A Short Story... The Strange One!

Muna Al-Shaafi entered her apartment in the evening, her face youthful and radiant, her smile dewy—something the walls of the house had never seen before. She called out eagerly, “My little girls… my darlings… Mama is home.” The three-year-old, who had been without her mother’s voice all day, noticed her mother’s call. She suddenly lifted her head, then ran swiftly toward the sound, her tiny arms outstretched with joy and eagerness. Her mother embraced her warmly and lifted her to kiss her. The child paused for a moment, gazing long at her mother’s face, as if searching for something she recognized. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears, and she gasped, “You’re not Mama… not Mama… where is Mama?!” With childish force, she slipped from her mother’s arms, ran crying, and threw herself into the lap of her grandmother, who sat quietly on her rocking chair, a folded newspaper resting on her lap. The mother approached, flustered, to pick up the other little girl, but she too screamed, hiding behind her sister, their cries and sobs mingling together. The mother stood stunned, looking at her grandmother, silent, as if asking with her eyes, “And what comes next?!” The grandmother smiled a faint smile, barely visible, and said in a low but steady voice, “These are the first results… my dear.” Then, adding as if whispering to herself, “Sometimes… the stranger becomes closer than everyone else.”