Hunaak!

Somewhere!

Author:Ibraheem Abbas
Co-Author:Eng. Yasser Bahjatt

Copyright © 2013

All rights reserved.

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Ibraheem Abbas is a creative director and a screenplay writer, he co-founded Yatakhayloon —The League of Arabic SciFiers— with Yasser Bahjatt. Yatakhayloon’s main objective is to establish the Arabian science fiction genre, making it stand out as a unique and new view of sci-fi that is globally competitive and would also expose the world to our rich Arabian culture.

www.Yatakhayaloon.com

www.يتخيلون.com

DEDICATION

We dedicate this novel to everyone who honored us by reading our first novel HWJN and supported us during our hard times.

We owe you big time.

It is for you that we write Hunaak! (Somewhere!)

Authors’ Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Ali Sheneamer, who listened to my story way before I wrote it and kept bugging me until I did. I would also like to thank Yasser Bahjatt, my comrade on this amazing journey.

Co-Author’s Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Arlan Andrews Sr., who put me on the spot during his session in the  2012 Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF2012), forcing me to think seriously about the Arabian sci-fi industry and how to help its existence. I also thank Arthur Zards, who pushed me to pitch my sci-fi impact concept at the TED Conference, giving me a much-needed boost to move forward with Yatakhayaloon. Last but not least, I would like to thank TED’s Open Translation Project. The translation experience I had built through the program was the first platform for me to publicly publish my translation work. Such experience was essential for me to be able to co-author this novel.

Before you ask…

My last novel’s hero was of a young Jinni in his early nineties who was an expert in using the Ouija tablet and loved driving Lamborghinis. After publishing, I was bombarded with the question wether the story was true or not. This question was the question that I loved the most!

Before you ask the same question about Hunaak,  allow me to answer it upfront:

Yes, I confess the story is true to a huge extent. We had been inspired to write all of its details from its hero directly…and this is my attempt to put the words onto paper.

Ibraheem

In a hurry…

I confess that I write in utter spontaneity, my most important objective is to give you joy, with the hope that these lines might hold some value. I write in a photographic style that mixes the classic novel with the movie script, this means that events to me are more important than the language it is written in. I do not glut this with excessive descriptions, nor do I starve it to its bones, this imagination is split between your sentiments and the events that I try hard to lure you into, as they are. I present to you what had been said as is without interfering with dubbing. The hero is the speaker; I would not dare to confiscate his style, slang or emotions to rewrite them in my way, simply because I do not want you to settle for reading the words without seeing the events and living the experience.

I apologize, in advance, to everyone who might be surprised with statements in the local slangs amongst this presentation that I tried to keep in the original Qurashi Tongue. To all who might find my novel different than what is used in literary work that focuses on elaborate linguistic structures, this is  -if anything- an imagery attempt that focuses on simplifying the words to make them clear to the audience.

Without further ado, allow me to let you experience… Hunaak (Somewhere)!

(1)

I?! Am Here?!

F inally, a pen!

A strange pen, as strange as everything I’ve seen here, a solid sculptured block with intertwined patterns that are so amazing and detailed, they go all the way up to its metal tip, producing a thousand artworks on its pointy end with patterns of gold and bronze.

A pen that tempts my fingers to write, it’s ink flirting with the page, it flows with sentences as if it knew them, it is almost as if it would say the words just before it writes them.

I asked her for the pen and she brought it to me at once.

Don’t rush me, I will tell you about her.

But now, I need to write; I need to remember. And to remember, I need to write down everything!

I have no idea if my words will find someone to read them, nor do I know if I will still remember them after writing them, but I need to document everything that had happened to me since the moment I found myself here, the moment that I cannot remember a thing before!

I opened my eye and saw the room’s ceiling, it was at least ten meters high, it was concave and made with a crystal clear dome with strange drawings. If it was not for those drawings, I would not have even noticed it was there. It actually was not just one dome but several blended domes, I can make out the main dome in the middle, and another three or four domes of different sizes. Hair thin strings came down from these domes that had glowing balls of light that lit the room with a comforting cloudy light. They were swinging fondly as a result of the wind streams that caressed them. I can see the sky beyond the huge crystal spheres, a clear blue color, only interrupted by some cotton clouds floating clumsily along with birds that were dancing briefly in the air before they rested on the domes.

I have no idea how long I lasted in that state, was it minutes? was it hours? All of my muscles where in a delightful relaxed mode; while my eyes were wide open trying to comprehend the beauty of that ceiling, I was also trying to process in my mind the entire situation, with no luck! I was squeezing every cell of my brain trying to remember anything, it was a vain effort! Who am I? What is my name? Where did I come from? What brought me here? What was this place anyway??

All of my efforts to remember anything had failed. Thus, I decided to force my muscles to rise. I was surrounded by a white smooth velvet bed, it conformed to my body’s shape, I couldn’t even feel it. Nothing else was in the center of that room, I looked around, this was not really a room, it was more like a yard; a vast circular yard, with a diameter no less than forty meters.

Now I remember! Where are my glasses?! My weak sight could not see further than a meter far! I moved my hands around feeling for my glasses, felt my face as I might find it hiding over my nose as usual.

But wait a moment! How can I see everything so clearly? Without my glasses I knew I was as good as a blind man!

I stood up slowly and felt a slight cool flow of air moving through my feet to my upper body and I noticed a strange feeling, the floor seemed further away from where I usually see it! That is impossible! I think I was now taller. Yes! I do not remember being this tall at all! I am barely a hundred and sixty seven centimeters tall. That is including my thick shoes and curly hair! And my weight is more than … I raised the white shirt that I did not know it where came from either to take a look at my belly that used to block me from seeing my feet except for the tips of my toes… and … Oh my God!! My shaky belly turned into six elegant stretched blocks with a belly button that I can actually see rather than that dark pit that I had never been able to see its end. I felt my body, my shoulders, my chest, my muscles, how did I get all of this?!

I strangely felt light, I think I had miss judged gravity my entire life, I just found out that my belly is what was pulling me down!

As I walked on the white, smooth and slightly cold floor, I couldn’t resist to explore where were these wind currents coming from. Where they cooling vents? I couldn’t hear an A/C sound, in fact, I heard no sounds other than my own breath and … yes, I could barely recognize any of the city sounds. No, not like the sounds I knew of cars, traffic jams and city noise.

Only the sounds of people, men, women and children coming from afar, they were only interrupted by music. It all threw me from the pinnacle of astonishment to the epitome of harmony; the gentle music was coming from one of the rooms nearby. Along with the pleasant sounds, an aroma took over my attention and forced me to close my eyes and inhale it all in a deep breath that refreshed my lungs. I moved towards the curved wall that was half covered by curtains and I noticed some of the curtains were moving. I assumed this was where the gentle breezes of air where coming from! I figured that there must have been a door behind them. I didn’t know how to open these curtains. Neither could I see any switches or physical buttons. Why is it that I couldn’t find a user manual of how to interact with all the things here? I had to use the most primitive solution, so I hunched and gently raised the curtain with both of my hands and passed under them and then … What was all this revealing in front of me?

As I walked past the curtains, I found out that the room where I awoke, was connected to a balcony if not as spacious as the room itself. It was shaded by a few climbing trees that were covered with amazing blossoms that competed in beauty, color and aroma, it all nearly erased the scent that had enticed me just moments before. The balcony was hanging on a transparent crystal base, had it not been for the two chairs and a table at its edge, I would not have noticed that I could actually step onto it. I set my right foot forward cautiously onto the balcony with the instinctive fear that I would fall. After my right foot had safely landed,  it encouraged my left foot and then, as I was firmly standing in the balcony, I looked around and realized that I was at a very high altitude. I could barely see the land beneath as people looked like tiny ants. I gently turned my neck and body to take a look behind me to gain perspective of the building I had found myself in. I was hoping I would find a mark or a sign; it was a tower covered entirely with smooth glass that had no windows; a huge crystal masterpiece that ended in an enormous clear dome. I was able to clearly see everything within it: the trees, the flowers and the buildings as if it was a small city hanging from the sky. Around the main tower, there were other shorter towers scattered. At   the base of these towers was a well groomed garden with amazing strikes of green set with an assortment of colored flowers. Walkways for pedestrians divided the garden and small buildings were scattered like glamorous diamonds; three water canals with some boats passed through it as well. All canals were ending at a gulf that spread across the horizon where the buildings of a enormous city appeared, more like one of these futuristic cities in science fiction novels.

Now I was certain that I was dreaming! I knew that my readings into astral projection and lucid dreaming would affect my mind some day, and here I am now trapped in one of them!

I knew that I would awake at any moment and all of this would be all gone. I told myself to wake up. I tried very hard to open my eyes, I goggled hard to wake up… I pinched myself… I bit my hand and suddenly there was a gentle knock on the door and an even softer female voice said:  “May you allow me to enter?”

I was very puzzled by it all… I do not remember any relation I had with the opposite sex other than some shallow passing words on the internet… but I remember that I used to be ashamed of my overweight and my absolutely unattractive features. I preferred to stay alone, but there was no need to be shy here, everything had changed! I am now living in a dream… just a dream! And I will seize the moment before the guy with the wobbling belly awakes!

My thoughts took longer than they should have, as the knocks on the door repeated. I ran back into the room looking for a door opposite to the curtains. Damn this solid annoying wall! There are no clues of any door or handle or even a key hole! the girl repeated her request to enter. Increasing my frustration, I decided to allow her to enter making her figure out where the door was, I stated in a serious tone as I held myself tall and sucked in my belly instinctively as I was standing facing the wall:

“Come in!”

Part of the wall on the other side of the room moved upwards quietly, making me look like an idiot as I stood firmly in front of the wrong wall. I turned towards the opening as she rushed towards me calling out with clear longing:

“Husam… Husam!! You can’t imagine how I missed you!!”

Husam? Husam?! I remember now!! My name is Husam! I was surprised having her wrap her arms around my neck and hugging me tightly as her tears flowed between our two cheeks. I could not take the surprise… of course I couldn’t!

I confess that I was a frenzy of emotional disturbance marred with an upset stomach and a temporarily paralysis having an ordinary girl smile at me and say: “How are you?”

What would you expect when a girl hugs me and tells me that she missed me?! A girl? This being cannot be Human! I removed myself from her arms whilst torn with heartbreak and shame. I can now see her clearly… she did not move her face too far from me, just a few centimeters separated my astonishment and her smile, such close distance is usually not enough for my eyes to focus and recognize features, but her beauty defied all laws of vision, I saw her clearly, her eyes filled my horizon, they would mock the ocean’s color and depth, mirroring the sky, I could see my reflection in them, from her eager gaze I felt that it was not a mere reflection, I felt that she carried me in her eyes where ever she went, whenever she opened or closed them. If I continue to describe her to you I would never finish my story! In short her beauty exceeds the most beautiful girl I had ever seen or even imagined in my entire life! If you are looking for the secrets of beauty you need not look beyond her smile, and if you ask about the meaning of femininity her body would be the perfect answer!

She did not hide her annoyance me moving away… yet she kept her cheerful smile and wiped her tear with her palm in a childish manner as she threw herself on the bed followed by her white silk dress that slowly descended upon her, she looked up at the ceiling as she said happily:

“I have dreamt of this moment my entire life! To see you in front of me… to talk to you… to hug you!”

What a vulgar girl! With all due respect to her amazing beauty that no one would disagree about… but how does she enter a guy’s room all by herself? Clearly, a guy that she does not know, nor does he know her, and hugs him and throws herself on his bed! Let alone how she is dressed!!

Wait a moment… Who said she did not know me? She called me by my name. In fact, I only remembered my name when she called it out loudly! I gathered my fake courage and assertiveness as I said:

“I think I lost my memory, but apparently you know much about me and this place… can you please help me figure this out?”

“Seriously?! Your playing the tough guy card!”

She got out of the bed and as she said this, she pulled my hand towards the other wall:

“Don’t rush things, in time, you will know everything. I am so hungry now! Let’s go have a bite… my treat! I’ll take you to this new restaurant that I am sure you will enjoy! But first… you need to change!”

She slid her fingers over the wall as if it was a touch screen. A large portion of the wall suddenly opened up and it revealed a cabinet that contained more clothes than I had ever seen in my lifetime and of much higher quality!

She tapped the edge of the wall, making the lights turn on. This was no ordinary cabinet, it was more like a fully fledged retail store with all of the top brands… she pulled me inside as she moved cheerfully between the rows of clothes:

“Would you like to chose for yourself? You know what, let me chose for you!!”

She dragged me towards a row of Polo shirts of all colors and pulled out a white one and handed it to me:

“White Polo!… this is your favorite shirt right?”

I held it in my hands, examined it and I looked for the size on the tag. This was about to be history: I’d be able to stuff myself in a shirt that did not have the letter L without ripping it apart! Since I could not find the tag, my stupidity lauded me  “Is this my size?” and  she giggled — “No, it is my size!… Of course it is your size! Everything here has been tailored to your exact size!” as she said this, she pulled out a pair of gray Armani jeans along with a pair of Paul Smith socks and a pair of  Louis Vuitton shoes. With every piece of clothing  and accessory that she pulled out, my memory burned even more. I knew these were my favorite clothes, I would only buy them by saving up for a few months just so that I could get them cheaper at a discount in the change of seasons!

She pulled open one of the drawers and out came the glimmer of gold, platinum and diamonds. This was an amazing collection of watches of astronomical prices. “This is the Rolex Yacht-Master that you yearn for, is it not?” — She stated as she picked it up and brought it up close to me.

It was true, but, how did she know?? I used to drool over these things that I could never in my life afford to have. Not even if I saved everything I ever made and survived on water and bread crumbs for more than a few years!

She held my arm to put the Yacht-Master on my wrist. “See how amazing it looks on you? Come quick; change the rest of your clothes, we barely have time for dinner!” — she added.

What audacity! She wants me to change in front of her? No way! Impossible! I looked at her with disapproval.

“What? Are you shy? OK not a problem”

—she said as she turned around giving me her back. Not a chance!

“Now what? How do you want me to change while you are still here?” — I quipped.

“Why not?” — she quickly replied.

“You must be dreaming! There is no chance I would change while you are still here! Even if you were my mother!” — I responded.

“OK! OK! Just be quick about it! I will wait for you outside next to the door” — she said with a laugh.

I did not even touch the clothes until I was certain she had gone out and that the door was sealed shut. That made up serious look on my face quickly dissipated into that of a drooling idiot in awe as I was enjoying my new clothes and Yacht-Master watch.

“Husam? Are you done?” — she yelled.

“Don’t you dare enter!” — I responded quickly.

I must change fast before this lunatic comes in again!

“Hussssaaaam? Are you done yet? Should I enter?” — she insisted.

I slid into the jeans in ease for the first time in my life, I did not need to jump around and perform my usual dance: “Stuff-me-in-these-damn-jeans”, I had no time to celebrate now! I buttoned up the jeans just at the same moment that impudent being  stormed into the room.

“Is the bride ready or does she need hel… oh wow how hansom you are!! But I like you more with your sleeves curled up!”

She curled up my sleeves and latched on to my arm like a baby, the cabinet’s lights went out the moment we left, we walked in a crystal lobby covered with plants from the outside, some of which had snuck to the inside blanketing the floor with its flowers and the atmosphere with its aroma.

“Husam, What color would you chose?”

The question was sudden, she went down on her knees before I could answer. She picked up a flower and set in her left ear just as a second flower bud grew in place of the first and started to blossom.

“So, what do you think? Does the purple flower suit my ear? Does it make me look beautiful?”

In all honestly, it was the flower that became beautiful as if it was happy to be the lucky chosen one to reside in her left ear. I let down my cool a bit as I shook my head in approval with a calm smile. The cloudy mist that surrounded us would move around and at times engulf us. We arrived to the elevator that was also made of glass; its door opened when we approached it and closed after we entered. For the first time in my life I entered an elevator that had chairs formed from two velvet works of art hanging from the ceiling. We sat on them and the journey downwards began. It was really more like a drop but I did not feel dizzy nor nauseous, just a slight terrifying feeling as I see that ground approaching us fast but that slowed down when we got to the lobby of that building. The lobby was round with a very tall fountain at its center and there were three girls sitting around it, each playing a strange musical instrument that mixed in with the sound of the water that flowing from the fountain. This turned out to be the gentle music that I heard in my room when I woke up earlier.

The girls looked at me with a shy smile as they clearly got excited with their music as we passed by. Each was flirting with her instrument with passion and gazed at me as if every one of them was playing for me alone. We exited the main gate of the building to find an amazingly white steed, its hear locks were golden braided and decorated with colorful beads, so long that they almost touched the ground.

“So would you like to drive or should I?”

How embarrassing! How on Earth would I control such a beast? My control and experience does not exceed my lifelong partner: the grey Camry! I must allude this situation gracefully:

“All of this technology and we end up riding a Stallion? I was expecting a rocket!”

My maneuver failed! As she called my bluff:

“First, you need to differentiate between a Stallion and a Mare. Second, do you seriously want a rocket? Your first time out with a girl and you want her to ride a rocket instead of a horse? In any case we do not like to disturb the calmness of the city with machines, and do not be so quick to judge the Mare. Trust me, she will make you forget all about rockets!!” — She added.

Only to be interrupted, I tried to explain — “Frankly the last time I got on a horse was…”

“I know, I know. When your Father used to walk you on the coast line as a little boy and you would ride the midget horse.”

Damn her! How did she know?! She unbuckled the strap that held the saddle in place and threw the saddle away, then she held on to her locks and jumped with clear skill on to her back, her silk dress did not impede her movement as it was open from both sides, and she pushed out her arm towards me:

“I do not like saddles! Come on give me your hand! We are late!”

The Mare’s back was as high as my eyes, how did such a sweet girl like her jump to its back that easily? I held her arm and jumped behind her, I was so embarrassed and totally not at ease, but when she pulled on the Mare’s locks; she sprung so fast I forgot my embarrassment and went directly to fear, forcing me to hold on to her tightly as her wild copper hear cover my face, we passed with speed next one of the water streams on our right and the gardens to our left just as the sky above us was in her purple dress brocaded with gold.

If this was a dream, then my subconscious surely deserves an Oscar! When I awake I will reward myself with a long sleep vacation, I would keep my eyes shut the entire time so that this dream would last as long as it possibly can.

But can a dream have all of these intricate details with such clarity? If this was a lucid dream, can it be so real that reality itself seems like a dream? If this was not a dream, what else can it be? How will I know where I am? And what brought me here?!

No one had the answers other than her…

(2)

Somewhere with Malak

M y memories are like rain drops echoing in my head, each drop encouraging her other friends to jump after her and quench more of my memory cells.

I am Husam; Husam Khaled Alshareef, my Father passed away five years ago from pancreatic cancer, may God bless his soul. My Mother is Afaf Alabdaly; I ask God to bless her with a long and healthy life; I live with her and my younger sister Maram. I graduated from King Abdulaziz University (KAU) with a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science. About nineteen months ago, I worked in a trivial job in a construction company. I live a humble life that only allows me to toil and dream without ever seeing any of my dreams come true.

My Mother had to be both Mother and Father at the same time. In the mornings, she is a teacher and at night she sells beakers. On top of it all, she is raising Maram and me as a full time job. Maram has just finished High School and she dreams of things that overlook her age, gender and circumstances.

Everything I remember had nothing to do with this time, place nor even the person that I am talking to from within this mind and new body! I could only remember the broad lines of my life, but it was disconnected from where I find myself now. The palaces, gardens, rivers and a beauty queen snagging me on a white horse. Every dream that could ever occur to a human was embodied here.

Yet, at this moment, I only dream of getting back to my mother & sister and to be me in my own body; the short and chubby, dark-skinned Husam who labors in his humble job to support his mother and sister. Husam who dreams of things that never happen.

“Humans are truly weird.” — she interrupted my line of thought as she slowed down the mare, as if she was sitting inside my head while I was talking to myself when she completed my thought while ignoring my astonishment.

“Nothing is ever enough! Always running after phantom dreams, and when they come true he turns his back on them to run after others!” — she added.

I was astonished both from her interruption as well as the scenery that I just realized its details when the mare slowed down. We made our way through the city’s neighborhoods, assorted houses covered in glass and plants. Some of them even had red bricks and wood. While it had a modern design to it, yet it refused to overshadow the amazing nature around it, it did not even seclude itself behind walls.

The mare was walking with pride in these alleys just as people began greeting us as if we were the King and Queen. Could all of these details truly be just a dream? What I see here is much clearer than my real life! She turned the mare towards the water stream passing through a pathway of trees that were covered with so many flowers that I could barely make out the green on its leaves. The pathway guided us towards the gates of a small floating island where there was a man wearing a dark purple velvet suit and a long brown leather jacket with golden embroidery. I would have been terrified had it not been for his welcoming smile. He held one of the mare’s locks and guided us calmly up five white marble steps to a long aisle where I could hear the slow knocks of the mare’s hooves on its polished floor all the way until we arrived to a huge rackety hall where we climbed down the horse as she stopped at its entrance.

“Your table is reserved in Americano Grille”, said the giant as he led us through the hall that I would simply describe as an enormous food court with hundreds of five star or above restaurants surrounding it. She held my arm tightly and pointed at a restaurant with a gigantic burger wearing a cowboy hat sculpture hovering above it.

“Husam, That is our restaurant.” — she added.

At that moment, I remembered our small celebrations at every paycheck, as we would spend a nice chunk of it in Chilies then our nutritious choices would deteriorate afterwards as it dried out leaving us with frozen bread at the end of the month.

We overcame the crowds and long wait lines to be seated on a special table overlooking the water canal. It seemed that the inhabitants of this city are obsessed about crystals and glass. The restaurant’s entire floor was clear and slightly above the water surface, looking around me I felt as if the table was firm on top of the waves and beneath it were flocks of fish and gardens of coral. I picked up the food menu and she fondly leaned towards me and said:

“Here you will find everything you like.”

I opened the menu and although I was not feeling hungry, the live holographic images of food almost  smelt like the real meals. They were sure to make my saliva glands explode! Burgers… Nachos… Stakes… My eyes would usually just jump directly to the price tag and get temporarily blinded of any items that exceeded the fifty Riyal barrier, but this menu was even more fabulous as it had no prices whatsoever!

The waiter approached us and asked politely:

“Madam, Sir, What would you like to order?”

“Would you like me to order your usual Nachos and a well done Burger?”

Her knowing details about me no longer surprised me. I ignored the hunger that was building up as I played the role of a gentleman by asking her:

“What would you like to eat?”

“Turkey sandwich and a diet coke” — she replied.

I turned to the waiter:

“May I have one turkey sandwich, one homemade cheese burger with bacon, make it well done please. I would also like to have some nachos, and… the starter platter!”

“What would you like to have for a drink?” — the waiter added.

“A Diet Coke, a Lemon Ice Tea, and a bottle of still water please.” — I added.

Although my English is very clumsy, I knew I was speaking to him in a fluent American accent, just as if I had grown up in a Texas suburb but not that accent of someone from the Samer district in Jeedah!

A few seconds after the waiter left our table, our order was being delivered. It was being carried by a girl in a cowgirl outfit. In a brutal, savage and barbaric manner, I attacked that burger head on. My hands could barely keep a hold of it from it’s enormity. My fingers were forced to sink into its tender bun that had just escaped from the oven. The  aroma of it and that of the barbecued meat had melted the cheese slice before it even melted me. I took a huge bite out of that while realizing that my mouth should have been smaller. All of my senses had joined my teeth on the journey through the layers of that glorious burger and overwhelming me with a typhoon of flavors and gave me a slight pain at the edge of my jaw just under my ear as a result of the bursting of saliva that it had caused. I did not give my digestive or respiratory system a chance to comprehend this burger attack. I picked up a warm nacho and dipped it into the burning golden cheese  —only to top it off with a little bit of salsa — and then, I stuffed it all at once into my mouth that had yet not finished dealing with the burger bite.

She watched me with such astonishment as I moved my grinding mouth. My tongue twisted hardly in the mix all while she had not even touched her meal. I stopped for a second when she noticed my horrible table manners and she bursted with laughter — “Enjoy the food Husam! This is the first time I see you eat like this!”

I took a sip of the refreshing Ice Tea to end the burning festival in my mouth. The enormous bite slid into my tummy happily and I had now regained the ability to breathe and speak.

“Ok…And then?” — I asked.

“And then what?!!” - She yelled.

“When are you planning to explain?” — I added.

“Explain what?” — She said.

“Explain what is going on here?!” — I asked.

“What is happening is that we are enjoying each other’s company, and you are eating as if you had never seen food in your life!” — she added

“Do not avoid my question…” — I interjected.

“Just a moment…” — she said just as she was calling out to one of the cowgirl waitresses. She whispered in her ear as the waitress smiled and went towards the stage in the middle of the floor where the musical band was setting up. The band of five men and two ladies were wearing elegant velvet purple suits along with golden ties and cowboy hats. The band’s lead listened to the cowgirl waitress and nodded. The band started playing my favorite song, as if they knew the whole playlist that I played everyday on my phone and in my car by heart! However, they played it in a much more amazing tone than the originals.

I noticed that the wind drifts had increased and strange movements in the clouds and waves began occurring. Shortly after, I actually realized that it was us that were moving. The entire island was moving! It raised above the water and started floating in the air. I saw the city’s lights, guardians and water paths get smaller through the clear crystal under our feet, the lights and towers were filling every point in my view, as mesmerized as I was by the view she was still unable to distract me away from my questions that I repeated with more assertion

“I told you not to avoid my questions! Am I dreaming?”

“Honestly, would an intelligent person expect a convincing answer from an imaginary girl in his dreams? Can you not see, hear and feel everything around us? Is this a dream? Have you ever had a dream this clear?” — She added.

“Pinch me!” — I told her.

“Excuse me!” — She exclaimed.

“I said, pinch me!” — I said with a tense and serious voice just as she responded with a short laugh and as she looked around to make sure that people were not looking.

“OK, OK.. take it easy! …there” — I felt her delicate fingers on my arm, she did not hurt me but I am sure I felt them, this feeling was not enough!

“Slap me!” — I demanded.

“No, no, no, you must have gone mad!” — She replied.

“I said hit me!” — I reiterated.

She slapped me joyfully and I shouted — “Slap me hard NOW!”

This time she slapped me for real! I could feel a needle-like pain covering the area of the palm of her small hand that left a red mark behind along with some heat on my cheek.

At that moment, everyone in the restaurant turned toward us in astonishment and within a  few  moments the majority faked smiles to avoid the collective embarrassment of the situation. My face was in pain. She gently took both of her hands around my face while almost crying, and said:

“My love! Are you hurt? Please forgive me. I swear I did not mean to hurt you!”

“I truly can’t be asleep. And I can’t believe that this was a girl’s slap! you reminded me of Mr. Ayid!”

Her panic turned into a gentle smirk that she hid with her hand as she whispered — “Do not be fooled by my looks, I am tough when I need to be!”

“Swear that I am not asleep, swear that I am not in a dream!”

“Why would you not assume that your other life is the dream and you just woke up? Can’t you see things here are clearer and better?”

I said — “Do not avoid my questions! SWEAR IT!”

She replied — “I swear to God that you are awake and everything around you is real and not a dream.”

I could only elaborate further — “Even if you do swear. What assurances do I have that you are not lying? It seems to me you don’t know God, with all this freedom and flirty wear. You live in a society of mixed men and women and music playing everywhere!”

What I said came as a complete shock to her that not only silenced her, but gave her face an instant  transformation from the cheering and joyful to the upset with a hint of angry scolding. I felt bad and utterly stupid, I wish she would slap me a thousand times if it would only help erase my shameful comments from her memory.

“May God forgive you Husam! For your information, we know God very well, and I do not need to swear to anyone! If you do not want to believe me you don’t have to! No one is forcing you!” — she added.

“Are you upset by me?” — I asked.

“The problem is that I can’t be upset with you. Firstly, because I know everything you have been through and the community you had lived with.” — she responded.

