The Ribbon

"And as for me, oh night... wrap me in your velvet shadows, for only in your quiet dark can I safely whisper to the star that knows where my soul wanders."
Jenny Hussien Ali , The Wick Day. 2026.

I fastened the ribbon in my hair, tying it into a neat bow, just as we had agreed. As the appointed hour drew near, I sat on the balcony, my chest tight with a mix of joy and fluttering excitement. Time slipped by like water as I watched the street below and the occasional passersby, letting myself melt into the cool embrace of the night breeze. But the air was too gentle-;- it coaxed me, softening my senses until it lulled me into a deep, heavy slumber.
When he finally arrived, he called out into the dark. He whistled, making soft, urgent sounds to catch my attention. From the cobblestones below, he could see the bow dancing gently in the wind—but the head beneath it had already been claimed by ---sleep---. He waited in vain, pacing the quiet street, until the poor fellow finally gave up. He turned back the way he came, fading into the shadows, and the opportunity was lost forever.
I jolted awake to the sharp, worried voice of my grandmother.
"Why on earth are you ---sleep---ing out here? Go to your bed-;- the air has gotten freezing cold."
"What?" I gasped, panic seizing my chest as I scrambled up. "What time is it?"
I leaned over the balcony railing, searching the darkness. The street below was entirely empty. Deathly quiet.
"It is three in the morning," she sighed, her hand gently guiding me inside. "Come along, lie down in your proper bed, you silly girl."
A bittersweet smile touched my lips at the word silly. I reached up, untied the bow from my hair, and lay down in the dark, surrendering once more to a heavy ---sleep---.
Since that night, I have never seen his face again—save for in a single, stray star that gleams in the sky each year, at that exact same hour...
Because the next day, everything changed. It is war.
#jenny_hussien_ali

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