Fog

Chapter One :In the Shadow Of the past

The morning was gray, much like the thoughts swirling in Mariam’s mind. She rose slowly from her bed, the remnants of last night’s dream still hovering in her memory. Those nightmares came and went uninvited, stealing away her peaceful sleep and drowning her in the darkness of a past she preferred to forget. These dreams were always different, yet they shared one common element: a deep sense of being lost, as if trapped in a maze with no way out. The more she tried to recall a single image from those dreams, the more they faded like sand slipping through her fingers.

She got out of bed and opened the window. The cool morning air crept into her room, and her body shivered, though it wasn’t the cold she felt—it was a fear crawling beneath her skin. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to banish the images that refused to leave her mind. Seeing the busy streets and the old buildings facing her window always pulled her back to reality. Cairo was slowly waking up, like a giant emerging from a deep sleep. But inside, Mariam knew that those streets were never a safe haven for her. They were a constant reminder of the chaos in her mind.

She headed to the kitchen and started making her morning coffee. The smell of ground coffee beans was always her refuge from the noise of her thoughts. She sat in her favorite corner, looking out at the city that never stopped moving for a second. She loved this time of the morning when the noise was still quiet, allowing her to clearly hear the sound of her thoughts. Even though she always tried to escape those thoughts, part of her was drawn to them, as if her mind was trying to solve a mysterious puzzle hidden behind every thought and feeling.

Her work as a therapist had always been her way of escaping herself. She felt that focusing on the problems of others gave her temporary relief, as if through them, she could escape her own issues. But the unsettling truth was that the deeper she delved into her patients’ minds, the more she felt she was sinking into a mirror that reflected her own internal chaos. She received a morning message from her secretary: "You have a session today at 10 AM with a new patient."

She paused for a moment before rereading the message, as if she was expecting something. Her patients were always diverse, but this new one made her feel something strange. It was as if something unusual was approaching. She wasn’t sure if this feeling was tied to her growing anxiety or something deeper. She got ready and left the house, hoping that today would be different, perhaps better than the days before it.

When she arrived at the clinic, she initially felt relief. The atmosphere here was calm, far from the street’s clamor. Everything was organized and meticulously arranged, just the way she liked it. The white walls, the dark wooden furniture, and the desk that always sat in its corner gave her a sense of control. But behind this order, internal chaos still loomed over her life. No one could see this chaos—she was good at hiding it, even from herself.

She sat behind her desk and started reviewing patient files before her new patient arrived. A strange feeling lingered over her that morning. It wasn’t just the dream, but also this patient she knew nothing about yet. She had a sense that this session would be different, but she couldn’t explain why.

### 1

Yaseen entered, a tall young man with deep eyes and a face that bore the signs of exhaustion despite his youth. Mariam sat, observing him closely, trying to read something beyond his tired expressions. His eyes were mysterious, carrying stories that couldn’t be easily told.

“Yaseen, right?” Mariam asked calmly as she glanced at his file in her hands. She knew that starting the conversation was always the hardest part, especially when the patient was confused or unsure of what to say.

“Yes,” he answered in a low voice, as if speaking itself was a burden. His words were heavy, as if he was carrying invisible weights on his shoulders. His gaze avoided direct eye contact with her, as though he feared she might see something hidden behind those eyes.

“What brings you here today?” Mariam asked, trying to be gentle, though she knew that such a simple question could open vast doors of pain and turmoil.

Yaseen was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “I think I’m losing my mind.”

That sentence wasn’t unfamiliar to Mariam—she had heard it many times from her patients. But at that moment, she felt something different. There was something in his voice, in the way he expressed himself, that made her heart beat uncomfortably. She knew her patients came to her carrying their psychological burdens, but she hadn’t expected to see a part of herself in Yaseen’s words.

“Can you explain further? What makes you feel that way?” Mariam asked, trying to maintain her professional calm.

Yaseen took a deep breath before speaking. “Sometimes, I can’t tell the difference between reality and illusion. I see things, feel things, but they aren’t real. At first, I thought I was just tired. But it’s getting worse. I wake up in the middle of the night, sure that I’ve been somewhere else, living another life. And when I come back to reality, it feels like a nightmare.”

Mariam listened attentively, but Yaseen’s words began stirring something deep within her. Those words, that sense of alienation from oneself, Mariam had lived through it herself. She felt as if she was hearing her own story, but from someone else’s mouth.

“Can you tell me about those dreams?” Mariam asked, her voice now more intrigued. She knew there was something behind those dreams, perhaps something connecting her to her past, or maybe it reflected something she preferred to forget.

“They’re not just dreams. When I’m there, I feel like I’m living in another place, another time. I see people I’ve never met before, but they seem familiar. And the strangest thing is, sometimes I see myself in those places, but I’m not as I am now.”

Yaseen’s words flowed calmly, yet they left a profound impact on Mariam. Those dreams, those vague images he spoke of, eerily resembled the nightmares she had been seeing. She tried to remain composed, but her heart couldn’t help but race. She didn’t know if those dreams were part of her past or just an illusion.

“Do you feel scared when you’re in those places?” Mariam asked, trying to regain control of the session.

“At first, yes. But now… no. It’s become familiar, like I’m returning to a place I’ve known for a long time.”

Mariam started feeling unsettled. Those words were too close to her own experiences. Could Yaseen be just another patient? Or was there a deeper connection between them?