Mahmoud said, "No... but you told my wife Aaliyah something I didn't hear clearly from her. So, tell me what you said to her a few days ago."
Shafiq got up from his chair, looking at Mahmoud with mockery, and said, "What are you talking about? Lifted his hand dismissively, not caring. I don't know, I forgot. Oh, I remembered. I told her that if you don't return the money by the end of this month, I'll dig up your son's grave. Did you get it, Susu... Sisi..."
Mahmoud approached Shafiq very closely, staring into his eyes, and said, "He's 'Sony'." He reached into the basket among the candles, pulled out the axe, and struck Shafiq with all his strength without hesitation, until the axe was firmly lodged in his head. Shafiq staggered back, falling onto his chair, and died. Mahmoud didn't know what he had done. He couldn't believe he had killed Shafiq with the axe.
Mahmoud opened the door and left the room, then the office, still trembling with fear and shocked by what had happened. Suddenly, he was startled by a police officer.
The officer said, "What's wrong, Mahmoud? Are you tired? Do you have candles for sale? We need everything you have. The lights went out, we have no oil for tonight. It's your lucky day, Mahmoud."
Mahmoud couldn't respond to the officer, he was terrified and looked down in fear.
The officer continued, "What's wrong, Mahmoud? Haha, poor you. Can't believe it, can you? Haha. Woke up to a lucky day, didn't you? Do you have candles for sale?"
Mahmoud stammered, "Yes, yes, I have candles for sale. How many do you want?"
The officer asked, "All of them? How much?"
"For each, it's one thousand and five hundred dinars..."
The officer asked, "How many do you have?"
"They're small-sized candles. I have a lot of them, and more at home."
"All of them, how much?"
"It's two hundred and fifty thousand dinars for what I have with me and at home."
"That's..."
"What?!" Mahmoud couldn't believe it. He had earned an amount equivalent to the debt he owed Shafiq.
Mahmoud returned home, carrying an empty basket for the first time in his life. Aaliyah was overjoyed to see him like this, happy for the first time after their son Younis's passing.
Mahmoud sat at the table, still shocked by what he had done. Aaliyah served the soup and said, "You were successful today, weren't you, my dear? You did well."
She looked at the spot where the basket was placed, then at Mahmoud, and said, "Mahmoud, where's the axe?"
Mahmoud looked at her, and tears began to well up in his eyes. It seemed the dam had finally broken. He took her hand gently and said, "It's alright, don't worry. Everything is going well."
The next morning, sunlight pierced through the window, the only window in Mahmoud's house. The shadow of the snow covering the window formed strange shapes, including a semi-circular one on Mahmoud's forehead, as if it were a third eye. After Aaliyah's call, Mahmoud woke up and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air. He moved to the kitchen to find Aaliyah sitting and smiling, saying, "I've prepared breakfast."
By noon, Mahmoud decided to go to the heart of the city. He heard from a passerby that there had been a fire in the debt office. Mahmoud hurried towards the office to find people surrounding it. The walls of the office had turned black. He pushed through the crowd to get a closer look, and a police officer grabbed his shoulder.
Mahmoud, trembling, said, "Yes, I was here yesterday near the office."
The officer reassured him, "Did anything happen?"
"Yes, just you and me. Did something bad happen?"
The officer explained, "Yes, there was a fire in the office. The maid rushed out, burning and screaming like she was crazy, and fell on the snow, not moving."
"Is she dead...?"
"No, but she's injured. She'll survive the burns."
"What did she say...?"
"She didn't see anything. She was taking a nap in her office and saw smoke entering from under the door. She rushed to find that the fire had consumed everything."
"Oh God... What about the office owner?"
"We couldn't do anything. He burned to ashes."
"It's justice," said another police officer nearby.
"Quiet, you...! She's a victim. It's none of our business whether it was good or bad."
"Alright, do you need anything?"
"Come on, Mahmoud. No, we don't need anything. Yesterday was enough trouble for us."
"Aren't you greedy, you fool? Oh, don't forget the rest of the candles. Bring them with you today."
"Alright, I'm going."
"Yes, have a good day."
Mahmoud walked in the middle of the road, lifting his head to the sky. The sunlight began to melt the snow, a sign that spring was approaching.
---
"Anything will end when it begins."