Mariam Abidat
The Mysterious Box
In
the dim light of the first dawn, when the sky wore the ashes of night
interwoven with faint streaks of light, a mysterious man made his way through
the scattered rocks of a forgotten valley. No one knew where he came from, and
no one dared to ask where he was going. His face was a blend of the silence of
years and the enigma of secrets. His right hand held a wooden staff, while his
left clutched a small, tightly sealed box against his chest.
The
villagers spoke of his arrival in hushed tones, as if afraid he might overhear.
But the man neither stopped to greet anyone nor cast a glance in their
direction. He walked straight to the edge of the village, where its boundaries
met a dense, dark forest—a place said to be home to the lost and to those who
never wished to return.
At
the forest's edge, he paused. He placed the box on the ground and pulled a
small key from the pocket of his coat. Slowly, he opened the box, though no one
dared to come closer to see what lay within. After a few moments, he shut it
again and stood staring at the forest, as though searching for something
invisible to all but him.
With
the rising sun, he returned to the village, but this time, he no longer carried
the box. Instead, he began wandering from house to house, entering without
permission, gazing at the faces with strange eyes, and leaving without uttering
a word. His presence stirred a mix of fear and curiosity in the hearts of the
villagers, as though his arrival carried a hidden message understood only by
those who listened with their hearts.
As
days passed, the villagers began to notice something peculiar: anyone who came
near him or met his gaze underwent a profound change. Some began to see
paintings in the shadows of dusk, unnoticed before, while others heard whispers
in the stillness of night that had previously gone unperceived. No one knew
what the man had done or what he had carried inside that mysterious box.
One morning, the man left the village as quietly as he had arrived, without farewell or trace. Yet, the mystery he left behind lingered. No one saw the world the same way again. Something had changed—something intangible and inexplicable, igniting a spark in every soul, compelling them to seek meaning in the simplest yet most enigmatic of things.
Mariam Abidat
Mariam Abidat is a Moroccan-British writer and editor born in London in 2003. She is the Publishing Director of Barcelona Literary Magazine and a Board Member of the World Writers’ Union.
Her works include Kharbashat (2023), Shunning and Separation (2024), Ezzouf and Separation (2024), Your Last Melody (2024), and The Sacrificial Offerings (2024).
Her
upcoming short story collection, The Black Veil, continues her exploration of
identity, connection, and the complexities of human experience.
Mariam ABIDAT | Morocco
