A Diamond Treasure - a Short Story

Once upon a time, there was a girl called Emma. Throughout her entire 17 years of age, she has proudly looked up to her mom. She has been brought up, knowing how wonderful and kind this woman is. She’s the one who lightens up her day each morning, yet Emma manages to upset her every now and then. She doesn’t appreciate her much, neglecting her at times and acting childish. In spite that fact, her mom manages to forgive her and Emma always wondered how that is possible.

One day, Emma was drawn to her room, hearing sounds of a golden treasure sparkling their way down from her bedroom ceiling. Resting herself on her bed, she couldn’t figure out where it’s coming from because of its grand density and countless figures. Just when the glittery sounds stopped, she found the most beautiful piece of diamond necklace she has ever seen right on her lap. She couldn’t believe it for a moment; It was the exact piece of jewelry that her mom had. What’s the first thing any girl would do when she sees such piece in her hands? Except, Emma wasn’t an ordinary girl that you might come across. Suddenly, she felt an aching urge, squeezing her heart. She thought to herself, “That diamond necklace isn’t mine to keep. It belongs to my mom!” At that exact moment, an ancient shahrazad-like fair y appeared right before her eyes. Emma looked so frightened at first, but something about that fairy made her feel soothed and comfortable. The fairy uttered no words, approaching to lift the necklace off of Emma’s lap and wrapping it up into a big box of treasures that she had within her hands. But then, the fairy gave the entire box to Emma. Surprisingly, she gladly accepted the box with a warm embrace.

Suddenly, Emma realized she was dreaming. She opened her eyes and found her mom calmly laying by her side. She smiled at her mom, cherishing the feeling of security that she has always given her. Never pleases her more than knowing that her mom is always there for her. It has hit her; Emma realized what her dream was about. The fairy was a message of enlightenment, reminding her of how precious and beautiful her mom really is. The sparkling treasure was her gift of birth and the gorgeous diamond necklace, that made everything complete, was her mom. The necklace was the queen of a castle that’s filled with harmony, prosperity, and hospitality. Only a mom does that, only a mom gives unconditional love without any rational reason. Emma was amazingly grateful of the reminder. It’s definitely a treasure worth-nurturing. She can never ask for more than this ultimate treasure.

.. N.O.H.A ..

...... و أخذ يسقط و يسقط و يسقط .....

جالي الهاجس ده عالصبح امبارح وطبعا أول حاجة عملتها إني كتبتها في الفيسبوك! .. واحدة من صاحباتي كتبتلي "هتتجنني هاهاهاها..." وبنت خالتي قالتلي " طب ويا ترى وقع خلاص؟" .. و واحد هيمان راح قايللي " وراح عامل بوووووم" !
كل إللي عملته إني فضلت أكتب "لأ لسه" .. "لأ لسه" .. زي العيلة الصغيرة إللي متعلقة بقشاية! وبرده ماحدش عرف إيه اللي بيسقط ..

أحب أعلنها وكلي فخر إنه إللي بيسقط يبقى شعري يا ناس .. ويا ريته بيقع عشان يغطي رأس حد تاني .. بس مع الأسف عَمَّال يقع وخلاص .. ولو سألت عن السبب .. إللي يقول لي أصل النفسية في الناملية وإللي يقول لي أصل خلاص عجزتي وإللي يقول لي أصل المياة والهوا خلاص اتسمموا وفي الآخر بيتقال لي روحي لدكتور يديكي علاج .. لأ معليش .. فوتوا عليَّ بكرة!! .. أصل لا مؤاخذة بأخد الدواء من هنا وتلاقي حاجات تانية هي اللي بتطول فـبناقص بقى..


طب هو أنا فعلا عجزت؟؟؟؟ .. ده أنا حتى شكلي عيلة عالآخر ويا بختي بقى زي ما الكل بيقول .. لا وايـــه .. دحّاحة كمان .. أُمّال إيــه ؟؟!!! ..كل ماكنت بمشي في حتة كان بيتقاللي كده .. بس أنا ولا دحّاحة ولا حاجة .. كل الحكاية إني قصيرة وبنظارة .. فالموضوع بيلزق عند الناس إني من صيدلة على طول!

