Written by: Abdo Ali Al-Fahd

A mysterious person swimming in the river While inspecting her apartment, she said in a dialogue with herself: The beautiful thing about this apartment is this balcony. It is wonderful and the breeze is saturated with water vapor. I will sit on this bench and enjoy looking at the river. How beautiful it is. The blue of the water reflects the color of the sky. Some small fish and flocks of ducks float on its surface. It is ten o'clock in the morning now. The children are in their schools and the workers are at work. No one, and that is why the river is calm, except for this person standing on the edge of the river. He takes off his clothes and starts swimming. Where did he come from? I wonder which way is he coming? I will wait and watch on his own. This is strange, he is crossing the river back and forth without stopping. There he is, diving deep into the river. What is happening? Five minutes have passed and he hasn't appeared. Ten minutes, twenty. Where did he go? Did he drown? Should I scream, but to whom? Oh my God, where did his clothes disappear to? There's no sign of them where he took them off. He looks exactly like my husband Murad, but what would bring Murad at a time like this at work, when he only comes on weekends because of the long distance and the traffic jams, and he doesn't have a car? I've gotten myself into things that don't concern me. It's better to go in and forget what happened. I'll call Murad and tell him what happened in the river. No, no, he'll say, "Never mind." I'll wander around the apartment and make some arrangements: This kitchen is much better than before; wide, clean drawers and shelves that hold all the cooking utensils. And ventilation to extract cooking smells outside, that's good. Also, this living room is spacious, with comfortable sofas, a TV, and a refrigerator. It's wonderful. There are three rooms in addition to two bathrooms, unlike what we had in the previous cramped apartment. I mean, when we think about having children, there's no problem, we have plenty of room. I'll go back to the balcony, maybe the rescue teams have arrived, to get the drowning man out. What do I see, he's swimming and heading towards his clothes, there they are in place, it's him and not someone else, has he been underwater this whole time? Unbelievable! He started putting on his clothes, he doesn't have any belongings, he's walking towards the concrete barrier, how will he climb it and there are no stairs or ladders, what happened? He entered the wall and disappeared, I'll rub my eyes with my hand to see well, there's no trace of the person, how did he enter this concrete? There's no opening in it and above it are tall buildings, maybe there's a door or a tunnel, I'll go tomorrow to see. I'll sit and watch the match, the start time of the qualifiers is approaching, the bell rang, hello, did you bring the cheese besides the milk?

• Yes, but the price will be higher.
• No problem, take it.
• Wait?
• What is your name?.
• Paradise, and they call me Dossi, and what is your name, my lady?
• Ferial: Tell me, Dossi, does anyone swim in this river?
• No, madam. The government has banned swimming in it for a reason I don't know. If anyone happens to swim in it, they will be punished with imprisonment and a fine. Don't even think about swimming in it.
• may safety accompany you, go. This is how Feryal began her life in the new apartment after leaving the old one, because of that black cat that used to appear in the kitchen from time to time with its frightening appearance, especially at night. Feryal would tightly close the kitchen and windows and not leave any hole so that the cat would not enter, but to no avail. As soon as she opened the kitchen door, she would see this cat inside the kitchen, and it would rush out of the door, causing her fear and anxiety. So Murad began searching for an apartment for her, and after effort and trouble, he found this apartment in a beautiful location, on a river and on the second floor. However, it was very far from his workplace, about forty kilometers away. So Murad would come home on Thursday afternoon and leave on Saturday morning. Feryal's imagination began to wander with whoever was swimming in the river. Several questions ran through her head for which she found no answers. She woke up in the morning, went down to the market, and brought the kitchen necessities. The time approached nine thirty. She left the apartment. On the stairs, she encountered Dosi coming with milk, so she returned with her to the apartment and let her in. Dosi was in a hurry to distribute the rest of the milk to the other apartments. Feryal insisted that she wait until she prepared a cup of tea for her. She brought the tea, opened the balcony, and said, "Please, Dosi, let's drink tea on the balcony and enjoy the view of the river!" Dosi agreed, sat next to her, and began to sip her cup of tea. Feryal said, "Look, Dosi, the calmness of the river" (Feryal had seen the person after he took off his clothes and started swimming in the river). She said, "Didn't you tell me, Dosi, that swimming in this part of the river is forbidden by the government?" She said, "Yes, it's forbidden, and no one swims here." Feryal was surprised and said, "Then what is that you see now on the river?" She said, "Those are ducks and some birds that always float. Excuse me, Madam, thank you for the tea, see you later." "Wait! We'll go out together." Feryal went out, and at the building door, Dosi parted from her and entered the neighboring building, while Feryal headed to the nearby riverbank to see the place where the person had entered after getting out of the river. She arrived and stood straight, holding onto the corniche railings overlooking the river. She saw the person still swimming and looked at the place where he had entered, and found it to be concrete, cement, solid, smooth, with no opening. She turned to a street vendor and bought some chewing gum, which she began to chew while standing in the same spot. The swimmer came out of the water, put on his clothes, and then walked away in a hurry. But he did not come to the same place; rather, he went to the concrete foundation of the building where Feryal lived and entered the wall. Feryal realized that what she was seeing was not human and decided to take more caution. Upon her return, she bought a lock, locked the balcony door, and put reflective tape on the window glass so she wouldn't see the river. She made a phone call to Murad, who told her he was fine and would come the next day, Thursday. In the evening, she felt tension and anxiety. She flipped through the TV channels and tried to solve some puzzles in a magazine, but to no avail. Obsessions took over her; who is this swimmer? The one in the blue suit, white shirt, and red tie? This suit is the same suit that my husband Murad wears

