The Fairy in the Black Cloak

Written by: Ibrahim Abdel Haq

My name is Ibrahim. I am 38 years old and live in a village. I have a small shop selling building materials. One night, my phone rang around ten o'clock. It was a man I knew who worked in construction from another distant village. He said to me: "Peace be upon you, Abdul Rafiq, how are you?" I replied: "I'm fine, praise be to God." I asked him: "Why are you calling at this time?" He replied: "My car broke down, and I need five bags of cement. Can you bring them to me?" I was used to accommodating my customers, so I rarely refused their requests. I told him: "I will bring you what you need, even though I just closed the shop." I quickly had my dinner and told my wife that I would take some goods to a customer and wouldn't be long. She said to me: "Go and come back safely, and don't drive fast." I left the house, opened the shop, took out the bags, and put them in my car. I headed towards the man who called me. While on my way, I noticed a police checkpoint. One of them signaled me to stop, and as I was about to stop, the two policemen got into their car and sped away. I didn't understand what was happening; why did they leave so quickly as if they were fleeing from something? I got out of the car in astonishment, then turned around to find a woman in a black robe standing and looking at me. I got back into the car and drove away. I delivered the bags to the customer who was waiting for me. He asked me to stay for dinner, but I thanked him for his invitation and told him: "I already had my dinner." On my way back, I encountered another police checkpoint. Could these two policemen be the same ones who stopped me earlier? I don't know. One of them signaled me to stop, so I pulled over. He asked to see my car papers, so I gave them to him and asked: "Earlier, there was a checkpoint in the opposite direction, and I saw you and your colleague leave quickly without checking my car papers." The policeman said to me: "Are you the one we stopped earlier?" I said: "Yes." He asked: "Didn't you see that woman behind you?" I replied: "Which woman? Do you mean the one in the black robe?" The other policeman said: "Didn't you see the size of her feet, like cow hooves? It's impossible for her to be human." I thought the policeman was joking with me. I asked him: "Is this serious? Are you serious with me?" One of them said: "If it wasn't serious and real, we wouldn't have fled in the car." I asked him: "But how did you know her feet were as you described, and she was far from you?" He replied: "This is not the first time we've seen her. We saw her one night, thinking she was an ordinary woman, but we saw her large feet with hooves like a cow's, so we got into the car and fled. This is not the first time." What the policemen said scared me, even though I was inclined not to believe it. I took my papers and left, heading home. I was driving slowly on a dark road in the pitch-black night when I suddenly saw something like an animal on the road. Something black that I couldn't make out, so I swerved my car to the left to avoid hitting it, but it swerved with me, leaving me no choice but to stop. I wish I hadn't stopped, I wish I had continued driving. When I stopped, I found myself in front of that woman in her black robe. I remembered what the policemen said. I couldn't see her feet as her robe was long and dragging on the ground. I saw her coming towards me, and at that moment, I locked the car doors so they couldn't be opened from the outside. She started talking to me, but I couldn't hear anything because the car windows were closed. I opened the window slightly, and then I heard her say: "I need your help." I asked her cautiously: "How can I help you?" She said: "I need you to help me carry a wardrobe." I asked her: "Where is this wardrobe?" She said: "At my house." I remained silent and didn't answer her. I told her: "I'm busy now, I need to get back home." I was talking to her while looking at her feet, and I noticed she was trying to cover them with her robe as much as possible. My anxiety and tension increased from this strange woman who started pleading with me to help her. I reluctantly asked her: "Where is your house?" She said: "Not far from here." I told her: "I'll leave my car here." She said: "No, it's better if you take it." So I opened the door for her and told her: "Get in." My heartbeats increased when she sat next to me. I was glancing at her feet, and she was exaggerating in covering them with her hands. She directed me to enter an unknown, unpaved road, then she said to me: "Can you speed up a bit?" I told her: "I can't, the road is full of stones." She said: "You need to hurry, my daughter might die." I asked her, surprised: "What's wrong with your daughter?" She said: "The wardrobe fell on her, and I couldn't lift it