Dear Readers...
This novel is not for fragile hearts.
It tells a pain that can only be shared with those who dare to listen.
Disclaimer: What you are about to read may awaken painful questions
and reveal shadows we often choose to ignore.
In one of the villages on the outskirts of the town of Afrin,
there lived a humble family, warm despite their simplicity.
Among them was a girl named Hevin.
She lived an ordinary life....cheerful and curious...
unaware that curiosity, at times,
does not open the doors of knowledge…
but the gates of hell,
igniting fires that burn whatever remains of life's innocence.
In her village, there were caves carved into the mountains
with a precision that left scientists unable to explain their engravings
or the method by which they were carved,
as if they were not made by human hands.
She did not know that entering those caves
would change the course of her life forever.
She used to enter the caves and play there with her friends,
until the day she reached adulthood.
Her games around the village gradually faded,
as if something unseen had begun, quietly,
to pull her away from childhood.
Days later,
she was in the kitchen preparing coffee for her family,
singing softly and spinning lightly around herself.
Suddenly,
she caught sight of a man's shadow passing by.
She lifted her head toward the door…
it was closed.
She convinced herself it was only an illusion.
She sat with her family,
laughed,
and waited until bedtime came.
There…
she found herself in a dark place.
A sorrowful young man sat beneath a tree,
murmuring strange, unintelligible words.
She approached him slowly, step by step.
He lifted his head.
His features were hidden,
except for the pupils of his eyes…
they burned red,
like the blaze of an enraged fire....
a fire that promised no warmth,
only danger.
She was terrified.
She turned and began to run,
running without looking back,
trying to scream, to call for help,
but her voice betrayed her,
as if something lodged in her throat
was preventing her from speaking.
She kept running
until she stumbled and fell.
He drew closer.
Her eyes widened in terror,
and she began to crawl backward,
crying silently,
clinging to one last hope
that someone... anyone
would come
to save her.
The next morning,
she was humming her favorite songs while cleaning the house,
trying to chase away the remnants of the nightmare from her mind.
When she finished,
she went in to take a shower.
She turned on the water tap…
and steam poured out with an unusual intensity.
Suddenly,
a scream erupted.
She did not know where it came from..
it was sharp,
agonizing,
as if someone were burning alive.
She froze in place.
Then fear seized her…
and she fled in shock.
There was no one there.
So was she imagining it?
Or had something
begun to seep into her reality?
She rushed to call her mother:
"Mom… I heard a scream. Is something wrong?"
Her mother looked at her calmly and said:
"No, you must be imagining things."
Hevin frowned.
Am I really imagining it? What's wrong with me?
Her heart told her that something was not right....
a hidden danger,
a heavy feeling creeping into her chest…
yet she did not know what it was.
She sat in the living room scrolling through her phone,
laughing and joking with her friends.
Most of their conversation revolved around the boy of their dreams...
his looks, his character,
and those details spoken lightly, with laughter.
She agreed with one of her friends, Katy,
to meet on Monday.
Everything seemed normal.
She slept like an innocent child,
without nightmares,
and without dreams.
Monday 2:00 p.m.
"Mom, I'm heading out… do you need anything while I'm gone?"
"No, take good care of yourself, and don't be late."
She smiled and blew her a kiss through the air.
"I love you, Mom."
Katy greeted her warmly,
with a long, comforting hug.
They sat talking and sipping coffee,
and Hevin was happy.
The first days of adolescence…
conversations that may seem silly once we grow older and understand more,
yet they are moments
the mind stores as unforgettable keepsakes.
Hevin cast Katy a mischievous look,
as if trying to coax a confession out of her.
She smiled and said:
"Aren't you going to tell your friend what's going on?"
"What's going on? What do you mean?"
Katy asked in surprise.
"Hmmm…
Didn't you get what I meant?
Or are you avoiding the answer?"
"I don't understand....what do you mean?"
Katy said with a slight frown.
"I mean… love.
You've been different lately.
Sometimes you talk to me as if you're floating with happiness,
and other times
I feel like you're on the verge of tears."
Katy smiled with shy sadness.
"Yes… I'm in love,
but it's one-sided.
I don't know why he doesn't notice me…
Am I ugly?"
"Nooo!
Who said that?
You're the most beautiful girl in the village…"
She laughed and added,
"After me, of course!"
Katy smiled...
a smile that never reached her eyes.
In a low voice, she said:
"When he comes back from work,
I dress up, wear perfume,
and wait outside…
hoping he'll notice me.
But he looks at me
without saying a word,
then continues on his way home."
She fell silent for a moment, then added:
"I went to his house,
I grew close to his sister,
yet he doesn't care about my presence,
as if I were an unwanted guest
in a place that doesn't want me."
Hevin looked at her, puzzled, and asked:
"Have you tried telling him?
Or at least hinting at it?"
Katy shook her head.
"I don't know what to do…
If I'm not ugly,
then what's wrong with him?"
She smiled bitterly and said:
"If he were a wall…
I would have torn it down.
But he's more silent than walls."
Hevin held Katy's head
and gently rested it on her shoulder,
then softly patted her back with tenderness.
"Let's think about it calmly
and find a solution.
Whether he likes you or not,
don't worry…
leave it to me.
I'll come up with some kind of plan."