-Haleema's grandma said "As for your father 's news, you will just have to wait until he's here on leave ".
-The visitor said, "Yes , what news! Great news,Haleema".
-He heard Haleema saying , "The Swing has slowed down, sway me now ".
He came out of the tree 's shadow with a wet face.
-Haleema asked him, "Have your eyes turned red ? ".
-"No, this happens to those who swim", he replied .
-Haleema said,"No, Dad's eyes never turned red".
The visitor put his hands on the two ends of the swing seat and pushed it up.
He couldn't see her in the sun and when the swing came down he embraced it, stopping it -"How are you feeling now,Haleema ?"
He asked her
-"Why did you stop it ? It was an excellent push. No one ever swayed me like that before " , she said.
-She disappeared again in the sun, her head lying on her stretched arm. her face straight and her eyes closed. She said "I can see my dad. Here he is, swinging me in his lap. But he's not talking, like a mute. He shaved his hair just like you, and as if I were stranger to him, he didn't recognize me nor did he talk to me ".
Then she opened her eyes and said "Where did he go ? He was right here with me, swaying
-"He vanishes. Every time you open your eyes, he vanished ", the visitor replied.
-The girl asked again, "Where did he disappear to
-"Let us look for him, Haleema. Has he climbed the palm tree ? Will, I guess not, or else we would have seen him. Has he dived into the water ? No, had he stayed long underwater, he would have drowned. Oh! Well do you know where he went ? He's in that bag ..... Do you see it, Haleema ?".
-"Which bag ?"
The girl asked .
Continued.....🌸🕊
YOU ARE READING
The Swing
Short StoryWhen you lose someone you love you will believe anything until it turns into somoke. This story wrote in 1965 after the summer 1967 war . Writer: M.Khudhair. Wrote in 1967.
