No one knew what went on inside. Whenever the door was to be opened, everyone in the building was required to remain in their own rooms; failure to do so brought severe punishment. Even the nurses were forbidden to be out of their rooms.
The man woke still heavy with fatigue. He yawned, stretched, and thumped his clenched fists against his chest. The walls of his small room appeared to have edged closer overnight, as though the space were quietly shrinking around him day by day.
have grown almost accustomed to these blasts; the sharp edge of fear has dulled. Yet the sparrows and mynahs never seem to learn.
When the treasure hunters of Qara-su Valley brought word of a cave discovered high on the mountain, in which a seated monk had been seen, the whole region was suddenly astir.
The neighbourhood had two public hammams, one for men and one for women. They were run by Ashraf and Qasem the bathkeepers, husband and wife.
Nineteen months had passed. Nineteen long months she had been pregnant, and still the child would not come. She dragged her burden on her belly, dragged it on her back, and walked heavily.
I was searching for a fixed point. A point that would carry me away from this world, even for a moment. I’ve been staring at a spot on the wall without it reminding me of anything. I try to paint happy times inside this white spot.
These people talk a lot of rubbish. They believe stones have souls. They say if you can speak their language, the stones can move. Or talk to you; the stones, can you believe it? They tell stories about these spirits you won’t believe. So-and-so fell in love and turned to stone from the pain of it.
he man grabbed the woman just as she was taking off her headscarf because of the heat. The woman, panicked and tucked her bag tightly under her arm, struggling to slip away from the man’s grip, but a shattering slap sent her crashing to the ground.
A teenage girl had fallen into a wide ditch, her forearm and cheek shattered. It was clear that the bone in her right forearm had shifted beneath her dark blue manteau, with blood seeping through the fabric. Her cheek was split wide open, and her wheat-coloured face was drenched in blood.