“And Secondly?” — I asked.

“Secondly… because I…” — She hesitated to respond.

“You… what??” — I interjected.

“Nothing. Didn’t you just say you had questions? Ask me anything under one condition…” — She said.

“I am all ears!” — I exclaimed.

“I can only answer you with either a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’. Trust me, I can’t give you any more details unless you agree to one thing.” — She explained.

“And what would that be?” — I asked.

“If you decide that you would never go back to your past, I can only then reveal everything to you. Otherwise, I can’t say a thing. All I will try to do is hint to you some of your life’s details so that you can remember and help you know how you got here and how you can get back.” — she added.

“You are telling me that if you gave me any details whatsoever, I would be permanently stuck here?” — I asked.

“You would live here with me…” — She replied.

“Forever?” — I quickly tried to clarify.

“Forever!” — She exclaimed.

“No, no, this is impossible! Ok, I will ask you and answer me with a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’” — I added.

She gently rested her cheeks on her palms and looked at me with her killer eyes and said in a Shahrazadian flirty way:

“At your command Sir”

“Am I dreaming?” — I asked.

“I told you… No!” — She said.

She increased her flirty dose this time as she emphasized the word (Nooh) saying it slowly as she pushed her tongue against the top of her mouth and then releasing it with the slightest hint of an H sound at the end… I ignored the dizzy feeling I got from her flirtation and went on with my questions:

“You mean I am awake?” — I asked.

“Yes” — She responded.

“Everything here is real and not a figment of my imagination?” — I asked.

“Yes everything here is real” — She responded.

“Are you a Jinni?” — I asked.

“Hahahaha… No, of course not, I am not a Jinni” — She responded.

“Am I in a science experiment that through to the future?” — I asked.

“Hahahahah No No… stop it you are killing me!” — She responded.

“Am I on another planet?” — I asked.

“No No… you are deeply affected by all those movies you have bored me with!” — She responded.

“Am I dead?” — I asked.

“God forbid!” — She responded.

“Then where am I? tell me!” — I demanded.

“Should I tell you? Have you decided to live with me forever?” — She inquired.

“No, don’t say… I will find out myself!” — I jolted.

The glimmer of joy that had glanced off of her face was quickly replaced by stark disappointment… I only quipped by reflecting how mean I could be sometimes… mean, nasty, despicable and ill mannered! How could I treat this angel with such cruelty? I stood to leave the table, and she asked with worry — “Where are you going?”

I did not answer her, and I walked towards the lead singer… I came back to her, and stood in a theatrical pose as if Anwar Wagdy had jumped out of one of his Don Juan roles:

“Would you allow me this dance?”

The band started playing the song that I had requested. Her eyes widened in surprise and joy and she almost jumped out of her seat to hang on to my arm, we moved towards the stage as the lights gently dimmed and everyone in the restaurant shifted their attention towards us.

“The words were written by Nizar Qabbani, the music by Ihsan Al-Monther and it was sung by Majida El Roumi, you would listen to it in your car and hide the CD under the seat in fear of getting caught by your father” - I told her.

I smiled as I gazed into her eyes, I care not about what she knows about me, I do not want to spoil this moment with anything that would distract me from her eyes, I pillowed the palm of her hand under mine and my arm wrapped around her waist. Our bodies connected as she surrendered on my chest as I danced with her to the words of Nizar. Despite her tall body and high heels, I was still standing taller even if it was by just a few centimeters. How amazing to have this advantage!”

“How tall are you?” — I asked her.

“176 cm, why?!” — She replied quickly.

“That means I should be around…” — I said out loud only to be interjected by her…

“189 cm!” — she said it playfully and then started singing along the band in clear delight. —

“I hear from him as he dances with me, words that are not like words, he takes me from under my arms, he plants me along with one of the tunes.”

She sung with such an angelic voice that I almost forgot the voices of Majdah and Fayrooz and every feminine voice I had ever heard in my life… I used to feel frustrated every time I heard that song because it is the summary of a moment that one, such as myself, would never live…  One who has no money, power, beauty nor body… I used to listen to this fantasy only to spoil my mood and yet here I was living it to the letter. I was now dancing with a beauty queen as she joyfully sang it to me. We were dancing to this tune and the music seemed to be playing us as much as it played for the sake of the song itself. Her gaze embraced mine, and her breath held onto my breath. Droplets of topaz flooded her wide eyes and held on to her copper red eye lashes for a moment just before they flew off as she spilled between my arms. Shouldn’t those tears affect some of the makeup around her eyes as they do to all girls of the world I came from?

“By the way I have no makeup on!” — she exclaimed.

“Why not?!” — I asked my idiotic question, and she responded with a begging look in her face:

“Don’t you like how I look? Would you like me to put on some makeup? What look would please you?” — she asked me.

Does this crazy girl not know that her beauty mocks our Human standards? I tried maneuvering my question — “On the contrary, I could still not believe that a creature of your beauty was actually created, let alone that such legendary creature is dancing at this moment between my arms?”

At that moment, I realized that the reddish hue on her cheeks had nothing to do with makeup, as it ripened right in front of my eyes as she turned shy and escaped to my chest from my gaze;

I asked her —“you can read my thoughts, true?”

“No” — She replied.

“Then how did…” — I began asking.

She removed her head from my chest and interrupted me with her look before her words —“You could say instincts”

“Instincts? You sound like my Mother” — I told her.

“Love gets hearts closer, and hearts see before eyes and hear before ears.” — She explained.

Her words froze me, she returned to my chest and closed her eyes until the song was over… and we stopped… but our heart beats went on the same rhythm. The restaurant stopped its smooth float, she raised her head and said in a sad tone — “We are here…”

I looked out of the balcony and realized that the restaurant was now next to my room’s balcony where I had woken up. She led me to the restaurant’s balcony where a path was erected from its edge to my room, I got off of that floating island but she did not come with me.

“You are not coming?” — I asked.

“I need to go. There are a lot of things that I need to prepare for you.” — She explained.

“OK… will I see you again?” — I asked gently.

“If you want me just call for me and I will come to you!” — she said, just as the island started to move away.

She was standing on its edge and the wind was gently waving her dress and hair, I yelled so that she could hear me:

“How should I call for you? You did not tell me your name!!”

“You asked me a thousand questions and never thought of asking me for my name… my name is Malak!”

Her voice began fading just as she moved further away inside that flying thing until it completely disappeared into the horizon… and with it, she did as well.

(3)

Wake me up!

M y brain cells had never felt so exhausted as they did today.  They were under a lot of pressure as I squeezed out every memory drop within them… to no avail! I searched in their mazes for a logical explanation for what was happening to me and I failed miserably… my memory was still drawing a blank. Other than the events that I lived here, I could not remember even the smallest details. I believe that memories are clear when they are still fresh but they get foggy and dissipate with time, however, the memories of the events that had taken place in here are different. They were so clear that I could not really consider them memories, it was almost as if Malak was still melting me within her arms and blanketing me with her eyes. Damn! how beautiful she is! I could tell she was trying to refresh my memories indirectly! She reminded me of my favorite clothes, the songs I would listen to and the meals that I adore. That could not be a mere coincidence!

But why was she avoiding my questions? Why does she claim that she cannot face me with the truth? Was she following someone’s orders? Or those of an organization? Who are you Malak? By God! Who are you??

Here I was again in this large empty room… I will try to get used to it… to explore it… I will use my intuition and fingers… I moved with speed to every corner passing my fingers and tapping just as Malak did. All of a sudden, the room changed to a totally different world! Whenever I touched something, doors would open, drawers would appear and lights would shine. In short, the room was equipped with everything you could ever  dream of or imagine!

The crystal domes began opening to reveal the sky. The curtains retracted and all the glass doors opened; the balcony became an extension of the room. The dressing room’s gate shifted and revealed next to it what I was ashamed to call a “bathroom”. This was more luxurious than the most luxurious palace I had ever seen. Two round openings appeared in the middle of the room. When the first of them appeared,  it was reminiscent of a white lazy boy seat and to its side, there was a small table. The second opening raised a cylindrical transparent fridge filled with countless rows of my favorite drinks. Bellow them was an assortment of chocolates that I adored. On the other side of it was a machine that I deduced from the aromas escaping it, made coffee, tea and all other drinks that are sure to fix even the worst of moods.

Beneath it was an assortment of sweets and nuts. In short, there was a full Café in my room. I could not resist the temptation, I passed my fingers over the small screen attached to the machine and navigated its graphic user interface with ease. I made myself a Cappuccino topped with a small mountain of whipped cream decorated with diamonds of toffee. I also picked up a picture of a chocolate cake and the moment I touched it, the cake appeared to be bleeding a flood of molten chocolate; a scoop of ice cream landed gently on it and it was topped with a real vanilla flower.

The aromas of coffee, toffee, chocolate and vanilla all danced in my nostrils. I took that carnival of goodness and sat on the chair that bended to the exact curves of my lower back as it sunk into it while a fluffy cushion appeared underneath my feet; it was all designed to make me even more comfortable than I could ever have imagined possible while I set my coffee and cake next to me.

From the floor, four thin columns appeared and surrounded me, and before I even had a chance to think about what they could be, they all fired beams that surrounded me with a glowing cylinder, it was a holographic display. If I was a billionaire in my real life, I would spend my entire fortune to invent something like this.

In front of me appeared some pictures that I understood were choices between movies, music, games or books, they were so real I could almost hold them, I reached out to the cinema roll and my hand just passed through it as it started to move, I pushed my hand in the air and the images reacted to my gestures.

I thought out loud “Internet!” I need to get online to figure out what was going on here! I must communicate with someone to ask for help! The screen in front of me changed the moment I said ‘Internet’, and everything changed all around me to look like a web browser!

I thought to myself that I’d finally be able to solve this mystery! I must remember my email… or my facebook account… or twitter… I must remember my passwords… what I had regained of my memory so far was useless… I opened news sites to find out the date: Friday 6th Jun 2014… yes I remember… this is today’s date! Thank God at least I am in the right time. I searched for my name: Husam Khaled Alshareef; I finally found me… I found my twitter account… yes there is my picture… I remember that profile picture vividly… I found my last tweet eight hours ago: “Tonight we will either go to the fish market or have a play station challenge; what a tough choice!” How can I access my account? I will just start a new account… I must first create a new email account, I tried to create an account on Google, everything stops when I click SUBMIT! I tried again with hotmail and yahoo and every other free email site I can think of with no success! I think it is encrypted, I will use the internet in a different way then, I will search for methods of wake up from sleep or comas, I spent hours immersed in studying everything related to sleep, dreams, comas and even hypnosis, and more importantly how to awaken from them. The best way to awake from a dream is to sleep while in that dream to then awake in reality!

While in the room, I watched dozens of YouTube videos; they were all in 3D playing around me, my mind was working with such efficiency and concentration that I had never dared to even dream of during my toughest collage exams, I felt as if I had become the world’s top metaphysics scientist in just a few hours.

But I was shocked! Time had not changed! After all of these hours nothing had changed on any site, my tweet was still eight hours ago! Not a single new video was added to YouTube, no updates, no comments on none of the sites! All sites still said it was Friday 6th Jun at 12:23am as if time had decided to freeze at that specific moment! This Internet seemed to be a fake! It is a database that is not connected to the internet, but includes everything on the internet until this date or in other words until the date I moved to this world!
It only meant that my joy of being in the same time was false! How did I not realize that it was midday! It’s impossible that the time was still 4am!

I could only guess that the only hope I had left was to sleep and realize that this was all just a dream!

I removed myself from the comfort of the chair to sink into the bed. I then closed my eyes, I began relaxing just as I usually do to let sleep just attack me before I even call out to it… but today I failed for the first time to call upon sleep… more than an hour passed while I was laying there on the bed with my eyes closed. I squeezed them with no result! I got tired of thinking and trying… OK, I guess I had found out enough for one day… since I am stuck here I will enjoy everything around me until I am so exhausted that sleep would be forced to come!

I moved around my wing, I leaned against the balcony’s transparent edge taking in the city view, it seemed full of life —even more than yesterday—, the clarity of things here was driving me crazy, everything I saw, heard or felt here was confusingly clear, I threw my gaze towards the sand beach, and although it was hundreds of meters away I could still see the people and make out their faces and hear their laughter… can anyone resist this beach?!

I moved towards the dressing room and it had a section for sportswear and equipment. I picked up a short of the Oakley brand that I used to flirt with and a pair of sunglasses that had the same flare lines that decorated it along with a turquoise polo shirt and a towel that I threw over my shoulder and then went downstairs.

The band of musicians was still playing in the lobby… but they were playing classical playful tunes that made me feel as if I was in a Miami sixties resort… one of them pinched her friend as she shifted her eyes towards me… their admiration smiles gave them away and they almost stuttered in their symphony when I returned the gesture… their confusion encouraged me to move closer, and their phony indifference collapsed when I stopped directly in front of them and crossed my arms as I watched them in admiration. They were so shy that they stopped playing… I clapped with excitement and admiration of their talent, and of course their beauty, in an effort to ease their emotions. The girl who was sitting in front stepped off of her marble seat in the middle of the fountain, I spread out my arm to help her, and the others followed:

“I am Layan.” — she said.

I was afraid I would crush their delicate hands as I shook them.

“This is my sister Leen… and our youngest Leena” — Layan added.

“I am honored to meet you… I am Husam Alshereef” — I said.

They exchanged shy surprised laughs as I introduced myself, and Layan stated:

“Mr. Husam, everyone here knows you!”

“Here? Here… where?! The disaster is that I do not understand anything that is going on here, what is this place any way?!” — I asked.

“This is the Guests’ Tower that is connected to the shopping center in H Universe.” — Layan explained.

“I did not understand a thing you said! H Universe?! You mean that this H logo that I see everywhere symbolizes it?” — I asked.

“Exactly” — Layan replied.

“I thought it might be a Hilton from some future era” — I said.

The girls laughed although I was not joking, I went on with my questions:

“So how do I get around here? Do you have Taxis?” — I asked.

“Everything you imagine is available, would you like me to get you a car? a yacht? a plane?”

She took me by the hand as she was saying that and guided me to a chair in the lobby to sit, she passed her hand over the table in front of us and a 3D image of the H logo appeared:

“I guess if there is a car that would be more convenient so that I can drive it around as I please” — I added.

She gestured with her hands quickly and a huge collection of 3D cars appeared, as if we were in the car selection phase in one of the computer games, she asked:

“Was there a specific car you had in mind?”

I replied with the same reply I always give the car rental representatives:

“Any nice small affordable car.”

Layan and her sisters could not hold in their laughter, I noticed a luscious car amongst those on display it made me drool, Layan noticed my reaction:

“Did you like the Ferrari?” — She inquired.

I could hardly hold my drool in place as I slowly shook my head like a shy girl on a first date!

“Would you like to change its color? Or is red fine?” — Layan asked.

My dumb silent head shake continued… Layan smiled as she said:

“It will be here in a minute.”

She barely finished that sentence when the car’s thundering sound hit my ears and saw it stop right in front of the building’s main entrance… I forgot all eloquence behavior as I left Layan and her sisters without even thanking them and stormed towards the Ferrari all barefooted and with my towel almost flying of my shoulder.

I started off by achieving my long life dream of ignoring a convertible’s doors and jumping directly to it’s seat, and I whispered to myself “Please forgive me dear Camry!” my elbow slammed against the car’s edge but I did not ruin the moment with my elbow’s pain and my arms shock, I only waved to Layan and her sisters who stood there watching me with joy from behind the glass wall. I fixed the mirror in front of me… wait a moment! Where is the steering wheel? There was no steering wheel! Nor pedals! There was only a start button and a glowing red sphere and a holographic screen. What is this?? I want to drive a real car! I got really upset… but I quickly adapted to driving this toy, as that weird ball responds smoothly with my hands’ movements, as I roll it left and right to turn and push it forward to speed up and pull it backwards to go in reverse and press on it to slow down or stop. It felt as if my right foot and left arm were totally useless, I am not used to this much laziness while driving.

I loved the sound of these wheels on the road and the sweet shiver from the square bumps; I did not go as wild as I normally would as I do not know the traffic laws of this place. So, I sufficed with the law that says “Be well mannered” —until further notice! The rocky road cut through the garden that separated the building from the beach, and it then moves along the coastline and next to a building that looked like a seashell covered in a waxed pearl-like substance. That building was a commercial complex, my car slowed down as I passed next to the window displays, I am not sure if those standing behind them were holographic images or lively sculptures or even real people! My curiosity got me to press on the ball forcing the Ferrari to stop in front of the building’s entrance allowing the handsome deprived barefooted to charge into the place! My emotions now are similar to those I felt in the only time I visited Dubai when I saved the first two salaries I had ever collected in my life to travel with my mother and Maram. The gasp that I had that day when I entered the Dubai Mall for the first time was almost one thousandth that of the gasp I had today!! I lingered into this mall for a few hours, mall? No… no I insult it by calling it that, this must be something else! A paradise of shopping and entertainment! And to top this heavenly luxury no one asked me for any money! No money, no credit cards and no ATMs! I forgot that pesky heart-aching colon-swelling word: Budget.

I picked up anything I liked and hoped for the sales representative to just wrap it and place it in a bag warmheartedly and to wish me a good day.

Everyone here knows my name, even kids would point at me and would escape their parents grips to run towards me and take their picture with me.

Please do remind me to reward myself and my subconscious for this splendor detailed creativity the moment I wake up from this dream!

I strolled between the shops and shopped with such insatiableness. I walked through the food court and was so torn between all the choices. I decided to treat them all equally and to try them all.

After the food court, I went to the Holographic Theater. I took with me a bowl of nachos, a bucket of caramel popcorn and a jar of ice cream. For the first time in my life, I found myself exhausted from entertainment and tired of food! I could spend days, even weeks exploring and enjoying my time here. But at the same time, I did not want to miss out on the joy of swimming, I should leave now before it is dark. A jewelry store called out to me on my way to the main entrance of the building, I entered to find the perfect gifts for my mother and Maram, even if this was only a dream, I had always dreamed of making them happy, naturally – like any young Saudi – the first gift that crossed my mind was an iPhone, but luckily the sales woman saved the moment and recommended an assortment of amazing gifts, I did not hesitate to take them all and asked her to gift wrap them and put them in two separate bags, one for my mother and the second for Maram. I am going to tell them about these gifts when I wake up!

“Would you like to get something else Mr. Husam?” — the sales person asked me at the exact moment that a small masterpiece got my attention. It was a diamond who’s color had a breath of pink and was shaped as a heart held by two wings of white gold. It actually reminded me of Malak.

“This is the most unique peace I have here, you have great taste Mr. Husam!” - the sales person assured.

Since everything here was free, it would be chivalrous of me to present this gift to her. I will not waste a bag for such a small piece. I threw it into my pocket and each of my fingers carried its share of bags, I stuffed them all into the Ferrari and raced to the beach.

The beach was swarming with people playing, swimming and relaxing. I walked on the white sands; they were so smooth as if they were small marble balls, my feet would sink to my heels with every step; I thought of getting to know the people here, to ask them where I was, but I was honestly too embarrassed. I would not dare talk to them, I think that the complex of “guys” and “families” was still chasing me even in my dreams! The Shy Beauties’ (that is what I called Layan and sisters’ music band) music filled the air along with the symphony of waves and birds that had decided to join us swimming and playing. I saw a kid holding onto her balloon in the water as she fed the birds that gathered around her, and also on her head and shoulders; her innocent laugh added the final touch to the amazing symphony surrounding all of us.

The water was so clear that I could see the kid’s and birds’ shadows clearly on the sea’s bed, had it not been for the braking of those shadows as a result of the waves and the slight turquoise color I would have thought it was all balancing in mid-air.

I will not go back to my world until I figure out everything here! I took a deep breath, and ran towards the seductive waters, I picked up a bottle of ice tea from the hut that was placed in the middle of the water, I opened it while I was running, I took a sip and spilled the rest over my head, I threw the towel away and made a high leap into the air, it was more like “I flew” for a second. Only at that moment, I remembered that I did not know how to swim without a float!

To hell with that! As I learned how to dance in a moment, I shall learn how to swim! The waters covered me, I felt a soft cold sting that only lasted for a few seconds. Oh my God! the water was not salty, it was fresh, it was as if I was swimming in a sea of Evian! I opened my eyes and I could see clearly, I pushed forward to discover a second heaven under water, my eyes hurt from all the colors, the strange thing was that creatures here were not terrified like in our world; I reach out to the small fish and they would gather around my hand and feel the titillation of its kisses on my palms and arms. My breath that used to only allow me but a few short seconds under water had kept me for a few minutes before my lungs demanded more oxygen. I laid on my back and floated back to the surface. I had moved far away from the beach but The Beauties’ Band music was still clear, I noticed from the other side of the beach a group of… of… something that looked a lot like Jet Skiers, oh how I had wished to ride one of those! I had never dared to ride one before! I knew that half an hour on that thing was sure to destroy my monthly budget! I swam towards it. This was the moment of revenge from all of the scandalous greedy Jet Ski renters! They were floating by the dozens over the water, no one was there renting them. I picked the one that matched my swimwear the best, hanged on, and dashed. My boldness and courage were increasing as my speed did and I was cutting through the blue crystal waves, causing two huge waves on my left and right, I was moving fast towards the other side of the bay where the huge city was, but it was much farther than it appeared; I tried a few stunts that I had seen guys perform on their Jet Skies as I watched in envy. I tried to raise myself as I dashed with high speed causing the Jet Ski to fly in the air for a few seconds, then returned back to the water and dove into it like an arrow before I was able to surface again. I thought for a moment about the fuel and what it would be like if it ran out of it while I was here in the middle of the sea. I knew that I would not find anyone to save me here. I decided to stop my recklessness and turned around; I noticed someone approaching my location. We were on a collision course and I thought that he was a lifeguard and wanted to warn me that I had broken every safety rule in the book. He kept speeding up as he approached me. Who was this crazy guy? He will destroy the both of us! I tried to change direction but he still managed to slam into me on the right side with such force throwing me off of the Jet and into the water, I felt enormous pain in my right leg and my chest and I tried to fight against the water to get back to the surface and take a breath, but I felt a powerful punch in my stomach and two strong arms pulling me downwards.

My lungs shredded as it squeezed the last atom of oxygen, I started to fade out, I could only see darkness, and I heard a clear voice: “Husam, you are always late!” and saw her face. I saw my mother’s face clearly as she was yelling at me with clear annoyance; I tried to get to her but I felt two arms surrounding my waist and pulled me to the surface as I heard a shout the moment we got to the surface”

“Husaaaaaam… Husam! Stay with me Husam! Wake up Husam”

I heavily opened my eyes, it was Malak! She surrounded me with her arms and swam with all her strength towards the beach, she laid me on the sand and through herself next to me as she took her breaths, she immediately got up to examine me, she pulled my head to her lap and started slapping me:

“Husam stay awake, do not close your eyes” — Malak prompted me.

“Don’t worry I am as strong as a horse!” —I said this as I coughed and she hugged my head as she was crying.

“Don’t you dare do this to me again! You almost killed me in fear for your life!” — Malak said.

“I did not know that there was anything that could harm me in the dream world” — I tried to explain.

“Dream? You still think this is a dream?” — Malak said as she ripped my shirt off and shredded it with her teeth to wrap my right leg that was heavily bleeding.

“Can you see that wound? Can you see the blood? Can you feel the pain? Is all of this a dream?”

She felt my leg to make sure there was no broken bones as if she was an osteopath. She felt the blue bruise on my chest.

“Thank God there are no broken bones!” — Malak added.

“Do you have a hospital here?” — I asked.

“There is no need. for a hospital. You will get better in no time. Let us rest for a moment and I will drive you back” — Malak comforted me.

She then laid on the sand next to me and said — “Husam what have you done to yourself? What exactly happened?”

“Are you asking me? I thought you knew everything here” — I replied.

“How would I know what happened to you? I just felt you were in danger and came as fast as I could!” — Malak added.

“Do you want to drive me mad? How did you know I was in danger? How did you know where I was? How do you know everything I think of?” — I asked hastily.

“What is wrong with that?” — Malak asked.

“What do you mean what is wrong?”

— I replied.

“I told you, it is instinct! You could say it is telepathy. Haven’t  you heard of telepathy?”

“Listen to me Malak, I do not believe in these fairy tales!” — I responded.

“Those are not fairy tales! All creatures have telepathy, animals communicate telepathically! Not only animals, even ants communicate telepathically!” — Malak added.

“I am not an ant!” — I replied.

“Humans have the best communication mechanisms” — Malak explained.

“If I had a telepathic center, I would not have barely passed my collage exams!” — I told Malak.

“You have it, you just don’t use it! Telepathic Centers of humans have weakened because they depend on direct communication methods and rely on the physical ones even more!” — Malak explained.

“You mean to tell me that you feel everything I feel?” — I asked.

“Almost! Forget all of that and tell me what happened?” — Malak responded.

“A crazy man crashed into me with his Jet” — I explained.

“Impossible! Unbelievable! Do you remember how he looked like?” — Malak asked.

“I did not pay attention! If you could only explain to me where I am so that we can figure out what had happened!” — I responded.

“I can’t!” — Malak said.

“OK, I will ask you ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions!” — I said.

“Go ahead” — Malak prompted me.

“I am starting to confirm that I am in some sort of brain experiment, I mean I am drugged or in a coma. And that everything I see here is a virtual program that I am living in and that my brain believes it is real!” — I said to Malak.

“Hehehe! I told you that you were so into movies!” — Malak jokingly said.

“What do you mean?” — I asked.

“Matrix, Inception, The Cell, Vanilla Sky, Total Recall. An over-used idea that you had seen in more than fifty movies!” — Malak explained.

“This is the only logical explanation to what is happening to me here. Everything here is like a dream. It’s like magic!” — I said.

“Like magic?” — Malak quipped.

“Yes like magic. Everything is ideal. Everything responds to my touch and it reads my thoughts” — I explained.

“Let me ask you a question: Imagine if you take your phone or laptop and show it to your Grandfather, imagine if he watches movies or chat or see what was going on around the globe all in a palm sized device. What would he say?” — Malak elaborated.

“Magic!” — I responded without hesitation.

“Just like you! If the technological revolution continues at the same pace you will find all of the devices you call magic in every house. In less than twenty years!” — Malak explained.

“So I am in the future?” — I asked.

“No!” — Malak quickly interjected.

This time I got angry. I could not take it anymore! I sat up straight and held her by her shirt and shook her violently as I yelled — “Then where am I? Tell me!! Where am I?” — I saw a terrified look in her widening eyes.

“OK, I will tell you everything!” —she said  while looking around as if she was afraid someone might see or hear us.

“What you see is part of a secret science experiment!” — Malak began explaining.

“A secret experiment?!” — I interjected.

“I am Natashe… Natasha Travnikov … a secret Russian agent. I work for a science organization called Международной Hаучной Pазведки! The technologies here are beyond anything you ever thought possible, you have been our guest for the past year! We had operated on you several times along with some genetic modifications. The most successful complete genetic modification procedure to date!”

This news hit me like a bolt of lightning. I should have known all along that I was part of an experiment! I must have deduced that such a creature must have been the result of plastic surgery and genetic modifications along with heavy intelligence trainings!

Malak went on — I mean Natasha — “I am tasked with your file. My training started a few years back as I had to study your case and history along with everything related to you, I had to learn your language and accent and every detail of your life. We must keep an eye on you all the time as you live in this perfect environment so that we can study all of your body and mental evolution that has happened to you after the procedures. There is no way they would allow you to leave and spoil the experiment!”

“Impossible, I can’t believe this! Why me?!” — I yelled.

“Who said the program was only for you? You are one of a hundred and forty other cases selected from all over the planet. Each case lives here for some time. We change some details in this constructed world and train the people here. Actually, they are all agents trained to deal with every case differently!” — Malak/Natasha explained.

