The Midnight Caravan | قافِلَةُ مُنْتَصَفِ اللَّيْلِ
"A ghost caravan appears every full moon, carrying merchants from an ancient time"
قافِلَةُ مُنْتَصَفِ اللَّيْلِ
The Midnight Caravan
الفصلُ الأَوَّلُ: الأُسْطُورَةُ المُخِيفَةُ
Chapter One: The Frightening Legend
فِي صَحْراءِ الدَّاخِلِيَّةِ، تَناقَلَتِ الأَجْيالُ قِصَّةً غَرِيبَةً: فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةِ بَدْرٍ، تَظْهَرُ قافِلَةٌ شَبَحِيَّةٌ مِنَ الجِمالِ وَالتُّجَّارِ.
In the Dakhiliyah desert, generations passed down a strange story: every full moon night, a ghostly caravan of camels and merchants would appear.
قِيلَ إِنَّها قافِلَةٌ هَلَكَتْ قَبْلَ أَلْفِ عامٍ، ضَلَّتْ طَرِيقَها فَماتَ كُلُّ مَنْ فِيها عَطَشًا.
It was said to be a caravan that perished a thousand years ago, lost its way and everyone in it died of thirst.
قالَ البَدْوُ: «مَنْ يَراها يَمُوتُ خِلالَ عامٍ!»
The Bedouin said: "Whoever sees it dies within a year!"
الفصلُ الثَّانِي: الشَّاهِدُ الجَرِيءُ
Chapter Two: The Bold Witness
كانَ هُناكَ شابٌّ يُدْعَى فَهْدًا لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِالخُرافاتِ. قَرَّرَ أَنْ يَبِيتَ فِي الصَّحْراءِ لَيْلَةَ البَدْرِ.
There was a youth named Fahd who did not believe in superstitions. He decided to spend the full moon night in the desert.
فِي مُنْتَصَفِ اللَّيْلِ، رَأَى شَيْئًا أَرْعَبَهُ: قافِلَةٌ ضَخْمَةٌ تَسِيرُ فِي صَمْتٍ! الجِمالُ لا أَصْواتَ لَها، وَالرِّجالُ لا وُجُوهَ لَهُمْ!
At midnight, he saw something that terrified him: a huge caravan moving in silence! The camels made no sounds, and the men had no faces!
لَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَهْرُبْ. تَبِعَ القافِلَةَ بِحَذَرٍ.
But he did not flee. He followed the caravan carefully.
الفصلُ الثَّالِثُ: سِرُّ المَكانِ
Chapter Three: The Secret of the Place
قادَتْهُ القافِلَةُ إِلى مَكانٍ غَرِيبٍ: صَخْرَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ فِي وَسَطِ الرِّمالِ. وَفَجْأَةً، اخْتَفَتِ القافِلَةُ!
The caravan led him to a strange place: a great rock in the middle of the sands. Suddenly, the caravan vanished!
حَفَرَ فَهْدٌ عِنْدَ الصَّخْرَةِ، فَوَجَدَ بِئْرًا قَدِيمَةً مَرْدُومَةً بِالرِّمالِ! نَظَّفَها، فَخَرَجَ مِنْها ماءٌ عَذْبٌ!
Fahd dug at the rock and found an ancient well buried by sand! He cleaned it, and sweet water came out!
فَهِمَ الحَقِيقَةَ: القافِلَةُ الشَّبَحِيَّةُ كانَتْ تُرِي النَّاسَ مَكانَ البِئْرِ! لَكِنَّ الجَمِيعَ خافُوا وَهَرَبُوا بَدَلاً مِنْ أَنْ يَتَّبِعُوا!
He understood the truth: the ghostly caravan was showing people the well's location! But everyone was afraid and fled instead of following!
الفصلُ الرَّابِعُ: البِئْرُ المُبارَكَةُ
Chapter Four: The Blessed Well
عادَ فَهْدٌ وَأَخْبَرَ النَّاسَ. ذَهَبُوا مَعَهُ وَرَأَوُا البِئْرَ.
Fahd returned and told the people. They went with him and saw the well.
قالَ شَيْخٌ عَجُوزٌ: «هَذِهِ بِئْرُ أَجْدادِنا! ضاعَتْ مُنْذُ قُرُونٍ!»
An old sheikh said: "This is our ancestors' well! It was lost for centuries!"
بَنَوْا حَوْلَها قَرْيَةً صَغِيرَةً، وَتَوَقَّفَتِ القافِلَةُ الشَّبَحِيَّةُ عَنِ الظُّهُورِ.
They built a small village around it, and the ghostly caravan stopped appearing.
قالَ فَهْدٌ: «الأَرْواحُ لَمْ تَكُنْ تُرِيدُ إِخافَتَنا. كانَتْ تُرِيدُ مُساعَدَتَنا. لَكِنَّ الخَوْفَ أَعْمانا.»
Fahd said: "The spirits did not want to frighten us. They wanted to help us. But fear blinded us."
تَمَّتِ القِصَّةُ | The End