Once again, the wind was mocking us all, boasting through the sound of vehicles on the opposite side of the highway, feebly struggling to avoid the little head in scary and devilish maneuvers. I rushed to join the two men, with new sight given, as I became the brave man’s follower after being his enemy.
“He is right, my brother. God gave and God took, so hold yourself please. Your son is with his God.”
I helped the man seat the grieving father on the ground; he was still crying and pouring dirt over his head. At that moment, the courageous man looked at me with thankful eyes. I saw him jumping among the crowd, running swiftly in between the cars across the highway, like little Gavroche in Les Misérables of Hugo, defying the deadly vehicles, and singing his praises to the Lord in a magnificent but frightening scene. He was dancing solo the dance of life, with death, that eternal monster. With every life it claims, it gains a new ring on its body, much like tree rings, so it would age more slowly and live longer. For the life of the boy bestowed upon death, there was another growth ring, and a spectacular wrinkle on its face. My eyes were fixated on the brave man, wishing him a better fate than Gavroche, while he was negotiating the busy traffic to bring the little head.
The man put his red shemagh over the little head and picked it up easily with love and grace, and came back with it in another round of solo dancing with death around the cars, until he gently attached it to the body, and returned back to us.
I then saw him helping the father … in a stately walk … to his son.
1 One of the daily prayers, performed after sunset.
2 A natural tooth-cleaning twig made from a branch of a tree.
3 Shemagh is a headdress worn by Arab men, decorated usually with red and white colors.
1 Men’s white dress.
1 The person who leads the prayer.
About the Authors
Awadh Shaher—A famous Saudi novelist, currently lives in Makkah in the western part of the kingdom. He has published four novels and two collections of short stories.
Abdallah Altaiyeb—A Saudi writer and translator. He wrote and published several short stories in local magazines and newspapers and posted many short stories on various literature websites. He also translated several short stories for known Arab writers. Abdallah holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, an MBA, and a DBA. His email address is [email protected].
Ibtesam Trisy—A well-known Syrian novelist. She has published five novels and two collections of short stories. She is an active member of the Arab Writers Union.
Fatima Al-Nahidh- A UAE writer and poet. She has published many short stories on various literature websites.
Faysal Abu Saad—A Syrian writer and a member of the Arab Writers Union.
Hasan El-Biqali—A Moroccan writer and a member of the Moroccan Writers Union.
Hoida Saleh—An Egyptian novelist. She has published two novels and one collection of short stories.
Jubair Al-Melaihan—A Saudi writer, born in Hail in the northwestern part of the kingdom. He founded the ArabicStory website, a unique place for Arab writers to share their texts ( http://www.ArabicStory.net ). He has published three collections of short stories.
Khaled Al-Jobour—A Palestinian writer. He has published four books.
Leila Al-Ehaideb—A Saudi writer, who started her writing career at an early age. She has published a novel and a collection of short stories. Some of her texts have been translated into English and Italian.
Nabil Hatem—A Syrian writer and translator. He has published five collections of short stories. He is an active member of the Arab Writers Union.
Samir El-Feel—A celebrated Egyptian novelist and poet. He has published two novels and ten collections of short stories. He has also authored five books of poetry.
Sherif Saleh—An Egyptian writer and journalist. He has published one collection of short stories.
Wafa Altayeb—A Saudi writer, born in Madinah in the western part of the kingdom. She has published two collections of short stories, and is very active in the various fields of literature. She is currently a faculty member at Taibah University, Madinah.
Words from the Authors
This is really joyful news. I would suggest that the book title be, “Stories from the Weave of the Sun” as they are of Arabic origin, where the sun shines awesomely.
Leila
Frankly speaking, this is a great surprise. I was overjoyed with the translation of my story.
Hoida
As a distinguished writer, Abdallah’s translations have a special, remarkable flavor that goes beyond taming the texts into a second language, remaining faithful to their spirit and transparency. He handles the texts with patience and love, and they come fairly easy to him.
Fatima
Thank you, my friend. I salute your perseverance and graciousness.
Sherif
Abdallah uses his poetic sensibilities and literary talent in drafting his translations.
Wafa
Thank you for honoring my words with your translation.
Awadh
I re-read my story in its own language, and then read its translation. I almost imagined that I wrote it in English.
Khaled
No doubt Abdallah has a beautiful novelistic sense. He is a smooth diver in both languages.
Nabil
Thank you from the heart.
Faysal
It was a good surprise for me to read the translation. Thank you for choosing my story and translating it.
Jubair
Thank you a thousand times over. I will do my best to read the English version.
Ibtesam
On the Weave of the Sun Page 7