في ليلة مُقمرة، ارتدى الحزن ثياب رجل، وراح يسير في الشوارع الخالية وعيناه بحيرتا صمت تحدقان في النوافذ المؤصدة.
قرب كوخ من خشب، تمددت طفلة صغيرة على الأرض، ونامت. اقترب الحزن من الطفلة التي فتحت عينيها دون خوف وسألها: لماذا تنامين هنا؟
ردت الطفلة: في الكوخ رائحة دخان ورطوبة. سأل الحزن باستغراب: ألا تخافين العتمة؟ أجابت الطفلة: العتمة في الكوخ والقمر هنا.
دنا الحزن من الطفلة أكثر، وزرع أصابعه في شعرها المبعثر، وراح يداعبها بحنان، فغمغمت الطفلة: أنا لا أحب العصافير. هزّ الحزن رأسه متسائلاً، فقالت الطفلة: لقد رفضت تعليمي الطيران!
مسح الحزن عينّي الطفلة الدامعتين، فهمست بحسرة: والفراشات.. إنها تهرب كلما اقتربت منها!
أمسك الحزن بيد الطفلة التي تشبثت بيده، وصاحت: خذني معك! هتف الحزن: إلى أين؟ همست الطفلة برجاء: إلى الشوارع المزدحمة حيث يسكن الضوء.
صاح الحزن: بلاد الضوء تطارد الحزن! وضعت الطفلة رأسها بين كفيّها، وأخذت تبكي فزمّ الحزن شفتيه، وقال: هيّا بنا.
أخفى الحزن رأسه داخل قبعة، وسار مع الطفلة نحو المدن التي لا تعرف العتمة.
وفي الشوارع المزدحمة كان الضوء يرقص في كل زاوية، وللصمت قبور في كلّ مكان، ورجال ثيابهم ملونة يقهقهون، ويردّدون أغنيات وديعة عن الفرح، وصور الحزن ملصقة على الجدران، مكتوب عليها: مطلوب حياً أو ميتاً! والحزن كان خائفاً ومختبئاً وراء ظل صغير لقبعة. وكانت الألوان في كلّ مكان، تلطّخ الجدران والوجوه والثياب، والجميع يرقصون، ويحرّكون أجسادهم بنشوة، والطفلة تراقبهم بذهول.
اقتربت الطفلة من الحزن، ورجته أن يرقص معها، لكنّ الحزن صاح: أنا لا أجيد الرقص! فبكت الطفلة حتى ذاب قلب الحزن، ومدّ ذراعه للطفلة التي راحت ترقص كحوريّة، وأخذ الحزن يدور حولها ويحرّك ذراعيه بكسل.
قبعة الحزن سقطت على الأرض، فانحنى ليحضرها.
الرجال الملونّون نظروا إلى وجه الحزن الشاحب وصاحوا: إنه الحزن!
تشبث الحزن بيد الطفلة وراح يعدو بخوف.
الألوان، الأضواء، وحتى ذرات الهواء أخذت تطارد الحزن بغضب.
وظلّ الحزن يجري، والطفلة تجري، والضوء يلاحقهما حاملاً شبكة صيد كبيرة.
وبعد ساعات من الخوف، تعب الضوء، وعاد إلى بلاده، ودفنت الطفلة رأسها في صدر الحزن، وسارا معاً بصمت نحو الشوارع الخالية.
حُزن
12 سبتمبر 2025 - 04:07
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آخر تحديث 12 سبتمبر 2025 - 04:07
صفية عبدالرحمن
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
صفية بنت عبدالرحمن
On a moonlit night, sadness wore the clothes of a man and began to walk through the empty streets, his bewildered eyes of silence staring at the closed windows.
Near a wooden hut, a little girl lay on the ground and fell asleep. Sadness approached the girl, who opened her eyes without fear and asked her: Why are you sleeping here?
The girl replied: The hut smells of smoke and dampness. Sadness asked in surprise: Aren't you afraid of the darkness? The girl answered: The darkness is in the hut, and the moon is here.