“You mean I am a Guinea Pig? Has my life changed forever?” — I asked.

“No, that is also a risk for them, after the experiment is over they will have a reverse modification procedure done to you to return you to convince you that you had been in an accident and lost your memory for some time until some security forces found you in a village and recognized you and returned you to your family. Of course, the accident will be an excuse for any changes that still remain, but do not worry, you will forget everything you had seen here, and what you will remember will seem like a dream.” — Malak/Natasha explained.

“And then?” — I asked.

“The end!” — Malak/Natasha said this as the fake serious look dissipated from her face only to be replaced by a childish laugh as she fell to the sand while laughing.

My angst was so strong that for a moment, I wished that I could slap her so hard on her red cheeks. I wished that I could punch her and shatter some of those pure white teeth! But I did not do any of that. I only stood there hardly on a single leg, and just as I bent my second leg that was still bleeding, Malak stood up from the sand and took my arm around her shoulder. She wrapped her arm around my waist to help me walk.

“Come on Husam. Don’t be a downer!”— Malak said.

“Had you been in my shoes you would have felt what I feel!” — I replied.

“I swear to God that I feel you. And my heart aches for you! And I swear I am doing everything I can for you!” — Malak said.

“Feel me? Impossible!! My life is gone and I can’t get back to it, I want to fulfill all my dreams, to make my mother and sister happy and succeed in my job, I want to get married and have a home and kids!” — I added.

My last sentence cruelly crushed her heart, but she ignored her pride as she said:

“You mean, you had not even wished that I go back with you? And become part of that life?”

My painful cruelty went on …

“Live with me? You mean that I marry you? Impossible! No one can deny your beauty but I know nothing about you. I don’t know where you come from or who your family is. I don’t even know what religion you follow!” — I said.

Damn me! How will I soften my arrogance? I wish her gift did not fall out of my pocket; luckily it was still here:

“Here you go” — I said.

She glanced her face back to me and I was now able to see her tears. The tears evaporated with a smile when she saw the white small box:

“Husaaam” — she said.

She picked up the box and opened the velvet wet ribbon eagerly, she almost fainted when she saw my simple gift, happiness knotted her, she picked up the small necklace in her hand, I jumped on my good leg to move around her as she raised her hair to reveal her neck. I only hoped I did not slip the spring lock —as I usually do— when I try to help Maram with her jewelry. Damn with all of this technology and they still did not invent simple jewelry locks! There… success!

“I wish you like it!” — I told Malak.

Malak turned to face me as she was holding the diamond wings in her fingers near her cleavage. She was glowing of happiness and it only added a pink hue to her beauty. She surprised me with a sudden hug and a hot kiss on my cheek. My heart could not handle such a shock nor did my single leg that I was standing on, so I lost balance and fell. We actually both fell before she could finish her kiss. She raised her head and looked directly into my eyes:

“This is the best moment of my life, may God never deprive me of you Husam!!”

That public display of affection brought back the conservative within me, so I removed her gently, she stood up and helped me stand and hugged me lovingly to support me as we continued to walk.

“Just a simple thing: you can consider this gift to be a gesture of gratitude for your invitation. By the way, this is real diamond! Not a fake, and its color is very rare!” — I said with fake indifference.

I want to ask you a question, and beg you to answer me honestly: Have you ever heard of someone more rude than me? Thank God that she tolerated me.

“Husam, this is the first gift I ever get in my life! I do not care whether it is a diamond or made out of glass. What I care about is that it comes from you!” — Malak said.

Should I believe her? I could not believe that I have anything that would make a normal girl like someone like me.

“This has nothing to do with the fact that I am still upset with you!! And, by the way, I did not have a single plastic surgery done, this is all natural! I hope nothing in my looks are displeasing to you!!” — she interrupted my thoughts.

Damn it, I must stay aware of what I say to myself, this crazy girl listens to my thoughts. I think she knows what I am thinking of now. Damn it, Damn it.

“Husam please do not worry about anything now, the best you can do is to flow with it and everything will work out by God’s will!” — Malak said.

“I am sure that I will remember everything. And know where I am and how to get back to my family!” — I added.

“Trust me, I will help you! Trust me!” — Malak interrupted as I was finishing my sentence:

“…and introduce you to them”.

My hint made her shy. We had arrived at the Ferrari. Malak pushed some bags aside to give room for me to sit next to her as she drove the car. Most of my pain had dissipated and my wounds had healed by the time we got to the Guest Tower’s entrance.

“Husam, if you need anything let me know.” — She added.

“I need a pen. A pen and notepad to write everything that happens to me here!” — I said.

“You got half the products in the mall and did not get yourself a pen?! Don’t worry! I will get you a device that is better than a pen!” — Malak added.

“The idea of a pen just came to me at that moment. I need a pen, a normal pen and paper, I cannot trust any devices here!” — I explained to Malak.

“OK, as you wish. Any other orders Husam Basha?” — she replied.

“Don’t be mad. By God don’t be mad at me” — I said quickly.

A big vibrant smile made it to her face in response to my statement. She did not reply but gently took my hand without raising her eyes:

“If it was up to me I would give up my soul for you!” — Malak said.

I looked at her; this flood of emotions could not be an act and that this is all an illusion. I admit that I trust you Malak, I promise that I will do what you asked of me and let everything here run its course until I know where I am… then I will return to my family or give up and live the rest of my life with you right here!

(4)

H World

F or the first time since I got here I was knackered. When I got to my room —in other words my wing or villa; I really have no idea what I should call it, that is not important now—, I passed my hand over the spot where that legendary bathroom appeared. This time, the wall responded by retracting and then shifting aside as the lights came on gradually. At the center of the room was something that would resemble a Jacuzzi but it was the size of a small round swimming pool. The tiling was not hard but more like a leather pillow; I sat on its edge and leaned my back on its soft walls. I noticed there was a small opening where the screen was supposed to be just when I thought I was starting to get the hang of the technology in this place! I passed my hand and two columns appeared.  A holographic screen appeared between them and  the selection images were those of a tropical paradise, an ancient sea, or the City of Manhattan at  midnight.

The tropical paradise seemed exotic, it had an animated image of a tropical island beach. It had turquoise waters, palms, flowers and rain. I had never seen anything like it save for desktop wallpapers. This was definitely my choice for today.

All of a sudden, the walls and roof turned into a holographic projection of that island. The projection even generated wave and bird sounds. To top it all off, it even began to rain!

The shower above me covered the entire area of the huge Jacuzzi, water fell all around me, professionally massaging every square millimeter of my skin, aromatic flower petals fell from the roof, the Jacuzzi’s leathery flooring and walls started moving around me like a thousand fingers of the world’s best masseuses. I must admit: I can spend the rest of my life in a bathroom like this!

Hours passed, I forgot that they were spent in a bathroom as I was convinced that I had been in one of the best resorts of the Maldives. That shower was more than enough to pump me up and refresh me. I forgot the pain I had in my legs and chest. In fact, all the wounds and bruises were totally gone. I felt fully energized after this amazing rainfall. I got out of the jacuzzi and I picked up one of the cotton robes with the H logo on them and I stood in front of the mirror that covered one of the walls. I observed my face for the first time since I had gotten here, that is me… but not me, there is no similarities what so ever to my original old look, my fully round dark face is no more. A much lighter tone with clear cheek bones, my hair —which I never let grow more than half a centimeter to hide its curls— is now long and wavy; it was almost touching my shoulders. My glasses and goatee were gone, but somehow, I still see myself behind this new face!

It was a feeling that I could not explain, but I knew that my soul occupied this body. I was in front of what appeared to be some sort of sink. I searched for the screen to fiddle with —as usual— and it popped up a hologram image of a rotating perfume bottle. This grabbed my attention and when I touched it, a large collection of perfumes appeared, all of which I adored. I chose my favorite —Yves Saint Laurent— and the scent was pumped out of small nozzles that were spread all over the place, the Yves Saint Laurent cloud followed me as I moved out of the bathroom to my comfy chair.

I remembered my humble La-Z-Boy chair that I got from IKEA. In a moment of improvidence, I used to call it “Husam’s Court” and no one –other than myself of course- was allowed to sit in it. OK then, I shall call this chair Husam’s Court! In remembrance of my beloved chair!

I sat –well…more like laid- on my Court after grabbing a bunch of chocolates and nuts from the small coffee shop in my room.

I was such a choc-a-holic they used to call me Chocolate Monster! I also remembered one of my favorite hobbies: the “Tri-Attack” operation: I would surprise my stomach by shoving down a bar of Snickers, Twix & a KitKat all at once.

Today, I am preparing myself for the Octa-Attack so that I can start serious work.

I picked up the pen & paper and started writing down everything. I divided the notes to three sections: everything that had happened ‘here’ in detail; everything that I remembered from my past life  and all the conclusions and scientific facts that I gathered whilst ‘here’. I spent a few hours writing and searching the internet for hints or answers that might help me. I arrived at the conclusion that my subconscious was the key to solving this puzzle that I found myself in.

The subconscious is this massive force that controls our minds and bodies. Although it has no physical existence in the brain, there is no organ in the human body called “the subconscious”! yet the subconscious archives and registers all of our memories and events that we live through with all of its details. The subconscious is the name that scientists prefer using rather than calling it…a soul!

My brain was working with the efficiency of a thousand computers as I moved with speed from site to site analyzing every word I read to form a logical scientific image of the relationship between the subconscious, the conscious and the physical world. The conscious is, but a middleman between subconscious and the world around us; the memory area in the brain is but a temporary storage area as well as an interface with the unlimited storage area in our subconscious. The brain cells, no matter how many they may be, could never store these enormous amounts of information that is stored within each of us. All of these cells will eventually die out or dissipate when we are dead, yet our souls –our subconscious- will remain. It will be holding onto our memories and who we are so that we could feel alive again when Allah allows it to reside in another body with a new brain to awake and regain our memories.

Truly, if one person’s entire memory was to be erased and replaced with someone else’s, it would mean the death of the first and the awakening of the second in a new body. We are but an archive of experiences and memories carried by our souls.

I guess that this is how I now occupy a new body in a new world, a much more efficient body in a much more idealistic world. More importantly, this means that there is still hope for me to get back to my body and my world, but I will not return until I have utilized every instant of time whilst here! I shall utilize this body’s abilities and the super brain I control now to stuff my subconscious with all of the knowledge and skills that I might find useful when I get back to my world.

I sunk into my research, the pen in my hand, the Internet in front of me, the chocolate platter next to me was already filled with empty wrappings. I picked up a KitKat bar and I removed the paper wrapping revealing the thin and shiny aluminum foil. I removed it gently, hoping that the chocolate would not stick to it, as its temperature reached that critical point where chocolate gets confused about its state… and success! The chocolate did not stick to anything but my fingers! I devoured the innocent KitKat bar in one gulp as I went through what I wrote. I think what I wrote is surely enough material to write a revolutionary non-fiction fantasy science book!

I still cannot believe all of this that is happening. I wonder how will my subconscious really store this much information and skills. I got this crazy thought to learn everything I ever wanted to while I was here. I had always dreamt of learning how to draw, play the guitar, do martial arts, and a bunch of other ambitious hobbies but I had only achieved one success: I am a Gaming Pro. That is, only computer games. Football –Soccer- to be more precise!

Before I get overrun by my ambitions, I must conduct an important test: I must make sure this is a real world and that these technological devices are real other than just being some elaborate illusion. How can I know for sure? How do all of these machines work? How do they feel my desires and execute on them? Is someone watching me now? The thought frightened me. I stopped in the middle of the room in my robe. Chocolate stains all over my mouth and fingers looking at the ceiling and waved with my chocolate stained pen as I yelled:

“Does anyone hear me? Huh? Who are you? Tell me! Where am I? WHERE AM I?!!! Malak? Do you hear me??!!”

Maybe it is this pen! It might have a nano tap wire between its elaborative inscriptions! I shall break it only to make sure! I tried breaking it with my hands and teeth without success. I moved towards the coffee machine and tried removing the cover bellow its screen, I used the sharp pen tip, I succeeded in bending its edge, I could see silk like threads with blinks of light passing through them, like cars on a highway, all of the threads came out of a chip underneath the part holding the screen, the chip was smaller than my finger nail but it was buzzing with moving lights, it was like looking at New York City from space. I passed my hand over it causing the lights to flicker, there is real technology here, not just illusions. My thoughts were interrupted by knocks on the door and Malak’s voice:

“Are you done with your investigation Mr. Holmes?” — Malak said.

I opened the door and… every time I saw her I felt this deep gasp caused by her astonishing beauty. and the shiver that passed through my body starting from my eyes that received the first shock and ending with the tips of my fingers. Every time she changed her clothes and hairstyle she would turn into a new creature, ever more beautiful than the previous. This time, she chose a simple dress that resembled that of European country girls of the past century with two hair locks coming from the sides and meeting on the back of her head in a glorious braid:

“You heard me right?” — I asked.

She shook her head in denial as she looked me in the eye with factitious innocence:

“No!” — she replied with strong emphasis on the “o” to prove her deception as she went on…“I heard you and saw you too!”

She stood in the center of the room and looked towards the ceiling and started mocking me:

“Can someone hear me? Huh? Who are you? Tell me? Where are you Malak? Save me!”

Here enchanting crazy laugh exploded, and with it so did me anger:

“I knew it!” — I said.

“Knew what?” — Malak asked.

“That you were spying on me the entire time!” — I shouted.

“Did I not tell you that I am Natasha Travnikov, a Russian spy?!” — she exclaimed.

“So…Why did you not come the moment that I called for you? Given that you can see me all the time!” — I asked.

“Really? You think I am a genie? I had a shower and changed my clothes before I came to you?” — Malak said.

“But why? Why do you watch me all the time?” — I asked.

“Firstly, because I miss you very very much and I can’t stay away from you for a second!” — she responded.

“Oh really?!” — I asked quickly.

“Secondly, and more importantly, it is because I fear for you! I truly fear for you!” — she said.

“Fear for me? From what!?” — I asked.

“I fear that someone might try to hurt you!” — she said.

“Should I consider that a second puzzle?” — I asked.

“How about we stop wasting time with questions and start solving this puzzle?” — Malak responded.

“Wait a moment!” — I said.

I went to the dressing room. I closed the door behind me so that she would not peek inside. I knew this crazy girl could see me whenever she wanted. Regardless, I must keep my pride! I put on a pair of jeans along with a dark blue Polo shirt and came out of the dressing room. I picked up my note and hid it in the back pocket of my jeans as I pointed to her and exclaimed — “Please! Let us start solving the puzzle!”

She ignored the tough tone of my voice just as she held onto my arm and pulled me out of the room.

When I saw the central tower on the cluster of towers where I was staying at, I thought it was close by, but it turned out that it was just the illusion of its sheer enormity. A huge bay with yachts and boats —coming and going— separated us from the tower. Malak was ready as usual and she had a luxurious yacht waiting for us. She took me to the front of the yacht, where I found the last thing I would have expected: an elegant white piano. She pulled me  towards it and sat me on the piano’s chair as she sat on the piano’s top. Before I could open my mouth, she pulled a metal flute and started to play the most mesmerizing tune I had ever heard!

She closed her eyes and as she played the tunes from the depths of her soul, she would open them only to allow some of her tears to escape. I started to remember that tune… it was “My heart will go on” from the movie Titanic. Malak was again refreshing my memory. I wished I could play along, I pushed out my fingers with hesitation and I touched the first key on the piano. My brain plotted an image of all the notes from the deepest to the sharpest passing through the key that I had hit, I instantly remembered the tune perfectly and started to play. The thrill of the tunes exploded inside of me releasing my soul only to catch-up with Malak. We danced between the flute and piano and did not stop until the yacht stopped at the central tower’s port.

“Do you remember the movie? Do you remember the first time you saw it? You were sixteen years old and were spending the night at your cousin’s and watched the movie together, remember when you cried at the end of the movie?” — Malak said.

“Me? Huh! I do not cry from movies!” — I replied.

She ignored my lie as she went on —“I also cried with you!”

Should I ask her how she knew? I am sick of asking!

“You saw me even when I was living with my family?” — I asked.

She gently nodded with innocence as her tears hanged from her eyelashes.

“I would see you, and I would suffer a thousand times longing for you” — Malak added.

Her gaze wondered off towards the horizon and she let out a gasp that melted me — “I remember every moment in your life; I was more joyful when you got born than your own Mother and Father were!; I could tell you the words you learned and in what order; I could not sleep when I saw you sick; I know the number of laughs you have ever had… the number of tears… for twenty five years, I have waited for you! Every moment feels ever slower than the ones before.”

I decided to cut off my litany of questions. Malak’s answers only added to my confusion. I jumped off of the yacht and helped her off.  I surrounded her shoulders with my arm as if I was in charge of her safety. As we walked through the crowds of pedestrians towards that building that only got larger and larger as we got closer. We stopped in front of it and I looked up. I was barely able to see the city hanging at its top as I felt a slight pain in my neck.

“Ooooh! I just wish to know who owns all of this?” — I said.

“Did you not notice the logo?” — Malak replied.

She pointed to the logo decorating the building’s facade. That logo was everywhere! How is it that I did not notice before? It was a simple logo, just the letter H.

“I think it is a hotel’s logo. Maybe it is the Hilton?” — I asked.

“No genius it is not the Hilton!” — Malak said with a big laughter.

“So what does it mean then?!” — I asked.

“That is the first letter of my love’s name… Husam!” — Malak added.

(5)

The Five

H ad it not been for my concern for my family, I would have wished to stay here forever. Had it not been for them, I would not hesitate for a second to stay here with Malak and enjoy all of this bliss. To hell with my old life, my friends, my job, and my entire city!!

But my family… oh how I wish I could bring them here to live and forget all of our worries, forget the rent, expenses, bills, installments, forget it all and live, just live!

I guess this is another one of Malak’s pranks! There is no way that the letter H that is on everything here is a symbol to my name! I think that thought lasted less than a couple of minutes. When we crossed the entrance to the towers, it felt more crowded. Inside the building, I saw a gigantic statue at the center of this huge square. It had to have been tens of meters in height; it was a statue of a young man stretching his hands towards the sky as if he was holding onto the stars. He was standing in the middle of a cyclone of letters and symbols written in all languages that started from the base of the statue. As they wrapped around him, their numbers dwindled until only the letter H remained with his open hands barely catching it.

The statue was from polished chrome that reflected everything around it. It almost felt like a mold of solid mercury, the letters were made from all sorts of metals and colored glass, floating slowly as if gravity around the statue had been suspended. At times, they would touch and produce mesmerizing sounds. Malak laughed when she noticed how my jaw dropped and said:

“huh… did you like it?”

“Who is that?” — I asked.

“I just told you this was Husam’s Kingdom and yet you still ask me who this is? Who could it possibly be? My Mother? Focus!!” — Malak replied.

I focused on the statue’s features, that was my face! more accurately, the face of myself that I had discovered in the mirror when I woke up in this place! No! No! This cannot be!

“Husam! You did not tell me what you thought of the taste?” — Malak asked.

I looked at her totally baffled as I tried to cope with all these emotions…

“Husam! Did the cat get your tongue? Did you like my design or not?” — Malak asked again.

“You designed this?” — I interjected.

“I designed this entire city!” — Malak explained.

She pulled me by the hand while I was still in a practical waking coma. As we crossed the end of the round hall where the statue was at it’s center, its diameter would have had no less than three hundred meters!  All around it were hundreds of glass rooms that looked like elevators but much larger and they travelled at very high speeds but even followed the curved patterns of the building. Everyone we passed on our way to the elevators had welcomed me as if they knew me well. It felt more like they worked for me.

We entered one of the elevators and a round white leather couch was at its center. The door closed gently just as we stepped in.

“Five four two” — Malak said.

She sat on the couch and pulled me to sit next to her as the elevator began ascending. In mere seconds, I saw the statue’s head. It was a giant version of my giant head! We moved right past it as we went on.

“I feel like a deaf in a carnival!” — I said.

“I like your idioms! It is much simpler than you imagine. I just want to introduce you to the organization and its leaders!” — Malak gently laughed and added.

“So, this was no joke! Who do you work for exactly?” — I shouted as I jumped on my feet.

“What an imagination! You truly are a piece of work! While you are here, you should forget about all of your world’s complexes! I founded this organization” — Malak said while falling on her back with laughter.

“For what purpose?” — I asked.

“For you!” — She replied.

“Will you elaborate on that or will you leave me in the dark as usual?” — I asked sarcastically.

“It is a simple tale, really. I will introduce you today to the leaders that I nominated for you to spend some time with. Each of them has been here to help you remember and load your subconscious with experiences and knowledge that would help you regardless of you staying here with me or…”  — Malak said as she turned her face away from me and continued —- “… or decided to go back your family.”

“How did you know that I want to utilize my stay here to learn everything that I can? I never uttered a word about that… can you read my thoughts?” — I asked pointedly.

“I told you that I can feel you! And even if you had not thought that way, I would have still done everything I could have for you!” — Malak added.

With that statement the elevator came to a full stop and its doors opened. I was barely able to discern the clear glass path that would connect us to a metal door. Malak stepped out with full confidence on the invisible path. I followed her as I took a quick glance at the terrifying view of the square beneath my feet where we took the elevator from. The enormous statue had now turned into a midget that I could barely see from up here. People were just tiny moving dots.

We were now five hundred and forty two stories above ground level. My excitement to meet the leaders was uncontainable. Who might they be?

The metal door slid upwards to a view of the heavens! Inside this floating room, there were five men seated with apparently nothing in common. Their looks, age, race and even their clothing was all different. The only thing that they all had in common were small blinking earpieces.

Malak handed me an earpiece and I quickly placed it inside my ear. The five men were seated in a semi-circle of chairs. There were two other chairs facing them and these were clearly for me and Malak. The men stood up the moment the door opened upon our arrival. Each of them stepped forward to welcome me in such a friendly manner that confused me as they all looked very prestigious and dignified. Malak opened up the meeting with welcoming statements that she repeated in five languages: English, German, Italian, Chinese and Japanese.

“Thank you all for coming. I will continue this meeting in Arabic and the instant translator -the earpiece- will translate everything we say to the appropriate language for each of you. I present to you Husam, of course he needs no introduction…” — Malak said as she progressed with the meeting in Arabic.

An old African man talked in English but everything he said echoed in Arabic through the small earpiece that I had.

“We are all —but happy and honored— to meet you Mr. Husam. This is truly a historical moment in our lives!” — the man said.

The rest of them shook their heads and mumbled in languages that the earpiece translated back into Arabic. Malak went on to introduce them to me starting with the old African man who wore a very elegant suit.

“Thank you Mr. Lucas, and many thanks to everyone: Mr. Leo, Mr. Ludwig, Mr. Ginzo and Mr. Bruce.” — Malak added.

I tried to show my appreciation, so I intruded and said in traditional Arabic:

“Thank you all, being here amongst you today is a huge honor!”

“Each of you has already gone through the files of Husam’s life. Along with the objectives, we hope to achieve in record time…” — Malak began explaining but was abruptly interrupted.

Mr. Ginzo interjected Malak’s conversation as he spoke in an Asian language that did not match his European appearance and his thick mustache.

“We all went through all of the details, but Ma’am, the time frame is too short, no one can master these skills in this time! It is impossible!” — Mr. Ginzo added.

“Trust me Mr. Ginzo you will change your mind when you work with Husam directly. Gentlemen, I absolutely understand the time challenge that we face. We cannot guarantee Husam spending much time with us” — Malak added.

Sadness swept over Malak’s face as she went on:

“If we had more time, we would have had tens of geniuses of all skills to train Husam. I chose you specifically because you are the most important for Husam. I am sure you will not let me or him down!” — Malak added.

Mr. Leo –who from his looks and apparel seemed to have dropped in from the middle ages- said as he fiddled with his beard:

“There is something that I still cannot figure out: Even if Husam does return, he already has all of the tools to learn anything at anytime! Information that we would spend parts of our lifetime to find –if we were so lucky- he can get with a click!”

Mr. Leo faced me as he went on elegantly in his deep Italian:

“Don’t misunderstand me Mr. Husam, we are —as Mr. Locus has said— very honored and happy to have been selected by Ms. Malak to train you. However, you truly do not need us with the information revolution you live in!” — Mr. Leo added.

Mr. Ludwig seemed much less enthusiastic and his frustration seemed even more telling as he began speaking in German:

“Gentlemen, talent is much more important than knowledge! With all due respect to Mr. Husam, even if he succeeds in soaking up all of the information we throw at him, it would be a waste of time if he did not have the unique talent that qualifies him to convert that information into skills!” — Mr. Ludwig added.

Mr. Bruce –who had hidden part of his face behind dark glasses- followed up in Chinese:

“I totally agree with you Mr. Ludwig! We can provide the information and experience to Mr. Husam, but we could never control his talent’s ceiling, let alone his physical limits!” — Mr. Bruce added.

It seemed that I was the only fool in that meeting! I did not understand anything they were talking about despite my alleged super brain powers.

“I appreciate your concerns, but everything you said only adds to my insistence on going through this experience! I shall do what I can… that is all I can say” — I added.

I got the collective feeling of approval and Malak smiled at me as she brought the meeting to a close:

“The program has been scheduled, I will deliver Husam to each of you on time. Thank you all again for coming!”

The men bid Malak and I a farewell as friendly as how they had welcomed me. Regardless, I got out of that meeting in the same idiocy that I had arrived with.

“Can you please explain to me who were those guys?” — I asked Malak.

“Did you not remember any one of them?” — Malak inquired.

“Why? Are they my relatives?” — I jokingly asked.

“You have never met any of them, but you know them all very well. Those men are the ones that will teach you everything you have ever wished to learn in your life! And they shall also help you remember everything you loved!”

The elevator was already waiting for us.

“One Zero Zero Zero” — Malak said just as we entered the elevator.

“Oh my God! One thousand floors??” — I asked in astonishment.

“That is the roof… the hanging city level” — Malak explained.

“And why are you taking me to seventh heaven?” — I jokingly asked.

“Someone wants to meet you there!” — Malak said.

“Again?” — I quipped.

“I’m sorry Hasam. It is imperative that he meets you, don’t worry we will not be late as we have a lot of work ahead of us!” — Malak said.

“What kind of work?” — I asked.

“Like learning German before meeting Mr. Ludwig tomorrow…” — Malak explained.

“Why don’t we just use that invention that translates?” — I asked.

“Translation is not going to cut it, you must master the language so you can learn in all details and emotions” — Malak explained.

“Respectable Miss, I have lived one and a half decades learning English. The results have been dismal and disappointing —at best— to my  teachers! You want me to learn German in one session?!” — I said to Malak.

“Did you forget that when you talked to the waiter earlier, in English, it was perfect?” — Malak asked.

“So, if I suddenly could speak in perfect English, why is it that I don’t yet talk in other languages as well?” — I asked.

“Because they are not yet registered in your soul!” — Malak explained.

“You mean, my subconscious?” — I asked.

“Stop blabbering, we have arrived!” — Malak interrupted me.

The elevator’s capsule had passed through an opening in the base of the city and popped to its surface. It truly was a complete city: people, houses, cafés and even a beach.

The elevator’s door opened and a man who was clearly longing for us. As he observed me, his eyes filled with tears.

“Husam… I can’t believe I have  finally found you!” — the man hugged me and said as he cried.

“Husam, this is Mr. Khaled. He has been waiting to meet you for a long time” — Malak said as we were hugging.

I still could not understand anything. I felt I was in an infinite carnival. Here I was, the only deaf! Deaf, cripple and squint! I know nothing of what is going on!

Mr. Khaled took us to a platform near a viewpoint. As we approached the platform, in one of the seating arrangements, there sat a lady. Her presence made Malak quite tense. The lady jumped to her feet when she saw me, she did not say a word, but looked at me with all the fondness and sadness of the world, her tears poured as she hugged me and collapsed into a wail until Mr. Khaled took her by the shoulders and sat next to her just as the rest of us also sat.

