“I die a score of deaths every day in order to understand, but still I’ve not understood.”

“Can’t you understand that I’m married to your daughter and that I must hide or else die?”

“Run until you drop from fatigue, then you’ll hear the beetles sing.”

“How awful!”

“Yes, it’s awful.”

He shook me and said angrily, “Wake up. This is not the time for hallucinations. I must make you understand before I leave.”

“Go. Don’t sully the purity of my dreams.”

“How wretched! What have you done to yourself?”

“The devil is giving up on me.”

“You must wake up. Your family is in danger. If suspicion falls on you, they’ll be exposed to all sorts of abuse. I don’t fear for myself, I’m resigned to my own downfall, but you must get back to your family.”

“Go back to hell where you belong.”

Exasperated, he shook me once more. “I must run and you must go back.”

“Stay, if you’d care to witness my victory.”

He shook his head sadly. “What a fool you are. You’ve wasted all your ability searching for something that doesn’t exist.”

“When will you realize that you don’t exist?”

The man stood up. “I now attest that I’ve despaired of you, though the word ‘despair’ has been eliminated from my dictionary.”

“There, the devil has given up…”

The specter retreated into the darkness, saying sadly, “Farewell, old comrade-in-arms.”

The night was still once more, but suddenly the moon returned. “They’ve come. God knows how they found me so soon.”

He ran through the garden toward the western wall, but soon fell back, shouting frantically, “I’m surrounded.”

He ran to the cottage while I gazed up at the stars. But my peace was disturbed by a voice which shouted, “Give yourself up, Othman Khalil. Give up. You’re surrounded on all sides.”

There was no answer. I turned my eyes in the direction of the voice, but saw nothing in the darkness. “The devil persists in playing tricks, but I’m not surrounded. On the contrary, I’m free.”

Voices came from all around the fence and gradually drew closer. One of them barked out, “Resistance is useless, meaningless.”

The man in hiding didn’t answer.

“There’s meaning in everything,” I murmured.

Suddenly the beam of a searchlight flooded the house with light. A noose was tightening around the place. “Give up, Othman,” the voice shouted. “Come on out with your hands up.”

“When will these infernal voices leave me alone?” I sighed.

But the dreadful voice persisted. “Don’t you see that resistance is futile?”

“Nothing in this world is futile,” I whispered.

The running footsteps and yelling voices went around to the back of the house. A specter lunged out onto the front porch, then screamed.

“It’s over, he’s been caught…it’s all over.”

I whispered, “Nothing has an end.”