نرجع لموضوعنا إللى مالوش أى هدف الحقيقة غير إنه يعبّر عن الحالة إللى أنا فيها اليومين دول .. ولو أخذنا في الإعتبار الأسباب إللي تم ذكرها .. هنلاقي إن كل إجابة منهم بتصب في حاجة واحدة .. إللي هو أنا ! .. فـبما إنه أنا السبب .. فـأحب أنا برده أعلق بحاجة واحدة .. إنه أنا لا أملك أي تعليق غير إنه لسة .. عَمَّال يسقط ويسقط ويسقط .......

ودمتم

.. N.O.H.A ..

ليه ما بكتبش عربي ؟

أيوه ليه مبكتبش بالعربي؟ .. سؤال طول عمري بسأله لنفسي .. يمكن عشان عمري ما حاولت أو حتى فكرت .. دايماً أمسك القلم واكتب انجليزي .. للأسف كان تعليمي كده .. كل حاجة اتعلمتها اساسها كان انجليزي .. العلوم انجليزي .. الرياضة انجليزي .. كله انجليزي في انجليزي .. حتى العربي اللي كنا بناخده .. المدرسين كانوا دايما تعبانين قوي .. كان دايماً حصة العربي دي كابوس بالنسبة لنا .. كان يخش لنا المدرس من هنا نحس بكآبة السنين ! .. كل اللي همه يرزعلنا الكلمتين ومع السلامة ..

مابقولش إنهم كانوا بيشرحوا غلط لا سمح الله .. كل إللي بقوله إن ماكانش فيه اهتمام باللغة اطلاقاً .. المدرس الوحيد إللي افتكره في حياتي كان في ثانوية عامة .. كان الوحيد إللي عليه القيمة كده .. يحبّبك في المادة ولما كان بيدينا درس الدين كان عنده رؤية .. عارفين إيه الفرق بينه وبين أي مدرس عربي شفته في حياتي؟؟ .. كان صغير .. بمعنى أصح كان شاب .. يمكن يكون في عمري دلوقتي .. بس يا خسارة .. كنت تقريبا خلاص .. إتكون عندي التفكير ..

على فكرة أنا مابقولش إن تعليم اللغة مش مهم .. بس الواحد كل ما بيكبر كل ما بيعرف أد أيـه إن الهوية شئ مهم قوي في الحياة .. ومكدبش إللي قال إللي عايز يتعلم اللغة العربية بجد لازم يقرأ القران .. أحلفلكم بإيـــه .. من وأنا في إعدادي مثلا وأنا كنت بقرأ رواية أو كتاب بالعربي بس عمري ما حسيت بطعم العربي وأد إيـه هى لغة فعلا غنية إلا من القرآن .. سبحان الله ..

لو فاكرين إني بكتب الكلمتين دول عشان أقول لكم درس ديني .. استنوا ما تقلبونيش .. أنا أقل بكتير من إني أتكلم على درس ديني أو اذكر أحاديث .. أنا كل اللي بتكلم عنه إحساسي الداخلي وخبرتي مع العربي ..

نرجع لمرجعنا .. أنا ليه بقى عمري ما جربت أكتب عربي .. في الغالب لأني خايفة .. عندي دايماً هاجس كده في تفكيري إني هكتب وحش قوي .. وعندي يقين إن فيه مليون واحد أحسن مني في الكتابة .. بس إللي متأكدة منه .. إني فعلا نفسي أكتب وأجرب .. ليه لأ؟! .. ليه ما أحاولش .. ليه الموضوع صعب قوي كده .. يمكن واحدة واحدة حأقدر أوصل .. وزي ما تعلمت أكتب بالإنجليزي .. أكيد في يوم هاعرف أبقى أحسن من كده في العربي ..

عارفين إيه الفكرة؟؟!! .. ماينفعش الإنسان يقول "لأ مش بعرف" .. دي أكتر حاجة فى الدنيا ماينفعش تتقال .. واللي يعرفني كويس .. يعرف أد إيـه حياتي تعتبر صعبة إلى حدٍ ما .. فـما بالكم بقى .. إللي حياته صعبة وبيقولك "لأ .. مفيش حاجة اسمها مش بعرف!" .. أكبر نعمة ربنا قدمها لنا في الدنيا "المعرفة" .. من ساعة ما خلق سيدنا آدم وعلّمه الأسماء كلها .. لحد ما خللى العبدة الفقيرة (اللي هو أنا) أعرف أكتب بالعربي ..