For the first time ever, I saw Malak quite agitated and nervous.

“I cannot thank you enough Malak, I honestly did not expect to meet Husam this fast!” — Mr. Khaled said to break up the awkward moment.

“He is now amongst us Mr. Khaled, and you can see him whenever you like!” — Malak replied with a seemingly fake joy.

Mr. Khaled then looked towards the lady next to him.

“As you can see, Malak, things have changed!” — he gently said to Malak while glancing with his eyes

“Changed?! What do you mean?” — Malak asked.

“Husam must go back to his family, they have no one else. What do you think Husam?” — Mr. Khaled said just as he handed me a glass of a creamy drink that had the aromas of pineapple and coconut decorated by a slice of pineapple, a cherry and a small umbrella.

“Do you remember that you used to love Piña Coladas?”

Malak was visibly furious. As I picked up the glass and was ready to begin drinking it, the other lady continued crying. As the lady hunched and covered her face in her hands, Malak quickly snatched the glass out of my hands and threw it away. The glass shattered loudly on the floor.

“Malak? Have you gone nuts?” — I shouted at her.

“Malak! You have no right to take such decisions on your own!” — Mr. Khaled shared my resentment.

“Is it your right to interfere and take such decisions?” — Malak asked.

“You know what Husam means to me!” — Mr. Khaled exclaimed to Malak.

“Husam now means more to me than he does to you!”  — Malak continued.

I wondered who that person might be. What did he mean? And who gives either Malak or Mr. Khaled the right to negotiate decisions that affect me? He must know a lot about me… I wouldn’t let him go until I knew everything! Whether I was in a dream, coma or in a virtual world.  I had to interfere to put an end to all of this madness!

“Mr. Khaled, please tell me what you know about me. How do I know you? have we met before?” — I asked politely.

Mr. Khaled looked away from me and avoided my question.

“Go ahead! Mr. Khaled! Tell him! Or would you like me to tell him? It is clear that Mr. Husam insists on knowing everything now!” — Malak said in a challenging tone.

“No! Please kid, do not tell him… please!!” — the other lady who had been crying suddenly pleaded to Malak.

“Mr. Khaled, this meeting is officially over. You asked to meet Husam, now that is done.” — Malak stood in cold decisiveness, and pulled me from my arm.

Malak did not even wait to hear his response, while he did not thing but hold the sobbing lady.

As we went down in the elevator, I was about to turn all of my confusion and anger into a fully fledged war in Malak’s face but she silenced me before I even speak as she said calmly:

“Husam… That Piña Colada was poisoned!”

(6)

My brain is racing me

I  just noticed a very strange thing here that I had not noticed since I found myself in this place. There were no indicators of time! I am sure that I have spent hours here; maybe even days stuck in this place. I had not noticed anything that hinted the passing of time. I looked at the Yacht-Master, it was not moving! No trace of the Sun in the sky, yet this  was all lit with a soft light similar to the light that comes through clouds. I also notice that it never gets dark at night here. The sky’s lights sometimes dim a little and turn into a crimson hue but only for a short time before it all lit up again!

I was almost certain that this was a virtual city. With all of these technologies, I would not be surprised if it turned out that the sky is but an enormous crystal dome that someone was controlling and that its lit from the outside. Most probably, it was the same place that Malak came from, or Khaled? It might be the same place after all! Malak and Khaled do know a lot about me, yet Khaled seemed interested in returning me back to my world. I must get to you Khaled, I must!

I know you must be mocking my thoughts right now, you might even accuse me of hallucination or even lunacy, and the reason is simple: you had not ben through what I have for you to judge me! I am very fortunate, with all that is going on around me I still maintain sanity… I think!

Thoughts were racing through my brain as we were on the yacht. Malak did not play her flute for me nor did I play the piano for her. The tension in the air only allowed the symphony of silence to endure.

When we arrived at my tower, Malak did not bid me farewell in her usual cheerfulness. She was still clearly agitated. The yacht departed with her onboard the moment that I walked off of it. I chased her with my eyes looking for a smile, but she managed to flee with her face and emotions as the yacht drifted further and further.

I went up to my room and was surprised to find that everything has returned to the way it was exactly. The bed was made; the bathroom cleaned and even the small coffee shop returned to the way it was. It had also been refilled with even more tasty chocolate replacing the ones I had demolished.

There was a table that was waiting for me with plates covered with golden covers. As I raised them, aromas came steaming out tickling my salivary glands. It was a plate of cream and mushroom fettuccine pasta topped with thin fresh slices of parmesan cheese. Basil leaves surrounded it along with cherry tomatoes. Next to the plates stood bottles of oil and vinegar along with a large elegant wooden pepper crusher. I had always wished to own one of these toys! I remember that the only bottle that I ever had decorating my kitchen table was the hot sauce. I remember that I was addicted to adding it to almost everything I ate, and the mere existence of any other bottled condiment was a crazy act of indulgence that would rarely repeat itself.

The table was set for two, I think Malak was planning to have dinner with me, but she had departed because of her anxiety. My class and etiquette could not resist the temptation, so I devoured my plate, I then relinquished what etiquette I had left and finished off Malak’s plate as well! I moved towards the fridge and snagged a bottle of Coca Cola Classic; this was much larger than the tiny bottles that I knew. I then grabbed a few giant Snickers bars and gobbled one of them even before I sat up straight on my comfortable court. A screen came out, but the menu was different this time around, as four waving country flags appeared: Germany, Italy, China and Japan. Malak must have prepared a special program for me to lean the languages; I shall start with German as agreed. I pulled out my pen and paper to write down my notes and chose the flag with stripes of black, red and yellow, suddenly the screen in front of me vanished, all the curtains went up and the balcony’s glass along with the room’s roof turned into a screen emitting live three dimensional images around me.

“Mr. Husam, welcome to the German Language Program. We ask you to relax and contemplate for the next few hours” — an avatar of a lovely blonde woman in holographic form said .

I wrote a few notes at the start but the flux of information did not give me the time to write anything else. The sentences would float in front of me in German with all of their meanings and common uses. They’d appear in front of them in Arabic, with every sentence followed by a complete scene of people using it, everything was happening so fast! Nonstop scenes were happening all around me and my court would rotate right and left to follow the scene’s events. What was astonishing was the fact that my mind was devouring everything with speed and was hungry for more, after a while the Arabic translations were becoming fewer and fewer until it was gone all together and everything was now in pure German language. The scenes of important German heritage sites became more prominent. I spent hours studying them. I was a bit startled when the blonde holographic avatar reappeared in front of me.

“Mr. Husam, I hope you had enjoyed our tour” — the avatar said.

“I sure did, very much” — I added.

“Schönen Tag” — I said in fluent German as she dissipated.

“Schönen Tag!” — the avatar replied before disappearing.

At that moment I heard Malak’s voice:

“Husam, can I enter?”

She did not wait for my answer but she stormed into the room and — allow me to describe her in a hurry this time: imagine, if you would, a princes of one of the European kingdoms that came out of a portrait to form in the real world, with a huge difference in beauty. The necklace that I had gifted her was now dangling over her forehead. If that diamond’s beauty had increased when she wore it next to her cleavage, then its beauty had increased a thousand folds when she placed it between her eyes!

She lifted her puffy dress as not to trip on it as she ran towards me.

“Did you like the pasta?” — she asked just as she  glanced at the empty plates.

I was torn with shame as I tried to justify my impudence but she spoke before I did:

“Glad you enjoyed it… I wasn’t really hungry any way”

I tried to patch up the situation speeding towards the chocolates and handing her a Bounty. As she took it from me to avoid further embarrassment, I added:

“Guten Appetit!” — trying to show off my German.

“I forgot to tell you that you will learn Italian as well” — Malak responded, also in German.

“Simple! I will learn it in a few hours by tomorrow!” — I responded and continued talking in German with a deep Berlin accent.

“You must learn it now! In a few short minutes! The schedule has changed a bit, you will meet with Mr. Leo today” — Malak exclaimed.

“But why?” — I asked.

“I had a chat with Mr. Leo and he has informed me of what he is planning to teach you. It is vital that you meet with him before the others!” — She added.

She suddenly jumped onto my court. OK! I will let this one go… this time only! She gathered her dress that now covered the entire court and asked me to sit next to her. I sinked between the court and the dress as she started controlling the programs. I quickly glanced at the side of her face that was now covered with magical seriousness and I whispered:

“By the way, the diamond is now even more beautiful between your eyes!” — I said.

“Truly?! Do you like it? Then I shall ware it this way all the time for you” — she answered like a jubilant child with her new toy.

“Had I known that, I would have gotten you all of the jewelry in that mall” — I added.

“I wore it this way today for two reasons: first to match the style of dress of the ladies of the fifteenth century” — she said while trying to avoid blushing.

“And the second?” — I asked as I gazed up on her like a wanderer.

“The second is more important. I want to show off my beloved gift in front of everyone. Here it will be clear for everyone to see! Do you understand? Come on, let us get to work!”

She chose Italy’s flag from the three dimensional space, and a new holographic female avatar beauty appeared. She seemed to be a mix of Arabian and European beauty.

“Wow, each country has a different girl!” — I said.

She poked me painfully with her elbow in my ribs with a manner that does not match her gentle features.

“You are not allowed to focus on the girls! Understood?!” — she said with clear anger.

“Are you jealous from a virtual hologram image?” — I jokingly asked Malak.

“I am jealous of anything that ends with a knotted tee!” — she said.

“What about a bended ‘A’?” — I said while deliberately wanting to provoke her

My wit’s tax this time was an even stronger poke than the last, as these two letters at the end of a word in Arabic usually indicate the feminine.

As I heard her elbow’s crackle with my rib and the pain this time forced me to behave myself and shut up while I watched her jump between options with speed and skill; she was removing the detailed sections and leaving me with only the more important parts, we were rotating together along with the whole court just as if we were at the fair. To be honest, I was not paying much attention to the information as much as I was to Malak’s features that are even more beautiful when she is so serious! After a few minutes of practice, I was now a master of Italian.

“This is enough. We must move fast, we can’t keep Mr. Leo waiting any longer!” — Malak said.

“Do I have to change? Do you think I could find Lucie, the fifteenth suit in my dressing room, to match the style of that dress you are wearing?” — I asked.

She responded with a fast-paced Italian:

“And what does Lucie have to do with Italy? You must wear the most fabulous Milano outfit!”

Historic attire was awaiting me in the dressing room; I had to ask for Malak’s help to put on the attire of seven pieces not counting the hat and cape! God bless you my jeans and shirt!

As we left the building, we looked as if we had just come out of the folds of one of the books of legend or a scene of a historic movie. A luxurious wagon with golden epigraphy was waiting for us with four horses up front. I helped duchess Malak up  the wagon and followed her into the wagon just  as we got on our way. As we left the water stream,  the horses raced off into the green fields. The view was truly astonishing!

The land’s greenery and the blue skies only embraced in the horizon. Only a few scattered huts here and there would break that embrace; it was a strange contrast with the technological wonders of this place!

A towering plateau appeared in front of us and a castle that resembled the ones I had seen in Disney princess movies was visible. That castle was our destination, our wagon cut through the gates and stopped in its amazing gardens. The foliage climbed through the castle’s walls and towers decorating them with its flowers. We stood at the tower’s door and Malak knocked the door.

“Mr. Leo are you here?” — Malak said in Italian.

No one answered but we could both hear the  sound of a mesmerizing guitar that was playing inside. As Malak slowly pushed the door, an enormous hall was revealed before our eyes. This place was a studio for all specialties. There were scattered sculptures, paintings of all sizes, prototypes, mechanical & engineering drawings and at the center of all of that sat Mr. Leo. I was unable to see his face as it was covered by the painting he was actively working on. Next to him was a musician playing the harp with such skill and elegance,.

“I will pick you up when you are done!” — Malak whispered to my ears.

“Wait a minute where are you going? Are you leaving me with him? ….alone?” — I asked.

“Do not be afraid! He will not eat you! Just learn everything from him!” — She said.

As Malak left, she pulled the door slowly so that she would not disrupt Mr. Leo’s concentration. Nonetheless, the walls echoed the sound of the wooden door closing… damn it!

I got closer to Mr. Leo and the musician and sat in a small chair that I found nearby. My eyes wondered around the place staring at every intricate detail. I forced my brain to remember, but I was certain that I had never seen Mr. Leo before! He was a handsome man and his age was only given up by the silver hairs that had invaded his head and beard. I contemplated everything around me for what seemed to be an eternity. I started to think that he had not noticed me. As the musician played in a rhythm that reflected Mr. Leo’s mood, it would speed up or slowing down, flowing smoothly or tensely, the girls gaze was locked onto Mr. Leo’s face as she flirted with her harp’s chords as if she was playing his nerves. As I got tired of fidgeting in my seat, I stood up and strolled around the place. As I got closer to Mr. Leo slowly and carefully… I looked over his shoulder to take a peek at the painting he was working on.

Oh my God! I remembered it! This was the Mona Lisa! It had subtle differences from the Mona Lisa that I knew. It was much clearer and brighter; it was full of life and had considerably more details!

“Da Vinci!” — I exclaimed.

Mr. Leo stopped painting and the musician too stopped playing. He slowly turned towards me as if I had committed a heinous crime.

“My name in Leonardo!” — He exclaimed

“Yes Sir, I know you! Leonardo da Vinci!” — I said.

“I prefer you call me Leonardo, da Vinci is not a name, but a title they placed on me when my father refused to associate me with his family! So they associated me with the Vinci village as they do foundlings” — Mr. Leonardo explained.

“Excuse me Mr. Leonardo, I did not know. What is important is that I remembered! I remembered your painting! The Mona Lisa!” — I said with joy.

“You still insist that! She is ‘La Gioconda Lisa’!” — Mr. Leornardo mumbled it to himself as he went back into the painting and added a few final touches to her eyes.

“And what does it matter if it was La Gioconda Lisa Gherardini, Isabel De Aragon, Cecilia Gallerani or Costanza d'Avalos… or a portrait of me personally? Who cares about a bunch of miserable aristocrats? The painting is more important than me or them! We wither, vanish and are forgotten, but our work remains!” — Mr. Leonardo whispered while remaining extremely focused.

Mr. Leonardo put aside the brush and studied his painting for a moment before he stood up.

“Are you done?” — I asked him.

“Done adding some details. Ingenuity is a voyage that starts but does not end!” — he added.

“But, surely, you must finish the painting someday?” — I asked.

“Ingenuity only stops with death itself! I have never finished any work I had ever started, I only keep improving and adding touches, it is idiocy to think that perfection is possible… at least not in life!” — he exclaimed.

“Mr. Leonardo, I am truly happy to have this honor. The honor of learning art and drawing from the world’s greatest artist!” — I said.

I think I uttered complete foolishness that forced his eyes to widen:

“Art? Drawing? Did you come here to learn how to draw? Because you merely consider me an artist? You can go through art books and videos to become a talented artist if that is what you aspire to!” — he said.

His response made me squirm.

“uhhh… I came to learn everything!” — I added.

“Everything? If you search for everything you will get nothing!” — he said.

I followed him as he passed one of the tower’s doors going towards the garden.

“You must know exactly what you are looking for!” — He went on explaining as he pointed towards a few pigeons that gathered underneath a shade of a tree.

“Can you capture all of these pigeons?” — he asked.

“No! I must focus, focus on the pigeon that I want to capture” — I said that as the trance of an aspiring student flushed through my veins. As I carefully approached the pigeons, I set my focus on the one that seemed to be the least active. I charged with speed and skill, but all of that did not help, all of the pigeons flew away as I slammed into the tree. I could almost hear the pigeons giggling gloat along with their clapping wings. I think Mr. Leonardo was in absolute regret! I turned towards him and found him absorbed drawing on a paper. Once he finished, he turned towards me

“Look! This is what I want you to learn!” — he said.

“Drawing? Did you not just say that I can learn this from simple tutorials?” — I asked.

“Husam, focus! I have captured all the pigeons!” — he exclaimed.

I looked at the drawing, it was an art piece even though he drew it in just a mere moment and with just a coal pen! He drew the entire situation with full detail, the pigeons as they flew away, every pigeons’ movement, every wing flap, every feather, it was like a photograph printed with black ink.

“What I want you to learn is ingenuity and creativity! This is to utilize God’s greatest gift to you: your brain!” — he said.

He went on as he paced in his farm while I followed him. I took out my notebook and pen to write down the jewels he had given me. A black horse came towards us and stood next to Mr. Leonardo and leaned with respect as if welcoming our arrival. The horse was shining as if it had been cast from metal, Mr. Leonardo petted the horses neck with the respect that is only given to an intimate old friend.

“Allow me to introduce you to Mr. Cervello, my dearest friend!” — Mr. Leonardo told me.

I was intrigued by the horse’s name that meant “brains” in Italian.

“Mr. Cervello must be the luck horse that was honored to appear in a lot of your work!” — I said trying to showoff my knowledge of Mr. Leonardo’s work.

“You consider him just a horse! No one understood that I was symbolizing my brain! Our brains, Husam, are like horses. You can set them free and allow them to race the wind or you can tie them to work a plow! Your choice!” — he added.

“And most people unfortunately tie their horses to plows!” — I added while trying to build on his philosophy.

“Most people slaughter their horses!” — he added.

“How do I become creative then?” — I asked.

“Set your imagination free!” — he said.

“To fly as fast as the wind?” — I asked.

“No!” — He said.

“Huh?” — I asked.

“Faster than the wind, faster than lightning, to fly in the sky!” — He yelled at me.

“I understand! Your brain must fly outside the box!” — I said.

“No! Out of every box is another larger box! You must learn to move amongst boxes when you need them, and get rid of them all together when they are in the way! That is the first step… and the most important!” — He said.

I was so trying my best to write everything he was saying as fast as I could.

“What is the second step?” — I quickly asked.

He picked up my notebook and pointed to it.

“This! Ideas in your head are like the pigeons that flew when you tried catching them, the only way to capture your ideas is to document them before the flee from you and someone else captures them!” — he said.

He handed me back my notebook and I quickly wrote down what he said along with a simple sketch of the pigeons so that I would never forget that moment. He showed me his drawings, writings and thoughts, this man truly never stops thinking and writing down his thoughts, his ideas were ahead of his time by ages… simply because he had not haltered his wild brain’s movement! I was so dazzled by his work.

“Mr. Leonardo the inventions that you had drawn have seen the light centuries after your time!” — I added.

“I know! How unfortunate! People had taken so long to make them because they were too busy accusing me of being crazy instead of improving on my ideas!” — He said.

“I think these people have made you suffer a lot!” — I added.

“On the contrary, you must feel excited and honored when the foolish say you are crazy! They will never stop unless you become a fool yourself” — he quickly responded.

“Mr. Leonardo, are there other important steps for the growth of creativity?” — I asked.

“Thank you!” — he responded.

“Huh?” — I said.

“Thank you for respecting creativity and choosing the word -growth- sure creativity is a creature that lives in the depths of your soul, it is born out of passion and grows with continuous work!” — he said and continued.

“I read everything about you Husam, you think you have passion for a lot of disciplines, don’t you?!” — he continued.

I nodded as I wished he would not embarrass me by going through the details of my lazy washout life, but he did.

“Yet, you have only mastered playing cards and computer games! There is a huge difference between those who love art and collect expensive paintings and those who live to draw them even if they died of starvation. There is no comparison between those who love music, sports or movies and those who compose, win championships or the Oscars!” — he added.

“Mr. Leonardo, to you, Creativity is to win championships and collect prizes?” — I asked.

“Would you dare consider yourself Creative in any given field without out-achieving everyone else?” — he asked.

“Then, I must raise the bar of my ambition. I remember the saying 'Persist to get to the Moon. Even if you fail, you shall not miss out on the stars!’” — I said.

“Who said that ambition needs a bar? Only laggards echo such words as preemptive excuses for their upcoming failures!” — he added.

Mr. Leonardo was moving towards one of the towers on the far edges of the castle while I was following him around like a lost kid. As we climbed the stairs to the top of the tower, I felt as if he wanted to get rid of me or maybe even throw me off of the top of that tower because of all of my smart ass interruptions. With every word he said, he shock many of my previous convictions.

“Passion alone is delusion, work alone is a waste of time, creativity without any of them is a cripple, can you climb these stairs on one foot?” — He asked.

He was jumping up those stairs with such energy that it did not —at all— correlate with his gray hair. I was barely able to keep up with his speed, I would almost faint and so would my brain as I tried writing down everything he said. I had to interrupt him many times just to keep up.

“Surely I must walk with passion and hard work to make it to the top!” — I said.

“I told you there are neither bars nor summits! You must walk as fast as you can without rest before he catches you!” — he said.

“Before my competition catches me?” — I tried to clarify.

“Before death catches you!” — he exclaimed.

I now declare my despair of ever-guessing the correct answer to any of his statements! He continued as we reached the top of the tower.

“Creativity, Husam, is an endless race. If you start, you must never stop until you master it! Or death beats you to it!” — Mr. Leonardo said.

“I guess this is why you are the Master of Art, Creativity and Invention of all times!” — I said.

“All times? Times have not yet ended!” — he said.

“Your hint lays a huge burden on our shoulders!” — I added.

“On your shoulders alone! Do not avoid your responsibility! Had I had a camera, I would have captured those pigeons in a blink; had I had a voice recorder, I would not have wasted my time writing; had I had the Internet, I would have shaved-off years of study and research; had I had a computer, my manuscripts would not have been lost and my paintings would have never faded! How I envy your times! And how I am angered by your excuses! You have no excuse for thousands of Leonardos appearing and being ahead of their times!” — he added.

As he finished that sentence, we had arrived to the Antiques Room atop of the tower. He extended his hand inviting me to the fancy table filled with delicious delights

“You must be getting hungry by now Mr. Husam” — he added.

“An invite to the last supper!” — I replied.

“The first and last supper!” —he responded as he  smiled to my witty hint.

“What an honor this is…” — I said only to pause as I launched my attack on the platters. I was truly hungry and continued my statement “…that I am invited into the master piece that forced the world into modern art!”

“Stop your flattery Husam, I believe that the mental and physical exhaustion you have gone through deserves this feast.” — he added.

“The exhaustion will vanish when I achieve my dreams Mr. Leonardo!” — I added.

He shook his head denying what I said as he picked up a soft piece of hot bread and split it in half.

“It is inappropriate to mention dreams and exhaustion in the same sentence! You are never exhausted when you are following your dreams. Great people are only exhausted by slackers! Your dreams, Son, are like this feast: you could never take them all down in one shot. You must enjoy achieving them piece by piece. This is a source of joy that can only be exhausted by your own death!” — he added just before eating the piece of bread.

“I understand! I will execute! Of course, so long as if I can actually make it back to my world and my times!” — I said.

Mr. Leonardo smiled. I finally understood! I closed my notebook after I wrote down his last words and put the notebook into my jacket’s pocket.

“You will make it back!” — he added.

Mr. Leonardo stood up and crossed the room towards a wide window with one of his contraptions sitting in front of it. It was fully covered with clothes that he removed slowly to show a prototype of a glider that he had built on his own.

“Come Husam, you must start the race now!” — he added.

Understanding where this was headed, I picked up my hat and leaned-in with respect. I threw my hat from the window.

“The only person I will allow to beat me is ME! This is my promise to you Mr. Leonardo!” — I said as I got into the glider.

I jumped out of the window without hesitation. I did not care about the height nor the rocks of the hills around me nor the valley beneath. I was being lifted by my passions, by the wind and by Leonardo’s words which followed me as he stood on the edge of the window and yelled so that I would hear him:

“Never forget Husam… I do not draw nor invent, I only create without stop! Let the creativity flow from the depths of your mind and soul, never ignore it. Let it fall after that onto anything whatsoever… be it a painting, a symphony, a word or an idea… just create! Create without limit or end!” — he yelled.

I smiled as I listened to the echo of his words, simple words from a great man that changed my ideas on everything! I felt a flood of creativity about to explode! I noticed that the wagon was approaching the castle below me. Malak had also noticed me as she popped her head out of the wagon’s windows and waved at me. I managed to land next to her, Malak ran towards me and hugged me while asking:

“So… how was it?” — she asked.

I pulled out my notebook and waved it in front of her with pride.

“After what I have learned here, I do not think I need to learn anything else! I wish I knew how I could thank Mr. Leonardo… or how I could thank you Malak!!” — I said.

Malak blushed as I completed my sentence and she kept a silent smile. She grabbed my arm and led me into the wagon. I filled my eyes with her view as she sat next to me, while she was hiding her exhaustion with her smile, I thought to myself that she had not had any rest since I stormed into her world. Malak heard what was bouncing in my head —as she usually did— and she then leaned her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. Does she not deserve kindness after all that she has done for me? does she no deserve my love? I let my arms that surrounded her answer that question as my fingers stroked the locks of her hair.

(7)

My soul’s cords

I  spent a bit over two decades of my life in school classrooms, this was more than seven thousand days! Everyday kicked the next… all of them kicking me out in the end with —but a few— stamped and sealed papers that are worthless as they were missing the most important stamp of them all: the fat embroidered seal of the letter W (for Wasta, in Arabic, meaning connections)!

But here, I learned everything in a few short hours. Here I learned that learning is not by bombarding information, nor by stuffing it into old ragged socks that are filled with holes. Learning is fitness and an art that allows you to reach the needed information fast, to absorb, formulate and link it with other pieces of information in a creative way to utilize and use it in the best possible manner. What I learned that was even more important! I learned that I am important!

Very important and self-respecting! Not my origins, class, lineage, clan or -again- my connections! If they only taught us those two lines before they stuffed our heads with fast evaporating short expiry date subjects!

The wagon took us away from Leonardo’s Castle. I will never call him ‘da Vinci’ after today! Malak surrendered her head to my chest. As she closed her eyes, the wind raced through the window to join my fingers dancing around her hair. With it, it carried the fragrances gifted to it by the fields of  flowers all around us. My vision of everything my gaze came upon has changed after Mr. Leonardo’s words, I now saw things with much more clarity, brightness and beauty… I was now passionate about everything. My eyes would dive into the details of the details to enjoy every hint of beauty the magnificent creator had cast upon this universe!

Although we were moving fast, I was enjoying the painting created by the velvet flower petals. I was contemplating each flower individually. I’d smile at their eagerness to steal a glance of Malak’s face whose beauty far exceeded that of the flowers. I saw their colors blend and decided to reach out the window. I picked one up, thus granting its wishes to come closer to Malak. I tucked the flower between Malak’s hair locks and she gently smiled.

“Malak? Are you asleep?” — I whispered.

I feared that my voice would break her nap. She lazily opened her eyes. The shy tear was still hanging onto her lashes; her smile had not yet parted with her lips and she looked at me with such emotion that pierced my soul. Her joy of being by my side; her pain from my departure; her tranquility with me; her fear for me; her exhaustion because of me. She nodded as she closed her eyes and pushed her face deeper into my chest. We had arrived… but she did not open her eyes, she was not asleep, as her smile gave her away. Malak forced me to forget the pile of complexes that I used to suffer from. I shall not let her return alone! I carried my child in my arms, like a bride in her puffy dress. I always wondered, if I would be able to carry my bride on my wedding night. Even if I could, would I not look funny with my short figure and bloated belly? That terrifying premonition made me wish that I could return to my world in this body… only if it could be with this elegant body!

I set my doll on the bed and raced to my court, I had a huge internal drive to implement what I had just learned. There was a flood of energy flowing from my soul. As I looked for an outlet, it was not hard to find the drawing application on the computer. I was standing in front of a three dimensional screen that was almost as tall as I was or maybe a bit taller. I was surrounded with all of the tools I needed to virtually draw, paint or sculpt. In my mind, I had only one image that creeped its way to occupy my being: Malak’s gaze and smile as her head laid on my chest.

