Saeed and his friend Rafiq made their way to a nearby apartment where people were crowding the door of the building, and firefighters were busy stretching hoses and shooting water in all directions. They broke through the crowd and were about to enter the building when one of the firefighters grabbed his arm and dragged him outside. "Are you crazy?" the firefighter yelled at Saeed.

"I want to know what happened. I want to see the inside of the house."

"Not now. Not now. "

It wasn't ten minutes before the firefighters completed their work, perhaps because the fire had quickly consumed everything. Saeed and his friend entered the apartment, which had turned into a black-walled cave, and their feet sank into the black mud that covered the floor. The sight was horrible, just piles of black blocks, pieces of furniture, tires on the walls, curtains, curtains, electrical appliances, all turned into a black, shapeless material, even the iron rods arched from the ceiling under the terrifying effect of the heat.

A charred corpse had grabbed the iron bars protecting the windows and was frozen in place, and other bodies were scattered here and there in various positions.

"Hey, you two. What are you doing here?" A voice came from behind. "Hey, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Us?" asked Saeed, turning toward the source of the sound. A police officer was surrounded by a group of police and firefighters."Are you the owners of the house?" "Rafiq was confused." "So what brings you here?" Asked the officer.

"Sir. Sir. This boy tried to enter the apartment during the fire but I stopped him," said a firefighter pointing at Saeed.

"Uh-huh. Let me guess, you set the apartment on fire hoping to scare the residents into fleeing so you could steal it, but look what happened, how many lives did you kill, what criminals you are! Take them while we finish the investigation here. "The officer shouted angrily.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey. We didn't do anything, we just came to see what happened. Believe me, that's what happened. I didn't start the fire. Believe me, I didn't do anything. "Rafiq shouted trying to convince everyone, but the policemen kept dragging them outside, and in a sudden move, Rafiq managed to escape the policemen's clutches and ran away with all his might.

Saeed got into the police car, which drove off immediately. Cold sweat trickled down his neck and rolled down his back, sending shivers down his spine. The blackness of the coming night began to mix with a fiery redness as the car drove through the city streets towards the police station, and Saeed felt a cold chill run through his body, while his face, covered in a layer of black ash, seemed expressionless, his eyes wandering in a world that was not there.

"Get down. We're here. " one of the policemen said to Saeed, who got down with the help of another policeman and headed to a solitary cell at the far end of the center.

"Come in. Come on. This is the place for criminals like you. "Don't worry, we'll find your friend quickly, wherever he goes, he won't get out of our hands, I promise," said the policeman as he entered a narrow room with a foul odor. "The policeman smiled and slammed the iron door so hard that it made a huge bang that echoed throughout the center.

Said stood in the center of the narrow room and looked up. There was a small window near the ceiling through which a very cold air entered, and a dim light bulb hung in front of it, swaying back and forth in the wind.

Said sat on a cold concrete block that could be called a bed, his mind unable to concentrate on anything let alone think. Glimpses of bright light came and went with incredible speed, filling the page of his brain.

"Saeed, did you like the train ride?"

"Yes, Grandpa. . I liked it very much. "

Lights would come in through the windows and disappear as quickly as the window passed under one of the lampposts along the railroad tracks in the darkness of the night.

"Then sleep now and in the morning we'll go to our house, you have to promise me that you won't cause any trouble for your grandmother or she'll send you back to your parents' house immediately and it will be the last time you come to spend your school vacation with us. Understand?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

- "Good boy, you are a good boy, tomorrow morning I will buy you the candy you asked for."

"Grandpa . . "

"Yes, my son."

- "I'm cold, Grandpa."

- "Then sleep on the bed and cover yourself with this cloak of mine."

Said stretched his body on the cold cement block and covered himself with a damp blanket, he curled up on himself to find some warmth, but the dampness of the place and its foul odor were closing in on his chest, he coughed a harsh cough and his body shook under the effect of chills. The lamp still swung back and forth like a pendulum in the cold wind.

- "Dad, I'm cold, I want to go downstairs," Masood said, tears flying from the sides of his eyes and his nose running.

- "We can't stop now, the swing has to stop on its own. "

- "I can't stand this cold, I'm freezing. . "

- "You who insisted on coming to the amusement park and riding a swing in this cold weather must now bear the consequences of your actions. "Your hair stands up like thorns," his father laughed, "I don't know if it's from the cold or from fear. "

"Dad. I'm freezing, Dad. Daddy. . "Said cries loudly. A rumbling voice comes from outside: "Stop it, kid, there are people who want to sleep in this place." The guard opens a loophole in the iron door of the cell. . So you can wake up clear-headed to investigate in the morning. . "

"I'm cold in this place, isn't there a heater or extra blankets?" said Saeed.