مهما حد قال لك مش هتوصل وقعد يتريق عليك .. أول ما يبتدي يقولك على حاجة مش فيك أو يحاول يقنعك بحاجة وإنت مش مستوعبها .. إوعى تسمع كلامه .. أيوه .. إعرف إنك على حق .. ما عدش في كلمة في القاموس إسمها مش بعرف ! ..

أنا أفكر إذاً أنا بعرف أكتب عربي!

و دمتم

Je suis Amélie Poulain

Je suis Amélie Poulain

"The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain"

My name is Amélie. I am not a girl, not yet a woman. I live and breathe for love. I love gliding through the streets of Paris as quietly as a little mouse. With my wide eyes and tiny little grin, I am able to sense the sweetness of everything around me. As charming as I could ever be, I do not care much about anything other than the happiness of those who surround me. Ever since I was a child, I loved the details of everything. My eyes speak the truth and my heart beats for excitement. I have a sole purpose in life; I dream for someone to share my life with. I lead a very simple life, and by all means you’ll find me supportive. Most people find me bizarre, but I call it uniqueness. I enjoy questioning people’s state of minds and changing their lives to be better. I’m very inventive due to my isolated upbringing, but I developed a very active imagination. I’ve been falsely diagnosed with a heart disease when I was little. Since then, my parents have lessened my exposure to the real world. I’m independent now and I live entirely by myself. I don’t mind working as a waitress, in fact I dearly enjoy it. I had my share of tragedy; my mom died when I was around 8 years old and my father had to raise me since then. I struggle with my own sense of isolation, yet I manage to find harmony within the simple pleasures of existence.

I live in Paris, the city of love. Helping people is my drive; it is my goal. I discover love everywhere I go. I can’t stand seeing someone in a sad mood. I tend to feel proud of what I do. Allow me to present few examples. I have a neighbor, who cannot accept that her husband is dead, daily reminiscing their great love story. So, I decided to write her love letters, pretending I’m her deceased loving husband, whom she thinks is still coming back for her from the army. My closest friend is an old man called Mr. Dufayel, whom I enjoy having intriguing conversations with him all the time. I know he lives alone and only finds comfort in his paintings, so I managed to find him a kind young man to accompany him most of the day. In addition, I manage to regularly visit my father, whenever I can. Watching him all gloomy most of the time, I convinced him to take a tour around the world as he always dreamt, other than living a life of boredom and loneliness. I managed to persuade him by stealing his garden gnome and having an air-hostess friend send pictures of it from all over the world.

This is how I live. The world is different through my eyes. Everything is magically entertaining to me as I habitually retreat to my imagination. I have met an interesting person, whom I found collecting photos from a coin-operated photo booth in the train station. I fell in love with Nino Quincampoix from the moment I laid my eyes on him. I very much enjoyed inventing games for him to draw his attention towards me. I did not have the courage to meet him face to face, so I began tracing his footsteps every where he went. It was a match made in heaven, ever since he dropped his photo album in the street. The wide collection of people’s pictures showed how he loved details the same as I do. The more I knew things about him; I knew how he longs for someone to be by his side as well. I was never brave enough to tell him how I feel, until my neighbor and friend, Mr. Dufayel, gave me an insight that I should overcome my shyness and build our relationship once and for all. It was, indeed, the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. I have never been happier than I am right now.

I pray for all girls to feel the same way I do. I hope they find the right persons, whom would win their hearts with dignity and respect. I wish for girls to know how precious they are. Despite being hurt, I believe they can love again. I believe in their right to earn a great companion. They should know what exactly they want in a person and seek it. They should work on themselves and throw away all the jealousy and sadness within their souls. In order to retrieve love into their lives, they have to truly be passionate about it. They have to believe it’s going to come to them sooner or later. They should know the one who deserves them is out there. No matter how late he is, no matter how far he went, no matter where he goes on with his life… he’s the one and he’s your sole mate. He will be your shelter from harm, your shining armour, the shoulder your will lean on… he’s your true sense of safety. At the end of the day, you are the one who completes him. Sometimes, you have to be the one who gives more in order to gain more. With your cunning wittiness, you can have more than you can ever dream of. With your kindness and purity, you can be a queen to your man’s heart. If only you try a little tenderness, your man can only aim for your satisfaction. If only you give him peace of mind, he will cherish you from this day forward. Believe it or not, men enjoy seeing you all warm and charming. They long for the kindness they never find in real life, they love the exact things women wish for. Look for the tiny details that made you both together; enjoy the things you have in common. Talk to each other… Yes, please do! Try building a long lasting bridge that only has two ends to both your hearts, so that you live happily ever after like me. Remind yourselves that passion still exists, and let it live long!

