The Secret of the Mountains​. A Story by Mariam Almaasrawy

                                                       The Secret of the Mountains​

Written by: Mariam AL-Maasrawy

Edited and Published by Shama Farag

 

     Chapter 1… The Beginnings

 “Are you sure we should be climbing these mountains?” yelled a girl over the roaring winds.

“Of course we should, Kat! Because anyway, some people say there is a secret in these mountains and we’ll be famous!” her sister said calmly after the wind had stopped. 

“I don’t agree, Chloe,” Kat replied and went down the mountain. 

Chloe stared at her sister until she heard a piercing scream and rushed over to where it came from. It was Kat in an ice crack trap!

 “Help!” she screamed. 

“Okay, I’m coming,” Chloe yelled down at her and leaped in. 

“How are we going to get out then?” Kat said, very mad. 

“Right then-” Chloe cut off when she saw the rope she set up had slipped from the piece of ice she tied it to. Just then, a shadowy figure came toward them, and before they could ask who it was, they got trapped in ice.

     Chapter 2… Hideout 

 

A few years later... “Hey, come back here, you!” a guard yelled at the intruder.

 “I’m Kai and I just need some food,” Kai replied, running away.

 “Sigh! Forget it,” another guard said out of breath. And Kai kept on running and stopped at an old treehouse.

 “I have some bread, sister!” he exclaimed. 

“You know I like being called Maya. It is my name, after all,” his little sister complained.

 “Well, dig in!” Kai said, ignoring her.

 While eating, Maya asked, “When are we gonna get a new hideout?”. 

Kai stared at her for a while and then replied quietly, “Soon. Now just let's eat.”

 Meanwhile, one of the guards was wandering in the forest for Kai and found Kai’s voice from inside the treehouse.

     Chapter 3…Trouble

 

 Immediately the guard rushed to tell the others,

 “Guys, I found where the intruder is!” he exclaimed proudly to the others.

 “Really, where is he?” asked the chief, pushing her way through the other guards.

 “Chief Jane, ma ‘ am, he’s in an old treehouse in the forest!” the guard replied.

 “Show me,” the chief demanded suspiciously. And the guard led her into the forest and pointed to the treehouse.

 “Hmm, I see, well for tomorrow, I have a plan.” Chief Jane said with a smirk on her face.

 “That kid's gonna have a horrible look on his face when he sees it. He's gonna be in big trouble!” Chief Jane said to herself when she arrived at the police station to set up the plan. 

    Chapter 4... Fire! 

 

The day after, the chief proudly marched with the rest of the guards to the hideout, and they sneaked to the treehouse to put some fire on matches and threw it next to the treehouse. After that, they ran straight to a safe distance from the fire. Then, the fire spread quickly, and the kids could feel the heat from inside and from the window.

 “What’s going on?” Maya asked. 

And Kai’s reply was nothing. He held her hand tightly and pulled her down the part burned stairs before the fire would spread anymore. 

    Chapter 5… Lost

 

 “Where are we going?” Maya asked as loud as she could over the roaring flames.

 Kai tried to remain calm but kept on tugging her hardly out of the part burnt hideout. They managed to escape and went deeper into the forest. Meanwhile, the guards had complained that the plan didn’t work.

 “Guys, quiet, and the plan did work. We are not going to kill them. We just simply burned their hideout, and now they will not steal any more food,” Chief Jane had told them, and they immediately stopped talking.

 “Now, let’s put out this fire before it spreads to the village,” Chief Jane added. But she was still wondering what Kai and Maya were up to…

 “Where are we going?” Maya repeated, 

and this time Kai answered, “We are… are lost!” 

    Chapter 6… The Mountains

 

 “Lost!” Maya exclaimed worriedly.

 “But how?! Well, we ran from the fire an- Kai cut off and saw a mountain.

 Maya saw it too, “Maybe there is a cave or something we can go to!” 

Maya got brightness in her eyes again.

 "Well, sure, let’s start climbing now!" Kai also exclaimed joyfully.

 A few minutes later… “*groan* We’ve been climbing forever and no cave,” Maya complained.

 “I think you’ve spoken too early, “ Kai said, pointing to an unusual-looking cave.

 “Um, I think that’s an ice glacier,” Maya replied, still looking frustrated.

 “Well, the only way to find out!” Kai said, running toward it.

 Maya followed. “But that cave is across an ice crack!” Maya said.

 “Well let’s jump over it!” Kai exclaimed.

 “Wait,” Maya said, tying a rope they found in the forest to a rock in the snow.

 “There, just in case.” Kai rolled his eyes and jumped, but it didn’t work, he fell in! Maya went in to rescue him, Kai thanked her, and they were walking to the rope, but on their way there, they found two girls! 

    Chapter 7… The Lost Girls

 

 “Who are they?” Maya asked.

 Kai shrugged and added, “I guess they are frozen or something.”

 “Well, let’s help them!” Maya excitedly said she liked helping people. 