Feryal seeks help from her neighbor, Jihan. Feryal remembered her neighbor Jihan, who lived with her daughters in the adjacent apartment, while her husband had emigrated for work. So she called her and asked her to come with her daughters for dinner. Jihan accepted the invitation and came with her daughters quickly. Feryal felt safe when they arrived. She went to the kitchen with Jihan, while the girls stayed to watch a series. While cooking, Feryal and Jihan talked, and Feryal told her about her worries because of what she saw on the river: a mysterious person swimming and then disappearing into the concrete foundation of the building where she lived, and what she had suffered in the previous apartment from the repeated appearances of the black cat. Jihan told her that this location on the river was related to what happened to the soldiers of Pharaoh and Haman when they drowned while pursuing the Prophet Moses and his people. And that there were stories passed down through generations stating that the evil spirit of Pharaoh delves into the depths of the river, searching for his soldiers, and that he appears only to those who see him. Some say that Prophet Joseph, peace be upon him, was buried at the bottom of the river, and that the spirits of his brothers hover in the river, searching for him to ask for forgiveness for the crime they committed by throwing him into the well when he was a child, and God knows best. Feryal heard what Jihan said, and the cooking utensils slipped from her hand, for she had found the answer to her question. Feryal was certain that what she saw swimming in the river was not human, and she decided to take more caution. So she asked Jihan to tell her when she saw him so that she could come and see him swimming. After dinner, bedtime approached, so Feryal asked Jihan to spend the night with her or have one of her daughters stay to ease her loneliness. Jihan stayed beside Feryal and told her stories and tales of jinn and عاشق الجن (loving jinn), and how those afflicted are destined for the worst end: possession, madness, and physical ailments. Feryal's tension increased, and she was on the verge of madness. After breakfast, and as ten o'clock approached, Jihan asked Feryal to open the balcony, as she longed to see the Pharaonic spirit. Jihan sat staring, waiting for the swimmer to appear, but she did not see him. Feryal called Jihan and asked her to come and see if he was on the river. Jihan came and said, "There he is, near the boat. He dived under the boat. Don't you see him?" Jihan said, "No, I didn't see him." Feryal's certainty increased that what she saw swimming in the river was not human, and she decided to take more caution. Jihan left and brought her three daughters to see the river, without telling them about the swimmer.