off her alone, so I asked for your help." Then she added: "I went to the main road and found two men near a car, but when they saw me, they fled quickly. I don't know why, maybe they were busy." She was talking about the policemen. I didn't answer her and remained silent, then I asked her: "Where is the house?" She pointed ahead and said: "It's there." I saw a house that looked isolated and old. I asked: "Do you live here?" She said: "Yes." When I stopped the car, she quickly got out and ran inside. I stood near the car, and I heard her calling: "Come in, come in, man." I approached the door, and it was dark. Darkness. I asked her: "Is there no electricity here?" She replied: "No, come in and help me, my daughter is in danger." I walked into the darkness, feeling a rough hand grip mine. I almost screamed, but the woman said: "It's me, come towards the wardrobe, it's here." I felt my way around with my hands, and then she asked me to lift it from my side while she lifted it from the other. I raised the wardrobe and placed it in its position; it wasn't heavy. The woman then said to me: "Wait a moment." I heard her open one of the wardrobe doors and take something out. After that, she lit a candle and placed it on the ground. I wondered to myself: "Where is her daughter whom I came to save?" I looked around and asked the strange woman: "Where is your daughter?" She replied: "She went to that room over there." I asked in amazement: "Wasn't the wardrobe fallen on her?" She replied: "Yes, but when we lifted it, she got up and went to her room." I stood there frozen, then heard a noise and knocking coming from one of the rooms. I asked the woman: "What are those sounds?" She replied: "It's my daughter playing in her room." I was surprised by this; how could a little girl who was trapped under the wardrobe moments ago now be playing? Injured and scared for hours, she starts playing as soon as she gets out from under a heavy wardrobe. I asked the woman: "Can I see your daughter?" She firmly replied: "No, you can't." I said: "Why?" She said: "Because she is not wearing clothes at the moment." I said: "And why isn't she wearing her clothes?" She replied sadly: "Simply because we don't have any clothes; we are very poor." At that moment, I took off a coat I was wearing and said to the woman: "Take this and cover her with it, then let me check on her." The woman replied: "Aren't you ashamed?" I said: "No, you can't see her." I told her: "Excuse me, ma'am, I have been married for many years but haven't been blessed with children, so I always want to help and be kind to children." She said: "Save that for another time." I told her: "Tomorrow, God willing, I will bring your daughter some clothes." The mother asked, surprised: "Will you come here?" I said: "Yes." She told me: "Thank you, you seem like a kind man." As I was about to leave, I heard the room door open, and a person, about my height with long curly hair, appeared. I couldn't see his features clearly as the candle was dimly lighting the center of the house. I quickly turned to the woman and asked: "How old is your daughter?" She replied nervously: "She's years old, still a small child. Why do you ask?" I said: "Just to buy her clothes that fit. Is there anyone else in this house?" The woman replied, annoyed: "You ask a lot of questions! No, it's just me and my little daughter here. Do you have any other questions?" I said: "No, nothing." I turned towards the room and confirmed that there was a tall person with curly hair and glowing eyes. He was staring at me without moving. I felt great fear and moved towards the door to leave this eerie house. Before I could reach the door, I heard a groan as if someone was moaning in pain. I turned towards the room and saw the door had closed, and the eerie woman was standing there with an unsettling smile. Her look was disturbing. I didn't know why I came with her here. She asked me: "Why did you stop?" I told her: "I heard a groan as if someone was moaning, and the sound was coming from that room behind you." She replied: "It seems you're imagining things, there's nothing like what you're saying. You must need sleep, it's late. Go home now and don't forget the clothes you promised me." I told her: "I'll visit you in the early afternoon." The woman paused and then said: "Can you come in the evening? I work all day and won't be home, and I take my daughter with me." I told her: "I'll leave the purchases at the door." She quickly replied: "Don't do that; someone might steal them." I didn't know what to say to this woman; her words seemed suspicious, and her appearance and actions were scary. I avoided looking into her eyes because every time I focused on them, I got an inexplicable shiver. I kept thinking and remembering what the policemen said. Why does she want me to come at night? Could this woman