He drew many lines under a word at the end of an orphaned black line that flowed alone on a white page. He closed his eyes and tried to plunge into the darkness, summoning all his ability to concentrate, hoping that the idea would shine in his mind and open an energy of light.

He looked at his truncated sentence and put more lines under the word. He lifted the pen and clicked his lower teeth repeatedly to ring nervously, then took a deep breath, filling his lungs and letting out a hot, noisy stream.

He turned left toward the sunlit window, then turned his gaze back to the door. The voices were getting louder and louder, tugging at every nerve in his body until it was about to snap. The voices were getting louder and louder, tugging at every nerve in his body until they almost severed it. "What's going on out there?" he cried out. He pressed a red electric button next to the desk and the door opened immediately.

• "Respect, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel." A slender young man appeared and saluted.
• "What the hell is going on out there, are we in a vegetable market or are we in a madhouse?"
• - "Sir. Sir. if I may. Here we have... I mean in the corridor. there is. Uh... Uh... There is. . one . Uh-huh. Sir, sir. The manager doesn't exist. I mean.. "
• - "Speak up, did the cat eat your tongue?" interrupted.
• - "Sir. Sir. In one, sir. . Yes. He wants to.. to... ... "
• - "Fuck this day." The Lieutenant Colonel got up from his chair and headed for the door, and the young man jumped out of the room to make way for him.

The lieutenant colonel stuck his head out into the corridor and looked towards the storm of sound. He saw six men carrying a man by his arms and legs like a carcass and lowering him to the ground floor as he struggled to get out of their hands, and everyone's screams and shouts mixed hysterically.

The lieutenant colonel walked up to them and shouted, "Put him down immediately. "The men turned toward the source of the familiar sound, their fingers relaxed and the man fell from their hands to the ground with a sudden bang.

• "My respects, sir." The men saluted and the corridor grew deathly quiet, the echoing noise dissipating.

The presenter looked at the man on the ground for a quick look, then looked at the men and said angrily: "Are you human beings? Will you not learn? How long will we keep repeating the same words to you? The time of the first has passed, we are in the time of democracy. . Democracy. . Don't you understand? Haven't you ever heard of it? "

• "Yes, sir, but if I may, sir. " said one of the men.
• "Are you the Director of Intelligence?" A voice interrupted, and the lieutenant colonel turned slightly until his gaze settled on the man lying on the ground. He was a man in his early twenties, with freckles on his face and flaming red hair, wearing a dirty old military uniform and his feet in cut-off plastic flip-flops.
• - "I am his assistant, His Excellency is not present at the moment, can you tell me who you are?"
• - "I want the director of intelligence personally."
• - "I told you he's not here right now, can't I fill in for him?" he said, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The man lying on the floor thought for a while, crossed his legs, his long yellow toenails showing through the shredded plastic flip-flops, black filth swarming beneath them, staring at the ceiling of the corridor as if watching a movie, and then he turned to the presenter and said:

• "I have a serious confession. Very serious. Do you think you have the capacity to hear them?" He said as if his voice came from the bottom of a deep well.
• "Confessions?" "I will try to do my best, bring him into my office immediately," said the Lieutenant Colonel and fell silent for a while, putting his hand on his chin and looking at the man in that funny pose, "I will try to do my best." The lieutenant colonel said to his men, and they led him into the room while the lieutenant colonel was still standing in the corridor looking at the large number of spectators who emerged from their office doors and some of them spread out on the stairs watching.
• - "Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? Don't you have a job to do? Come to your desks." The lieutenant colonel said in a commanding tone and everyone scurried to their positions, leaving the corridor empty except for a bright spot of light on the polished floor.

The lieutenant colonel entered his office, sat in his chair, looked at his pen lying on the table top and put it back, then raised his head to look at the red head.

- "You can come out now." The lieutenant colonel said, addressing his men, who stood ready to receive his orders.

• "Now that things have calmed down, can you tell me who you are mister and what exactly you want, and don't play games with me, you don't know me very well." The Lieutenant Colonel said in an aggressive tone.
• "I have come to confess a serious matter and I have no time for empty threats, will you listen to me or will I go to someone higher than you?" the man mumbled as he rose from his chair.
• - "Sit down. Sit down. Sit down. . You seem to be still nervous, rest first and then we'll talk."