• They said, "The river is beautiful, with the boat and ducks on it, and the catfish. If swimming were allowed, we would go down and dive in it." Feryal and Jihan exchanged glances, thinking it best not to tell the girls. Jihan said, "What you are seeing, Feryal, swimming in the river, is just a ghost. It appears only to you, without anyone else seeing it but you!" Then Jihan and her daughters left. At noon, Murad came as usual and spent two of the most beautiful nights with Feryal. She didn't tell him what had happened, as she feared he would accuse her of madness, so she preferred to keep it to herself. Murad continued his work as a welding technician, with an income that sufficed him, and he saved part of it. Feryal ignored the existence of the balcony; it no longer mattered to her after she had locked it. In fact, she ignored the existence of the river entirely. One day, Jihan came to her and asked her to open the balcony, but Feryal said, "Its key is lost, and we no longer need it." So she asked her, "Do you still see that person in the river?" Feryal replied, "That no longer concerns me, and I have completely stopped looking at the river." Jihan said, "The girls have already gone up to the roof of the building, so I came to take you so we can go up and watch the competition." "What competition, Jihan?" "The boat racing competition; it will start at ten in the river." Jihan convinced her to go up, and she went up with her. Most of the women in the building had already gone up to the roof. The race events began with the presence of yellow signal boats on both sides of the river. Feryal deliberately stayed on the other side of the building's roof so as not to look at the river except when the race boats passed. When she heard the clapping and shouting, she looked out over the river, and the athletes on the boats were in a race against time, each trying to outpace the others to win first place. Feryal began to enjoy herself and interact. The boats approached the position where the person would take off his clothes and enter the river. Suddenly, Feryal spotted this person in the same place, wearing the same clothes, having taken them off hastily, and entering the river to swim parallel to the boats. Feryal wished that one of the boats would hit him. She focused her gaze on him. Jihan looked for Feryal, came and stood beside her, and whispered in her ear, "Has that person appeared?" Feryal said, "Yes, look, he's between the two leading boats! Oh my God! The boat passed over his body, and he wasn't affected!" Jihan said, "I didn't see him at all!" Feryal took out a digital video camera and started filming the race, aiming the camera at the spot where the person swimming in the river was. She set the camera to the highest zoom level. The contestants disappeared from sight, so Feryal hurried back to the apartment and reviewed what she had filmed. She found no trace of this person in the footage, despite the clarity of the recording, so she ignored the matter and paid it no attention. Feryal felt bored and empty, so she suggested to Murad that he allow her to go down and look for work. After some effort, he reluctantly agreed, as she didn't need to work since everything was provided for her. Feryal went around to the shops and found work in a sewing shop. She worked for several days and then quit after noticing some of the young male customers engaging in indecent behavior

Mysterious woman in the women's bathroom

Emptiness and boredom returned to Feryal, so she looked for work again and found a job with a virtuous woman in women's hot baths near the building where her apartment was located. The work was divided into two shifts: the first started from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon, and the second started from five in the evening to nine at night. Feryal's evening shift was limited to sitting on a chair with a drawer in front of her at the entrance of the baths. She would collect fees, record accounts, and monitor the women entering and leaving. Another cleaner was responsible for cleaning and sweeping the baths. It was comfortable work with no hardship. Feryal felt happy, and her body regained its vitality and energy after mingling with women, young and old, of different ages. They exchanged smiles and shared laughter; most of the women who frequented the baths were enthusiastic and cheerful. In the second week of work, specifically on a Monday, the time approached nine in the evening, nearing the closing time of the establishment. She called the cleaner, who swept and mopped, and then stood at the door of the baths, waiting for Feryal to close the cash drawer. After Feryal came out, the cleaner would lock the door. During this time, Feryal noticed a woman in the bath hall wearing blue clothes. The woman took off her clothes and then entered to bathe. Feryal called out to her, saying, "Madam, bathe quickly, we are closing the establishment." Then she called the cleaner, "Why did you let her in?" The cleaner did not answer, perhaps she didn't hear as she was on the doorstep outside. The woman came out of the bath, put on her clothes in full view of Feryal, and then walked towards the wall, not towards the door. Feryal thought she had forgotten some of her belongings in the bath, so she waited for her to return, but she didn't! Feryal called out repeatedly, but no one answered her. She ordered the cleaner to go into the baths to bring her out. The cleaner went in and searched all parts of the baths but found no one. Feryal closed the drawer and went inside. She searched the baths carefully but found no one. She was surprised! Then she closed the baths, handed over the earnings, and returned to her apartment. She spent her night worried and distressed, as she had not noticed the woman entering or leaving, but had only seen her while she was taking off and putting on her clothes. Feryal talked to herself, saying, "A mysterious person swims in the river, and a mysterious woman bathes in the women's baths! This is mystery itself." She kept the matter to herself and tried to suppress it even from her own thoughts. She continued her work, cheerful and happy, and one night, before she was about to close the establishment, she saw that same woman taking off her clothes and entering the bath. She said to herself, "It's the same moment, the same time, the same day, Monday, and the same blue clothes." So she waited for the moment the woman would put on her clothes and approached her. She saw in her what was not present in other women: an unusual length in her fingers and forearms, extreme thinness in her legs, and a concavity and blueness in her eyes as if they were the bottom of the sky. The woman continued to put on her clothes as if she didn't see her or feel her presence, finished, and walked towards the wall, entering it and disappearing. Feryal felt intense terror and stood frozen like a piece of wood. The cleaner called out to her, "Madam, why are you standing? What are you looking for?" She didn't answer, so the cleaner approached her and touched her, and Feryal startled as if she had woken up from a dream