Sincerely,

Amélie

.. N.O.H.A ..
Beyond Magazine
April 2010 Issue

Normality vs. What ??

Why is it so hard to feel whole?! .. I always wonder about that .. For me, the biggest struggle ever is to feel content about my life .. Satisfaction is a long-life goal that's very hard to achieve .. It's so easy to tell someone what to do, although you've never tried to be in his/her shoes .. It definitely hurts when you hear someone is totally inconsiderate to what you have to say .. That's why I truly believe that not all of us can handle a crisis when it happens .. No one is actually capable of helping others 100 % .. I'm not saying they're not trying either; I just think that not everyone is experienced enough for such matter ..

At some points in my life, I feel like I'm an ill person who only relates to the people who suffer as much as I do .. It's like I've never taught to be living healthy .. Some call it the lack of enjoying the moment and some think I just love being a victim .. But, what they really can't grasp is that you get used to such feeling of incompleteness .. It becomes the only familiar feeling you've ever experienced .. It's like everything is upside down and totally feels right at the same time ..

Normality is really a relative term for people like me ... I actually can not define the word .. It was never in my dictionary .. And please don't think I'm saying this because I'm some kind of a super hero; No, I'm not! .. I'm nothing but a hard worker who's not particularly good at something .. Some think I'm a Nerd or something, but I'm actually not at all .. I neither read that much, nor I'm a scientist .. I'm just a woman who listens to what her instinct has to say .. I totally go with what I feel .. If I don't know how to do something, I declare it out loud .. I admit I don't hold the best degrees in the country, but I'm a fast learner, specially if I'm interested .. That's just who I am; I love to be passionate about something!

I live in a state of ups and downs .. My world isn't like anyone else I've known .. I certainly relate to some friends, but no one is really around .. I confess I've pushed so many people away .. That's only 'cause I hate feeling sorry for myself and that's what they give me the most .. I constantly hear the words of, "Ma3lesh .. Be patient .. Pull yourself together .. Stop complaining .. Just move on .. Everybody have problems... etc." .. I hear them when they simply feel they can't offer much .. I'm not trying to be arrogant here .. I'm just saying that I really appreciate the gestures and everything, but please be yourselves people .. You're not obliged to be comforting when you don't know how .. When I need the help, I'll ask for it .. A lot of people just look for someone to listen .. If you think you'll absorb the energy, then sincerely apologize that you can't listen and don't walk away .. No one hates anything in the world more than feeling neglected and totally ignored for the sake of having some dark moments .. Try sharing things more often, you'll be surprised of the outcome .. However, don't come direct about it .. Don't ask someone by saying, "How are you feeling now? .. Or, Are you better?" because, mainly, they are not .. At least, choose the ones who would expect such questions ..

I guess what I'm trying to say is, please try to be a little bit considerate when you approach someone for emotional help .. As much confusing as it is, be supportive by any means and remember that every single word that you utter from your mouth counts .. It really does .. Even if you think it's nothing .. Believe it or not, we're all sensitive in our own ways .. it's just a matter of how high and how low ..

Cheers ...

.. N.O.H.A ..

Verbal Thoughts of My Mind

I love it when the night is so quiet .. I love the smell of breeze .. I love watching the skies whenever there's a full moon .. I love the reflections of light on the streets .. I loves the craving of the dark asphalt .. I love dark colors, they ease my eyes .. I love the drops of water when they drip and I love its sound ..

I wish for freedom .. I wish to run on a beach once again .. I wish to regain how it feels to be safe .. I wish for romantic moments to be constant .. I wish to make sense .. I wish for a rapid flow of ideas .. I wish I can give more than I take .. I wish for pretty things .. Things like warmth, harmony, euphoria, coziness ..

I have what it takes .. I believe I do .. I know it's not my time yet, but I'm sure I deserve it .. That's why I write .. I'm just writing to get it out .. I'm just writing to feel again .. I miss the good people in my life .. I don't care to sound desperate as well .. I just wish I can open my mind for you to actually let you visualize everything I'm thinking of .. I love wondering .. That is what's on my mind at the moment ..

What about you?

.. N.O.H.A ..