I started waving my hand in the empty three dimensional space and I quickly and skillfully handled the drawing program’s tools, more accurately it was a “sculpting” program. I was sculpting all the details and weaved them into a three dimensional image full of life in all of its aspects: the painting was looking at me, it was breathing, I could see my reflection in her eyes, her lashes dancing with the breeze. I could not tell how much time I spent absorbed into my master piece, it was as if I was in a coma that I awakened from after I was done.

Malak’s voice brought me back, she was standing right behind me and was looking at my painting and she shed a silent tear. I turned towards her and her tear dropped from her eyelashes. She placed her head again on my chest. This had became her sanctuary as she collapsed between her gasps and gentle moans.

“I love you Husam! I swear to God I cannot live without you!” — Malak whispered.

“Malak! Come back with me to my world!” — I told her as I held her by her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

“Could you imagine that? I wouldn't hesitate for a moment if I could!” — she said.

“There must be a way! There surely is a way!” — I added.

She raised her head as she wiped off her tears streaming down her face and pink nose with her arm. She tried to lighten up the mood as she pointed to the three dimensional painting that was floating behind me.

“Hmm… was your visit with Mr. Leo fruitful?” - She asked.

“Ah… this was my first experiment…” - I added.

“Experiment? Don’t sell yourself short! She is more beautiful than I am!” — she said.

“I stand in front of you to say that there is nothing in the world that is more beautiful than you! Not even your own picture!” — I added.

“You also learned poetry and flirting?!” —Malak said with visible fondness.

“All the art, poetry and flirting of this world could not give justice to one look from your eyes!” — I said.

My onslaught of flirtatious comments took her by surprise. I decided to ease on them and change the subject.

“Something has baffled me since I got here… how do I know the time? What time is it?” — I asked Malak.

“Why do you ask?” — Malak asked in response.

“What do you mean why do I ask? I want to know how long I have been away from my family? I want to know night from day! When do I wake up? When do I sleep? When do I pray?” — I said.

“You can sleep, wake up and pray whenever you feel like it!” — She responded.

“OK since I’ve been here, how long has time lapsed?” — I asked.

“Well, my estimation if we count the hours, it would be almost two or three days based on our world’s time.” — Malak responded.

“And based on my world’s time?” — I asked.

“Two minutes and fifty height seconds!” — she responded.

“Wait.. what? Is that possible? All of this in just two minutes? And how did you measure it so accurately?” — I asked.

“Can you stop with the questions already?” —she said.

“OK, but do you know what direction is Makkah?” — I asked.

“No… I have no idea how to find that from here!” — she said.

“Sorry for asking… but do you even pray?” — I said it with spontaneity but she got really upset. Who wouldn’t —really—  from such a private question?

“Sure! All has been taught to pray and praise!” — she answered me decisively.

I was not offended by her verbal slap; I felt I deserved it! I made my oblation… and prayed a few Rakas towards what I thought would be the most probable direction, as Malak sat on the edge of the bed watching me:

“May God accept your prayer.” — she said.

“God bless you!” — I responded with the accent of a summer camp boy.

“You forgot to say sister” — she added.

Her wit always manages to buy her some slack  but when her pranks go too far, I have to admit, so does her beauty!

“Come on, quickly take a shower and stop slaking!” — she said.

I went to the bathroom to take off these strange clothes and took a quick bath. When I exited the shower, she was not there, instead I found a set of new clothes that she had clearly carefully picked, a white embroidered shirt, a collar and a black velvet suit with something that looked like a neck tie. I did not face much difficulty putting them on. After what I have been through to put on the mid-ages attire, nothing else seemed difficult.

I suddenly heard knocking at the door… could Malak have gone to change and come back this fast? I got my answer from the voice coming from the outside.

“Open the door Husam, this is Khaled” — Khaled said.

Khaled? How did he find me? What does he want? I was curious to ask him about everything that Malak has hidden from me, yet I distrusted what he intended to do, especially after he had tried to poison me.

I opened the door… such look could not hide any bad intentions! He moved towards the balcony and sat on a chair as I followed him.

“Husam… how is Maram?”

Maram is my little sister who has not yet made it to her eighteenth birthday. How does he know her? Was he too going through the details of my life?

“Maram is fine. That is… up to the last moment I saw her!” — I said.

“She must have grown up!” — he said as he looked towards the horizon with affection.

“How do you know everything about me? Were you also watching me?” — I asked.

Khaled ignored my question.

“Maram has no one –after Allah- but you!” — he said.

“…and Mother, may God prolong her life and health!” — I interjected.

“Listen Husam, Malak wants you to leave your family and live here! Malak does not care for any of them! The most important thing to her is for you to stay here with her! You have been away from your world for three minutes, and if you make it to seven you could never go back! And you will be stuck here forever!” — Khaled explained.

“You are telling me that Malak wants to trap me here? She knows how to get me back to my family and has said nothing?” — I asked.

“I know!”— Khaled replied just as I had moved   towards edge of the balcony.

“If you want to live amongst your family… you must die here! Simply close your eyes and throw yourself from here, and you will be back with your family! Do not forget, every second counts!” — Khaled said.

With that, he turned around and left me stunned as my heart began beating violently standing on the edge of that balcony. This balcony now stood between me, my family and my life. It also stood between me and Malak and could take her away from me after my heart got so attached to hers and so had my soul. Regardless, family was more important than she was, more important than me! More important than my heart and soul!

A strange feeling made me believe Khaled. I believed in every word he had said. Was I just grasping at hope? Or the strange comfort I felt towards him? Did he try to poison me to get me back to my family? Was that truly the only way for me to awaken and leave this world? Now I had to find out!

I closed my eyes… I froze on the edge of the  balcony long enough to remember the details of my life, I gathered my courage and longing for my family to convince myself that I was trapped in this dream, I would not lose anything by leaving it! Only death would free me for my soul to reawaken in my body. Numbness crawled through my limbs as the winds pushed my balance around as I stood on the edge with my arms extended to fly to my family.

“Husaaaaam!” — Malak screamed.

Malak’s scream was the barrier between death here and life there! She shouted the moment I had tilted forward and she quickly pulled me back with of all of her strength, forcing me to fall on top of her as she hugged me and cried. As I laid on the floor she stroked my face as if in disbelief that I was still with her.

“Husam!!! Why Husam??!! Why would you do that?!” — she asked.

“You have been deceiving me all of this time!! You want to trap me here?” — I sat up and said angrily.

“Husam you understand nothing! Trust me I only want what is in your best interest!!” — she replied.

“I only want what is in the best interest of my family! Let me go back to them before it is too late!” — I yelled.

“Husam please!! Just spend four more days here, only four days… That would be three or four minutes in your world, I beg you!!” — She said.

Those tears would melt stone. Imagine what they had done to my heart.

“But if that time passed I would get stuck here, isn’t that so?” — I said as I calmed down.

“Husam, I know exactly when you must return. At that time, I swear, I will send you back myself if you still wanted to leave me. I swear to God!” — Malak replied.

I stood up and lifted her from under her arms to stand up, I wiped off her tears with my hand.

“OK, stop those tears, please I can’t bear to see them!” — I said.

She lied her forehead on my chest and started punishing me.

“You want to kill me you fool!” — she said.

“God forbid Malak!” — I replied.

“Let’s go! Enough drama moments! We will be late for our appointment with Mr. Ludwig!” — She said with a cheerful German accent that still soaked with tears.

Her arm slid underneath mine as she pulled me away. A silver sphere appeared in front of us as it slowly ascended blocking the horizon completely. It was a Zeppelin! An aircraft that had disappeared by the time of the jet engine, a small wooden cabin carried by an oval balloon almost the size of the place I lived in now. It stopped exactly next to us allowing me and Malak to board as it flew us off to meet with Mr. Ludwig.

The Zeppelin landed in a yard in front of an old tube-like building that was decorated with columns and engravings that praised the Renaissance.

The building was a luxurious theater. It had Aristocracy written all over it. Its walls echoed a musical symphony, unlike the music I had heard at Mr. Leonardo’s Castle, it was not a single instrument playing a soft tune, but tens of instruments joined in an epic battle. As we entered the main hall, I could see there was actually an entire orchestra, led by Mr. Ludwig, nervously playing the piano raising his hand from time to time to instruct his team. Malak abandoned me again after she sat me directly in front of Mr. Ludwig and she moved to sit at the far back of the empty hall. Of course I did not dare to even bother him with the sound of my breath as he was at the climax of his excitement.

His long silver hair was matching his fingers’ excitement and the drops of sweat pouring off of the piano keys. Without warning... he stopped; he raised his hand commanding everyone to stop, his head was still facing the piano’s keys and with his eyes closed, he made his way through the musicians who looked like they would drop dead any minute in terror. He suddenly stopped next to a girl that was  playing the violin.

There were more than twenty violin musicians but he stood at this musician’s feet, she shivered when he opened his eyes

“What are you doing?!” — Mr. Ludwig screamed at the girl.

She could not gather the courage to respond. Nervous sweat invaded her forehead as did a pink hue in her cheeks while her eyes were frozen to the ground.

“Whaaat are you doing?!! Have you too gone deaf?!” — Mr. Ludwig ensued.

“I was playing my instrument sir!” — the girl replied.

“True. You were playing… just playing!” — Mr. Ludwig said.

He raised his head with clear anger. He addressed everyone shouting angrily:

“If there is anyone here who ever thought that she or he was coming here just to play, leave at once!” — Mr. Ludwig said defiantly.

He snatched the violin from the girl and started playing with the same speed of the symphony.

“Why do you play? A girl like you should stay at home! To clean, cook and milk cows! A sweet girl like you cannot attack a symphony such as this! Are you cuddling your violin? What do you think it is? Your cheesy boyfriend? Your stupid lover?” — He continued scolding her without ever looking at her.

Her cheeks turned red causing her freckles to dissapear. Her nose became red hot and her nostrils widened and contracted as she took deep breaths with clear anger. She could not take Mr. Ludwig’s insults, she snatched back her violin and she let out the savage lioness that was hidden behind her freckles and sweetness as her claws attacked on the poor violin’s neck. As she firmly held it between her cheek and shoulder, she scratched up its cords with utter savagery, she did not notice the slight smile that was on Mr. Ludwig’s face for an instant before he returned.

He completed his legendary symphony. The hairs at the back of my neck stood in respect, his team —more like an army battalion — had just survived a battle that was about to wipe them out, they laid down their weapon instruments, took a breath, wiped their seats… all but Mr. Ludwig, who pulled out a bunch of papers from his jacket’s inner pocket and started writing down some notes.

The papers were crowded with lines and musical notes. He was crossing some out and adding others as I quietly approached him.

“Are you Beethoven? Ludwig van Beethoven?! I remember you and this symphony, it is your aaaa… Fifth Symphony as I recall? Is that correct? The Fifth or The Ninth?” — I whispered into his hear.

My naive question was not worthy of an answer at any account and that is exactly what happened. He completely ignored me.

“Oh what amazing gift deafness is!” — he said.

He then removed his small earpiece and set it aside.

“How great it is for one to hear what he wants, and have a deaf ear to what he doesn’t!” — he said.

“Now I remember! You went deaf!” — I said.

“That is true!” — he said.

“Do you not hear me now?” — I asked.

“I do not hear you!” — he replied.

“But… but how? Do you read the movement of my lips?” — I asked.

“I do not hear you with my ears!” — he replied.

Every word that he said confused me even further.

“You hear because of the vibrations of the small ear drum. As for me, every atom of my being feels the vibration of sound… every cell in my body has turned into a delicate listening ear!” — he said.

“I had always wondered how you would compose music without even hearing it!” — I said.

“My sense of hearing had faded over the years, until it was completely gone. I tried to end my life, I almost committed suicide, but as I approached death a new life was born!” — he added as if he was hinting to something.

As you would expect, I was writing every detail down in my notebook.

“Seeing death face to face made me wonder: is life not worthy of a last challenge? And, in any case, I will not lose more than I have already lost!” — he continued.

“But suicide is a crime for losers!” — I said.

“I found out that I was dead amongst the living… so I decided to live after my death!” — he added.

He finally looked at me and said —

“There is no suicide worst than living without meaning, challenge, achievement and without making history! This is not life but a waste of planet Earth’s oxygen!”

“Mr. Husam, if you have no real intention to change history… then you are wasting both your time and mine!” — he continued.

If I told him that my highest aspiration was to secure a job – any job – along with a nice salary, wife and house rent, he would have found out that I was a corpse walking on this earth, bleeding off its resources and did not deserve a single sip of its oxygen!

I ignored all of that thinking in the back of my mind and said this compulsory sentence with the utmost austerity:

“I shall change history Mr. Ludwig!”

He opened up the piano’s cover and struck one of the thick cords, it emitted a mellow tune. He then placed his hand near the cord as if he was enjoying its vibration as they tickled his fingers…

“What do you want to learn from me then?” — he asked.

I am afraid that if I said “music”, I would face the same fate of that poor girl, the questions of these organization’s leaders are like traps to prove my stupidity in my face, so I came up with a new answer.

“I want to know how you became the greatest musician.” — I said.

“Musician?!!” — he replied.

I was eating through my memories to find everything I knew about him in an attempt to avoid impending embarrassment. I remembered his symphonies, his achievements, not to mention his temper. I retracted just prior to his rampage:

“I meant, Composer!” — I quickly replied.

“I compose music! You live in the fourteenth year after two thousand, isn’t that so?” — he replied.

“True!” — I said.

“Unbelievable?! You mean to tell me that in all this time no one has superseded me?!” — he replied.

“No!” — I said.

“That is truly funny. I am still the greatest musician? After two centuries? I was an outcast amongst aristocrats and banned from entering the orchestra halls.”  — he said.

“What?!” — I asked.

“They could not accept the success of a pail shot deaf like myself over them, I also did not have the time for preen and flattery to blend in, I was occupied with music, and with kicking those who mutilated it whenever I got the chance to!” — he added.

“Who are you talking about Mr. Beethoven? You are a miracle that changed the history of music! All of the European nations chose Ode to Joy, which you used as your final movement for your Ninth Symphony as a symbol that represents them for forty years now!”

“It is sad that they would battle against greatness when it came, and only praised it once it was gone! The sorrow for my death before seeing my victory was not nearly as big as my sorrow for my enemies for not tasting their defeat!” — he added.

He swallowed his bitterness.

“Do you know what music is?” — he asked me.

He ignored the dumb look on my face as he continued:

“Music is synergy… synergy of sounds, synergy of shapes, synergy of souls; life is but a sweet smooth symphony, some of us agree with its tones, and others don’t, rejecting it so it rejects them!” — he added.

The symphony of life – I wrote down my comment as he went on.

“What we play is but an eurythmic simulation of the tunes that are bubbling inside our souls, as we try to translate them through these instruments!” — – Beethoven said as if he was listening to a symphony inside his soul.

A symphony flowed from the depths of his soul through his fingers that started playing the piano as it interacted with his emotions, like a background that we designed specifically for each word he said:

“Music is what breathes life into the ideas around us, love (he said fondly, as his music slowed); anger (he said with fury, as his music pitched) and sadness (he said with grief, as his music came to a halt).”

True! If I said these words without the tunes that reflect them they would lose their meaning. In fact, someone might say words of love while his tunes emit hate, or say words of courage and strength while their accent is torn with fear and hesitation!

“Music is the last step in emitting these emotions — it is just a frame — what is more important is what was in the depths of that frame!” — he said.

“Mr. Beethoven, you remind me of The String Theory” — I said.

"The String Theory?!"

“It is one of modern theories that explain the creation and the basics of matter and energy: It states that everything around us is, but a pack of cords, each infinitely small with its characteristics defined by its vibration and its interactions by its harmony” — I explained.

“And do we need theories and proofs to know that existence is harmonious and balanced?!” — he added.

“Sit!” — he commanded me as he jumped off of the piano’s chair.

The moment of my greatest embarrassment had come!

I, who had not played anything in my life other than the first crippled seconds of Happy Birthday, or “Ahwak” or “Ya tayba Al Galb”… have to play now in front of Beethoven in the flesh and blood?! I sat on the chair and stretched out my shivering fingers. I decided to attempt to play the song from Titanic that I had played with Malak. My shivers disappeared with my tapping on the piano.

Beethoven leaned on the edge of the piano. With his head leaning down, his arms crossed and his finger tips were moving in the air with the tune I was playing. I finished playing the song and I was hesitant to hear his opinion. I only wanted to save my skin!

“You started it off with a major I… sending out a message of love and loyalty… emotions raised to tell of struggle and weave sadness… and it ended with a promise of eternal love despite the farewell” — he added.

He had just summarized the entire movie just by listening to the music! My head started to swell.

“When did you write it?” — he asked.

“Ahhhh… I did not compose it, I just played it my way” — I added.

“Listen Husam, playing an instrument is the easiest thing you could learn! You could perfect emitting your emotions through any instrument, if such emotions existed, and were true and strong!” — he added.

He closed the piano’s cover as he went on:

“Those who write poetry are not like those who recite it! Those who write novels are not like those who read them! Whoever composes to narrate his soul’s feelings, is unlike those who play them to show off in front of people!” — he added.

“But I must master playing on the instrument before I can compose, am I right?” — I said.

“Husam, you carry the greatest musical instrument… you play it professionally and relentlessly” — he said.

This was yet another conundrum… I would have to wait for its meaning.

“Do you remember the first tune you enjoyed?” — he asked me.

“Honestly, and I am not saying this as a complement, your great symphony that you played for Elisa (Für Elise), it was the first record I ever got in my life” — I said.

“The first tune you ever enjoyed was your mother’s singing along with the music of her breath and the beating of her heart that had embraced you as an embryo hearing for the first time… how many times has a melody stuck itself to your brain echoing in its corridors in spite of you? How many times did you forget yourself in the music and forced you to hum the tune without feeling it?” — he said.

“You mean that my brain is…” — I replied but was interrupted.

“Yes! Your brain is the greatest musical instrument of all time! Tunes flow within it nonstop to blend with your soul’s emotions, that is the music that accompanies our lives! It starts when it does and fades gradually as we get older and forget ourselves and rebel against our own souls!” — he said.

Beethoven moved away from the piano and walked towards the corridor on the side of the hall that ended with a black door covered with a decorated leather pillow. I followed him into that insulated space behind that door. For the first time ever, I felt total calm to the extent that I got frustrated from my own breath’s noise.

“Welcome inside the greatest musical instrument!” — Beethoven said.

A dim light from the ceiling of the wide room came crawling down as he said this and revealed an endless number of giant cords intersecting in every direction, we were inside an enormous musical instrument!

“These cords will play any tune your soul will create, there is no need to confuse your brain with the stroking of cords or striking keys or blowing horns… leave that to the instruments, what is important is for you to know… and to play what you feel” — he added.

Those cords enticed me to play, but I could only reach them with my soul. I hummed the start of the tune, and with it the cords shook and the tunes raced…

I didn’t not need to hum, the cords were reading me and played what was inside of me, truly, what was more important was that I felt the tunes clearly and deeply. Playing was a foregone conclusion… my emotions heightened with my tunes and with it blended other tunes that I could not make out its source until I felt Malak’s cheek and her hands laying on my shoulder. I did not feel or hear  her  pushing the door slowly and moving closer to share my feelings. We played together and our hearts joined in a dance that ended with our symphony.

Our tunes even stunned Beethoven. They invoked his emotions to start a new symphony that could not bear staying trapped in his soul any longer, as he released it from its captivity; although we were silent, Malak signaled me with her index finger on her lips, she pulled me softly to leave. It was not proper to leave without thanking him, but even etiquette holds its breath in respect of his playing. I sufficed with a whisper between him and myself:

“Thank you Mr. Ludwig… I promise to change the world!” — I said.

He did not respond, as he needed his deaf moment now, but he smirked slightly as he continued his playing with his eyes shut and I heard his response in the tunes, that said:

“If your soul wanted to change the world, be sure it will change!” — Beethoven added.

(8)

Life…

Round by round!

W hat has most impressed me here, was me! My body’s abilities, my mind’s abilities, and more importantly than both was the enormous amount of energy that flowed through my veins. The biggest disaster I suffered from in my life was being lazy. This was not a disaster as much as it was a crime I committed against myself… a crime everyone around me is an accomplice in! Everyone is lazy, everyone is a criminal! The difference between the great and successful and us was not their super abilities nor their unique talents. The real difference is drive and continued hard work. That’s what makes legends!

He who does not achieve greatness has no excuse; If we do not fulfill our dreams;

then, we do not deserve them!

Last night, I was certain that I was in a dream… it was the best night I had ever lived in my life or dreams or even my imagination. We were beaten down of exhaustion both me and Malak. It was yet the echo of those mesmerizing tunes that never left my ears until Malak started singing, that is. She wiped my memory of Humanity ever inventing music or instruments.

She sat cross-legged on the bed after capturing her commands to the domes that covered my room. They began moving into each other revealing a diamond mine swimming on the waves of a crimson sky. Nothing interrupted its calmness save for a few breezes that snuck in just to dance with Malak’s hair forcing it to dance with my hair, eyelashes, eyebrows and the tip of my nose after she set my head over her lap as I closed my eyes enjoying her singing while her whispers added to its charm and huskiness enveloping me in a coma that I wish not to ever awaken from.

But I did awaken, she left after she set me to sleep leaving me a message that she wrote into my notebook and signed it with her lips:

“My beloved Husam… I had to leave, I have a million things to do… Love you… Malak”

I was still excited to exercise what I learned from Mr. Beethoven, my fingers were stuck by a hysterical frenzy that wouldn’t subside until I played!

I stormed to the elevator, went down, and as I expected, found Layan and her sisters. The three nymphs were siting around the fountain playing from the depths of their souls.

They were surprised when they found me pondering in front of them to dive deep into each of their emotions through their tunes. I smiled at them to ease their embarrassment but I did not succeed. The embarrassment forced them to stop playing. I only clapped.

“Bravo!! Truly the most magnificent music I heard in my life” — I said to them.

Layan’s cheeks blossomed and I could hardly make out her mumbling:

“That is so kind of you Mister Husam” — Layan said.

“By the way, I am Husam! My name is Husam without any titles! I honestly cannot stand the word Mister!” — I said.

“My apologies Mr. Husam” — Layam replied.

“Did we not just agree to let go of titles… come let me show you how to party!” — I replied.

I sat amongst them at the edge of the fountain, their embarrassment melted away and turned into a river of kindness and fun. Hours passed quickly as we played and sang, I remembered most of the songs that I had heard in my entire life and I played  and sang all of them. Anything from Um Kalthoom to even cartoon theme songs!

I think Carlos Santana would be psychologically shattered and Eric Clapton would retire if they had heard the way I played the guitar! I - of course – did not dare ask Beethoven to teach me how to play the guitar as he might have smashed it on my head.

I did not feel the time. It flew by as I was head over heels in joy with Layan and her sisters, until that joy was abruptly stopped by Malak! She stood in front of me with her arms crossed and her entire beauty turned into one big block of anger — and jealousy— at first, I did not notice her being there as I was so immersed in the music and song until I noticed Layan’s nervousness, Lina’s paralysis and Leen’s yellow face. I raised my face towards Malak, and she said:

"学习中国呢？太棒了!"

As expected I did not understand a word of what she said! I only realized it was in an angry Chinese Cantonese that I was supposed to master instead of wasting time with Layan and her sisters!

Malak did not pinch me from my ear but did pull me into the elevator. I felt the pain and ear being pulled in the context of what had happened. The nymphs could not hold their soft laughter as I moved towards the elevator like a child who was about to get harshly scolded!

“Not only are you ignoring your work, but you are wasting your time flirting with the girls?! Have you forgotten that time is not at all on our side?!” — Malak said.

She was so furious as we made our way back to my room.

“No problem!! Just give me one hour and I will learn Chinese and gibberish too if you want!” — I said angrily.

“I was expecting that!” — she replied.

“Expecting what?” — I interjected.

“Your vanity!” — she added.

“This is called self-confidence!” — I said.

“This is called obstinacy! Vanity does not fit you Husam! I loved you with all your flaws… as long as your soul does not change and get consumed with vanity!” — Malak added.

“Do not start preaching! I admit my faults!” — I said.

“Lucky for you that Mr. Bruce speaks English!” — she replied.

“Did I not tell you from the start that there was no need for all of this hassle and let us just move on with English or the translation device!” — I said.

“And I told you that there is no better way to learn from someone than to use their mother tongue!” — Malak said.

She disappeared into the dressing room and returned with a yellow sports jacket that was decorated with two thick black lines along  its sleeves.

“I remember!!” — I shouted.

“You remembered Mr. Bruce?” — she responded to my sudden shout.

“No! I remembered that I am an Ittihadi to the bones! How did you know?” — I said.

Her jealousy was still burning! I do not blame her! Honestly, igniting a woman’s jealousy has its special pleasure! But I would rather be careful even when thinking to myself, I shouldn’t forget that she can feel my thoughts and could explode in my face at any moment!

She threw the clothes at my face as she nervously said:

“You have three minutes! To change while I bring the car from the parking lot! If you are late even for one second I will cancel the appointment… understood?!”

She had a commanding voice that did not at all fit with her softness and gentleness… but she was still luscious even at the peak of her anger!

I put on my clothes quickly and I was downstairs the moment the loud engine thunder from a Chevrolet Malibu echoed and its long red hood appeared. As Malak drove the car closer, a wrapping around her head was a silky white handkerchief decorated with black circles and on her nose sat large dark glasses, she looked like a Hollywood actresses from the 1970s.

“Are you driving or should I?” — Malak asked.

“Women do not drive where I come from!” — I said.

My statement overflowed with my local DNA yet she took it cheerfully, she jumped out of the driver’s seat to the seat next to it. I got into the car and raced off. What an amazing feeling! I had yearned for the driving wheel! Malak’s handkerchief flew away as I drove faster, she leaned towards me and held on to my arm… was it the fear of my speeding? Or was it love and yearning? It did not matter so long that my angel was holding my arm.

Everything in this car was classic, its open top, its milky leather, its wooden steering wheel. Everything save for its speed, it was crazy! Only the Central Tower from that colossal city was all that I could see in my rearview mirror and it quickly slipped to disappear behind the horizon.

As we reached the edges of an old and abandoned city, we parked in front of a large warehouse. Its metallic walls echoed the sounds of violent collisions coming from the inside. I pulled the heavy metal door revealing a huge empty space with a single large hanging training bag and Mr. Bruce with his puny body was violently and repeatedly kicking it. Who could forget that side kick? Yes I remembered him!!

“Bruce Lee!” — I said.

I finished my sentence the moment his foot hit the bag like a missile. His foot came out on the other side with sand scattered and shreds of cloth and leather were all over the place.

“Who are you?” — he asked me while he still had his foot in mid-air.

“Me? I am Husam Mr. Bruce!” — I replied.

He calmly - finally - brought down his foot and turned towards me as he smiled.

“I did not ask what your name was. I asked ‘Who are you?’ It is impossible for one to not know his name… but it is very hard for one to know himself! I’ve been waiting for you Mr. Husam…” — Mr. Bruce said.

I approached him with enthusiasm, and suddenly a violent punch pierced my stomach squeezing my guts onto my spine for a fraction of a second before his fist left me as I squirmed in pain.

“Mr. Bruce! What is the meaning of this?” — Malak shouted.

“Sorry Mr. Husam, I forgot to tell you that I had ten simple lessons for you to better know yourself and extract your potential abilities! First lesson: to be prepared… always!” — Mr. Bruce said.

Malak extended a hand to help me get up.

“Did you come here to play dead in front of the girls?” — Mr. Bruce said sarcastically.

He signaled Malak to move aside and he extended his arm towards me. The moment I held his hand, he swiftly pulled me up and surprised me with a punch from his other fist but, this time, I was able to catch his arm at the last moment.

“You learned your first lesson then… great!” — Mr. Bruce said.

With that, he pushed his elbow into my face and I heard the sound of my exploding nose and blood flowed.

“Mr. Burce!! What are you doing?!” — Malak shouted.