• What is with you?.
• Nothing, I felt a dizziness in my head, and it's gone now. I'm fine." She kept the matter to herself and didn't tell the cleaner. She closed the shop, handed over the earnings, and returned to her apartment. Alone with her thoughts, she said, "What is this affliction? In my old apartment, a mysterious black cat appears and disappears! And in my new apartment, from its overlooking balcony, I see a mysterious person swimming in the river and then disappearing into the building's concrete! And this! A mysterious woman appears, bathes in the women's baths, and then disappears into the wall!" "I will call Jihan and tell her what I saw!" But before she pressed the phone button, she hesitated, then lay down on the bed and made a plan for the next time. She wrote down the names of the women who entered the bath, and when someone left, she marked "exit" next to their name. At the same time, this woman appeared. Feryal looked at the record and found that all the women who had entered had been marked as having left, and no one remained inside the baths. So she called the cleaner, "Is anyone still inside the baths?" The cleaner replied, "No one is there." Feryal was looking at the mirror, while the cleaner couldn't see the woman. Feryal knew that this woman was not human, that she appeared only to her, and that she was connected to the mysterious person swimming in the river. She decided not to confront her or talk about her. Feryal seeks help from an old woman to interpret the mystery. On her way back, she passed by an old woman, over a hundred years old, whom she usually passed on her way to and from work, checking on her needs to earn reward and merit. She asked her to accompany her to the apartment to keep her company and dispel her loneliness. The old woman didn't mind and went with her. Feryal honored her and seated her on the sofa, listening attentively to what had happened and was happening in the alleys, streets, neighborhoods, and shops. Then the old woman said, "And you, my daughter, where do you work?" Feryal told her that she worked in the baths next to her shop. The old woman said, "Know, my daughter Feryal, that there is a virtuous woman who appears in the baths, and she appears only to the righteous. Whoever sees her will be blessed until the Day of Judgment. And whoever sees her and doesn't keep it a secret, the angel of the baths will have her removed from her job so that the reputation of the baths is not tarnished, and people will stop frequenting them." It is said in the stories passed down through generations that the spirit of Asiya (Pharaoh's wife) comes every Monday to wash away Pharaoh's sin in those baths. And that Asiya stood upright in the same place where the baths were built, defending Moses and his people, sheltering Pharaoh and his soldiers, and saying, "Moses and his people did not pass this way" (wanting to drive Pharaoh's soldiers away from harming Moses and his people). Feryal felt some reassurance after hearing this conversation. Feryal continued to work, and she would not close the shop on Mondays until she saw that woman leave the bath through the wall. The income of the baths doubled after the number of female patrons doubled, so Feryal's salary doubled. She bought a car and offered Murad to use it for his commute due to the length of his journey, but he refused and bought his own car. Their financial situation improved, and they consulted each other, finally agreeing that the time for having children had come. The mysterious woman gives Feryal a golden comb. In one of the shifts, while Feryal was preparing to close the baths after seeing the woman get dressed and look at her, the woman motioned for Feryal to come to her. Feryal got up from the stairs and approached her, feeling very scared, and stopped a few steps away. The woman said, "Please." She extended her hand to Feryal, holding a hair comb, and said, "Take this comb, keep it. If you ever fall into distress or hardship, all you have to do is comb your hair with it, and your distress will be relieved, your hardship will vanish, and your sorrow will be dispelled. And be careful not to let it fall into the hands of anyone else." Feryal took the comb and put it in her bag, then raised her head but didn't find the woman in front of her. She kept her secret and returned to her apartment. She looked at the comb and found it to be a small golden comb with only five teeth, curved like a dagger and yellow in color. She hid it among her clothes at the bottom of the closet. In the morning, she opened the closet. "Oh my God, what do I see!" All her clothes had turned blue except for one shoe, even her shoulder bag and handkerchiefs. She put on one of the dresses and went to work, looking extremely beautiful and radiant. The women showered her with questions: "How much did it cost? Where did you get it? Show us the address!" Feryal was confused and searched for an answer, saying, "It's a gift brought by a friend from a foreign country." At the end of the shift, the woman appeared in the bath and looked at Feryal, smiling. What Feryal was wearing was an exact replica of the woman's dress.

