All the People are under the Law

When he failed to get the general certificate for five years, he thought that he had lost the opportunity to have a respectable job.  All his dreams vanished because he could not go to the university.

Although he was very depressed, he applied for many jobs.

One day, he received an answer for his application to work as a policeman. He was very cheerful. So, he went to the concerned office as soon as he could.  He submitted his papers and he soon got the job.

He was very happy to have this respectable job.   His task was to tour the main street inside the town and to control the traffic there.  Once he saw a man driving his car so madly.  He stopped him, saying : ” where is your license ?    You are a very bad driver! “

The man shrugged his shoulders, answering : ” I’m the minister.  What do you want ?”

The policeman  stressed asking him, “  give me your license.  You are driving at a very high speed.”

I told you, ” I’m the minister.  Go away  ! “

The policeman  said, ” I think you are a drunk.  Get out of the car.  I’ll take you to the police station and there they’ll put you in jail.”

The man laughed, ” I’ll put you in prison.  You’re a stupid policeman”.

The policeman tried to open the door and to get the man out of the car by force.  But the man used his cell phone.  He called someone.

Five minutes later, two dark cars arrived to the site, and about seven men got out of them.  They all were wearing black glasses.  Two young men of them pulled the policeman and pushed him into one of their cars.

The poor policeman was anxious.  When he awaked, he found himself in the prison.

After a month, he was released, and he returned to his work.

Once again after two days, he saw a man driving at a very high speed. He stopped him.

” Stop your car on the right”.

After the man stopped his car, the policeman came to him.  ” Hello ! How do you do ?”

The man replied : ” How do you do ?”

” Are you a minister ?” The policeman asked.

The man was very astonished.  He answered,:” No, no! “

” Do you have any relationship with the minister ?”

“I don’t understand anything !  What do you mean ? The man asked.

“Is there any one of your relatives work with the minister ?”

” No, no! ” The man replied.

” Hav you ever seen the minister ?” The policeman asked.

” No, no, at all! ” The man replied.

“Also, have you ever seen him in your dreams ?” The policeman asked.

” I told you no.”  ” I haven’t seen him at all. “

” Ah ! Then come out of your car.” ” You’re a very bad driver.”

The policeman hit the him.  The driver couldn’t utter with a single word.  He was begging the policeman to return him his license back and to lethim go.

” You’re very bad people.  You don’t understand the law and you don’t apply the rules and you don’t want to !”       ” So,  you have to pay the price for your neglect.” The policeman added.

He continued putting one hand under the another, ” You have to know all the are under the law.  No one is over the law,… even the minister.”

The poor driver nodded his head saying ,:” Yes, of course.”

The policeman sighed deeply saying, :” I understood the law after I had a nice lesson at the minister’s office.”

The Heritage

     At that night, which was very calm and its calmness was astonishing, I and the other boys of our district were playing under the full moon.  But suddenly everything changed.

     We heard someone shouting in my house.  We hurried there.  I saw my father holding my grandfather, who was by his turn lying on his chest.  His eyes were wide-opened and he was calm but my father was shouting: ” Water…Water.’.

    My youngest uncle came very fast and gave my father a glass of water. Then he stood near beside another man who was standing there.  Then there was tumult.  A lot of women came.  My mother and some women, who came to console her, were crying.

     I stood motionless.  It was a strange situation.  It was the first time for me to see someone dying and unfortunately he was my grandfather whom I loved because he used to give me money to buy sweets.

     After drinking water, my grandfather moved his eyes towards an iron box, which was laid beside his bed.  He was very strict.  He did not allow anyone to open it or at least to touch it.  He pointed to that box with one hand and gave my father a key with the another one.

     “Open it…Open it”, he said with a heavy tongue.  They brought the box.  Then they opened it.  Everyone was very anxious to see what that box was containing.  There were some photos and beads and some other things.  There was a big tin inside it, too.

     My grandfather pointed to the tin.  They took it out of the box and gave it to him.  He collected his strength and grasped the tin strongly.  Then he gave it to my father, whose face was strained and apparently, he pretended to keep control of himself.  But when my grandfather gave it to him, he sighed deeply and uttered that: “My son, this is the most precious thing that I can give you.  Keep what inside it…Keep what inside it”.  These were his last words. And afterwards he breathed his last breath.

     Everyone was puzzled what inside that tin was.  But after the funeral, everything returned to its natural circle of life.  My father sent for all the heirs.  When they came, he said: “I gathered you today to open this tin and to see what inside it and to give everyone his part.

     We all expected there were something very precious and expensive.  May be there were some jewels or something like that.

     But when my father opened the tin, everyone was astonished because there were only bundles of folded papers tied with pink tape.  We all got down to read them; untying the tape my grandfather had tied all these years ago, taking them out of their fragile folders.

     Those papers were some documents proved possessing land and some bills prove paying taxes.  Although we keep our land inside our hearts, those papers were of great use.  They are reminding us of our land and our past and approve that that was and will be our own land.

     They have been kept by my grandfather since 1948, when the invaders occupied our land and dismissed us from it.  And now they inherited by my father and, in due course, will be by me.

Written by: Salem Mraheel Quraisha.

550 words

The Repentant

     As every old woman in our small village, my grandmother used to tell us stories and tales every night.  One night and I remember it mainly because it was very calm night and the moon was full.  I also remember it well because it was unfortunately the last story my grandmother told us.  The next night, she fell ill and the price for the end of her illness was the end of her life.

     She smiled, as she used to, and started telling us the story of Mr. Habeeb’s son and the ruler who lived in our village a long time ago.

      She said, there was a very rich man in that village.  When he died, his son  James, who was 25 years old then, married a poor girl called Susan.  They led a happy life but for a short time. 

     When they had their first child, James spent all his money and sold all his properties because he became a very bad drunkard and a gambler.  He spent all his money and time on drinking and gambling.  He did not spare any time for his house.

     Now, he had no food in his house.  So he used to curse the ruler of his village.  His poor wife Susan spent her time begging him to stop cursing the ruler in order not to put him in prison. But all her efforts were in vain.

     When the ruler heard of that man, who was cursing him, he threatened him.  He said, “One day, I will cut his tongue and then he will not be able to utter with any word”.

     Everybody in that small village was astonished because the ruler was very justice and he did not hurt or try to hurt anyone.

   When James heard of the ruler’s threats, he decided not to stop cursing him. Those threats increased his will against the ruler because he was dull and he hated everything around him.

      His wife broke into tears and said to him, ” I’m old Susan who wants to love you like when you were 25 years old!  Don’t torture me.  Stop cursing…I don’t have much longer to live.  Please, look at our son.  He needs you.  Don’t leave him and me to our unknown fate and you spend all your remaining days in the darkness of prisons”.

     One day, the ruler ordered some of his servants to load a cart with all kinds of the food that found in his palace.  After that, he sent them to unload it at James’s house.  He sent some money to be given to James’s wife, too. 

     When they arrived there, they found only his wife who was very delightful when they told her that the ruler sent all that food and money for them.

     When her husband came back after midnight and he was cursing the ruler of their village, as he used to, she told him of what the ruler had sent to them.  Then she broke into tears and started repeating the same words that she used to say to her husband.

     At that moment, he sighed deeply and said, ‘ Now, the ruler has cut my tongue forever.  He punished me in a respectable way.  I will start my life from this moment.  I’ll lead a respectable life.  I’ll work and do my best to make you all happy.  I’ll stop drinking and gambling”.

     He tried to control himself but he could not.  He broke into tears and knelt down thanking Allah (God) for that precious opportunity to repent.   

Written by: Salem Mraheel Quraisha.

590 words