Somewhere! (Hunaak!) by Ibraheem Abbas, Yasser Bahjatt Page B

mouth and fingers looking at the ceiling and waved with my chocolate stained pen as I yelled:
    “ Does anyone hear me? Huh? Who are you? Tell me! Where am I? WHERE AM I?!!! Malak? Do you hear me??!!”
    Maybe it is this pen! It might have a nano tap wire between its elaborative inscriptions! I shall break it only to make sure! I tried breaking it with my hands and teeth without success. I moved towards the coffee machine and tried removing the cover bellow its screen, I used the sharp pen tip, I succeeded in bending its edge, I could see silk like threads with blinks of light passing through them, like cars on a highway, all of the threads came out of a chip underneath the part holding the screen, the chip was smaller than my finger nail but it was buzzing with moving lights, it was like looking at New York City from space. I passed my hand over it causing the lights to flicker, there is real technology here, not just illusions. My thoughts were interrupted by knocks on the door and Malak’s voice:
    “ Are you done with your investigation Mr. Holmes?” — Malak said.
    I opened the door and … every time I saw her I felt this deep gasp caused by her astonishing beauty. and the shiver that passed through my body starting from my eyes that received the first shock and ending with the tips of my fingers. Every time she changed her clothes and hairstyle she would turn into a new creature, ever more beautiful than the previous. This time, she chose a simple dress that resembled that of European country girls of the past century with two hair locks coming from the sides and meeting on the back of her head in a glorious braid:
    “ You heard me right?” — I asked.
    She shook her head in denial as she looked me in the eye with factitious innocence:
    “No!” — she replied with strong emphasis on the “o” to prove her deception as she went on…“I heard you and saw you too!”
    She stood in the center of the room and looked towards the ceiling and started mocking me:
    “Can someone hear me? Huh? Who are you? Tell me? Where are you Malak? Save me!”
    Here enchanting crazy laugh exploded, and with it so did me anger:
    “I knew it!” — I said.
    “ Knew what?” — Malak asked.
    “ That you were spying on me the entire time!” — I shouted.
    “ Did I not tell you that I am Natasha Travnikov, a Russian spy?!” — she exclaimed.
    “ So…Why did you not come the moment that I called for you? Given that you can see me all the time!” — I asked.
    “ Really? You think I am a genie? I had a shower and changed my clothes before I came to you?” — Malak said.
    “ But why? Why do you watch me all the time?” — I asked.
    “ Firstly, because I miss you very very much and I can’t stay away from you for a second!” — she responded.
    “ Oh really?!” — I asked quickly.
    “ Secondly, and more importantly, it is because I fear for you! I truly fear for you!” — she said.
    “ Fear for me? From what!?” — I asked.
    “ I fear that someone might try to hurt you!” — she said.
    “ Should I consider that a second puzzle?” — I asked.
    “ How about we stop wasting time with questions and start solving this puzzle?” — Malak responded.
    “ Wait a moment!” — I said.
    I went to the dressing room. I closed the door behind me so that she would not peek inside. I knew this crazy girl could see me whenever she wanted. Regardless, I must keep my pride! I put on a pair of jeans along with a dark blue Polo shirt and came out of the dressing room. I picked up my note and hid it in the back pocket of my jeans as I pointed to her and exclaimed — “Please! Let us start solving the puzzle!”
    She ignored the tough tone of my voice just as she held onto my arm and pulled me out of the room.
    When I saw the central tower on the cluster of towers where I was staying at, I thought it was close by, but it turned out that it was just the illusion of its sheer enormity. A huge bay with yachts and boats