Ferial dances with the mysterious person at a wedding

The cleaner came with an invitation in her hand and gave it to Feryal. She read it and found it was an invitation from the shop owner, inviting Feryal to attend the engagement party of her daughter Ritaj to the businessman Burhan, at ten o'clock on Monday evening in the grandest wedding hall. The woman was still standing in the courtyard of the baths and motioned with her hand to Feryal not to accept the invitation, then disappeared. Feryal understood the signal, but she resolved in her heart to go and disobey. She bought an expensive gift, and upon arriving, most of the guests had already preceded her. The hall was almost full, and the decorative lights were flashing. As she entered, the lights brightened and focused on Feryal, to her right and left, and the eyes of the attendees stared at her, so she appeared unique, distinctive, and strange. Silence fell over the hall as she approached the bride and groom, wearing her intensely shiny blue dress. She warmly kissed Ritaj and handed her a carefully chosen gift, favored Burhan with a faint smile, then turned and sat on one of the chairs, and the hall erupted in applause. The attendees drank their beverages, the music started, and the guests began to flock to the dance floor. Feryal found herself alone at the table, as she had come to the celebration by herself, without her lover like the others. She felt some embarrassment from the gazes of some people, and then she noticed a man entering the hall alone at the entrance and approaching. Oh my God! It's the mysterious person who swims in the river. No, it can't be him. Thoughts raced through Feryal's mind. He approached, shook hands with the bride and groom, presented two gifts and two bouquets of roses, then returned and sat at the same table opposite Feryal. Feryal looked at him in astonishment; he was wearing the same blue suit and red tie. The color of what he was wearing was the same color as what she was wearing! The attendees will think he is my lover; I am really in an embarrassing situation. Ritaj's mother came with two glasses of drink. She said, "Finally, your lover has arrived, Feryal!" Feryal was speechless. He stood up, gestured with his hand towards the hall, and said, "May I, Feryal?" Without feeling, she stood up, and he took her hand and put his other arm around her shoulder, and they reached the hall. They began to dance, and everyone looked at them in admiration. She rested her head on his shoulder to hide her face from the gazes of others. He whispered in her ear, "Why are you alone? Where is your lover?" She replied, "My husband is at work and didn't receive an invitation, and where is your lover?" He said, "I don't have a specific lover; all women adore me." She felt that his body was hollow; there was no pulse in him, and he had no weight to speak of; he stepped on her foot, and she only felt his foot as if it were a leaf falling from a tree. The dancing and noise intensified, so she withdrew from his arms and sat at the table. He stood in the middle of the party and took out three bundles of money from his pocket, scattering them over the heads of the attendees, who rushed to pick them up, shouting, "Thank you, Pasha." He returned and sat at the table in front of her, saying, "Take this bundle for yourself, because you didn't pick up what fell around you." "Thank you, I don't need it." She got up and left the party before it ended. Ritaj's mother followed her to the end of the corridor. "Why are you leaving the party? Did anyone upset you?" Feryal said, "Yes, I was bothered by the behavior of the man with the bundles of money.