“Would you like to train him yourself?” — Mr. Bruce said to Malak.

“No… but…” — Malak began replying but was interjected.

“Then do not interfere!” — Mr. Bruce said.

I took advantage of his small talk with Malak, and threw a vengeful punch towards his face, it was very fast! But his face that was there just a moment ago was no longer there! In its place, a foot appeared and shattered what remained of my nose.

“I am very impressed of your fast learning abilities! Lesson two: speed makes up nine tenths of your strength!” — Mr. Bruce added.

I did not care about the pain or blood as I furiously set myself to attack him.

“That is enough!” — Malak interjected.

Malak stopped my attack and carried on saying:

“Thank you Mr. Bruce! Husam let us go!” — Malak added.

I would never accept retreat! Never!

“Malak… I am not leaving before I beat down Mr. Bruce Lee!” — I objected to Malak.

“I like your fighting spirit Mr. Husam! That is the most important lesson: your fighting spirit ensures your victory before you win, and might announce your defeat before you lose! It might increase your strength… or decrease it!” — Mr. Bruce added.

We moved towards a stage in the center of the warehouse, a shiny metallic floor that was about twenty meters long and ten meters wide.

“Your fighting spirit must emit in a way that confuses your opponent and drives fear into his heart! An elephant is stronger than a lion, but the lion preys on it with its fighting spirit! If you do not prey on your opponent with your fighting spirit through your gaze… he will prey on you!” — Mr. Bruce added.

The warehouse lights faded as the stage lit up. As we walked into it, it turned into a three dimensional environment reflecting images of mountains and trees next to a small hut. With the simple wave of his hands, Mr. Bruce changed the surroundings. I remembered these surroundings! They were from the electronic fighting game that I had mastered the most!

He settled for the setting of a Sky Scraper’s roof top.

“But!!” — Mr. Bruce yelled.

An annoying crackle echoed and heavy steps moved towards us. A giant appeared out of the darkness dressed in a military uniform that almost ripped from his bloated muscles, that thing could not be human. It was two and a half meters in height; its physique and robotic movements reminded me of one of fighters in that game!

Let me introduce you to my friend Jack who does not care about fighting spirits simply because he does not feel it nor does he need it, you must defeat him before I fight you!” — Mr. Bruce added.

That sentence provoked the giant robot as he banged his chest with his fists and the place echoed with an annoying metal sound that terrified me as it did Malak.

“Mr. Bruce! You know very well the delicacy of the situation! There is no way I can accept risking Husam’s life like this!” — Malak said.

“Would you like to fight Jack yourself so that your spoiled Husam would not get a scratch?” — Mr. Bruce asked Malak.

“I will deal with Jack!!” — I interrupted them.

“I will not allow you!” — Malak shouted.

“OK! OK! A fight between the two of you shall decide this! The winner will face Jack” — Mr. Bruce said.

She did not give me any time to think as she held her dress’s end between her teeth and split it so that it would not hinder her kicks. She then quickly posed like a professional fighter. A green holographic strip appeared hovering above her head and the same strip appeared above my head.

I realized that this was the health bar when Malak let out a grunt as she swung her leg in a circular motion that introduced my cheek bone to the details of her high heel and its strength forcing that bar to reduce above my head.

I was inside the game! I was facing a fighter that was even more ferocious than that cold blooded Irish killer in the game!

But I was not dealing with buttons here; I was dealing with live painful punches and kicks! What was even harder was the fact that I was supposed to fight Malak to save her from facing Jack! This is by far the toughest situation I had gone through since I got here! In fact, it was the hardest situation I ever faced in my life!

Malak wasted no time in thinking as I did. She attacked me with everything she’s had, thus reducing my green bar that changed into a red bar without me even touching her!

“Come on! Finish him with the knockout… Jack hates waiting!” —Mr. Bruce shouted

Her movement was very fast just like that damned hired killer in the game!! Those were the same moves! I remembered every detail and I could even predict them. After her right leg kicked, she spin around throwing a stab with her palm to my chest. My grip moved to block her hand as I held it and twisted her wrist to force her to bend… forgive me Malak! I had to!

I was remembering the fighter who represented Bruce’s character in the game, I remembered the combinations by heart on the gamepad… could I perform them in reality? There was only one way to find out, I had to try them. I decided to try ten successive strikes. Two punches, a lower kick, an upper kick, three successive steel punches, then a lower rotating kick which threw her off balance and was followed by a punch that sunk into her soft body. I lifted her up a bit to finish her off with a flying side kick. Malak’s bar completely vanished and a large three dimensional K.O. appeared in the middle of the stage, I hurried towards Malak, who had collapsed on the floor after my violent attack, I raised her to my chest, she coughed and leaned towards me.

“Husam… I am OK! Husam please stop!! Please!!” — she said with her decaying voice.

Bruce interrupted us with his slow clapping.

“Bravo! You have just proved that you are stronger than girls Mr. Husam… did you learn your fourth lesson? Malak is your weakness point! You could not face her so she almost finished you off! When you have a weakness point you lose half the battle! And if your enemy knew this, you’d lose the entire battle! To win your battles you must convert your weakness point into strength and your enemy’s strength point to a weakness you can use against them!!”

I carried Malak out of the ring and kissed her between her eyes wiping away her pain.

“I will win Malak! No one can beat me! You know why? Because I will fight for you Malak!” — I said to Malak.

I felt as if I was exploding in anger. I turned towards the ring and shouted:

“Jack! Get ready! I will send you to the junkyard of damaged scrap!”

I think the giant who had this dumb icy face understood my comment and expressed his anger with a terrifying leap towards me, thankfully I was faster than he was, I jumped to the side as he fell with his entire weight on the ground, at that same moment the green bar appeared above both of us, I took advantage of his struggle to get up by jumping high up and falling with my entire weight on my knees in his back. His green bar only lost a sliver, while my keen shattered with pain. He stood up and forced me to lose my balance as I fell of his back. He sent his steel foot flying towards me which covered my chest and stomach and threw me a few meters backwards. That single kick took off half of my bar. I fell to the ground shaking, just as he ran towards me. One more hit like that and it would end the fight in his favor. No! This will not end in his favor! Never!! For your eyes Malak!! I did not jump to my feet, I let him come closer and in the last moment, I jumped, more like, flew and flipped around him. In the fraction of a second that I had spent in the air, I conducted a complete area sweep of him. I saw that his weakness point was where his neck met his shoulders. This was the only area not covered with plates and wires appeared as he moved.

Those wires were the only thing that I could damage in this armored machine! I took the decision in a blink as I landed on his back.  I rode him and held on to his neck and clothes. He could not get to me with his hands as I moved fast. As I gathered my strength, determination and anger in my palm, I let it loose in a sword like stab to the side of his neck, it sunk between a group of bars and wires as I felt the bones in my palms shatter between them but I did not care, I grabbed them and pulled a bunch of them out, one of his eyes made a smothered explosive sound as smoke rose from it, and the bull rampaged as he swayed beneath me while I held on to his neck. Despite the dire pain in my palms, I went back again in his neck to smash more plates and pull more wires. The rhino decided to throw himself backwards to squash me underneath his steel torso. I won in the agility battle as I leaped in the right moment. I watched his body fall while I was in the air. My brain was working so fast that I could see all the details in slow motion, this time my weight landed on the right place… right on his weakness point!

As he fell, his head slammed into the floor and I landed on the unshielded bars of his neck shattering it. As my foot sunk into it, I made Bruce Lee’s famous cry that I had seen so many times in his movies.

The green bar vanished and K.O. appeared again. I turned towards Mr. Bruce and said sarcastically as I felt my fest that was torn in pain:

“Jack needs a lot of spare parts! You will need to buy a new mechanical bull Mr. Bruce!”

“I like your sense of humor, it raises your moral, but that is not enough!” — Mr. Bruce added.

He removed his shirt as he came closer to me. His muscles tightened and hardened and between every two muscles on his body, a new muscle appeared. Just as if he was a bronze statue! Above him appeared the green bar that I had no idea if I could even budge! Especially while I was in this miserable shape after two ruthless fights… No No No! I will not be beaten! I will crush him! Even if he was Bruce Lee!

His stone muscles teased me to start with a flying side kick towards his chest, but the bronze suddenly turned into quicksilver as he moved from my way with speed and ease. He returned the bronze to slam into my back throwing me to my face and eating up a large portion of my green bar.

“That is right! The fifth lesson: You must be flexible like mercury, yet solid like steel… But you shall never defeat me in the battle of speed!” —, Mr. Bruce said as if he was reading my thoughts.

I knew that I had to perform the successive strikes that I knew by heart. I began… only to quickly regret it! He avoided each of them with ease. He knew the timings perfectly and all were lost in the air. The moment that my swing kick missed his face, he launched a destructive punch, I tried —in vain— to block it but he skillfully twisted his arm around mine and almost broke my elbow as he hindered its movement. I then punched him with my other arm. This was a dumb move as he fixated my other arm in the same way, and now I could not move and my face was directly in front of his. He looked at me as I tried to hide my pain.

“You are mimicking my moves Husam! Lesson six: it is idiotic to think that you can beat your enemy while you imitate him, while you follow his moves and style, you must surprise him with your own style, you must invent a thousand new moves every time he figures out one of yours!” — Mr. Bruce added.

He slammed my nose —that was already bleeding— with his forehead. More blood gushed and did not give me any time to feel my pain just as he slammed his forehead again and again smashing my teeth. At this point, my green bar had turned red. He was about to finish the fight with a knockout by his forehead but I used my weakness and his strength to tip the balance. As his head came forward towards me, I spat my blood and teeth forcefully at his face —surprising him— he let go of my hand to wipe his eyes that were now covered in my blood and were poked by my teeth, I did not wait for him to understand what had happened, I jumped onto him and threw my hook hold towards his eyes directly, I felt his two soft eye balls under my index finger and thumb. They were the only soft part of his body.

“Surrender to me Bruce!! Surrender!” —, I shouted as I almost popped them out.

I think it was crazy to ask someone like Bruce Lee to surrender. His green bar was shrinking as I squeezed on his eyes, but he was able to punch into my right arm and forced me to release one of his eyes. His move made me hold on even tighter to his other eye and apply even more pressure with my thumb into his pupil. His pupil was my last hope to defeat him, especially given that my bar only had a sliver that would disappear if he touched me again and that’s exactly what happened… he screamed his famous scream as he hit my arm that was holding his eye and moved back half a step and pushed forward with a side kick towards my chest. Although he did not open his eyes yet, I tried to avoid that kick, but I was no more lucky than that punching bag… I flew backwards and with that my bar vanished and K.O appeared to announce Bruce Lee’s victory… Mr. Bruce stood as he rubbed his eyes from the extreme pain he still felt. Malak bolted towards me to examine what remained of my face.

“Husam you truly amazed me!” — Mr. Bruce said with an envious tone.

He reached out to help me stand up and I put on a sarcastic smile given that I was missing my front teeth.

“Every bone in my body paid a hefty price to achieve that amusement… and at the end I still lost!” — I added.

“And who said you lost?” — he replied.

“Ask that ugly K.O.!” — I shouted.

“But your sarcastic smile proves otherwise…” — he said.

“I hope next time it would be a real victory smile with my teeth!” — I added.

“A sarcastic smile is a double edged sword, it gives you victory if you lose, and makes you lose if you were victorious! Listen Husam, the battle was yours! Your only mistake was that you did not poke my eyes when you had the chance!” — Mr. Bruce added.

“Allow me to figure out the sixth lesson: It is stupid to miss out on any chance!” — I added.

“It is stupid to hope that you would get more than one chance! You fought me as Bruce Lee, with everything that Bruce Lee means to you. An unbeatable fighter, a hero you had never hoped to meet. If you had considered me a real adversary you would not have hesitated to poke my eye and win the battle, and I admit that I had exploited that point to the extreme, I knew you would hesitate, otherwise I would have surrendered immediately! And that is the seventh lesson” — he added.

He then looked at me after he had stopped rubbing his eyes that had turned blood red.

“Lesson seven is that you should end a battle with the least possible losses! The best won battles are the ones you win without ever fighting them! The enemy vanishes if you turn him into a friend! And the worst battles are the ones you lose everything even if you win! Your enemy might destroy you even if you defeat him!” — he added.

“Yet, we must prepare for every battle with full strength!” — I added.

“Victory is not for the strongest… but for the most worthy… I could not count the times that I faced those who are far stronger than I was… yet I beat them… today you beat me Husam!” — Mr. Bruce added.

“I will take this as a complement from the king of the art of fighting!” — I said.

“I left your world before I even started on my path… before I achieved a fraction of what I aspired to!” — he replied.

“Yet you remain the legend Mr. Bruce Lee!” — I said.

“Do you know who I owe the most for all of that?” — he said.

“Are you hinting to Yip Man? The legend that taught you martial arts?!” — I asked.

“You know a lot about me Husam, but the real credit goes first and foremost to the one who made me decide to go to Yip Man and gain interest in martial arts!” — Mr. Bruce replied.

Curiosity was killing me to find out who that great person might be, the one that inspired Bruce Lee, but before he told me he let out his eighth lesson:

“Listen Husam, every great person finds themselves in an instant… an instant embodied in a word, tune, laugh, tear or a look… the potential greatness inside us awakens in an instant… he who truly deserves that greatness never allows that instant to pass without changing his life… my entire life had changed the instant I received my first slap!” — he added.

“A slap?!” — I asked.

“Yes… a slap I received as a thirteen year old boy, I could not defend myself, I could not block it, and I spent the rest of my life working hard so that I would never receive another slap” — he added.

My brain could not comprehend that there was someone who could slap Bruce Lee— the unbeatable man of steel—.

“I owe that scamp who slapped me!” — Mr. Bruce added.

“Talent always receives slaps, it explodes in them if it did not destroy them… I had missed a lot of slaps, and I will not allow myself to miss any more! I understand your eighth lesson Mr. Bruce and I will become an unbeatable fighter!” — I told Mr. Bruce.

“Martial arts are neither in the strength nor in the movement of muscles. Martial arts are the control of the energy of the body and soul and releasing it instinctively wisely and with control! Let your body speak with the same flexibility and energy and spontaneity as your tongue does!” — he added.

“Was that lesson nine?” — I asked.

“Lesson nine, Husam, is that those lessons and arts are not for fighting alone… but for life as well! Do you remember how many times you have faced physical battles in your life?” — He asked.

“Two or three times, when I was a stupid kid!” — I responded.

“It is stupid to learn to fight for juvenile battles! The real battle is the battle of life! You must fight it with your high fighting spirit and convert those arts to life skills that help you face your circumstances no matter how they might overtake you! Martial arts are a philosophy that uses all of your energy and capabilities to figure out what you are made of and allows you to control it, speak for it and deal with it throughout your life’s hardships!” — he added.

I was pumped up as adrenalin increased,.

“I think it is about time for a new fighting legend to emerge!” — I replied with full confidence.

“I hope that legend succeeds in creating more legends! It is selfish to measure your success with what you achieve; real success is in how far your influence will go, and the people that you help change their lives!” — he added.

“This is the tenth lesson!” — I said.

Malak took my hand, Mr. Bruce smiled as he bid me farewell.

“The tenth but not the last… you will find out the rest of the lessons yourself Husam!” — Mr. Bruce added.

We left the warehouse and the echoes of Bruce Lee’s sidekicks returned whilst the fighting lessons rumbled my motivation and soul.

(9)

Anything but mother!

D eath is one of life’s most mysterious and realistic events. At the same time, death is the biggest motive for life as we stubbornly hold on to it… in fear of death! While death is also the biggest obstacle in life, we do not enjoy our adventures in life because of our anxiety of death!

Now, while I realize that this was just an instinctive premonition, being terrified of death is an animal instinct ingrained in our depths only to sustain our procreation!

He amongst you who objects to my words,              let him imagine himself in an experiment —such as the one I am on— where he considers death to be his only hope to return               to life. It will then become a goal that he strives to!

Death, my dear audience, is but an inevitable step, we fear it because it is unknown to us, it would erase our memories of what came before the moment we pass through it!

“Ice cream!” — I said breaking my own mental introspections.

Actually, it sounded more like “Iathe-cream!”

That is how I broke the silence as we were on our way back to the city. Malak was driving the car while wearing black sunglasses to cover her swollen eyes from the punch I gave her earlier. While I threw my body’s broken bones on the seat next to her, I picked up my notebook which thankfully wasn't torn during the violent battles earlier that day!

I tried to write down Bruce’s lessons with the fingers that I still had some ability to move with my left hand. My handwriting was incredibly distorted.

“Ice cream? You want ice cream?” - Malak asked.

“Yeth, for my teethhhhz pain!” — I slurred words in pain.

She laughed as she turned the car towards the beach where we found a bunch of antique European-styled cafés.

“Ath you wi-th… I will find you the betht Iathe cream plathe!” — she responded mockingly.

As we entered one of those cafés, I realized it was an almost exact replica of the heart Milano as it would have looked in the middle of the last century. There were wooden tables and chairs set as semicircles around the ice-cream tanks. At the center stood a girl that became surprised when we walked in.  I thought she was surprised by the traces of the violent battles we had been through, but I found out that she was happy because of me specifically being there.

“Mr. Husam is here! I cannot believe it!” — the girl yelled.

One of the things that I missed from my world was seeing girls of limited but reasonable beauty! I missed them so much! From the moment I sat foot in this world I was shocked by the beauty of every girl I saw! This exhausted me emotionally! I gazed her a smile and a passing joke.

“I am plain Hutham, without (mithter) Hutham period! In the fleth and broken bonthe” — I said in my still slurry pronunciation.

I didn’t know if this beauty from Milano had  smiled because of my joke or my slurry lips. I was certain that my charm did not appeal at all to Malak.  She let go of me after she had been supporting me on her shoulder. I quickly lost my balance and I leaned onto the cold glass panel where the aromas of fruits and ice-cream flavors that you could not even imagine were pouring out from! Damn that  Baskin Robbins bucket that I would pay a fortune of my salary for and would dissolve before even my stomach would finish its welcoming ceremony! The girl came closer to me with a friendly smile.

“Would you like a cup of cone?” — she said.

At this moment, I really needed a set of teeth. I thought teeth were given their name from the strong phonetic relation that it had with the sound th that you are forced to make every time you try to make the sound of an S if the front row of your teeth was absent!

The problem was that I did not notice that awkward point until I tried in vain to force the letter S to come out from between my tongue and gum.

“A cup of courthe! Dithregard the cone becauthe of my teeth!” — I said to the girl.

The poor thing tried hard to contain her laughter from the view of my broken teeth and the contained laugh spread into her face’s blood forcing it to wear a vinous scarf despite its brown color; but Malak did not contain her laughter as she let it out loudly in revenge for her jealousy and said:

“Make him an athhhortment to your tathte, and put it in a cup!”

I sat next to her, her jealousy faded as she examined my injured hand, ribs and knee skillfully as she said in terror and anxiety:

“Your bones are really broken! Do you really not feel any pain?” — she asked.

“I sure do feel some pain!” — I responded.

“Some pain? Anyone in your place wouldn't be able to stand it!” — she replied.

“Praise the lord!!” — I said.

The ice cream arrived and interrupted us as the girl placed the cup in front of me… but it looked more like a goblet although, let me be more accurate: it was a bucket of ice cream! A glass container crowded with ice-cream scoops, decorated with an assortment of berries, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry… and every other thing that ends with berry! It was all drowned in a storm of a creamy cloud, the smell erased my memory of the smell of blood and reanimated my shattered fingers, I dove into that bucket and did not take a breath until that last scoop of berry had vanished!

“I will cancel our appointment with Mr. Lucas and Dr. Ginzo” — Malak said.

“Why?” — I asked.

“What?! You could not stand or say anything yet you ask why?!” — Malak explained.

“So what? Did you forget how fast I recovered the last time?” — I replied.

“Last time it was a few bruises, this time your bones are all broken up and your muscles are torn. You need at least three days to recover and rest!” — Malak said.

“But I only have two more days here!” — I replied.

Malak’s face changed when I said that, it had darkened.

“That is why you must recover quickly! Let us get back” — she said.

We returned to the city and to my accomodation. I leaned on Malak the entire way. Once we arrived to my wing, I slowly dipped into the miniature pool after she had changed some of the settings converting its water into hot medicinal waters rich with salts and minerals flowing like lava into the pool. She prepared a new set of clothes for me and got rid of the clothes that were torn and covered in my blood. I lay on my bed after that dip and Malak started examining every bone of my body and returned each to its place. The shattered bones in my hand; my destroyed ribs; my teeth of which some had been swallowed already and others had been left as a token for Mr. Bruce; my nose… or what remained of it; my cheek which carried Malak’s elegant signature. My whole body was recovering with astonishing speed. I could almost feel my bones heal with the pressure of Malak’s fingers. I felt the tips of my teeth reappearing and replacing the ones that had shattered.

Malak then handed me a bunch of translucent spheres which contained miniature colored crystals:

“Open them up Husam!” — Malak said.

“Drugs?” — I asked.

“Almost… they will ease your pain and they also contain some essential proteins and vitamins.” — Malak added.

As I swallowed them with a sip of the iced coffee that she had prepared for me, and before those balls settled in my stomach… a sudden muffled explosion thundered! Everything around us began collapsing. My brain was faster than the explosion and the collapse. I did not care if I would face any dangers as I still considered this place to be a mere dream that had trapped me and death here was my goal to get back to my world… to my sister… and Mother, yet, I was terrified for Malak!

Before the first fraction of a second was over, I had surrounded Malak with my arms to protect her from the shrapnel, the crystal domes began  collapsing and turned into sharp daggers falling directly above our heads! I felt some of them stab me in the back as I thundered with Malak with all my strength towards the balcony breaking its glass wall. I lost my balance as the tower began collapsing, and I slipped onto the balcony’s glass floor which had started to shatter as well. Before I got to its edge, I took a quick look at the point where the water stream was closest to the rocky road. I bent my knees and held tightly onto Malak. I then pushed myself in the air towards the water stream and did a mid-air turn so that my back would take the fall instead of hers. I had no idea if my jump was enough to get me to the water stream or if it would slam us onto the rocks. I violently penetrated the water’s surface; the water unsuccessfully absorbed only part of the impact and my body slammed with full force on the bottom of the stream… now I felt pain! This time around it was real unbearable pain! What had remained of my bones were now shattered and the shreds of glass had gone deeper into my back. Water flooded my lungs and everything went black.

Then she appeared again…I did not see anyone else in the darkness… but my Mother!

“Husam! Did I not tell you to come back early to drive me to the wedding? It is almost midnight!!” — Mother said angrily.

“Ma you know how traffic is and …” — I began replying but got interrupted by her again…

“Traffic or playing cards and computer games??! Come on! I would barely make it in time for the ceremony!” — she added.

“You are always late Husam… Always!”— she said as her image faded.

Air flowed into my chest, evicting death and casting life, cutting off that dream that took me to a lost memory, returning me back to this world!

A whiff of air from Malak’s lungs to mine made me cough hard as I regained my consciousness.

“Husam? Husam!! Thank God! Thank God!!” — Malak yelled.

“Where am I? did I return to my world yet?” — I asked in confusion.

She did not answer me but only held me close to her chest and collapsed as she cried. She turned me over face down to continue coughing and help me get rid of the water in my lungs. As she moved her hands over my back, she carefully tried to remove the glass shreds, at times, her hands would slip because of the water and blood. To prevent the slippage, she soon started removing the glass with her teeth as I squirmed from extreme pain.

For the first time, I saw darkness in this world, the skies were filled with dark clouds as if they were taking revenge for the previous days’ light; rain poured over us after the trees’ leaves failed to protect us; thunder deafened our ears and then came the rumbling of a jet engine that appeared in the horizon. It made its way across the clouds towards us and as Malak waved to the plane hysterically, the engines turned ninety degrees making it set in a vertical direction allowing it to land vertically. Malak carried me in her arms. —who would have thought that an angel this soft could carry my corpse so easily? —, the airplane’s door opened and a few steps came out. The plane took off the moment Malak crossed the door with her load. There was no captain, it was an autonomous vehicle. Mr. Lucas’s image appeared on the front screen and Malak said with a voice that had still not rid itself of the effects of her crying:

“I was afraid you would not find us Mr. Lucas”

“Thank God for your safety, you will arrive in the new base in three minutes” — Mr. Lucas said.

By the time those minutes passed, a small island appeared in the horizon and at its center was a two level glass house. As the plane landed vertically in the landing pad, Malak supported me as we got off the plane. Mr. Lucas (the African) was wearing thick dark glasses and an elegant suit with a red tie. He approached and welcomed us by holding my arm and helping me walk along with Malak.

“Mr. Husam, welcome to your new base!” — he said with an American accent.

This guy… I had seen him before!! His brown skin, gravitas and gray hair all remind me of one of Hollywood’s most famous actors. We walked into a room filled with large machines and equipment. It looked like an Operating Room in a hospital. They carefully laid me down on the bed located in the middle of the room.

“I had prepared a complete training program but some urgent developments have changed the situation!” — Mr. Lucas said.

“Husam needs to begin healing now!” — Malak answered him with the same anxiety.

“And that is what we will start with!” — Mr. Lucas said.

He removed my jacket and fixed a few probes on different parts of my body. He also pierced my arm with a needle connected to a tube that branched off to more than one tube, Malak gasped when she noticed it.

“Mr. Lucas… this is…” — Malak began saying but was abruptly interrupted by Mr. Lucas —

“Yes those are heavy doses of enzymes, stem cells and neuro-blockers”

“No! No! Mr. Lucas, please Husam’s body will not take all of this while he is in this condition!!” — Malak pleaded.

“No! I can take it!” — I yelled in approval.

I did not know if I had said this out of stubbornness or in anticipation of more danger than what was needed for a body that refused to communicate the pain to its brain.

The dose in itself was painful… very painful! I felt as if it was lava flowing from my arm through my veins to the rest of my body. I could not hold my screams and Malak squeezed my hand and cried along as I blacked out again. I wished that I would not awake again before the two days had passed so that I would make it back to my world — so long as if I really was going to get back– and make sure my mother and sister were ok.

I suddenly opened my eyes and quickly sat upright. I did not feel any pain but all that I felt was as if I had slept for a very long time. It certainly was enough for me to completely heal or those neuro blockers succeeded in canceling out the pain signals that every part of my body was emitting. I stood up and walked through a glass gate and towards a wide space with dozens of three-dimensional screens while Malak and Mr. Lucas were watching them with extreme interest and worry. Malak saw me enter and raced towards me to catch me before I fell to the floor.

“Husam! This is impossible! How is it that you’ve awakened?!” — she said.

Mr. Lucas pushed down his thick glasses to confirm what his eyes were seeing.

“This is truly amazing. I did not expect you to  be awake for a few more hours!” — he added.

I continued limping. This was caused by the dizziness storming in my head but I did not want to burden Malak by leaning on her again.

“I only hope that I did not miss much during my heavy sleep!” — I said while I interrupted her discussion with Mr. Lucas.

“Your heavy sleep was less than three hours Husam, you were supposed to sleep longer!” — she added and then resumed her discussions with Mr. Lucas.

“Mr. Lucas, Husam was targeted for assassination more than once, every time it has been more violent than the previous ones! I do not know when and where the next attempt will be, even Mr. Bruce almost killed him with one of his robots!” — Malak added.

“Mr. Bruce would have intervened to save Husam with his own life if Hussam had been in any real danger. Regardless of that, I agree with you: Husam is facing a real danger!” — Mr. Bruce added.

“I had expected them to act, but I had never imagined that they would go as far as blowing up the entire tower! I was thinking of canceling the training program to protect Husam’s life, but luckily your plane arrived in time!” — Malak explained.

Mr. Lucas did not move his eyes off of the screens in front of him.

“They would not dare commit such violent acts, but they have enlisted the help of a mind that knows no logic or rules when it comes to achieving its desires as fast as possible!” — Mr. Lucas added with an increasing tension in the tone of his voice as he responded to Malak.

