Cracks in a New Life
After the celebration ended, everyone returned to their homes. The young man, however, lay awake, haunted by thoughts of the girl and the burdens of his life. The next day, he went to visit his old friends. They welcomed him warmly, but his behavior soon turned strange, creating chaos in the house.
The girl was the only one who understood what was happening to him. As his friends tried to calm him down, he cried out in a slow, trembling voice: “I don’t know how to play.”
The girl stepped in, saying, “He’s suffering from psychological exhaustion.” When asked how she knew, she replied, “My father taught me to be kind to him. Sometimes he loses control of his mind.”
The young man felt a surge of gratitude for her words. They had saved him from a deep and dangerous moment. Slowly, he began to regain control of himself, though confusion lingered in his heart.
Love and Betrayal
In time, the young man realized he had fallen in love with the girl, and she, too, had begun to share his feelings. Yet a shadow hung over them. One day, the girl heard his phone ring and saw the name of another woman — a wealthy girl he had been seeing.
Shocked and hurt, she confronted him. A bitter argument erupted between them, and she left, her heart heavy with doubt. The young man tried to forget everything, but the pain clung to him.
Descent into Darkness
He drifted into alcohol and drugs, distancing himself from his work. His world collapsed further when his wealthy adoptive parents died suddenly in a car accident. Grief and despair closed around him like a cage.
Believing he could no longer bear the weight of life, he decided to end it all by leaping from a mountain peak.
A Voice from the Past
On his way up the mountain, he stopped at a bend in the trail, ready to jump. Suddenly, a faint sound reached him — the quiet sobbing of a child. Turning around, he saw a little girl crying. She spoke to him in a language he instantly understood — his own forgotten tongue.
Stunned, he realized she was his sister. Yet he did not reveal his identity. When he asked about her father, she told him he had died years ago, leaving her alone to live off the land.
The young man broke down and embraced her. She recoiled at first, frightened by his appearance, but he held her gently, his heart torn between past and present.
A Return to Origins
He decided to change his clothes and die in the garb of his people. He remembered his father’s words: “The god of the mountain will avenge.” Together, he and his sister set out for the summit.
Along the way, they passed villagers returning from the market, their faces hardened by the struggle for survival. Each glance at his sister reminded him of everything he had lived — the hunger, the cold, the pain, and the fleeting dreams of the future he now rejected.
Between Death and Love
As they entered the forest, night fell. A fire flickered in the distance. He felt the bitter cold of the mountain air and the weight of his memories. With every step toward the peak, his heart wavered between the pull of death and his love for his sister.
He tried to speak to her, to explain the storm inside him. She listened quietly, understanding more than he expected, and walked beside him through his tragic journey.
Yet even now, he remained lost, suspended between life and death, torn by contradictions and decisions that could change everything.
by Youssef El Hob