The Void of the Night Sky - Abdullah Abu Aladass

The Void of the Night Sky

by Abdullah Abu Aladass

I still vividly remember the timeless summer night of August in Aqaba, laying down on the sunbeds, observing the infinite abyss of space above us and the flickering of distant stars, witnessing the full glory of the Perseid shower. With full stomachs and empty minds, the three of us pondered our destiny and wondered what the future held.The sound of the distant cricket echoed against the nearby buildings and palm trees as it faded into the background, replaced by the intensity of pounding waves crashing under the glimmer of the full moon. The mist of the sea and the rustling of the bushes drifted us away from our stresses and worries, as I slowly dozed off and the late night rolled by. The radiance of the moon strolling across the midnight sky and the speeding asteroids that vanished instantaneously in my peripheral vision demanded my attention, but as my consciousness took a break, I started closing my eyes. In my somnolent state, I looked up at the man on the moon as he looked down, a wide smile imprinted on his face.

Mireille

by Shahed Almomani

I knew I shouldn’t do that. I knew it was wrong. I knew I would regret it, but the word “loser!” always rang in my head. Eventually, this word turned my life upside down. It was 9/1/2020, a cloudy day in the fall. Leaves were beginning to change their color, and the sky seemed to be mad. The sun was absent, and the clouds took its place. That day was cursed. I was playing with the girls after school as always, and my parents were outside the town to visit my aunt, and they left the car here and gave me the keys because they used the bus to go there. I invited the girls to stay with me at my home until my parents come back, and that was a huge mistake. We spent all day playing games. When the sky started to get dark, we decided to play “truth or dare”. I agreed to play because I told myself that there is nothing bad that they would dare me to do, but I felt the danger inside my heart. I was the first to be asked, and they asked me to try driving my father’s car. I refused to do that because I didn’t know how to drive. They were upset, and they said, “You have to follow the rules. You can’t say no.” “I don’t know how to drive.” I said. They told me,” Girl, you are a loser! Just give it a try!” It was that word that manipulated my feelings, and I agreed to do that somehow. I knew that it was wrong, but that word changed my mind. With my hand on my heart, I entered the car, and I drove. I could see my chest going up and down because of my strong heart beats. I was shaking, and I couldn’t control my body’s movement. I started sweating because I was horrified. At that moment, I wanted to stop, but I realized that I don’t know how to stop the car. After I realized that, the smell of death tickled my nose. I felt that death is near as if it was a hunter, I could hear its sound while it was running to catch me. I didn’t know what to do, so I waited for another car to collide with me. I knew a car was coming, and I knew I would die. I could taste the sweat that dropped off from my forehead, and I was terrified at that moment. A sound inside my head told me,” you deserve to die alone,” so I decided to hit the car with something else to stop it because I didn’t want to hurt anybody because of a decision that I made. I saw a huge tree, and I told myself that this is the chance to end this nightmare. I drove toward the tree, and everything went black. When I woke up, I was in the hospital. 15

My parents and the boys were around me, and they all were crying. I decided to get up and set down. When I looked down, I couldn’t see them. I couldn’t see my legs. They were gone due to the accident. I lost my two legs because of a decision that I made after one word manipulated me. I agreed because I wanted to show them that I am strong, and I ruined my entire life because of that. I knew that I shouldn’t do that, but I did it because I gave people’s opinions attention more than I am supposed to do. Now, I wrecked my future, and I lost my two legs because I did something that I was not convinced with doing it. After that, my mom opened the door and woke me up, and I realized that all of that was a nightmare. It was only a dream, but it changed something inside me. I learned a lesson from my dream, and I will never forget it. It will be stuck in my mind for the rest of my life.

Last Night’s Rain

by Hani AlKarrain

I remember waking up and staring out the window as a smile forms across my face. I stared at the puddles of rainwater and they stared back. Wearing my boots and leaving the house with the occasional umbrella in hand was a highlight of the day. Every step of the way is more fun than the previous one. I look at the big green trees equally spaced apart next to the wall on my right. I walk through all the puddles splashing my warm dry socks until I get to the cold seat of the car. The distorted image of lights passing by lingers in my head. Raindrops race to the end of the window with me as their main spectator. Does it really matter? They all win the race when I reach school anyway. I accompany my thoughts to class and they say: “Can you smell last night’s rain?”

Malak Allawama´23