really be a jinni? I had no other choice and told her: "Tomorrow I'll bring you what I promised." I moved towards the door, and at that moment, I heard a strong knocking from the room. I didn't look back and left the house with my heart full of fear. I started noting the location of the house, which seemed old, as if it dated back to the Middle Ages. I got into my car and drove back home. I found my wife still awake. She welcomed me, worried, and asked: "Why did you take so long, Abdul Rafiq?" I leaned on my bed and told my wife everything that happened with that woman. My wife thought I was joking with her. I assured her that what I said was true. She became scared and then went to sleep. In the morning, I forgot about the woman, opened my shop, and started my work. At lunchtime, I remembered what happened the previous day and wondered if I should really buy clothes for that woman as I promised. No, I wouldn't do it; I didn't feel comfortable with her, and she seemed to be hiding something serious. But what if she was sincere? I consulted my wife, who warned me not to return to that house and reminded me of the person who appeared from the room and the woman's contradictory and suspicious words. I told her: "You're right, I won't risk going there." Three days passed in which I moved between my shop and home, and everything was fine. I usually closed my shop at sunset, but on the fourth day, I stayed late. I was waiting for a customer and stayed until nine-thirty at night. The customer came, and I gave him his order, then I started closing the shop. While doing so, I felt the atmosphere getting colder. My heart pounded, it was dark, and the area was completely empty. I turned around and saw someone watching me from a distance, slowly approaching me. Yes, it was that woman in her black robe. I felt like I was suffocating but pretended not to see her. I continued closing the shop door and then quickly walked towards home. Every now and then, I turned around and saw that woman following me. I stopped and thought for a moment, gathered my strength, then turned and headed towards her. I asked her angrily: "Why are you following me, woman?" She replied in a hoarse voice, reproaching me: "You left me waiting for three nights without sleep, and my daughter is sad and waiting. I didn't think you were a deceiver." I was surprised by her words and didn't know what to say to her. She seemed angry, so I lied to her and said: "I'm sorry, I was very busy with my work and couldn't keep my promise. I am very sorry." She gave me a scrutinizing look and said: "So tomorrow you will visit me and bring the clothes you promised my daughter." I replied nervously: "Yes, of course, that's a promise and a commitment. Rest assured and reassure your daughter." She said as she left: "Don't be late." Or else... She didn't complete her threat, and I didn't know what this woman was plotting. I walked home, feeling dizzy, almost falling near the door. I opened the door and entered, feeling heavy. I found my wife waiting. It was unusual for me to be late at night except rarely. She asked me: "What took you so long, Abdul Rafiq? Your face looks pale, what happened?" I told her: "That woman came to my shop." She asked, surprised: "What does she want from you?" I said: "Maybe because I didn't keep my promise to her." My wife replied: "I don't feel comfortable about this. Listen, Abdul Rafiq. Tomorrow, go and buy clothes for the girl, but don't go to their house. Leave the clothes in the shop, and the woman will come to take them from you. May God protect us from her evil." I agreed with my wife's suggestion, then lay down on my bed and kept tossing and turning, thinking about everything that happened. The next morning, I went to work in my shop, but my mind was distracted. At lunchtime, I closed the shop, then went and bought some dresses and other things, put them in a bag, and returned to work. The day passed, and I was waiting for the woman to come, but she didn't. I thought she might come in the evening, so I stayed in the shop until late. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it, and there was no one there. My wife, trembling, said: "I saw her when I opened the door. She looked terrifying. She told me in a scary voice: 'Tell your husband to come to my house, I am waiting for him with my daughter, or else I know how to come to him.' When I looked at her feet, I saw they were like the hooves of a cow." My wife started crying. I told her: "Maybe you imagined it. I have seen the woman several times, but her feet were not like that." I tried to calm my wife down, brought her a cup of herbal tea, and added another blanket to stop her from shivering. After she calmed down a bit, she asked me, as if she had realized something important: "Abdul Rafiq, did you search the house? Maybe she came in when I fainted." I