“Husam must remain here until the time is up!” — Malak added.

“I am afraid that they did not leave us that choice either!” — Mr. Lucas said.

He waved his hand in front of the screen as he finished speaking and it revealed her image! The image of the last person I could imagine being here… it was my mother!

My mother appeared on the screen and she was tied up crying and sitting in a chair. She was wearing the same abaya that she was wearing the last time that I had seen her. The last event that I had lived in my ordinary life was the moment I drove my mother to the wedding. I did not remember anything after that. That specific memory and all its details came back to fill up my brain. It was Friday morning, the sixth of June of the year two thousand and fourteen… I was late to drive my mother to the Amasy ballroom in the Jamia district… after that… there was nothing! I just found myself here!

My mother was crying and behind her stood a man whose looks and features suggested two things: he was a lunatic and at the same time he did not value life. He was wearing a suit with colors all over the place and his face was covered with white powder. He had ugly red lips and his hair was of a provocative phosphoric color. He was carrying a huge gun that he was pressing onto my mother’s cheek.

“Ninety eight – ninety nine – one hundred – one hundred one – one hundred two…” — he counted.

“If you touch her I will shred you to pieces!!” — I yelled to the top of my lungs as if he could hear me.

“one hundred three – one hundred four — Come on Husam! hurry! — one hundred five – Mummy is waiting for you! – one hundred six – If you do not come to the central tower before I reach one thousand one hundred and thirteen I will regretfully have to damage her with a hole right here in her head – one hundred fifty one – one hundred fifty six – but do not worry, I will make sure to clean the blood after I pull the trigger. You know, she must maintain her looks for the wedding – two hundred fifteen – two hundred nineteen…” — the villain continued his counting carelessly.

“Damn it! Damn it!” — said Mr. Lucas.

“This is a dirty trap! This cannot be Husam’s mother!” — Malak yelled.

There was no chance that I would trust Malak or any other creature on Earth when my mother was in danger.

“How do you know? My mother was with me to the last moment! It is only logical that whoever brought me here brought her as well!” — I shouted at Malak.

“Husam trust me this is only a trap so that they can kill you!” — Malak added.

“And how do I know that you are not the trap? Anything but mother!” — I added.

“Mr. Lucas! Please help me! I must go to him!” — I faced Mr. Lucas and asked.

“Over my dead body!” — Malak replied.

While trying to block my way, I did not give her much attention and I pushed her out of my way.

“Nothing matters to me now! Not even your dead body, I would kill anyone for my mother!” — I added.

I meant every word I said, the clown’s  annoying laugh interrupted us, he pulled a silver watch hanging from a chain out of his pocket.

“Oh! I forgot that I have to catch my costume party to support orphans! Oh well! I guess we will have to cut corners for the poor orphans! Four hundred fifteen – four hundred sixteen…” — the man said in a cynical way.

He then fired two shots into the air my mother trembled and I exploded!

“Mr. Lucas!!!” — I yelled.

Mr. Lucas moved quickly entering a bunch of codes into the keyboard in front of him, the platform where we were standing on moved and slowly descended towards a larger crowded space filled with cars, motorbikes, weapons, and —most importantly— the black masked caped suit. I remembered now! I could not believe that the hero whom I knew by every single one of his movies by heart was now a reality in front of my very own eyes!

“Mr. Husam, I am sure you remember who is The Master of this den. here is where I keep all of his secrets. Unfortunately, I have no time to let you in on all the details, I tried to propagate them into your mind as many skills and battle strategies as I could during your sleep. Everything and anything that happens after that shall only depend on your intuition and luck —especially with an unpredictable adversary such as this clown!” — Mr. Lucas added.

I rushed towards the suit and put it on as fast as I could, I tried to recall everything that I knew about its owner from my memory, anything that Mr. Lucas had infused into my brain.

“How can I get to him?” — I asked Mr. Lucas.

Malak answered me but she was now in a black suit similar to the one that I had on. Hers only showed half of her face and her copper hair that flowed onto her back from underneath her mask. She jumped onto a small jet airplane ignoring my earlier threats to her life just moments before.

“Come on Husam there is no time!” — she yelled and signaled me to jump onto the jet.

I did not hesitate for a second, the wall in front of us rose and revealed a lit cavern path. We jetted through the path and once we reached its end in a blink of an eye, we tilted slightly upwards. A second gate split open and we became engulfed by ocean water that came down upon us. We came out of the water like a missile, we then began flying with enormous speed directly towards the central tower. Malak came close to the tower’s entrance without slowing down. We violently slammed to the ground and the plane’s nose, wings and tail had detached as the plane drifted on its wide wheels, it was not just a plane, it was a car made to fly. Malak raced the car into the central tower that seemed so empty and gloomy after it had been pulsing with life. She ignored the glass facade and smashed the car into it to crossed into the building. I still wondered how  we would be able to find this clown. How?!

He announced his presence by firing two shots directly at us. The car’s armored body protected us. The clown was sitting on the top of the statue —my statue— which was located in the center of the tower. He was sitting on my statue’s hand that was extended towards the letter H between the index and thumb fingers. He was holding his huge gun and swinging his legs in an annoying manner shouting at the top of his lungs:

“Nine hundred eighty five – one thousand one hundred thirteen… Oh Husam! you arrived?! Too bad!… luckily for you, I am a noble man and I respect my promises. Unfortunately, I will be late for the Orphans’ costume party, come on quick so I can kill you and get to my party!” — the clown said.

I touched the car’s control panel and easily found what I was looking for: the car split into two halves, transforming itself onto two jet bikes. I began driving one and Malak the other. I sped towards the statue and I slammed into the statue’s foot. My bike continued racing onto its leg, while Malak went for the elevator. I followed the statue’s curves so that I would not lose my balance and fall, the bike’s wheels held as they grabbed onto the statue even as we went on an almost vertical path. I got to the shoulder of the statue and moved onto its extended arm towards the clown.

“Twinkle twinkle little Husam, How I wonder what you are., Up above the world so high, Like a jet bike in the sky!” — he was singing this irritating song with his pesky voice.

Without stopping his annoying singing, he fired a single shot which hit directly underneath the front wheel detaching it from the statue’s body swinging the jet bike to slide over the smooth surface. I jumped at the last moment before it fell off and exploded.

I stepped towards the clown who was now shaking his legs with much more excitement.

“Come on! Come on fast! You could make it on time! With determination and persistence you can be merciless my dear… come on!!” — he yelled sarcastically.

He pulled a watch out of his jacket’s pocket and said:

“Great! You are right on time! Oh! How I respect your timing!”

Suddenly, the building’s windows shattered with two missiles that created a huge hole where a helicopter came through. The helicopter’s long line dropped and the clown held onto it while a masked giant appeared from its window pointing a machine gun at me to prevent me from stepping forward and catching his master. At that same moment, an explosion echoed from the base of the statue, and it started to collapse. Except for this time around, there was no water stream below me!

“Husaaam!” —Malak shouted.

She had just arrived in the elevator right next to me. Once again, death and I were in a race against time! I felt my physique, my intuition, my luck and what Mr. Lucas charged into my memories saved us as I pulled a hook from my suit and threw it with all my strength towards the elevator. The hook pierced the window and held onto its edge. I felt an enormous pull by the steel wire on my waist and it felt as it had broken my spine. We held onto the elevator that was speeding upwards… towards the roof top where the clown’s craft had landed and he jumped off.

“Play with my friend a little while I kill his mother!” — he said with indifference without even looking at me.

Four giants jumped out of his helicopter each carrying a machine gun which they each pointed to my chest.

“Husam get to the clown I will take care of them!” — Malak yelled.

She jumped into the air and flipped to land amongst them letting lose her arms and legs onto their chests and necks. I passed them with a jump and one of them was able to shoot me and two of the bullets struck me. It did not matter! What mattered was for me to get to my mother before that clown. I raced behind him while ignoring all the pain that by now I had gotten used to. He was standing on the roof near the building’s edge and in front of him was my mother, tied up and sobbing with tears. He then pointed one of his ugly guns towards her head and the other gun towards me.

“Your mother is the most important thing in your life! Do not allow anyone to harm her Husam! Never! No matter the cost! I remember my mother, how I miss her and her pumpkin pie that she always used to bake for me. I never liked pumpkin! I loved fireworks and explosives. She would always stop me from playing with them with the lame excuse of her fears. Poor thing that she did not survive the explosion of that bomb I forgot under her bed. I swear! I did not mean to harm her! at least now she is free from her back pains!” — he said in a theatrical manner and wiped an imaginary tear from his eyes.

“What is this Husam? Are you not ashamed to wear such tight and funny clothes in front of your mother?” — he said.

He then fixed his jacket, and adjusted the ugly flower attached to it.

“Did they delude you into thinking that the stupid spoiled kid who wore the cape before you is a real super hero? No! No my dear! He was nothing but another joker! Just like me! Our mission is to amuse people in the circus that life is! Although I had my reservations regarding his horrific taste in fashion, he would play the role of the hero while his drive was only revenge! Revenge for the murder of his parents on the hands of the lowlifes. My mother died in my arms from cancer, I could not bear the cost of her medications… How could I avenge her? Who is the real criminal? He, who is forced to steal to live? Or is it those how cause the creation of a society filled with poverty and thieves? Behind every thief is a hungry stomach, while a real criminal is basking in his riches. Your friend - the owner of that suit – was one of those criminals, hiding his crime by fighting small midnight thieves just to praise their elders at day.”

His tone turned into a surprising serious one.

“Come on! Take off that funny mask quickly! I know it is coated with an anti-bullet shield. I want your mother here to enjoy the sight of your skull as it shatters with my bullets. Or do you prefer dying some other way? Would you prefer to jump off a building’s ledge… three thousand meters high? No! No!… that is a long and painful fall. What if your mother shoots you? Ah! That is a great idea, especially because my motherly heart could not bear killing a kid in front of his mother!” — he yelled.

I quickly took off my mask just as the low life handed my mother the gun to hold between her cuffed hands, without removing the other gun from her head’s temple.

“Come on Aunty! Mother of Husam! Put an end to your son’s recklessness so that he would not lose his chance to get back home and take care of his sister Maram! The greatest mothers are those who sacrifice for their children. My amazing mother was run over by a truck as she pushed me and my bike out of the way!” — he added.

He was fixing my mother’s index finger on the trigger as he was talking. While her wail heightened and her body’s shaking increased, he held her hand to fix her aim of the gun’s barrel towards my head, he used his other hand to hold both of her hands together. This was just what I needed: one second where he removed his gun from my mother. I quickly pushed my head to the side at the same moment that a bullet flew towards my forehead. I thought I had lost one of my eyes when the bullet graced the skin of my head, drawing a bloody line in its path.

In one leap, I crossed the meters that still separated us. He had no time to shoot either my mother or me. I put all my strength and anger in a single punch. He tried in vain to hold onto something just as his crazy laughter echoed along with the sound of his bullets as he fell to the base of the tower.

I helped my poor mother stand up by undoing her binds in the chair she had been tied to. I hugged her fondly and I looked at her tear filled eyes.

“I finally found you mother! Finally! I will get you out of here and we shall return to our world!” — I said.

She then raised her eyes towards me and while still crying, she added:

“Husam you cannot imagine how worried me and Maram were for you! You know that for us to get back to our lives, we need to die here. If you care about me, come! Let's go back together!”

While her hands were still cuffed, she held onto my hands. I almost jumped with her with my emotions that had overwhelmed me and blinded me.

For a moment, she now seemed taller and I had never heard her say the name Maram in her life. She had always called her Mermer! On top of that, all I was able to notice the ghost of a victory smile on her face. There was no way that she would smile in a situation like this! It was a trap!

He could not resist his laugh, I wish that I had died before seeing this! My mother laughing just like the clown did.

He pulled off his mask and it really was him. Not the one who had fallen just a moment ago, but a substitute. The surprise completely paralyzed me. He pushed me off the edge and he fell along with me. My cape instinctively spread and reduced my velocity. There was no chance of survival this time, not from this height! I knew I was a goner as I watched the ground come closer but a helicopter came in behind me. It was Malak! She had dealt with the giants and had come to save me. She turned off the propellers, thus forcing the chopper to free fall and catch up with me. I tried getting closer to the door where Malak stood. She extended her arm and she pulled me into the helicopter and reignited the engines to fly again.

That move dramatically reduced our impact velocity but the distance left was not enough for us to go escape a crash. It was barely enough for us not to get crushed inside the chopper when it hit the ground. The chopper’s tail shattered and it slid over the rocky path as it’s propellers blades chopped down the trees and carved out stones while sparks flew all over the place… until we finally stopped.

I pulled Malak’s body out of the debris and just before the flames that started consuming the chopper reached her. I came out carrying her in my arms, our clothes and skin were shredded. Her weak breath gave me the reassurance that she was still alive, yet, the battle was about to get even more viscous.

(10)

Between Space and Earth!

M y days here are almost over. Actually, they are not days, what remains is but a few hours, or maybe even minutes! But every minute that passes by here holds life changing events, and this is an important lesson. While we might live a day as a day, as a lifetime or not live it at all, days that do not add new experiences are cut-out from our lives, they make us age without growing.

I was now terrified from going back to my old life! I was scared to turn back into the old Husam. I do not at all mean my bodily looks; for good looks and muscles are just extra negligible toppings when compared with mentality and will. I am afraid to go back to the grim laziness and the killer routine! I wrote all of these words as I contemplated this strange elegant pen, could it really be the reason behind this flow from my heart and soul? Could I keep it when I got back to my world? Would a plastic pen be enough? I promise you dear pen that I will never stop writing as long as my fingers could hold onto something to write with! I promise you to never forget about Malak nor her smiles that mocked everything while she was in my arms. You are so strange Malak! I wondered where did that smile come from all while she was in this condition.

I carried Malak in my arms. She had barely survived the chopper’s explosion and had significant burns all over her body but she was still barely able to breathe… and smile!

It seemed to me that she smiled only because she was in my arms. Content with death so long as death brought us together.  This was the real meaning of love!

Your love is the one life kills you away from him, yet you live if you died in his arms.

This definition applied to me as well. I admit that I was so in love with her. I confess that now I could not imagine my life without her. It wasn’t because of her beauty but just because of who she was! I wished she could come back with me to my world, I do not care how she would look like, I just wanted to live with her… and her love!

I promised myself that I would carry her for as long as the world spun around me. I did not care what happened, all I cared for was that Malak stayed with me until my final moments in this place.

Mr. Lucas’ plane appeared between the rubble of the buildings and landed directly in front of us. We made our way and boarded the plane. While it began flying autonomously, Mr. Lucas’s face appeared on the screen.

“Mr. Husam, I am glad we got to you in time!” — he said nervously.

“Mr. Lucas? Are we on our way back to the base?” — I asked.

“The base? I do not think anything there remains intact. It was a miracle that we made it out of there before they got to it. They must have destroyed it by now!” — Mr. Lucas added.

“Who are they? Who are you talking about Mr. Lucas?” — I asked.

Before he could answer me, the plane took a sudden steep turn and it threw us off of our seats. What appeared to be two flare lights passed in front of the autonomous plane. We were still able to feel their heat even though they had not touched the plane and we were inside it!

As an alarm activated inside the plane, I tried as quickly and as gently as I could to return Malak to her seat and fastened both of our seat belts. The plane maneuvered again but this time, it jolted upwards in a vertical angle to avoid the burning of the laser beams.

A few moments went by and then I saw flying saucers —yes, flying saucers— in intercepting trajectories. They were moving at very high speeds and outmaneuvering our autonomous plane. We simply couldn’t outrun or outmatch them! One of the flying saucers flew ahead of us and suddenly rotated around itself to face us and fired its laser beam weapon towards us. This was all happening so fast that it was hard to keep up with the emerging battle in the sky.

A shiny triangular jet suddenly appeared in a trajectory to intercept the flying saucer and with it’s weapons systems, it sliced it in half! At the same moment, a second jet side kicked us out of the incoming flying saucer’s laser beam’s.

The battle intensified as the second jet that had saved us, began attacking these flying saucers. The other craft also began firing it’s weapons into the flying saucers. It was a fast-paced battle with a clear winner.

“All UFOs have been dealt with; your airplane is now programmed to follow us into the Space Science Center!” — a voice that came through the sound system in our plane stated.

Our plane then followed them. I was so stunned that my jaw refused to close. Everything I had ever seen was in one pile, and what had just happened was in another!!

We arrived at the Space Science Center that was situated atop a mountain. A huge steel shield that covered the landing pad rose as our plane landed. Dr, Ginzo was there waiting for us.

“Mr. Husam, Ms. Malak, welcome to the Space Science Center.” — Dr. Ginzo said in pure traditional Arabic.

“申し訳ありません私たちは日本語を学ぶ機会を持っていませんでした!” — Malak answered him in Japanesse.

“Do not worry. We speak Arabic well. I hope you are ok.” — Dr. Ginzo responded while trying to break the ice. The answer was very clear: every cell in our body emphasizes the contrary. We followed Dr. Ginzo into a workspace filled with experts in space research. Each of them was absorbed into the screens in front of them. When we entered the room, they all stopped and kneeled towards us showing us respect until Dr. Ginzo allowed them to go back to work.

The design of a flying saucer appeared on the large central screen and it carried a giant Mecha… I knew him! How couldn't I?!

I had lived his space adventures even before I could speak! A young man and girl entered the space and shook our hands, I remember them well.

Could I really be meeting them?? I still faced great difficulty in accepting the idea of meeting great historical figures. However, the idea of meeting cartoon characters was insanity. I was now having strong doubts that everything here was an absolute hallucination. Mind you, they are all very well plotted hallucinations!

I glanced again at the girl and realized that it really was her. It was the exact same manga girl but from flesh and blood. She got a bit nervous as she extended her hand to shake mine. She gasped when her eyes made contact with me and Dr. Ginzo noticed.

“Yes… He looks a lot like him! Like my son!” — Dr. Ginzo added.

He pretended to rub his eye as he said this to hid his tears before they showed. While the girl allowed her tears to flow.

“It is as if he was standing here!” — she added.

Malak did not like the situation.

“I do not think time is on our side. Can you tell us what is going on here?” — Malak interrupted the teary moment.

“Someone was able to get to the files containing the designs of the planetary armies we had fought, and built a vicious fleet that destroyed Mr. Lucas’s base, and it is on its way here to finish off Husam!” — Dr. Ginzo responded in a worrisome tone.

“There is no way we can hold them without the Mecha!” — The young man followed up with the same worried tone.

On the screen beside us, a series of designs appeared while Dr. Ginzo continued explaining the situation.

“Our only hope is for Husam to control the Mecha. He has gone through an intensive training program that qualifies him to do so!” — Dr. Ginzo said.

I would like to assert the following: There is no comparison between cartoons of four decades ago that were limited to lines, color, limited resources and the details I was seeing here right now. The designs on the screen showed a Mecha that was being operated with such complex and advanced technologies that we never even bothered to understand in our childhood. These technologies came from other worlds that were hundreds of year ahead of us scientifically and technologically.

The civilization of this planet had reached the peak of technological and civil development. After the killer radiation had dissipated from its surface, the Prince had returned to restore the kingdom. A peaceful planet such as theirs had no need for a protective army. They sufficed by developing the Mecha. It symbolized protection more than it being a weapon for devastation.

While this Mecha reflected the image of a noble warrior with features of strength and dignity, this Mecha was distinguished by the technologies that it harnessed. The research facility had spent years studying this technology and built a replica before the Mecha returned with the prince to his planet.

While we were in the research facility, we watched a few virtual movies that showed the planet, its technologies and its inhabitants.

I was losing my mind as I couldn’t understand  how a cartoon could have such amazing detailed and realistic projections. I could not contain my curiosity so I asked Dr. Ginzo.

“Excuse me Dr., I remember you well, I have seen all of this before I was six years old, but…” — I began saying to Dr. Ginzo.

“But… it was a cartoon! Is this what you wanted to say?” — Dr. Ginzo interrupted and asked.

“Yes! I mean, the idea of the existence of such a Mecha carrying all of these weapons and alien creatures living on other planets attacking planet Earth with its monstrous robots… this is all fantasy! How would it come true?” — I asked.

“Listen son, if a person from the past century came to your time he would be identically shocked, he will consider what he is seeing a fantasy simulation of what science fiction stories present. Also, who said that they were aliens? Did you not notice that they all looked human and that they only had a few genetic differences such as the elongation of the ears or the skulls or the change in skin color? They are all genetic mutations necessary for them to adapt to the environments of the planets where they lived after they left Earth”. — Dr. Ginzo explained.

“Oh my God! You mean to say that…” — I began talking.

“Yes! They are Human! They all carry our same traits, blood and DNA. That planet’s Prince was here pretending to be my son and no one ever  thought that he was from another planet!” — Dr. Ginzo said.

“His blood still flows in my veins. He saved my life!” — the girl interrupted with a sad voice.

“They had left Earth after their greatest king died over three thousand years ago and the civilization that he had built was being robed. A group of their top scientists decided to carry all of their scientific secrets through the wormholes that they had discovered in space to get them to a planet that most resembled Earth. At this point, a new civilization expanded across multiple planets but human greed was again the downfall and all their civilizations were destroyed and they have now come back to destroy planet earth!” — Dr. Ginzo added.

What I was hearing was huge. It seemed a very logical explanation although a bit crazy! My astonishment was on an upward spiral as I went through the information that the prince had left behind about his planet and the civilization that moved from Earth to the rest of the universe.

I spent hours studying every detail regarding the Mecha and its design. The technology that it was built on was based on redirecting natural forces without damaging it. Contrary to all other devastating weapons, this Mecha did not rely on any bombs and explosives. The Mecha’s head was crowned with horns of copper with reinforced gold. It served as a huge storage for electronic charges that it collected from the space around it to discharge them in a single lightning bolt of millions of volts enough to destroy even the strongest machinery!

The same concept applied to how it collected water vapor from the atmosphere by super-heating it to temperatures beyond a few thousand degrees celsius while allowing it to maintain its liquid state using molecular bonding technologies. It would then release the vapor on through the fusion accelerator to melt and eradicate any nearby objects.

The most advanced technology of them all was the storage and the controlled release of gravitational mass energy. Specifically, Earth’s gravity, where the Mecha focuses the energy that it stores whenever his metallic mass was exposed to Earth’s gravity.

The Mecha’s engines were miniature nuclear fusion reactors. The fuel they used were two of the most abundant gases in nature: Nitrogen & Hydrogen. The reactor fires hydrogen atoms to infuse them with Nitrogen atoms producing Oxygen along with enormous amounts of energy in a process inspired by the nuclear reactions that happen in the heart of stars.

The rest of the Mecha’s weaponry was reliant on cutleries made from metals that had been treated at nano scales in treatments that made them much harder and sharper than any other metals. They were then casted into the teethed blades around his fist and the rotating saucers on the wings of the ship in addition to the edges of the dual blades fixed on his shoulders. In short, that Mecha is the ultimate defense weapon.

The information I got from Dr. Ginzo was shocking! Oh my God! I thought the cartoons were just entertaining fiction! I never thought that one day a Mecha would carry all of this information and real technologies!

“Dr. Ginzo! They are approaching!” — a member of the Research Center yelled.

The man directed the video feed from his screen to the main screen displaying a flock of shining dots moving fast across the sky.

“I shall teach them a lesson!” — the member of the Research Center said.

He then left in a hurry along with another colleague that followed him. Dr. Ginzo then took us to another hall.

“We have prepared everything Mr. Husam!” — Dr. Ginzo said as he showed me the suit and helmet. It was astonishing! This was the same suit that the Prince used to wear and it was the same helmet! I ran as fast as I could down the same corridors, I knew them very well. I had always dreamt to slide down that small side door to land on the jet bike racing.

Here I was now, I saw the path split into two, then, I jumped from the bike and I landed into the Mecha’s seat… I saw him underneath me, he was enormous! How dignified! I was in shock as I was flying in the air towards him. For this moment, as if I was frozen in time, I took in all the details. In my head, I heard myself repeating how this experience was unlike what we’ve all seen in the cartoon. The cartoon was nothing but a very simple illustration to what I was living.

Here I was, inside a real spaceship! Every component divided into smaller parts with intricate detail. The horns that I thought were simple slick cones where, in fact, detailed down to the plates and bolts.

When I sat on the chair, it completely absorbed me. The screens automatically lit up in front of me and my helmet became my conduit to communicate with the machinery around me. I gripped the controlling stick and the path in front of me lit up and the gates opened, revealing an artificial water fall. I pulled the stick and the Mecha immediately slid forward in a speed only matched by my heartbeats. I was about to explode from the excitement!

A red and blue air weapon with diggers on its sides flew above me. I remembered it now! Malak’s image appeared on the screen in front of me. She was wearing a red suit and a helmet with the letter M. This was the same suit and helmet that the prince’s sister used to wear.

“Husam! We must catch up with them ASAP!” — Malak said.

I followed her and in the horizon we could see traces of a battle. A fleet of enemy UFOs were battling the young man in his double jet and the girl in her marine jet. Malak caught up with them and now there were shooting tens of UFOs out of the sky. I pressed the second button from the group of buttons on my right as I remembered it well.

“The rotating saucer!” — I yelled in uncontainable excitement.

I had always wondered why the Prince would always yell the name of the weapon he fired, the answer was in that ecstasy that I felt when the two saucers flew following the exact path that I had plotted in my head. They then slashed a group of those miserable UFOs before they returned to the Mecha. Exactly as I expected, the helmet was the most important control device for this Mecha. There was no way you could control a machine this complex and flexible using just buttons and control panels. A wave of fear spread through the enemy lines when I showed up, they gathered to face me and their beams focused on me. Each beam collided with the Mecha’s body without any affect. I was able to melt half of them with the fusion accelerator and the rest vanished with a bolt of my space lightning. What was left of them fell into the ocean’s waters. This did not feel like a battle but a mere picnic. I never understood why they’d insist on wasting time with these UFOs.

The picnic was over when a pair of metal arms attacked me from beneath the ocean’s surface and wrapped themselves around the Mecha and pulled it forcefully into the water. I involuntarily raised my arm towards a lever in the top of the cabin and pulled it, my seat slipped and raced towards a second cabin in the mecha’s head.

“Come on, launch!” — I yelled.

The huge Mecha’s thrusters ignited as it separated from the ship, the metal arms did not stand a chance against the thrusters’ ignition but they quickly gripped onto the Mecha’s legs and pulled it into the ocean’s water. I tried getting away but that thing had tens of metal arms that wrapped around me tightly, I inspected the monster’s details underwater and it was a metal saucer and those arms were coming out of the edges along with something that looked like a head. I launched the double blades slashing some of them, and the rest of them were torn by the marine cutter when the girl dove in to help me beat that monster that I had no idea when his arms grip on me would end! I fired my spiral fist towards him and he quickly pulled back his head. All of his arms disappeared inside his reinforced armor. After a crush in spiral ricochet, the monster attacked again and I tried to control my balance in the water and jetted towards him and the girl jetted along my path. Then, I docked with the marine jet and now my movement was easier and faster!

It was all a matter of speed when it came to maneuvers with this monster. He extended his arms to chain the Mecha and his neck pulled us even deeper in the ocean’s waters. This time, I had a grip of one of his arms and prevented it from returning. I fired my double blades towards the monster and as he could not completely close his armor because of the arm that I was holding, my blades flew in through that small opening and the girl followed it with the marine cutter. As the opening widened up a bit, the marine cutter quickly chopped off the monster’s head. We released his arms and the girl pulled me up from the depths of the ocean just before a large underwater explosion propelled us  out of the water. Her image appeared in front of me and I heard her voice:

“We have finished him off. I’ve longed for facing battles with the Prince!”

“I also have wished to face these battles with you… even if in my dreams!” — I replied.

“Mr. Husam… you love Ms. Malak don’t you?” — the girl asked.