Sadness drew closer to the girl, planted his fingers in her tousled hair, and began to gently play with her. The girl murmured: I don’t like birds. Sadness shook his head in question, and the girl said: They refused to teach me how to fly!
Sadness wiped the girl's tearful eyes and she whispered with regret: And the butterflies... they flee whenever I get close to them!
Sadness took the girl's hand, which clung to his, and she shouted: Take me with you! Sadness exclaimed: Where to? The girl whispered pleadingly: To the crowded streets where the light lives.
Sadness shouted: The land of light chases sadness! The girl placed her head in her hands and began to cry, so sadness pursed his lips and said: Let’s go.
Sadness hid his head inside a hat and walked with the girl towards the cities that do not know darkness.
In the crowded streets, the light danced in every corner, and silence had graves everywhere, while men in colorful clothes laughed and sang gentle songs about joy, and images of sadness were plastered on the walls, with the words: Wanted, alive or dead! And sadness was afraid, hiding behind the small shadow of a hat. Colors were everywhere, staining the walls, faces, and clothes, and everyone danced, moving their bodies ecstatically, while the girl watched them in astonishment.
The girl approached sadness and begged him to dance with her, but sadness shouted: I don’t know how to dance! So the girl cried until sadness's heart melted, and he extended his arm to the girl, who began to dance like a nymph, while sadness spun around her, moving his arms lazily.
Sadness's hat fell to the ground, so he bent down to pick it up.
The colorful men looked at sadness's pale face and shouted: It’s sadness!
Sadness clung to the girl’s hand and began to run in fear.
The colors, the lights, and even the particles of air began to chase sadness in anger.
And sadness kept running, the girl running alongside him, while the light pursued them, carrying a large net.
After hours of fear, the light grew tired and returned to its homeland, and the girl buried her head in sadness's chest, and they walked together in silence towards the empty streets.
Near a wooden hut, a little girl lay on the ground and fell asleep. Sadness approached the girl, who opened her eyes without fear and asked her: Why are you sleeping here?
The girl replied: The hut smells of smoke and dampness. Sadness asked in surprise: Aren't you afraid of the darkness? The girl answered: The darkness is in the hut, and the moon is here.
Sadness drew closer to the girl, planted his fingers in her tousled hair, and began to gently play with her. The girl murmured: I don’t like birds. Sadness shook his head in question, and the girl said: They refused to teach me how to fly!
Sadness wiped the girl's tearful eyes and she whispered with regret: And the butterflies... they flee whenever I get close to them!
Sadness took the girl's hand, which clung to his, and she shouted: Take me with you! Sadness exclaimed: Where to? The girl whispered pleadingly: To the crowded streets where the light lives.
Sadness shouted: The land of light chases sadness! The girl placed her head in her hands and began to cry, so sadness pursed his lips and said: Let’s go.
Sadness hid his head inside a hat and walked with the girl towards the cities that do not know darkness.
In the crowded streets, the light danced in every corner, and silence had graves everywhere, while men in colorful clothes laughed and sang gentle songs about joy, and images of sadness were plastered on the walls, with the words: Wanted, alive or dead! And sadness was afraid, hiding behind the small shadow of a hat. Colors were everywhere, staining the walls, faces, and clothes, and everyone danced, moving their bodies ecstatically, while the girl watched them in astonishment.
The girl approached sadness and begged him to dance with her, but sadness shouted: I don’t know how to dance! So the girl cried until sadness's heart melted, and he extended his arm to the girl, who began to dance like a nymph, while sadness spun around her, moving his arms lazily.
Sadness's hat fell to the ground, so he bent down to pick it up.
The colorful men looked at sadness's pale face and shouted: It’s sadness!
Sadness clung to the girl’s hand and began to run in fear.
The colors, the lights, and even the particles of air began to chase sadness in anger.
And sadness kept running, the girl running alongside him, while the light pursued them, carrying a large net.
After hours of fear, the light grew tired and returned to its homeland, and the girl buried her head in sadness's chest, and they walked together in silence towards the empty streets.
