(الظل الذي يرافقني)

كان تقارب فريد من نوعه، يظنّ أنّه الوحيد في العالم الذي يصادق ظلّه، ويتشاركمعهكلّ شيءٍ، شقّته وغرفة النّوم، وقهوته.

يستيقظ قبله، يَسْبِقَهُ إلى الحمام، يَصْنعُ القهوة ويَجْلسُ أمامَ رقْعة الشطرنج في الشّرفة، ينتظره.

ظلّه يغطّ في النّوم لساعةٍ متأخرةٍ، يلمحُهُ خارجًا من الغرفة متّجهًا للحمام، يغْسلُ وجهَه، يأكُلُ وجبَتَهُ الصّباحيّة واقفًا، يصنَعُ قهْوتَهُ على مَهْلٍ، ويجْلسُ قُبالته، لا يرى لهُ ملامِحَ واضحة.

فكّر بأنّ السبب ضعفُ نظرهِ مؤخّرًا، الظلّ لا يتحدّث، يشرَبُ قهوتَهُ في هدوءٍ، فقط يُبادرُهُ بِتحريكِ قِطعةِ الشّطرنج الخاصة به. ابتسم بخُبْثٍ واقتربَ بِنَظّارته من الرّقعة، وجدَ أنّه قد حرّك جُنْديًّا، بادرَهُ هو الآخر بِحركةٍ محترفةٍ من حِصانِهِ ليَحمي الملك، حاولَ قراءةَ وجه ظلّه المبهم والخالي من أيّ تعبيرٍ، لمْ يكن له أيّ ردّة فعلٍ.

انْتهى من قهوته وتحرّك بهدوءٍ لغسلِ فِنْجانِهِ، ثمّ عاد لغرفةِ النّوم، يستفزّهُ صمْت الظلّ المتعجْرِفِ، وعدم حماسته لإكمال اللعبة للنهاية، يقترب بِنَظَرِهِ من رُقْعةِ الشّطرنْج، مُحْتفِظًا بأماكن القطع الخشبيّة في ذاكرتِهِ، يَنْتَهي مِنِ احْتِساءِ القهْوةِ ويترُكُ فِنْجانَهُ على حالته، ويمضي إلى الغُرْفةِ ويسْتلقي بِجوارِ ظلّه.

محمد فاتح علي

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(The Shadow that Accompanies Me)

It was a unique closeness, he thinks that he is the only one in the world

who befriends his shadow, shares everything with him, his apartment,

bedroom, coffee.

He gets up before him, precedes him to the bathroom, makes coffee and

sits in front of the chessboard on the balcony, waiting for him.

His shadow falls asleep for an hour, later, hints to him as he heads out of

the room, to the bathroom, washes his face, eats his morning meal standing up,

makes his coffee leisurely, and sits opposite him, not seeing his clear features.

Thinking that the reason is his poor eyesight lately, the shadow does not speak,

quietly drinks his coffee, only initiates him to move his chess piece. He smiles

maliciously and approaches the patch with his glasses, finding that he moved

a soldier, he also makes a professional gesture from his horse to protect the king

and tries to read the face of his shadow, vague and devoid of any expression,

he has no reaction.

He finished his coffee and moved quietly to wash his cup, then returned to

the bedroom, provoked by the arrogant silence of the shadow, and his lack

of enthusiasm to complete the game to the end. He approaches the chessboard

with his gaze, keeping the places of the wooden pieces in his memory, finishes

sipping coffee and leaves his cup intact, goes into the room and lies down next

to his shadow.

© MOHAMED FATHY ALI