“ahhh… Yes! I do love her!” — I said.

“Have you told her?” — the girl asked.

“aaahhh…” — I said out loud.

“Mr. Husam, I lived with the Prince for four years. I loved him more than myself and I would sacrifice myself in every battle that I faced with him… for him! But I never said it once!” — she added.

I saw her tears flow from behind her helmet.

“I never said it when he was with me… and now he is in another planet… another galaxy… another world… I cry for every moment we had together and I did not let him know that I loved him…” — she added.

I then disconnected my Mecha from her marine jet and just before I reached the ground, I was hit violently on my back and my Mecha fell to its face. As I tried to stand up, I saw a UFO coming my way and carrying an insignia that I knew very well, it was the star of the special forces. These were their most ruthless forces. Around the saucer’s rim, teethed cutters popped-up and they were rotating fast. As the UFO came closer, I released the anti-gravity storm to change its heading. The other young man threw his dual cutter towards the UFO but it did not even scratch it’s armor. It changed its direction and went in a collision course for Malak. I launched a storm towards him but the UFO’s armor only absorbed it and then released it towards Malak’s ship, causing it to stop in mid-air and then her ship started falling!

He then fired a beam that engulfed her with a magnetic field and pulled her behind him as he rocketed upwards… to space!  I ran as fast as I could, jumped and re-docked the Mecha with his ship speeding after the UFO to save Malak. The rest of them tried to catch up, but their ships retreated as we exited the atmosphere and stormed into the darkness of space. Since they could not handle the lack of pressure and reduced oxygen beyond forty kilometers.

This was a brilliant plan on their part! They knew that I would come to rescue Malak and they wanted to detach me from Earth which was the source of the Mecha’s energy and weapons. At the same time this eliminated the support of the two other flyers that had been assisting me from the equation to deal with me alone in space!

I caught up with him but I was afraid to fire my lightning bolt and harm Malak in the process. I detached the Mecha from the ship to surround the UFO from two sides. Then, I fired the fusion accelerator and his teethed blades appeared as he attacked the ship destroying its wing, part of its tail, one of its engines and it also caused it to lose its balance. I released my rotating saucers from the other wing but they had no effect in the UFO which had slammed into the ship, giving Earth’s gravity a stronger grip to pull it down!

The UFO finally opened and an enormous giant robot appeared. His giant arms came out of the two teethed shields and he attacked me and pointed his teethed blades towards me after he had firmly gripped my Mecha’s neck. He fired beams from his eyes and horns and they paralyzed my instruments. He pushed me towards Earth as his cutters started rotating and destroying my Mecha’s face, the blades were just ahead of me and the only thing between me and them was the cabin’s protective glass. The glass did not hold the blades for long as they began giving-in with a loud crackle into the cabin. As the glass shattered, I saw the rotating blades come closer to me, this was my end!

Malak cut into that moment of despair and his beams and blades stopped. I saw the drills of the piercing weapon appear from the monster’s chest after Malak had attacked him from his back in a desperate attempt that succeeded because of his preoccupation with destroying me after coming out of his shell. Malak’s intervention was a fraction of a second too late, The blades stopped the moment one of them reached my chest and sliced through several of my ribs. Blood exploded everywhere and I felt paralyzed in my left side, not to mention the pain! If I was to die now, I would not leave Malak under the mercy of that monster, I started to feel cloudy and I tried to control the Mecha with my right arm alone. It, I released me piercing fist to destroy his head followed by space lightning, but he came towards me, and closed his armor on my Mecha’s arm as it went in flames! He decided to blow up with me attached to him, I tried to release the Mecha’s arm but it was of no use. I had to do something fast!

I fired the double blades towards the arm that was stuck in the monster’s armor to amputate it. I then pushed myself into space towards Malak. I caught her ship the moment the UFO exploded and this pushed us towards the rocks. Only seconds separated us from the collision… Malak’s engines were destroyed with the explosion and I stuck what remained of my Mecha’s arm into her driller and docked with her releasing the anti-gravity storm at its maximum power towards the ground to avoid the collision and we survived miraculously!

The Mecha was now scattered between land and sea. I was nothing but a corpse letting out his final breaths inside of the Mecha. Malak came for me and she collapsed when she saw me in this state with my exposed ribs coming out of my chest. She carried me out of the cabin, took off my helmet and her tears were pouring down on my head while I was resting on her lap as we sat on the Mecha’s open palm.

I felt those were the last moments we had together, I could hardly take a breath as my blood filled my mouth. I smiled and since I wouldn’t let this moment pass in silence, I said:

“Malak… you have designed everything in this world, am I right?” — I asked.

She answered me with a smile that floated above her tears and pink nose

“Everything? Even my looks?” — I continued talking.

“Everything! What you’ve seen here is nothing. It is a very simple projection to grant you everything you wished for in your life!” — Malak added.

“You mean to say that this is not everything?” — I asked.

She gently nodded with her head with a no.

“I must appear to you in a form that you could understand” — Malak added.

“So, if you designed everything, where did all of these disasters come from?” Who is so insistent to kill me with such ferocity and take me away from you?” — I asked.

“Mr. Khaled and his wife. They are the only ones who can intervene in this world and all they care about is for you to go back to your sister Maram. At the end, they have succeeded and I have failed!” — Malak added.

I feel my soul leaving me with each of my breaths. I wouldn’t waste whatever seconds remained with my questions as I knew I would find out everything soon enough.

“Malak… I love you!” — I said.

She exploded with tears as she held my head.

“I love you too Husam! I will die without you, please do not leave me and go!” — she added.

“Malak, if I was not concerned for my mother and sister I would not have hesitated to stay here with you!” — I said.

“So, that is it?” — she asked.

“I will stay with you until the last moment!” — I said.

Her sobbing only became louder…

“We are already in the last moment Husam!” — she added.

Her statement shocked me. I knew this was my last chance to get back to my world or to stay here with Malak forever.

“Malak… there must be a way for us to be together!” — I said.

“Husam, if you do not go now you will never be able to get back!” — she added.

Malak that had risked her life more than once to save me. Here she was handing me this time to die just as she had risked her life for but a few moments that she had lived near me!

I pulled out the pen, the pen that I used to start my story and I began writing my last words, not on paper, but on my heart. Malak held my hand in her hands as we held the pen together. She pushed it through the ribs of my broken chest until I felt its tip on my heart’s wall

“Husam… I love you Husam!” — Malak said.

The pen’s tip had disappeared inside my heart when she said “I love you”, I felt it deep in my heart, asking it to stop here, to restart in my other world. Malak held me in her arms, I felt her heart beating faster as mine slowed down, she sobbed silently.

As I took my final breath, I saw Mr. Khaled watching me from afar holding his wife’s shoulders as they were both crying. His wife’s tears were begging me to take care of Maram. This was the last moment before worlds would separate me from Malak.

“I love you Malak!” — I said.

“I will wait for you Husam! do not be too late… please!”  — she added.

(11)

I will return to Somewhere!

A  pen…

A plastic pen this time.

I took it from Maram when she visited me in the hospital this morning before she went to her college. It took me more than a hour of struggle to write two sentences. My hand was shaking and I  barely had the strength to press it down onto the paper. Yet, here I was writing my first words…

I am back…

Back from Somewhere!

And I remembered… everything!

I can now tell you my story. I remembered it with all its details.

My story started the moment I moved from here to Somewhere. Friday the sixth of June of the year two thousand and fourteen.

I had promised my mother that I would drive her to a wedding. I was late, as usual, and she got upset as usual. I drove off with her as fast as I could to make up for my delay, a situation that had repeated itself many times. Every time I would be racing against time and passing rows of cars right and left and reassure my mother —every time she would yell at me— that her son was a pro.

One time, in one of those passings, a family car blocked my way moving into the left lane at the legal speed —or maybe a bit faster— but legal speed was not enough for pros such as myself! I started off by annoying him with the high beams and then coming too close to his car so that he would make room for me with no success. There was no way I could pass him from the left shoulder because there was roadwork, so I had to pass him from the right side. I turned —without notice— to the right lane to pass between this stubborn driver and a column of trucks. Even though it was a tight fit, I increased my speed to pass him and I was cut off but a second daredevil who had decided to pass the trucks from the right lane, forcing the truck ahead of me to swirl to the left and hit its breaks to avoid slamming into that idiot who had squeezed himself into the lane after he had passed it and forced it to stop… and forced us to slam into the truck!

All of these details only happened in less than ten seconds, I remember every detail of it like a scene in slow motion! That space that would barely allow my car to pass like an arrow between the trucks and the family car had been reduced to half, the truck’s breaks locking up ahead of me and smoke coming from its wheels. My mother screaming “Dear God!” and then the trucks’ rear end took her away from the right side of my car… along with parts of my body!

God bless your soul mother! I killed you! Damn audacity! Every daredevil that shows off his adventures that he had avoided easily, does not know that there is always an adventure that he will not be able to show off to anyone. This adventure always comes without warning: he would think it was but a passing moment, then he would send a message recklessly from his phone as he drove the car with three fingers and half an eye —and one tenth of his concentration— one of his regular passings and maneuvers between cars, one of the times he raced everyone to shave five minutes on his way to the café where he wastes half of his life. One of those times could be one of his last or it might be it.

And with the final moments of my life… my story just started. The accident smashed the right side of my skull along with a few of my ribs and every bone of my right hand. The metal ripped through my stomach and parts of my intestines… None of those who had gathered around me thought this corpse would return to life someday.

The ambulance paramedics struggled to make it through the crowds who were so occupied with taking pictures of my car that was stuck on the truck —and of my body— they almost covered me in newspapers had it not been for that weak heartbeat that gave me away. But it stopped while I was in the ambulance. My heartbeat stopped. Blood had stopped flowing in my veins and my brain started its countdown when the oxygen stopped flowing.

Seven minutes is the amount of time that brain cells can last without oxygen before they get damaged. This was a full seven minutes in hopeless attempts to revive my heart which ended with an electric shock. I have already told you everything that had happened to me in those seven minutes, from the moment my soul’s connection to this body weakened and I was then in another world… Somewhere; to the last moment when my heart got shocked and started beating again, bringing me back from the arms of Malak, and throwing me here once more.

Who was Malak? Was she my nymph? Or just a mirage that my subconscious had used? Did she know that I was having my last breaths in the accident, so she prepared that world for me? Did she design it and prepare it just to welcome me and prepare me psychologically to accept the reality of death? It truly was a world between life and death and granting every wish I had had in my life and making me live it with all its details. Malak could not tell me the truth to shield me from the trauma that might have ended my last hopes of coming back to my life, a soul would not get back to the body when hope was gone. She still wished that I would stay by her side forever. My soul would not have hesitated for an instant to stay there had it not been my worry for my family, for my sister, and mother whom I did not know had already gone there and had met my father… Mr. Khaled!

Khaled Madani!

I swear I felt that it was him and that the lady next to him was my mother, all that fondness does not change, no matter how the bodies that surrounded it do! Malak fought to keep me next to her after she had waited for me all those years, but my father and mother were torn with sadness and fear for Maram.

Everyone knew that that chances of me surviving that accident were negligible, and that even if I did survive I would do so with a number of disabilities that would make me completely dependent on my sister's support. Yet, my Father held onto that impossible hope, especially after Mother had joined him.

I did not receive the news of my mother’s death with the sadness that should come with such disaster, because I was with her not long before! My experience had removed the barriers between life and death.

We fear death because we had never lived it before; we fear it just as we fear every other unknown.

We get sad from parting with the dead, but I was now in their company; I saw them in bless that makes me happy for them and saddened for those who had yet not joined them. If our sadness was for their death, our lives are death in comparison to their lives. If sadness was for their parting, there are those who we do not see while they are still amongst us. They leave our lives without losing their’s! Death is not a farewell… but farewell is death!

I regained control over my fingers and gradually, my mentality. It took hours to write my first few lines, I did not stop until I wrote everything that had happened to me Somewhere with every detail.

I felt a strange energy flow throughout my body. I slept in this bed for three months and half of this time in what the doctors called, a vegetable state. A state with no hope of cure other than faith in God’s powers and miracles. Doctors who had seen my brain’s MRI today could not believe that this was the same brain that had more than twenty five percent damage just a few short months before. This was a real miracle as damaged brain cells do not regenerate. My brain worked now with high efficiency and accelerating recovery!

Two days ago, I opened my eyes and saw what was around me for the first time. Yesterday, I was able to eat my first meal after glucose had been my only nutrition. Today, I said my first words and here I was now trying to get up and revive my muscles.

I pulled my leg that had forgotten how to walk and I threw it to the ground. I gathered the strength of every muscle in my body to get up; I faltered in my first steps and then I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. Who was this? Did I know him? Not only had I lost my good looks and the tone of my body muscles that I had. I had also lost half my weight and part of my face. Luckily I did not lose my right eye.

They had performed several plastic surgeries and  began patching up my skull and my face, making it look like a mutant’s mask. Foul patched skin now covered the right side of my face and head. My eyebrows were gone along with parts of my hair. Not only my head, but my chest, stomach and parts of my hand were all covered with patches of wrinkled skin that remained from the scars of the accident and operations.

A nurse entered and was totally terrified when she found me standing.

“Mr. Husam! What are you doing? You are  not supposed to leave your bed!” — the nurse said.

At the time, I only cared about leaving the hospital.

“I am feeling much better, I think I am ready to leave the hospital!” — I said.

She held me from my arm and helped me return to my bed.

“You can't leave Mr. Husam, your health conditions aren't stable yet, the consultants still need to analyze your situation.” — the nurse added.

“Well… I've just survived a fatal accident. Going home won’t kill me for sure!” — I added.

I just realized that I was speaking to her in a smooth American accent which was in no way related to the Saudi-English that I would have mumbled before my accident, this was the accent that I used… Somewhere!

The nurse measured my temperature and blood pressure routinely. She handed over to me my pills along with fever and pressure reduction medicines. My temperature was 39 degrees and my blood pressure was above 100/150. My heartbeats were more than 90 bps, all highly elevated. Maram arrived at that moment and saw me sitting on the bed so she dropped the bags she had in her hands and bolted towards me to hug me.

“Husam!! Oh my God! I do not believe my eyes! The doctors said there was no way you could leave the bed, save for a miracle! Thank God! Thank God!” — Maram said.

I watched her, this baby girl whom I had left all that bless for and came back to protect her from this world and its monsters.

“Look what I got you, it’s the Albaik spicy chicken that you love! I also got you some clothes instead of the this hospital robe! Come let me help you get dressed in something nice! But first close your eyes, I have a surprise!” — Maram added.

I closed my eyes to please her and felt her fingers fixing my hair on the left side. I think she is trying to hide my injury and deformed eyebrow. She then put a hat on my head.

“So, what do you think? It is an original cap that I got from the origianl Itihad shop not those knockoffs you would find at Alshati center!” — she said.

I could not hold back my tears as I watched her empty the rest of the clothes from the bags. My heart was in pain as I looked her in the eyes.

“Maram… Mam and dad say hi.” — I said.

She froze and raised her face in complete shock towards me and her tears came down slowly.

“Husam!! Don’t say that!! You are well! You have been through tough times and your brain was impacted by the accident, but you are in good health now and are improving in a way that surprised all the doctors.” — Maram added.

“Maram… I am serious! I have seen them, and sat with them and talked to them… just as I am talking to you now. Dad says that he misses you a lot and that you must be all grown up by now.” — I said.

She collapsed. I could barely make out her words from her gasps.

“Husam… I also cheated death exactly like you. On the day of the accident, I went crazy calling you and you did not answer, then someone answered and told me to inform the family of the owner of this phone that he was in an accident on the highway. I went out barefooted like a crazy woman looking for a taxi at midnight, I got to the accident location and only found the car and blood and people were saying may God have mercy on their souls!” — Maram said.

She kept quiet for a moment… allowing me to join her in tears then went on.

“I do not know how I made it to King Fahad Hospital when they told me you were there… I kept running and calling out for you in the ER… I saw her, Husam, covered on a stretcher. Her abaya was visible from under the blanket and blood was dripping. I also saw you while they were running with you from room to room, no one was telling me anything.

For three months Husam —with no hope but in Allah— not a single doctor comforted me. First they said that your chances of survival were slim, then they said that your brain was damaged and that you would stay in a coma for the rest of your life.  Then they said that even if you did wake up, you’d be crippled and here you are now sitting with good health. You are now passing on Mum and Dad’s regards. No matter how much I praise Allah, it will not be enough!”

I took her head in my arms to empty what remained of her tears, my poor child had suffered much more than I ever did.  The pain of the body is much more bearable than the heart’s ever is!

I wiped what remained of her tears. I decided that I would help her forget all that she had been through. This was why I had come back to this world, this is what I lived for now.

“Maram, Mom and Dad told me to take care of you. From now on, crying is not allowed. Is that clear?? By the way, I was never in a coma, I was living in another world but that is a long story. Now, let me change out of this stupid robe and attack these spicy nuggets before they get cold!” — I said.

Maram was surprised when she saw me jumping gracefully and how I picked up the clothes and moved towards the bathroom. I did regain most of my fitness and another strange thing also happened… my clothes were no longer my size! I remember this pair of jeans and shirt very well. While I could understand the extra space caused by my loss of weight during my coma, the jeans felt a bit short… or was it that I was also a bit taller? I also felt that my bones were growing fast —defying the laws of puberty!— I returned to Maram and ate  the Baik meal. I admit that I devoured it all alone and she only had but a few fries in her mouth and she went on to tell me her story for the past three months.

A young man in a nurse’s coat knocked the door and asked if he could enter, he spoke to me as if he knew me for some time:

“Husam! How are you dude?” — the Doctor said.

“Hello doctor, come on in!” — I responded.

“So tell me how are you today?” — the Doctor asked.

Maram excused herself to catch up with her studies and left me with the young doctor.

“Of course I know you and you do not know me… I am Eyad Alzayd, I graduated two years ago and asked to be transferred to King Fahad Hospital just for you!” — he added.

“It is a pleasure Doctor Eyad…” — I began answering.

“Just plain Eyad please… consider me your friend” — he interrupted me.

“OK plain Eyad, you did not say why you requested your transfer here for me.” — I inquired.

“Listen Husam, your case is unique and would not repeat in the history of medicine, after a month of your accident your story spread amongst doctors, and I pulled every string I had just to be able to follow your case.” — he began explaining.

“What is so strange about my case?” — I asked.

“Husam, you have cheated death. Your brain was damaged, every doctor expected you to die within a few days or at best case to stay in a coma forever.”  — he began explaining.

He took a quick glance at my vitals and went on.

“Something in your brain changed after the accident, the damaged cells regenerated and this had never happened in recorded medicine! Not only your brain, but your entire body. Your bones healed in record time, your wounds have healed as well. Last week, when we checked your vision, you had perfect vision although your records show that you were three points short!” — he added.

I just realized then that I saw everything clearly without my thick glasses! Dr. Eyad Alzaydi went on frantically.

“Your cells are in a continuous active and regenerative state, your temperature and pressure are always high and yet your body does not seem to care. My personal analysis is that you have a stem cell explosion. Meaning that all of your cells have become stem cells! They are always regenerating. You, Husam, have turned into a superhero and doctors have even called you the human salamander!” — the Doctor added.

“This is a very logical analysis Eyad… but it is not true… this has nothing to do with stem cells!” — I responded.

“How would you know? You just awakened from a three month coma.” — the Doctor responded.

“The change that has happened is all in my soul… I mean, within my subconscious. The subconscious has unlimited capabilities as it controls everything. Inside each of us is a super hero that cannot move unless we let go of the boundaries we take for granted and delude ourselves with!” — I explained.

“You seem affected by the soul energy books and the laws of attraction… all of these things are but ideas that have no scientific bases!” — the Doctor responded.

“Trust me, it has nothing to do with all of that. Eyad, my heart had stopped for seven minutes and my soul went to another world where I lived for a full week before I came back!” — I tried to explain.

“I have heard about dreams and hallucinations during comas…” — he interjected.

“These were not dreams nor hallucinations… I lived there in the flesh and blood …in another world! A world more realistic than this one! It was as physical and as clear in a way that made me feel that my real life —in comparison— was nothing  but a dream. In this moment, I see you in front of me but I do not feel that it is as real as I did when I was there!” — I explained.

“I was going to say that you have lost your mind. After the accident, had we not been through a crazy experience myself and my wife, that would allow me to believe anything. I will try to believe you, so that you might also believe me when I tell you my story!” — the Doctor said.

“Ok. In short, during the week that I lived Somewhere, I met the most beautiful creature as if she was a nymph from heaven. She introduced me to Leonardo de Vinci, Beethoven and Bruce Lee. I also role played as a superhero and battled space monsters! All was a reality not a dream!” — I said.

Eyad froze for a moment… he did not even close his mouth until I continued.

“You can consider all of these hallucinations. How would you explain how I learned more than one language during that coma?! Ho imparato a parlare Italiano fluentemente, als auch die Deutsche Sprache!” — I said.

As I expected… in addition to my soul’s ability, or subconscious to control my body and gaining amazing fitness that made each cell in my body work at super-human efficiency, I also retained all of the knowledge and experiences that I had gained while I was Somewhere.

I knew that Doctor Eyad would not understand my Italian and German sentences but I just wanted to prove a point. He tried to play along as he said in a broken French accent as he sat baffled:

“Impossible! J'ai passé toute ma vie juste pour apprendre un peu de Français!” — he said.

I smiled and continued:

“If this a pure medical matter, how would you explain how a person in a coma would learn martial arts? I learned more things during my coma than everything I had learned in my entire life!” — I said.

I handed him the notes that I had written with all my memories from the days I had spent Somewhere along with perfect sketches. Doctor Eyad’s eyes popped out as he went through the pages and reading some statements and looking at some of the sketches.

“I had heard of cases were patients had gained extreme skills after getting electrified or had had sudden accidents but I had never thought that it was possible to this extent!” — Doctor Eyad added.

I stood in front of him and pointed at my short pants.

“Above all the skills, I do not think Doctors have noticed this.” — I said.

“What is this?” — he asked.

“This are the pants that used to be my size before the accident.” — I said.

“No No No… this is impossible! I am not leaving this place until I know everything… with all the details!” — he said.

Something made me put my complete trust in Dr. Eyad. I decided not to tell anyone else about my experience other than to Maram and Eyad, who had become my best friend. He helped me get rid of the Hospitals’ pressure along with the team of consultants who wanted to confiscate my freedom and make me a Guinea Pig to try and understand my case. All their greed of extracting the drug of youth from my blood had been severed after Eyad had enlisted the help of a team of lawyers to prevent them and any other organization from running any tests on my blood. Thus, the medical teams that had come from all over the world —motivated by greed— returned with nothing. All of my wounds had healed and so did my bones. Nothing from that accident remained other than a scar that devoured my eyebrow and a few metallic bars in my arm.

My body was flowing with a strange energy that mastered my control over my subconscious. The barriers between me and my dreams had collapsed. My athletic body was fat free although my apatite was multiple times that of what I was used to eat when I was chubby. I had grown eight centimeters taller and… I was still growing!

I mastered the arts of self-defense; I left my job and I partnered with Eyad to open a training center for all creative arts. This was an academy for preparing super heroes!

In the past, I had wasted my life only wishing. The ceiling for my hopes was to reduce a few kilograms from my weight or to increase my income by a few Reyals —without effort that is. At my best, I would only flip through some motivational books and get a bit motivated before I returned to my beloved couch and the bucket of Nachos with salsa.

Making ends meet was our greatest concern but now I was convinced that making a fortune was the easiest step.

In the past, we would damn poverty without rolling up our sleeves or taking any action. If any poor person really worked hard, his income would fly to him! The chances of a hard working person in need to achieve success are much higher than those who are distracted with a golden spoon in their mouths. You could ask history’s greatest.

Need is the mother of all invention and innovation. It too is the mother of all achievements and successes and riches but with one condition: to free yourself from the paralysis of laziness, fear and hesitation.

I did not care anymore for anything other than Maram’s safety and future. As for me, I no longer even feared death… on the contrary! Death had become a friend and we comforted each other. I longed for death to take me back to Somewhere!

I managed to build a humble fortune and with it, built a home for me and Maram in Ubhur north of Jeddah. In short, I have achieved all of the dreams that I had before I went to Somewhere… but now only one dream remained, to return to her… when I looked at the sky, I felt her looking at me and waiting for me… I smiled to her as I said…

Someday I will return to Somewhere…

Someday I will return to you Malak!

– The End –

From the pages of third part of

HWJN and Hunaak!:

Bin-yameen (בנימין)

The Stealth Bomber stormed over the red sea escorted by two F-35 Lightning that was only sold to one country in the Middle East through an exclusive deal with the United States of America in 2016 where America agreed not to sell that aircraft to any other Middle Eastern country for ten years, yet that small country did not adhere to the most important condition of that contract that explicitly stated that it was not allowed to make any modifications to the aircraft. The small fleet’s value was not limited to the cost of the aircrafts that surpassed three billion dollars; it carried what was much more important and valuable, it carried two passengers… Husam and Eyad! The Stealth Bomber that usually carried tons of explosives and atomic warheads sufficed this time with two metallic capsules fitted with jet engines on the bottom, and on the top it had a glass dome, it was stuffed with instruments and probes connected the Husam and Eyad’s bodies, the two were in miserable shape, and literally mean miserable, Husam was drowning in his blood breathing heavily while afraid to exhaust the oxygen he had suffocating him in that tight capsule. While Eyad was unconscious, as his body had an untold number of broken bones and burned skin… he was dying!

“Good morning Mr. Husam and Mr. Eyad”

That voice came through the speakers inside the capsules in an Arabic language that is clearly affected by another Mid Eastern language, Husam’s body shivered as he listened with interest as that voice went on in an annoying calmness:

“This is the last stage of our tests, the capsules will launch in thirty seconds towards the depths of the sea, you have enough oxygen for a hundred and twenty seconds, the chances of Husam’s survival are 32.4%, the chances of Eyad’s survival are 7.3% while the chances of both of you surviving in 2.4%”

At that moment Husam did not care about the limited oxygen in the capsule that they had imprisoned him in, shouted in that voice’s language:

“Bin-yameen!! Stop!!”

Bin-yameen went on in the same robotic calmness… and in his language this time:

“I really had hoped that we would find the book together, it was an honor working with both of you, know that your death will not be in vain… bye”

Husam shouted one last desperate shout:

“Bin-yameeeeeeeeen!”

Not a single cell in his body flinched as he sat with his thin body next to the Stealth Bomber’s pilot watching the screens that surrounded him, he did not bother to fasten his seat built, put on his helmet or oxygen mast, he only had the head set on, in addition to his dark glasses that he almost never takes off while it makes a low buzzing sound whenever he turned his head. The screens were showing Husam and Eyad’s vital signs, in addition to the feed from high resolution cameras in and out of the capsules. A twenty something girl appeared on one of the screens, her features show that her DNA was in a struggle between her Caucasian and African genes, her skin rebelled against her darkness, as she retained but a hit of it, her lips where thick, her eyes wide the same color as her raging maroon hair, she wore a full military uniform that did not match her femininity nor her age; and on the contrary to Bin-yameen Elaina was very nervous when she said:

“Awaiting your orders Mr. Bin-yameen...”

“The mission is over… we will launch the capsules!”

Her tears froze… she was begging Bin-yameen to change his mind; but Bin-yameen ended all discussion when he said in a commanding more assertive voice:

“Launch them now!”

“Right away… Mr. Bin-yameen”

Elaina turned to the central control board, and issued the launch command remotely, the rear door of the plain opened, and the jet engines fixed on the capsules ignited for a moment before it jetted towards the depths of the red sea specifically at Gulf of Aqaba, carrying with it Husam and Eyad. Only at that moment did Bin-yameen look away from the screens, and raised his dark glasses to wipe off a lonely tear before it would flee his eye, he did not imagine that anyone could intervene to save them, not from our world at least.