Hide and Seek

Dedicated to Alia, the little Syrian girl.

Hi William, call me Please … I need to talk to you urgently; a message I received by email …

- Hello, yes Zeina, what’s up?

- Zeina: “Listen and do not interrupt me please” ..

- Okey, I am listening ..

I would like to tell you a true story about a girl from Syria … write about the girl if you can … her name is Alia.

I went to the cemetery to visit my martyred cousin… I saw a child did not complete her five years yet … sitting on her knees, crying and digging a newly built grave with her small hands while chanting: “come back, I don’t want to play hide and seek anymore .. Answer me please… Haven’t you told me that you don’t like me crying? … Let me catch you “..

The scene saddened me a lot.

I approached her, and saw her father sitting on the edge of another tomb and tears pouring silently from his eyes.

I tried to carry the child away, but she called her father in tears and hysterical voice saying to him: DADDY TELL HER LET ME GO “…

I approached the father and asked him, “What’s going on?” He replied:

Several days ago, my son wanted to leave home for some business he had, his sister, this little girl, didn’t want him to go, and whenever he tries to go out she cries to prevent him. Then, he had to use a trick with her…

He told her: “I am not going out anymore, let’s play hide and seek” ..

They played together almost half an hour … then he took advantage and went out of the house…

She opened her eyes and began looking for “Ali”, till she got exhausted and came to me saying: “I do not want to play hide and seek with my brother Ali anymore.”

Four hours later, I received a call from Ali’s mobile, I heard voices, noise and a strange man told me that my son has been kidnapped by them and asked for a ransom of 25 million Syrian pounds within 24 hours or he will be killed ..

I could not manage it .. I tried to sell my home, small store, even I tried to see a small piece of land I own in the village … but no one buys in such circumstances … and no one can manage it in such a short time… They did kill my son and threw his body close to our neighbourhood …
He continued: At least he had a good funeral .. my daughter seen him carried on the shoulders of his friends …

She called him: Ali … he did not respond ..

She told me: Daddy, why Ali is not replying? Where are they taking my brother?

I replied: They are taking him to hide.

She said: But I no longer want to play Dad.

I replied: Just this time little girl, just one last time …

During the burial I closed my daughter eyes. She whispered: “How he is going to hide under ground?

I did not find an answer … We went back home, and since then she is asking us every day to come to the cemetery because she thinks that her brother had hid here.
She does this every day and do not stop saying come back, I don’t want to play hide and seek anymore till she s.

He hid his tears and said: I swear to God, he is no longer coming back ….

I came out of the cemetery, crying with the little girl’s echo in my ears:
come back, I don’t want to play hide and seek anymore;
come back, I don’t want to play hide and seek anymore;
come back, I don’t want to play hide and seek anymore.

Zeina hung up the phone, she was bitterly crying …

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