The Curse I Bought

By: Abir Al-Kalimat

. .My name is Salman, a simple man who lived his life far from anything related to jinn and their mysterious worlds. To me, such things had never been more than stories told by firelight on cold winter nights. I would listen with the fear of a small child, then fall asleep and forget them by the first light of morning.

I grew up believing that life gives only to those who toil, and that certainty is built only on what the eye sees and the hand touches. This is how the years of my life shaped me, how twenty-seven years spent between the sweat of labor and the bitterness of hardship taught me. I did not trust people’s words, for most of them seemed to me nothing more than exaggeration or a woven fantasy.

That was how I was… or at least, how I thought myself to be. Until that day came, a day that turned my understanding upside down and opened before me a door I never imagined I would cross… a door leading me into another world.

A world unlike anything I had ever known or believed in before…

It all began with a passing thought during a quiet gathering with my cousin. I was talking to him about our financial struggles and the shrinking job opportunities in recent days. Since childhood, I had worked in the market—carrying boxes and shouting at the top of my lungs to sell, growing up amidst the clatter of scales and the scent of fresh vegetables. Through the sweat and toil of those years, I gradually improved myself until I had my own little shop, earning a living with dignity.

But days don’t stay the same… trade began to lose its way, the market became stagnant like foul, still water, and the shop no longer generated enough income. I felt it was time to look for a new opportunity to get back on the right path.

It was then that my cousin suggested an idea I had never considered before. Looking at me with confidence, he said: —“Farming is profitable these days… try getting into it and let the shop run as it is. Let the trade spin on its own while you open another door for yourself.”

His words struck a strange chord within me, and I found myself warming to the idea more than I had expected. It wasn’t far from my field, after all—I owned a shop selling fruits and vegetables, and I knew my customers and their preferences well.

From that day, I began the journey of searching for a piece of land that would suit me…

His words struck something deep inside me. To my surprise, I found myself liking the idea more than I expected. After all, it wasn’t far from my field—I owned a vegetable and fruit shop, and I knew the customers and their preferences well.

From that day on, I began the search for a piece of land that would suit me

I froze in place, unable to move, my heart pounding violently in my chest. Suddenly, I heard a strong voice calling from afar:

I dashed forward with every ounce of strength I had, while the donkey—or that twisted, shapeshifting creature—charged after me in madness, its braying splitting the night like thunder. The closer I drew to the man, the stronger and clearer his recitation of the Qur’an became, as if his words were whips lashing through the air.

The donkey stopped abruptly, kicking the ground violently in every direction, its braying rising so loud it nearly tore my ears apart. From the depths of the darkness, other donkeys emerged—dark, shadow-black beasts—leaping and running madly in every direction, trampling the earth and destroying the crops beneath their hooves. The scene was hellish, as if a gate to some infernal world had opened to unleash a demonic herd.

The man stretched out his hand to me, gripping me tightly as he pulled me away with speed. I never looked back, for I could hear his voice reciting, while behind us the sounds of neighing and braying faded little by little—until we had crossed beyond the borders of that accursed land.

I arrived at his house with him, hurrying inside as he shut the door behind me, and at once everything fell into a stifling silence. I was in absolute shock; my body quivered, and my heart pounded as if it were trying to escape my chest. The man splashed some cold water on my face, then recited verses from the Qur’an over me. In that moment, I felt myself slowly returning to consciousness, though my body still trembled and my clothes clung to me, damp and heavy.

When I looked at him, I recognized him… he was the same man I had met on the very first day along the dirt road—the one who had stopped me from confronting the jinniyah. I wanted to thank him and ask my questions, but my tongue betrayed me and stumbled. He smiled gently, and in a calm yet firm voice, said:

—“Do not be afraid… you are safe now. I had warned you, my son. If only you had listened.”

I calmed down a little, then that kind man—the uncle—gave me… عثمان…dry clothes to change into and a warm cup of tea to soothe my nerves. He sat beside me and began telling me about the cursed land.

He said seriously: —“Now you know the truth… what is told about that land is not just a myth. Thirty years ago, it was a green paradise, fertile and full of life. But something changed… the jinn took over it.”

My heart trembled at hearing this, and I blurted out: —“But why? Why did the jinn take over this particular land?”

Uncle Othman sighed deeply, then took a sip of tea and spoke in a low, sorrowful voice: —“It all began with ignorance and fear… Thirty years ago, there was a beautiful, kind girl in our village. But she was possessed by jinn, or so it was said. Every night she wandered through the village and the mountains, never harming anyone. Yet on a dark day, a group of young men dragged her to this land… they assaulted her brutally, and that was not enough—they buried her there.”

I shivered as I listened, my blood boiling with fear and anger. Uncle Othman continued: —“Since that day, the strange events began. Every day, one of those young men would be found lying on the ground, dead in a brutal manner. Even after one of them confessed… the terror did not end. From that day on, the land became forbidden to humans, and the jinn never abandoned it.”

I sat in silence, trying to process what I had heard. All my fear, all the strange events, had become part of this ancient curse. This land… my land, taken over by the jinn, still holding onto its furious girl for thirty years.

… (Then the events unfold: Salman returns to the city, seeking the help of exorcists; the jinniyah reappears, at first in an alluring form trying to tempt him, then revealing her terrifying true shape; snakes attack, and he defends himself with the Qur’an; he is chased back to the village, only to discover through dreams the truth about the girl and the curse; an old sheikh arrives to treat him; and finally, Salman decides to sell the land and leave it forever, learning that some doors, once opened, can only be closed at a cost, and that survival lies in escape, not in clinging to what is cursed..)