• Isn't he your husband, Ferial?
• No, I only met him this evening, and I don't know him either, and I didn't send him an invitation. Perhaps Burhan invited him; I will ask him about it." Ritaj's mother returned to the party, and I drove my car towards my apartment. The phone rang; it was Ritaj's mother
• Yes.
• I returned but didn't find that man at the table or among the attendees. I asked Burhan if he knew him. He said no, and he wasn't among the invited guests. I was surprised and continued walking. It was midnight. I took a right turn towards the street where my building was located. Suddenly, from the shadow of the light, that same person appeared, crossing the road quickly. I stepped on the brake pedal to no avail and ran him over, not stopping until after several meters. I parked the car on the sidewalk, got out terrified, and headed towards the accident site to see what had happened to him (a car had parked directly behind me, and its driver got out). He said angrily, "Why did you suddenly stop in the middle of the road? You almost caused an accident!" I said, "Did you hit him too? Where is he?" I walked to the road and searched for the person but found no trace of him. The driver followed me and said, "What are you looking for?" I said, "A person I hit in this place, wearing a blue suit." He looked at me... then took out his phone and called the police... He said, "Hanaa, a car driven by a woman is stopped at the intersection. She claims she hit someone, but we didn't see anyone on the street. She's alone and seems to have lost her mind..." I shouted at him, "What have you done?" He replied, "I did what I had to do, and the rest is up to them... Don't leave the place, they have your number..." Then he left... and I remained confused... I remembered the comb... I quickly got back into the car and headed to the apartment, parked the car in the garage, and went up. In the middle of the stairs, I heard the sound of a police car siren... I went in and opened the closet, quickly took the comb, and combed my hair, and one of the comb's teeth broke. The doorbell rang. I opened it, and there was a policeman standing with my bag in his hands. He said, "Here you go, this bag fell from your car while you were passing through the intersection. We received a report of an accident, and it turned out to be your bag that fell on the road, and we didn't find anyone injured." I took the bag, stiff and unable to utter a word, and just nodded my head in thanks. What had just happened to me? I sat on the sofa, exhausted and lost in thought, with the comb in my hand. I got up and put it back in its place in the closet among the clothes. It was the one who got me out of my predicament. Then I went down to the garage to check the car and found the bag inside it. What is this? Can what's happening be real? Maybe they brought me a bag that wasn't mine. The mysterious swimmer shares Feryal's bed. I took the bag, locked the car, and went up the first flight of stairs. The phone rang. It was Murad. He asked me, "Have you returned from the party?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Thank God, good night."
• And you are among the people of goodness." I opened the apartment door and saw Murad sitting on the sofa in the living room. I felt dizzy and fell to the ground unconscious. With the dawn prayer call, I woke up and found myself lying on my bed, naked. I felt as if I had returned from another world, not mine. With a slow movement, I went towards the light switch and pressed it, and the room lit up. I felt tired and heavy in my movements. I was ashamed of my state, so I approached the bed and put on my clothes that were placed on it. I called out, "Murad, are you in the bathroom?" I found the apartment door locked, and I didn't find any trace of Murad indicating his presence. I took the phone and called Murad several times, but he didn't answer. I went into the bathroom and took a shower, hoping to wake up. I regained some of my energy and looked for the other bag but couldn't find it. At eight o'clock, the phone rang. I answered, it was Murad:
• Why did you call at dawn?" I said, "I'm not talking to you, Murad! How could you come in the middle of the night and leave before dawn without waking me up to give you your breakfast? What happened to you?" He said, "Are you out of your mind? What are you saying? I didn't come to you. Are you alright?" I caught myself and said, "It was just a dream I had..." and kept the matter to myself. On Friday, we went on a trip to the pyramids at Murad's request in his car, and we took pictures in front of the statues. Murad went inside the Great Pyramid, and I stayed outside. After a few minutes, Murad came out, and I walked behind him. He passed the amusement park and approached the open area without looking back. I stopped and said, "Where are you going?" but he didn't answer. Then he suddenly vanished and disappeared. I was terrified and went back, and there was Murad standing at the entrance of the pyramid, looking around for me. I grabbed his arm and asked him to return. He dropped me off at the building door and went to visit some of his relatives