There was a brief silence in the room and then the lieutenant colonel said, lighting his cigarette:

• "So, aren't you going to tell me your name?"
• "What a strange thing you are! The Arabs used to host people for three days before asking them for their names, but you give me the worst reception and then ask me for my name before you even offer me a glass of water." The man protested.

The presenter smiled and said: "You're right. You're absolutely right. What would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, we have excellent coffee, what do you think?"

• "No, no, I like gavestino, one gavestino please."
• " Gavestino. Gavshtino. . Maybe you mean cappuccino."
• - "What's hard? A cup of cafestino is hard for you? I thought you were capable of anything." The man said, shaking his head apologetically.

The officer pressed the electric button and the reporter immediately emerged from the door:

• Respect, Mr. Lieutenant Colonel."
• "A cappuccino for the brother, quickly."
• - "Cappuccino, sir?"
• - "Cappuccino, Beni Adam, cappuccino, don't you understand Arabic?"
• - "Yes, sir, right away, sir." The reporter said and quickly left.

After several minutes had passed, during which the man had enjoyed his cappuccino, relaxed in his chair, and the presenter was looking at him through the clouds of smoke he was blowing out, the presenter's question came again:

• "Now that your nerves are relaxed and you've had your cappuccino, don't you want to talk?"
• "Yes, of course, but I'm hungry and I want to eat falafel."
• - " Falafel? Falafel? "Falafel?" the officer said in an escalating tone, "Falafel? "This time angrily, "Falafel, you trampy tramp, get up. Get up. Get out of the chair immediately." He walked around the table and stood in front of the man, who received a thunderous slap that shook the entire building.
• - "You think we're in a coffee shop or in Café Al-Insharah?" Screaming at the top of his lungs, "If you don't say what you have to say right now, I'll make you curse Sunnyvale the day the world saw that disgusting face of yours, got it?"

The man scratched the cheek that received the slap with his hand and then said:

• "This is the first political palm I've ever tasted in my life, I thought intelligence slaps were 'shapeless'."
• "If you don't talk right now, I'll make you see the stars at high noon." The lieutenant colonel shouted, waving his forefinger in the man's face.
• - "Oh, you must mean that light I saw earlier when you slapped me. Anyway, I'm used to seeing it since I was born, my father was a construction worker and his hand is not a hand, it's a foot mounted on an arm, and he often slapped me, but it's a slap. Not like yours. Your slap reminds me of the slap of Mr. Fayez, my English teacher in elementary school, I used to receive it while laughing to myself and saying that if the teacher received one of my father's slaps, he would know the meaning of real slaps or maybe he would have died. I mean, don't bother, I'm used to being beaten, I can take it better than a Cypriot donkey."

The officer fell silent, took a short breath, then turned back to his chair behind the table and sat down heavily, lit a cigarette and drew a deep breath through clenched fingers.

• "The officer said, "Did we force you to come to us? Didn't you come to us with your feet, and you said you want to confess? Well, we are waiting for your confession, come on, confess and save us. "
• "How can I confess when you slapped me in the face and I came to you with good intentions of my own. "
• - We are not here to hit people, but to protect them. to help them. "
• - "No. It's obvious. " the man said as he scratched the slap.
• - "And now. I'm listening. . "Go ahead," said the officer. chirp. "
• - "Okay, but on the condition that you bring me a falafel. "

The lieutenant colonel was about to get up from his chair again when the man said:

• "That's it. No falafel."
• "Okay. Here we go. First question, what's your name?
• - "Aren't you going to record my confession?" The man wondered.
• - "Later. Go ahead."
• - "Well..." The man hesitantly said, "My name is Rashid. "
• - Rasheed. What?"
• - "The whole country knows me, just say Rasheed and everyone will recognize me."
• - "My son.. My brother . . You are in an official government department, not on the street or in the vegetable market. Your quadruple name and save me. "
• - "What does your quadruple name mean?" Rashid said.
• - "Your name, not mine, your name, your father's name, your grandfather's name, and your honorable family, if you have one." The presenter said impatiently.
• - "I told you my name and my father's name is Abu Rashid, and the rest I don't remember now, especially after the slap you slapped me with, then do you want to fit me?"

