قصة قصيرة مترجمة (1) A Desire in the Pit of Fear
Short Story (1) By: Ibrahim S. Nadir
A Desire in the Pit of Fear
[Translated by : Qahtan F. AL-Khatib
They have slapped him, tore his clothes to pieces and sent him as well as his donkey to the village road. He went on shaking on his bewildered donkey gazing at the dry yellow fields as they extended alongside the road.
It was a hot day and he felt that he was wrapped with a thick throttle (blanket). He burst out crying of rage swallowing his inhalations and remembering how they leaped on him suddenly without knowing anything when one of them cried out blocking the way. Then they gathered dragging him off his donkey shouting :
“ ... What do you want sons of ........... ! ? “
He wanted to run away, ......... and, ..........., ........... and ........... !
But he tried to forget now. They took ten dinars, which were all he had, out of his pocket. One of those bastards became angry when he was disappointed. He snatched his colored bread towel in front of him then kicked the animal’s abdomen and cried :
“ Dee ........... kh. “
He beat the donkey on its rear laughing with disapprobation. He was not a coward at all. He tried to defend himself and struggle. But they were five. He now wishes with a mad desire howling in his inside that one or even two of them fell in his grip so as to teach them the Act of bravery, but they were five.
He went on imaging those strangers hung from their legs and beaten with a strong and stiff whip. He burst into laughter wildly: ‘Ah ........... ! if they were in my grip now. Oh God ........... ! He shall take out the dinars of their intestines, teach them how to humiliate them and whinny them. Then, he will be the happiest man in the world as they are crying and beseeching him.
“ Your hand ...... Let us kiss your hand ........ Be merciful to us.
God bless you ........... Repentance ........... For God’s sake.
He felt some ecstasy. Then he looked at the yellow condensed space around him. He got lost among his thoughts. So did his donkey as well.
His body trembled and he constringed his lips by a sudden movement. It must be the bastards again. But he was a dwarf man with a Negroid look, who came of under a dry tree. He was approaching him but he was on the alert. His eye lids movement increased.
The dwarf approached him out of breath. Then he raised his eye and cried :
“ I am your companion to the village. ........... God bless you. The dwarf got on the donkey grumbling.
The donkey was heavy loaded, bewildered and ambled from side to side. The man was small-sized, snub-nosed and soft-voiced. He was similar to the male of the goats in a funny way. He heard rattling and then a sound of strong spitting on the ground. he coughed. It was his strange desire. No. He shall never do that. There is God and mercy. The man looked poor and good. But, did those cursed scoundrel pity him ? Did they sympathize with him ? They beat him so much. He is still moaning and suffering from the beating.
He turned round the dwarf. He was whispering and mumbling. His pupils of the eye got lost at the bottom of the yellow horizon. He was counting by his fingers as if he were transmigrated by some matter. Then he felt him rubbing his abdomen. He was still lost among his calculations. He tried to say something, opened his mouth then he began to pronounce strange meaningless things. He was red-eyed and inflated. He tried to cry with a dry voice as the bastard did with him.
“ Take out your money ........... Come on ........... !
He was completely stupid as his donkey. He got mixed up. He importuned in his speech. Pronounced empty sounds that meant nothing at all. But the dwarf paid attention to him putting his hand on his ear saying :
“Ha ........... ? What ........... ? I didn’t understand ........... ! “
He is, in fact, a donkey.
His enthusiasm faded away suddenly. He became coward. He bent on his donkey with a stiff face. 15
“ Dee ........... kh ! “
No. It is not a donkey. It is a ......................................... mouse. “