The Black Cat Returns and Uses the Comb

I entered the apartment and found the black cat sitting cross-legged on the bed. I said to myself, "Here we go again. The black cat is chasing me in my new apartment, the mysterious river swimmer is following me and sharing my bed, and the mysterious woman is with me at work. I can't take it anymore! Ghosts swimming, ghosts bathing, and a cat jumping. No, no, I must confess to Murad, even if he calls me crazy. Madness is easier for me than what I'm going through. My body has become permissible for ghosts to lie with. No, no, I won't continue. Death is easier and more comforting." I stared into the eyes of the black cat crouching on the bed and remembered the comb. I went over, opened the closet, took the comb, and combed my hair. A tooth of the comb fell to the ground after breaking. The cat hissed, stood on its feet, turned into white smoke, and quickly vanished. Three months of my pregnancy passed while I continued working. I refrained from driving my car after the imaginary collision accident. One night, I returned from work and entered the kitchen to prepare dinner. I came out of the kitchen and was surprised to find Murad sitting in the living room. The doorbell rang. I opened it, and it was Jihan asking for some sugar. I returned to the kitchen, brought sugar, gave it to her, and closed the door. I turned to the living room but didn't find Murad. I entered the bedroom and found him lying on the bed. The mobile phone rang, and Murad's name appeared on the screen. I pressed the busy button. I quickly opened the closet, took the comb, turned to him, and combed my hair. Immediately, a tooth of the comb broke, and he screamed after being struck by lightning and disappeared. I didn't return the comb to its place but put it in my bag, and the color of every dress returned to its former state. The next day, I opened the balcony and looked at the river but didn't find the person who used to swim. Feryal's delivery date approached. Her mother came and stayed with her. She gave birth to a girl and named her Asiya. After a period of time after the birth, the owner of the baths came to her and told her about some problems at work due to the presence of a girl's body in one of the bathroom stalls. She convinced her to return to work and place her daughter in a nursery. The police finished their investigations and found that the owner of the body was one of the cleaners. After the autopsy, it was found that the cause of death was electrocution from an unknown source. The mysterious woman returns the stolen comb to Feryal. The baths were reopened, and Feryal continued to work. The woman appeared in the courtyard of the baths on Monday evening and motioned for Feryal to come to her. Feryal approached her and saw the comb with broken teeth in her hand. The woman said, "How did this get to you when it was in my bag?" Feryal told her the story of the cleaner stealing the comb from her bag during her visit after the birth. The cleaner had shown it to a goldsmith and intended to sell it, so her punishment was the taking of her life and the retrieval of the comb from her. "Take it," the woman said. "From this moment on, it is yours equally with Asiya." She extended her hand, and Feryal took it, wanting to thank her, but the woman disappeared

Feryal sells the comb and buys the baths. Feryal remembered the cleaner's visit to her and how she focused her gaze on the location of her bag. On her way back, she showed the comb to a jewelry store and asked for it to be examined. The goldsmith was astonished and said, "This is unbelievable! It's pure gold and extremely valuable. It has a carving of the Sphinx on it, indicating the Pharaonic era. Where and how did you get it?" Feryal took the comb and left quickly, walking in a disguised manner for fear of being robbed. Feryal used to visit Asiya every Thursday and Friday with Murad, and after she was reassured about her, she drove her car on all her errands. When the woman appeared in the courtyard of the baths, Feryal quickly approached her and said, "Wait, please! Tell me about the story of the cat that used to bother me and the person who appeared on my bed and swam in the river?" The woman said, "The cat is that child whose life you took as soon as you gave birth to him, and you claimed he was stillborn. And the person you saw swimming and who stayed with you on the bed is the university student who was infatuated with you, and you showed him your love. But when he proposed to you, you humiliated him in your home, changed your mind, and denied all your promises. So he was shocked and saddened, and one day he threw himself into the river and committed suicide. And when you had your share of terror and showed your repentance and good intentions and kept my secret, I saved you from what you were suffering and gave you my Pharaonic comb." Feryal smiled and said, "Can I sell the comb and benefit from its price?" The woman said, "Yes, it is yours and Asiya's

• But who are you?" She disappeared without answering her. Feryal closed the bath and went to hand over the earnings, and she found the shop owner in a very bad state, overcome by tremors. The owner told Feryal of her intention to sell the shop because she needed money to travel abroad for treatment and that Feryal should look for a buyer. Feryal had felt a love and attachment to the shop and was saddened by the thought of leaving it. She said, "And how much do you want to sell it for?" The owner set a price for her. Feryal remembered the very valuable comb, so she asked Murad to accompany her, and she showed the comb to the biggest shops. Its price far exceeded the price of the baths, so she bought the baths in her name and Asiya's name. From that time on, the woman no longer appeared to her in the courtyard of the baths. Feryal lived a contented life with Asiya after the baths brought her abundant profit. She bought land and built a building and an orphanage on it, and she wished for a good ending from God

the end."