said: "No, I didn't." Then I got up and searched all the rooms, even the bathroom and the roof. I returned to the bedroom and told my wife that I didn't find anything and that we were safe. I put on my shoes, and my wife asked: "Where are you going, leaving me alone?" I told her: "I have to go to that woman so that what happened today doesn't happen again." She said: "Please, I'm scared for you, she might harm you. Don't go." I told her: "I have made up my mind. Lock the door and don't open it for anyone until I return. I have to end this matter, or else that woman will come every night, and no one will stop her." I left the house with the bag of clothes, put it in the car, and drove down the dark road until I reached an unpaved, rocky path. I slowed down, not remembering where the woman's house was. I continued driving until I saw her in her black robe dragging on the ground. She was standing by the road. My heart started to pound, but I composed myself. I stopped the car near her and rolled down the window. She asked me in a harsh tone: "Did you want to sleep and leave us waiting?" I replied nervously: "No, I thought you would come to the shop to take the things I bought for your daughter." She opened the car door and sat next to me. I felt a great sense of dread; something was unsettling about this strange woman. I drove a little, then she asked me to turn left into a place that looked like an abandoned forest. After a while, the house appeared, its darkness and gloominess evoking fear and hinting at the terror within. I got out of the car, and she got out before me. I took out the bag and handed it to her. I told her: "Take this, I need to leave, I want to go back home." She said: "No, you must give these things to my daughter yourself, she won't believe me." I felt extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable, but I agreed and followed the woman to the gloomy house. The woman disappeared into the darkness, then I saw her light a candle and place it on the ground. She then asked me to enter the room, saying: "Go into this room and give my daughter the clothes to try on." I told her: "You do it instead of me." She replied sternly: "No one else will do it but you." At that moment, we started hearing knocking coming from that room. The door opened by itself, and the woman insisted that I enter the room. I didn't understand her insistence. I took hesitant steps, my legs trembling. Suddenly, I felt myself being pushed into the room, and I found myself inside, surrounded by darkness. The door closed behind me. I looked around, it was a frightening darkness except for a faint light from a small window. When my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a person sitting in the corner of the room. I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. They had long hair covering their face. I started hearing their breathing, like a dog panting. I backed away until my back was against the wall. I bent down towards the bag, opened it, took out a dress, and said in a trembling voice: "Look, my dear, what I brought for you." At that moment, I felt the dress being snatched from my hand at lightning speed. I bent down to touch the bag, and I heard it being torn apart violently. I regretted coming to this place. I ran towards the room door and started calling for the woman, asking her to open the door. After a few moments, the door opened, and I found the woman smiling broadly. She said to me: "I don't know how to thank you. My daughter was in desperate need of these clothes, especially in this cold weather." I couldn't speak, so I didn't reply to the woman. Then I heard her say: "Sit down, I'll bring you some tea." I told her: "No, no, thank you. I just want to leave, thank you." She gestured towards the door as if giving me permission to leave. I quickly left the house, and as soon as I got into the car, I heard frightening laughter and giggles. I drove away at full speed, almost crashing into a tree. On the way, I tried to convince myself otherwise, but it was clear that she was a jinni and that I had been in the house of the jinn. Even though the candle was lit inside the house, I didn't see the woman's shadow. I reached home and found my wife still awake and still in a state of fear. As for me, the terror was evident on my face. Silence prevailed between us; she didn't speak to me, and I didn't speak to her. I just tried to sleep and forget everything that happened as if it never occurred. The next morning, I spoke to my wife and told her what happened. I also told her that I felt a tightness in my chest, so she played the Quran. I spent the whole day lying down, remembering God, and praying on time. The distress lifted from me, and I promised my wife that I wouldn't go out at night unless absolutely necessary and that I would close my shop before nightfall.