, his face pale, carrying something strange. He said, “You came at the wrong time. You don’t realize what you have done”. Salem said, “Do you mean we are not free yet?”. Emad replied, “Magic is not easily broken. Something will happen. The curse that was on Salem has not completely disappeared”.
Suddenly, a strange figure appeared in the fog. It was Ruqayyah, but she was not as they had expected. Her spirit was scattered in the air. She said, “You defeated me, but I will stay with you forever. Darkness will not leave unless you sacrifice”. Noura said, “What does that mean?”. Ruqayyah replied, “Darkness comes in different forms. Light cannot defeat it, but it may need a greater power. Remember this”.
As the ground trembled, Salem began to feel something strange entering him again. Noura said, “No, Salem, we can’t go back there”. But Salem said sadly, “I can’t prevent this. It seems this is the unavoidable price”.
Everyone realized that the real challenge had not yet begun. Ruqayyah said, “You have sacrificed many things to survive, but you have not yet realized that the price of that is your lives”. Salem screamed, “Enough! I don’t want to be part of this darkness anymore”.
Noura said with a determined tone, “We will not let darkness control us. We are strong people”. While Noura was preparing to face the darkness with resolve, Salem began to feel a faint light creeping into his heart. He said, “Can there be hope even in the darkness?”. Noura stood in front of Salem, placed her hand on his heart, and said in a strong voice, “Yes, there is hope. There is always hope”. Then she began to recite ancient words: “From the womb of darkness, light is born”.
Suddenly, the shadows began to recede. Ruqayyah screamed as she saw her power diminishing, “You won’t destroy everything!”. But with every word Noura said, the darkness receded until it finally disappeared. Salem said, “I’m back. Yes, I’m back”.
After the battle, a deep calm prevailed. Noura asked, “Are we really safe now?”. Salem replied, “I think the darkness is gone, but we cannot ignore one thing”. Noura said, “What is it?”. Salem said, “The battle was against the darkness that was trying to destroy us, but I now realize that it was a part of us, a part of our history”. He added, “The price might be that we cannot escape the past”.
Noura, who was always the source of strength, decided that the past must be forgiven, even if it could not be forgotten. She said, “I will not live in the shadow of the past anymore. I want to build a new future with you, with Saif”. Salem said, “Yes, we will start anew together”. Saif approached them and said, “Mom, Dad, will we live in peace now?”. Salem replied, “Yes, Saif, we will live in peace. We have started a new page”.
But Emad approached them and said, “Do not think that this battle is completely over. Darkness may disappear for a moment, but it always returns in other places”. Noura said, “We will be ready no matter when darkness returns”. The stranger came and said wisely, “You have proven that you are stronger than I expected, but remember, life does not come without new challenges, but you now know how to face the darkness”. Noura smiled and said, “We will face everything together, and our strength will remain in our unity”.
Days passed, and life began to take its shape again. But despite the light that radiated, a strange sense of anxiety loomed in the distance. Salem said to Noura, “Do you really believe that we are living in peace now?”. Noura replied in a low voice, “Yes, we have gotten rid of the darkness, and everything will be alright”. But she did not feel at ease.
The next morning, something unexpected happened. They suddenly heard strange sounds. Fahd approached and said, “Something unnatural is happening there”. Salem asked, “Do you think the darkness has returned?”. Fahd replied, “I don’t know, but there is a strange force in that area. Something might be threatening us”.
They decided to head toward the source. They finally reached the place, and the surprise was unexpected. Ruqayyah was there, but she was not as they had expected. She was standing among a group of people who were engrossed in strange rituals. Salem said, “Wasn’t that battle enough? Why are you back?”. Ruqayyah smiled cruelly and said, “You don’t understand. Darkness doesn’t leave easily, and there must be someone to continue the task. Everything has started again”. She added, “You got rid of the old darkness, but a new one has begun. We will always live in this conflict because darkness is merciless”.
Noura said, “We will not let you control us anymore. This magic must end”. But Ruqayyah had begun to transform, and her dark power was manifesting. She said, “If you think darkness can disappear, you are mistaken, but you will be the weakest link”.
The group of people attacked, but Salem, who had begun to feel a new strength in his heart, rushed forward, saying, “We will not let you again. We are stronger than darkness”. Amid the chaos, Saif for the first time rushed into the heart of the confrontation, raising his voice, “You will not separate us anymore. I am the son of light, and I will extinguish your darkness”. Everyone was surprised by the power of his voice. The shadows around Ruqayyah cracked, and her followers retreated one by one. Ruqayyah realized that the family’s strength, which she had thought was fragile, had become an impenetrable fortress.
Ruqayyah said sarcastically, “Light is not always enough”. But Noura stepped forward and said firmly, “It is enough when it comes from a mother’s heart”. Ruqayyah screamed and vanished. Peace returned, and nature itself breathed again. The sky cleared from its long darkness. Salem, Noura, and Saif sat under an old olive tree. Saif held his mother’s hand and said, “Is this the safety you dreamed of?”. Noura replied, a tear of pride shining in her eye, “No, this is the safety we made together”. Salem asked his son, “Who taught you all this?”. Saif smiled and said, “Love, when it is real, teaches you everything”.
Years passed, and Saif grew into a young man who would tell the villagers about the mother who put her son in the cemetery, and God gave him life again. No one knew all the details, but they would cry whenever they heard the story. As for Noura, she would sit every evening, light a small lamp, and say, “This light was created only to defeat darkness”.
