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Mister N

Najwa Barakat
Chapters (11)
  1. Copyright Page
  2. Contents
  3. ‌I
  4. II
  5. III
  6. ‌Epilogue
  7. ‌Translator’s Note
  8. Note to the Reader
  9. THIS BOOK WAS MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF
  10. Current and Upcoming Books
  11. About the Author

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Copyright Page

And Other Stories
Sheffield – London – New York
www.andotherstories.org

Copyright © Najwa Barakat 2019
Translation copyright © Luke Leafgren, 2022

The rights of Najwa Barakat to be identified as the author of this work and of Luke Leafgren to be identified as the translator of this work have been asserted.

Originally published in Arabic in 2019
First edition in English, 2022, And Other Stories

ISBN: 9781913505325
eBook ISBN: 9781913505332

Editor: Jeremy M. Davies; Copy-editor: Jane Haxby; Proofreader: Sarah Terry; Typesetting and eBook: Tetragon, London; Cover Design: Tom Etherington.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

And Other Stories gratefully acknowledge that our work is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Contents

  • MISTER N
  • Translator’s Note

To Nay, the verdant green of my soul.

Writing has led me to silence.

SAMUEL BECKETT

‌I

“Our beloved Lazarus has gone to sleep, yet I will go and wake him … ”

“Why, O Lord? Have I done something to displease you?” Lazarus whispered in his darkness. Apprehensive, the Messiah rolled away the stone, called to Lazarus, and waited. After only a few seconds, Lazarus emerged, blinded by the blaze of light that struck his eyes. When they started unwinding his white wrappings, he realized that the miracle had actually been performed. He had fallen sick, and the illness became so severe that death had come as a mercy, carrying him off to a place without any pain or suffering. He spent four days there in nonexistence. He had been sleeping, and then he had been awakened; secure, and then disturbed; floating in the beyond, and then the Messiah arrived and brought him out. “Why, O Lord? Have I done something to displease you?”

The whistle of the electric teakettle startled Mr. N. He left his papers on the table and got up to switch it off. He turned to face the window, where a black fly caught his attention, perched motionless on the wall above one of the panes of glass. He reached out to catch it, but it flew away and landed on the wall over the other windowpane. Mr. N stepped toward it, and the fly circled back again. Mr. N smiled. He drew the curtain back halfway and opened the window, sliding one pane behind the other. The fly cocked its head and gave him a wink out of the corner of its eye before swooping through, leaving no trace.