Water demon
733 Words
Murad walked alone.
No shadow followed him but the shadow of the night, and no sound accompanied him but the whisper of the wind sneaking between the rocks. His bare feet stumbled over gravel, and his fragile body trembled—not from cold, but from grief too heavy for a boy to bear.
Everything had ended in a single moment.
The home once full of warmth was now a pile of ashes. His father—whose voice once filled the air with wisdom and kindness—lay still, lifeless, without even a face to mourn. His mother, who had tucked him in each night with gentle hands, had been killed before his very eyes.
And the twins… Baith and Thabit...
They had vanished into the smoke, slung over the shoulders of masked men who knew nothing of mercy. Murad could still hear their screams echoing in his head, as though time had frozen on that black night.
He reached the River of Shadows just as a pale sliver of moonlight broke through the clouds.
The river was still—unnaturally still. No ripple, no current, no birds overhead. Even the breeze seemed afraid to disturb its surface. Murad approached slowly and sat on a large stone. Cold. Heavy. Silent. Like his heart.
He stared into the water.
The reflection staring back at him was not his own. It looked like him—but sadder, older, empty. His hair was wild, his face pale, and deep shadows circled his eyes.
He couldn’t hold it in any longer. He began to cry—silently at first, then with sobs that racked his chest.
He hadn’t cried since that night, not even when he buried his mother.
But now, the tears came. And they came with rage.
> Why me?
Why take my family?
What could I have done?
Will my tears bring them back?
Will I ever see them again?
As the tears fell, the water began to move.
No wind. No hands. Just a ripple forming in the center of the river. And from it rose a being made of water and light, his form transparent, his eyes glowing blue, his voice like the song of a stream.
> “Why do you cry, son of Al-Nada?”
Murad flinched, but didn’t run.
There was no room left in him for fear.
> “Because I’ve lost everything,” he answered with a broken voice.
The figure drifted closer, surrounded by a soft mist.
> “Did you know the river cries?” said the being.
“But no one hears it—because it never stops flowing.
And you... if you stop flowing, you will drown.”
Murad looked up, eyes wide. “What are you? Are you alive?”
> “I am a shadow of this river,” the creature said.
“No body, no soul—but I hear the hearts that scream, and I feel the ones who carry fire in their chests.”
Murad bowed his head. His voice was a whisper.
> “I want to save my brothers.
And I want to put out this fire.”
The spirit studied his face. Then, it reached into the river and drew out a small pendant, glowing with a soft, steady blue light.
> “This will not grant you power.
But when the darkness grows deep, it will glow.
When you are lost, it will lead you.”
Murad took it with trembling fingers.
The moment it touched his skin, warmth bloomed in his chest—like a sleeping light had awakened inside him.
> “Beware the path ahead,” the spirit warned.
“Darkness is not only what you see—it is what you carry inside.
Do not let hatred consume you.
Do not let revenge blind you.”
Murad hesitated, then asked in a broken voice:
> “Will I see them again? My brothers?”
The spirit did not answer.
It only smiled, then slowly dissolved back into the river.
The waters calmed. The light faded. And Murad was alone once more, the pendant resting on his chest, its glow as soft as hope.
He stood, pulled his cloak tight, and looked toward the east.
> “I’ll find them,” he whispered.
“And I’ll light a fire from our ashes.”
With steady steps, Murad began his long journey.
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- Writer