The lieutenant colonel smiled and shook his head artificially calmly, trying to hold his temper with apparent difficulty, and then said:

• "Well, you must have your ID, give me your ID."
• "And does a man need a card in his own country? Then the whole country knows me." Rachid said incredulously.
• - "Hey, Rasheed, my love. Aren't you here to confess, come on. I'm all ears. Go ahead. I'm ready to hear you. Sing. "
• - "Yes, I have come to confess that I am with al-Waqifa. I mean al-Qaeda."
• - "Well, with what stand, I mean, with what base, Your Honor?"
• - "With the base on TV, of course."
• - "With the base on TV?" "What TV, Rasheed?" echoed the lieutenant colonel.
• - "On all the TVs and on the radios too."
• - "And in radios, Rasheed? It must be an important job. Well, what exactly does the base do, Rasheed, does it transmit electromagnetic broadcast signals? "

Rashid suddenly laughed at the top of his voice, crossed his arms over his chest and went into a long fit of intermittent coughing, then calmed down and said: "Are you ignorant, haven't you seen the buildings in Niwot?"

• "Behave yourself, you wretch, I am an ignoramus who does not know his father's name." The presenter shouted with hostility.
• "I mean, is there anyone in this whole world who hasn't seen tall buildings fall in Niwot?"
• - "You mean New York. Of course you've seen it, what about it?" Asked the presenter.
• - "I'm with them." Rashid said.
• - "You work at the World Trade Center? What do you do as an economist?" The presenter said sarcastically.
• - "Who are they? I'm with the stand, I mean with the base."
• - "Oh you mean you're a member of the al-Qaeda organization that blew up the Twin Towers in New York, now I get it."
• - "Thank God for safety, and what can I tell you from the morning?" Rasheed said and turned his face away in protest.

The presenter gave a slight bow, brushed his hair back slowly, put one foot in front of the other, lit a new cigarette, was silent for a few seconds, pressed the electric button, and the reporter walked through the door:

• "Call one of the guys and let's open an investigation."
• "Yes, sir, right away." He closed the door.
• - "You mean, sir, you're going to interrogate me?" Rashid asked happily.
• - "Of course, isn't that what you want? Don't you want to confess?"
• - "And my pictures will appear on TV, newspapers and everywhere?" Rashid asked excitedly.

The lieutenant colonel fell silent, gave Rashid a sideways glance, tilted his head as if to check something, and then said:

• "Son, we are a security organization. . Security. . We're not a movie theater or television, we're here to keep the country safe, do you understand? Do you understand what I'm saying to you?"
• "It doesn't matter, what matters is that I'm going to be on TV."

There was a light knock on the door and then it opened and a lightly built, dark-skinned young man entered.

• "Respectfully, sir, ready to carry out orders, sir." He saluted.
• "Sit down and make a record of the date and time. "
• - "Hello, Abu Asif." Rasheed said addressing the young man.

The young man raised his eyes and looked at Rasheed, then gave a slight smile and shook his head.

• "Okay, Rashid, you told me you're with al-Qaeda, when was your first visit to Afghanistan?" The lieutenant colonel said.
• " Abagestan . . Abgistan . . "The truth is, sir, I have never been to Abgistan, the farthest I have been is the capital, but God willing, I will go to Abgistan in the future," Rashid repeated to himself.
• - "You didn't go to Afghanistan!" "Then how were you organized?" said the Lieutenant Colonel, addressing himself.
• - "At the municipality, sir. "
• - "Beautiful. . In the municipality. . Why did the municipality open a branch of al-Qaeda?"
• - "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel. " the young man said, trying to intervene.
• - "Not now, Mustafa, record every word." The presenter said.
• - "But sir. Yes, sir." Mustafa replied.
• - "But how were you organized in the municipality?" He continued his questions.
• - "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel. If I may. " Mustafa said, trying to intervene.
• "Not now, Mustafa. Not now. "

Mustafa fell silent and continued his work.