"I reckon you'll order a cup of Nescafe latte with a plate of biscuits too. You're in a cell, not a five-star hotel, sleep now. Sleep or I'll know how to put you to sleep. . Sleep!" the guard shouted firmly and closed the porthole.

Said put his forehead on the bed as if he was prostrating in prayer and threw the blanket on his back. Suddenly, he woke up to a great bang that filled his brain and a flash that covered the screen of his vision, the lamp was dancing in the ceiling of the room in front of his eyes and he lay on the floor without moving.

"What cursed night has brought this naughty boy to us, may God make it your last sleep. "The guard's voice came from outside the cell.

"Let's build a fire, it's cold here." Said said to his friends.

- "My friend, at night and in this deserted place, fire is a luxury we cannot afford." Rafiq said.

- "Yes, if we light a fire in this night and in this ruin, we will be caught, and you know the penalty for being caught doing what we are doing." "But it's cold, very cold," said Mutaib.

"Then take a sniff of this powder and you will feel the fire of the afterlife burning between your ribs." Rafiq said, laughing.

"And I want one too." Mutaib said.

"Shut up. You know the rule. Push and breathe. "Rafiq said firmly and laughed.

Mitareb shrank in on himself like a terrified orphan, while Massoud drew a deep breath that sent white powder into his nostrils.

- "Ahh.. Fire in my nose. . "Saeed said.

- "Wait until the fire moves to your sides." Rafiq said, laughing.

- "Look mate, just give me the night and I swear on all my faith that I will pay you." Mutaib said pleadingly.

- "I deal in cash only, I don't accept checks or installments, do you think I'm a charity? I don't care if you beg, steal or kill, the important thing is that you pay first and then you get what you want."

- "Just this once and it's the last time he believed me."

- "I don't want to repeat myself, I'm getting boring. I have obligations to fulfill, or do you think I find this tar you're eating lying in the street?"

- "Yeah, that's better. Oh, peace . . Another world with this strange powder, I mean tar, but tar is black, comrade, how can you call this thing tar when it's white? "Said said ecstatic.

- "It all kills, it's all tar, white, black, no difference. "Rafiq replied.

- "Listen, Rafiq, just give Mutaib tonight and I promise to pay you tomorrow." Said said, winking at Rafiq out of the corner of his eye.

Miteb inhaled his share and entered the world of forbidden ecstasy, turning that cold ruin on that cold night into a cave of the self, as Rafiq liked to call it.

- "Rafiq. Rafiq. "A little bit of tar, Rafiq," Said called out at the top of his voice as he lay on the cold cell floor, the wind playing with the light bulb hanging in front of his eyes. ".

- "Shut the fuck up!" shouted one of the guards who opened the porthole in the iron door, and as soon as his eyes fell on Saeed, he called out at the top of his voice, "Mr. Officer. Mr. Officer. Recognize us, sir. "The duty officer rushed to the cell, looked through the porthole, and ordered the door to be opened immediately. He stood at Saeed's head, white as wax, with blue lips, foam coming out of his mouth, his eyes wide open, and his vision blurred. The officer leaned over him and put his hand on his body "Oh my God, he's a piece of ice." He put his ear to Saeed's chest "The pulse is very weak, call the doctor immediately . . Let's go. "

"Listen, Miteb, I bailed you out with Rafiq and now you have to pay him." Said said as they stood on the street corner, while Rafiq looked the other way in exasperation.

"I told you my father threatened to burn me alive if I went back to ask for money." Mutaib said with hope in his eyes.

- "You should have remembered that before you begged me to give you tar to stick up your filthy nose, then never mind, you can burn it first." Rafiq turned around and said angrily.

"No, Mutaib, don't believe that a father can do that to his son, no matter what he does. Go home and try to get something to pay Rafiq back. Go and we will be waiting for you." Said said as he gently nudged Mutaib to go towards the house.

Saeed opened his eyes and looked at the officer.

"No one can burn his son for any reason, isn't it, so why did the old man burn his son Mutaib? What is the fault of the rest of the family? And after all this, they call us criminals, so you sane adults. What are you?"

"I don't understand what you're saying, but if you're asking about Miteb, he's the only one who didn't die in the fire, as a neighbor saw him coming out of the house just before the fire. "Said the officer.

"Shit! "The madman did it!" exclaimed Said. "