بقلم: هاجر – الجزائر
In the summer of 2006, when I was six years old, my grandfather took me on a trip to the "Labaste" market in Oran. It was hot and the city was bustling with life and noise, while my grandfather headed to buy fresh meat for the shop. As I wandered among the crowded stalls, a mirror hanging at a "Bouchi" shop caught my eye. I stopped for a moment, examining my reflection with childhood innocence. When my eyes fell upon the mirror, I felt that something extraordinary had happened. A mysterious man appeared beside me in my reflection, even though I didn't see him in reality, only clearly in the mirror. As soon as I noticed that eerie presence, the man silently approached me and began to speak in a strange, unbearable voice: "Give me ten kilos of meat and chicken," as if I were involved in a transaction unsuitable for a small child. I replied fearfully, "But I'm just a child!" The man responded in a cold tone, "I can't; I don't know you," and then began to utter sharp words and enigmatic meanings, filling the atmosphere with indescribable awe and fear. In the midst of those tense moments, another man appeared clearly in the mirror, seeming calm and wise; a man known among the people by the nickname "Uncle Marrakech." It was as if his image had emerged from another world, carrying with it the magic of protection and tranquility. "Uncle Marrakech" took a step forward and began to recite in a melodious voice Surah Al-Falaq and some Quranic verses that I had often heard from my grandmother. With each word that echoed, the shadows faded and the atmosphere began to return to normal. Suddenly, the mysterious man seemed to vanish before our very eyes, disappearing completely, leaving behind a silence that hung over the place as if he had never existed. I stood there in astonishment, swaying between bewilderment and fear, but I felt deep in my heart that a divine power had intervened to end that terrifying moment. While my grandfather returned to his shop unaware of everything that had happened, that image remained etched in my memory as a lesson in the power of faith and the protection of the soul from darkness. Since that day, that incident has been recounted among the people as a warning to children and an indication that behind every encounter with the unknown lies a greater power that illuminates the paths in times of distress.