• "And how were you organized in the municipality, Rasheed?" The Lieutenant Colonel continued his question.
• "It is true, sir, that my mother, may Allah have mercy on her, was sick and did not want to see a doctor, she said that Allah is the doctor. "
• - "What does your mother have to do with the municipality, Rashid?" The Lieutenant Colonel interrupted.
• - "If you hadn't interrupted me, sir, I would have told you. God is with the patient, be patient, sir, be patient, patience is good."
• - "Okay. I'm sorry, Rasheed, go ahead."
• - "I said that my mother, may God have mercy on her, was sick, so I quit working at Abu Saleh's bakery opposite the mosque, I used to work as a porter carrying flour, and Abu Saleh, may God forgive him, was bad to me and said I was weak, lazy and not fit for anything."

The lieutenant colonel looked at Rashid's slender, arched body and wondered to himself how someone so weak could do such a thing. The lieutenant colonel put his face between his palms, leaning on the table and looking at Rashid's face with his small gray eyes as he spoke.

• "When I left the bakery to take care of my mother," Rachid continued, "he saw an opportunity and fired me. After my mother's death, some good people interceded for me with the mayor, and since then I have been in the municipality."
• "Excellent, Rashid, and what did you do in the municipality?" asked the lieutenant colonel.
• - "The truth is, sir, I've done everything but mayor. In the market department, in the building department, in the telephone exchange, then the restaurant and finally they put me with the cleaners."
• - "It means you are a scavenger." The officer said with a smile.
• - "Respect yourself." "I'm a cleaner, understand?" said Rashid, jumping out of his chair as if stung by a scorpion, "Work is not a disgrace, I eat my food with the sweat of my brow. . " Rashid was shouting nervously and Mustafa tried to calm him down and sat him back in his chair.
• - "You wretch, who do you think you are, don't you know who you're talking to?" Said the presenter.
• - "It doesn't matter, I'm a cleaner, not a scavenger." Rachid said with suppressed rage as he turned his face the other way.
• - "Sir. Sir. If I may... " Mustafa said.
• - "Enough, Mustafa, and don't try to interfere again, okay, let me deal with him in my own way." The Lieutenant Colonel silenced Mustafa, who had no choice but to remain silent, then turned his attention to Rashid, saying:
• - "And you, don't be rude, okay? Let's continue the investigation." Addressing Rachid, who remained angrily silent, he said, "The point is that you work in the municipality, good. Excellent. How did you become a member of al-Qaeda?"
• - "But I'm not in al-Qaeda." Rashid said.

The presenter slammed the table and rose from his chair, shouting:

• "So what have we been doing since this morning?"
• "Sir, I said I'm with al-Qaeda, not that I work with al-Qaeda." Rashid said, trying to clarify.
• - "Sir, if I may. " Mustafa tried to intervene again.
• "Don't you dare say a word, this lunatic is enough for me. . "The Lieutenant Colonel yelled at Mustafa.
• - "Sir, sir. Sir, sir. "I have all the qualifications to be a member of the Waqifa organization, I mean al-Qaeda," Rasheed tried to get the presenter's attention. It's a matter of reason, don't they hate America and Israel? I also hate them, don't they pray and fast, I also pray and fast, you can even ask the imam of the mosque. If it is about the length of the beard, I haven't shaved my beard since two days ago, and in one week, just one week, you will see it reach my navel, so take me to Gomnanamoa prison, put me in the orange kit and get rid of me. "

The lieutenant colonel hit his forehead with his palm and then said addressing Mustafa:

• "Call the mayor. Call me the mayor, I'll see what this farce is all about. "
• "Sir, you have the mayor on the line." Mustafa said with the phone in his hand.
• - "Okay, turn on the external speaker."
• - "Hello, Mr. President." The lieutenant colonel greeted the mayor.
• - "Hello, Mr. Assistant. . Anything I can do for you?" The mayor replied, and the sound echoed around the room.
• - "Actually, I have someone here who says he works for you as a scavenger. "
• - "Hello, sir. "I'm Rasheed," said Rasheed, addressing the president, leaning over the external handset and smiling in wonder, "I'm Rasheed. Can you hear me? I can hear you very well. "
• - "Who's that talking?" came the president's voice over the speakerphone.
• - "This one I'm asking you about, Mr. President, he says his name is Rasheed."
• - "Rasheed, what did he do this time? Yes, he works for us."
• - "Nothing at all, he's saying he's with al-Waqifa, I mean al-Qaeda, I mean he wants to become a member of al-Qaeda."
• - I should have fired you from the first day I saw your face, but I used to say to myself, "Haram, poor guy, give him another chance." But you didn't leave anyone in the municipality or in the markets or from the citizens unless you got into trouble with them, but now you have gotten us involved with America, Uncle, we are no match for America. If ............... himself had come personally to intercede for you, I wouldn't have brought you back to the municipality."
• - "God bless you, sir." Rashid muttered.
• - "Mr. President." The Lieutenant Colonel's voice came firmly, "Please watch your tongue, and please remember that you are talking to a security officer, and lengthening your tongue is subject to punishment."
• - "I'm sorry, sir. . I'm sorry, this idiot has driven me crazy, listen, Rasheed." The mayor's voice came over the loudspeaker.
• - "Yes, sir." Rasheed said as he leaned on the phone again.
• - "If you come back to the municipality, I will break your legs and hands, do you hear me?" The president said sharply.
• - "God bless you, Nswangi, you bribe-taker. ." Rasheed replied, walking away from the speaker and sitting back in his chair.
• - "Okay. All right, Mr. President. His Excellency the President. Mr. President. Don't worry, we'll take it from here. "Goodbye," said the lieutenant colonel, trying to end the conversation quickly. Goodbye. " He hung up and the president's voice still came thundering through the wires.
• - "Sir.. Sir, you have to listen to me. " Mustafa said as he grabbed the lieutenant colonel's forearm, begging and pleading.

The lieutenant colonel looked Mustafa in the eye for a moment and then said:

• "Here you go, sir. Mr. Mustafa. We have nothing to lose by listening to you now, Mr. Mustafa. Mr. Mustafa. Mr. Mustafa. "
• "Sir, with all due respect, if you had listened to me from the beginning, I could have saved you all this trouble."
• - "And how so, Mr. Mustafa, enlighten us?" In a sarcastic tone.
• - "I know Rasheed very well. In fact, everyone in the country knows Rasheed very well. "
• - "You mean everyone in the country except me."
• - "That's normal, sir, because you've just moved to our city."
• - "Listen, sir, the whole country knows me." Rashid said triumphantly.

The presenter looked at Rashid and then at Mustafa and asked:

• "What else do you know about him?"
• "Rashid, sir, is like that, what is in his heart on his tongue, a man at God's door, all people love him because he is honest and hate him for the same reason. He doesn't hurt anyone, right, Rashid?" Mustafa asked Rashid.
• - "So what's this al-Qaeda thing?" asked the lieutenant colonel

Mustafa laughed and asked Rashid again:

• "Rashid, when was the last time you met bin Laden?"
• "Abu Laden . . Abu Laden . . "Yes, I know Abu Laden," said Rashid, thinking, "You think I don't know Abu Laden, the last time I met him was at Abu Saleh's café last Friday."
• - "Does bin Laden come to Abu Saleh's café? Maybe you mean the mosque?"
• - "Is there a TV in the mosque, man? I saw it on Al Jazeera on Abu Saleh's TV in the café."
• - "Excellent. Excellent. So you didn't see him face to face?"
• - "Yes, his face was in front of my face, and Abu Saleh even asked me to take my face away from the TV screen so that everyone could see him."
• - "I mean, you haven't seen him on anything other than TV."
• - "No, I saw it in the newspaper too."
• - "Salvation. Salvation. It's over. It's over. "Close the investigation report and get Rasheed a falafel to eat," the lieutenant colonel said impatiently.
• - "Thank you sir, may God prolong your life, all my life I have been saying that you are not what people say you are." Rasheed prayed from the bottom of his heart.
• - "You know, Rasheed," said the presenter, leaving Rasheed alone in the room, "we are oppressed a lot, people oppress us. Take me, for example, tomorrow I have a lecture on democracy for university students. Believe me, I've been working hard to prepare it. Since early this morning, I have not been able to write a single line." The presenter pointed to the white paper where the word democracy almost disappeared under his black lines in the last question, "What is democracy?"
• - "May God give you wellness, sir."
• - "By the way, Rasheed, they say that you, I mean you and your ilk are unveiled, can you tell me what democracy is?"
• - "The truth is, sir, I've never heard of it or seen it, believe me."