Story (The Rose Cloak)‍
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Writer/ Muhammad Nabi Zadeh‍
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Translated by/ Dr. Abdul Ali Kazim Al-Fatlawi‍
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The little girl tied her shoes quickly, put her school bag on her back in a hurry and headed towards the door, but as soon as she reached the door, her mother called her:‍
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– Zahraa… Zahraa… What happened to you? What is this hurry, this is the first day and you forget the sandwich.‍
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With the same speed, she returned towards her mother and took the sandwich and said goodbye to her, but the sandwich fell from her again due to her speed. The mother, who was laughing at her daughter’s behavior, said goodbye to her and returned to the room.‍
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Recently, Mr. Reza and his wife, Mrs. Mahbouba, came to the Koi-Sarkh neighborhood. Mrs. Fakhriya, Mr. Reza’s wife, found them a good house at a reasonable price. Mr. Reza moved to this new place without any delay and moved his new furniture to it. Mr. Reza was a teacher of the Holy Quran and every year he had to move between this school and that one, so as not to leave the school students who had become his friends and lovers and who were very attached to him. Everyone loved him, starting from the family he married into to the neighbors and children in the mosque and school… But in the Koi-Sarkh neighborhood with its many families, no one knew about the arrival of the new tenant in the house of Mrs. Aqdas, the owner of the house.‍
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On the first day of October, Mr. Reza was in a hurry because he was going to school and he was driving his wheelchair with great difficulty, especially at the outer fence of the house.‍
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Mrs. Mahbouba said:‍
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– You should build a bridge here tonight to make it easier for you to walk on it. Do you want me to come with you to school?‍
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Mr. Reda, who managed to get rid of the door obstacle forcefully, answered:‍
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– No, the school is close, I will go alone.‍
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Mrs. (Mahbouba) did not insist on going with him, as she knows the morals of her husband Mr. Reda. They have been married for (13) years and she lives with him. In fact, they got married in 1981 and until 1987, the year Mr. Reda lost his legs. Until that date, they only saw each other once or twice a month.‍
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Zahraa reached the beginning of the alley and saw Mr. Reda in his wheelchair. Zahraa had never seen such a sight in the neighborhood before that day. As she walked, she gradually approached the wheelchair, not bothering to look at the face of a strange man. The strange man said, laughing:‍
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– Peace be upon you, my little lady!‍
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Zahraa’s feet were rooted to the ground. Her mother always told her never to talk to strangers. But this was not the behavior of a strange man, at least she answered him, as she could not ignore his words.‍
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Then the strange man added:‍
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– Look, which alley is closest to reach (Bilal Al-Habashi) School?‍
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Zahraa answered with her hand without her tongue and pointed with her finger towards the road she was running on quickly towards her school. Zahraa happened to look at the strange man’s amputated feet, so her heart split in two, a look at the face of the strange man who was still smiling, and a look at his amputated feet, and she dared and said:‍
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– I will walk slowly from here and you can follow me.‍
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– No, you are in this hurry, your school bell must have rung. Go, and I will come after you through this alley.‍
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Zahraa laughed:‍
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– No, I still have another half hour until the bell rings.‍
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– It’s okay, then walk slowly and I will follow you.‍
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Minutes after they walked, the strange man’s voice rose again:‍
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– My lady Zahraa! You didn’t tell me which class you are in?‍
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The little girl stopped for a moment and doubted, “How does he know my name?” The distance between her and the strange man increased, Mr. Reda laughed and said:‍
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– Don’t be afraid… It’s true that you don’t know me, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t know your name. We arrived in the neighborhood 5-6 days ago and I can’t get to know all the residents of the neighborhood, but luck brought me to this alley where there is a beautiful and young lady like you, otherwise I might not have known you either.‍