“I guess,” Kai said, looking around for something to start a fire.

 Maya noticed and went for a stick and rocks. She made fire with the rocks on the stick and tried to melt the ice. It worked! 

“Huh?” one of the girls said.

 “Who are you?” the other said. 

“I’m Maya, and this is my annoying brother, Kai,” Maya responded.

 “Hey,” Kai complained, “Just because I call you, sister!”

 One of the girls giggled, “I’m Kat, and this is Chloe.”

 “Let’s just get to the rope,” Kai said. So they did.

 “Wait, the rope!” Maya said, surprised.

     Chapter 8,… Trapped!

 

 “The rope must have slipped from the rock I tied it to,” Maya gloomily said.

 “Well, I tried to teach you to tie knots, but you only slept through the lesson,” Kai said with a scoff.

 “Well, here it goes again,” Kat said. 

“We got trapped here by like a shadowy figure, but our rope also slipped,” Chloe explained. “Well, let’s try to put it back up,” Kai said. 

“How?” Maya asked. 

“Well, we can try to throw it back up,” Kai responded.

 “But that's sooooo high up, how will we even reach it? Chloe complained.

 “Well, I am a good thrower if I do say so myself,” Kai proudly answered.

 But Maya was too busy trying to throw the rope back up. “We are doomed,” Chloe groaned. “Again,” Kat added gloomily.

 “Guys, don’t give up!” Maya said positively, still trying to throw the rope back up.

     Chapter 9… Out & Loose 

 

“Almost there!” Maya exclaimed, getting a little more brightness in her eyes.

 Chloe gasped as Kat covered her own eyes, and Kai just kept on looking at Maya as his eyes grew wider and wider with excitement each time Maya threw the rope higher and higher and HIGHER.

 “Yes!” Maya exclaimed after the rope had gone up. 

“Don’t say that just yet. Someone has to go up for the dangerous mission on the rope that is unsecured and tie it on something for the rest of us to go back up,” Kat pointed out. 

“I’ll do it,” Chloe volunteered. 

“Go ahead,” Maya offered back.

 As Chloe climbed, the others set up a pile of snow if she fell, she did fall multiple times, and they had to set the rope again, but it was worth the wait! Chloe tied the rope then assured the rest of them that she tied the rope up there. They climbed up, and one of them finally cheerily exclaimed, “Out and Loose!” 

    Chapter 10… Secret Revealed

 

 “Yes, but we never told you the reason we were there,” Chloe pointed out, then giving Kat a signal to tell them.

 “Well, Chloe made us climb this mountain because some people say there is a secret in it, but I disagreed and went back down the mountain, but I didn’t notice the ice crack, and then well, you know the rest” Kat explained. 

“Okay,” Maya said, “let’s find this secret!” “Yeah!” the others chorused. 

Then they climbed up the mountain carefully. They had found another ice crack! 

“I wonder if the secret is there,” Maya said, mostly to herself. 

“Well first, of course, someone needs to tie it carefully,” Kai pointed out, tying the rope to an un-slippery rock.

 “Let’s go in!” Maya said, climbing down the rope.

 Kai stayed up there until he heard Maya yell from inside,

 “Kai, do you still have that photo of mom? Dad gave you?”

 “Yes,” Kai answered, then went down.

 “Give it to me,” Maya said, leading Kai and the others to another person trapped in a crystal. 

     Chapter 10 (continued)… Secret Revealed (pt. 2)

 

  “Who is that in there?” Kat asked. 

“Probably the secret,” Chloe teased. 

“Guys, stop fighting. I think Maya has something to show us” Kai broke in the fight.

 Maya nodded and told them to come to look over to the crystal again.

 “I think that this person is the secret and our mom,” Maya said, showing them the photo and bringing it back down to see the person.

 “We need to melt down the ice,” Kai replied and excitedly started grabbing some sticks and making a fire on a huge stick to make a torch.

 Maya swiped the torch from him when the torch was ready. She started melting the ice trap. It had worked! Once they shook the water off of the person, the trapped mother asked,

 “Where am I? Who am I?” Just then, Kai and Maya got teary.

 “You are our mom,” Kai answered.

 “Let’s get out of here,” Maya sniffled and climbed the rope. The others got out too.

 “If I really am your mom, then what about a hug?” Mom asked. They all fell into her arms. More secrets await!

Edited and Published by Shama Farag.

I would love to publish your kids' contributions; reach me out at shama_farag@outlook.com

Also, check my Amazon Author page here, 

Sultana Zubeida

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When I was in college, I had a colleague who was known for her eloquence. I knew she was into charity work. Once, we were invited to attend an event that she would be the keynote speaker. She recommended someone else. I was surprised why she didn’t recommend herself. She told me, I’m not sure if I did it, it would be sincere. I asked her why she thought so. She told me that “showing off or bragging” damages someone’s heart and an absolute good deeds thawab killer “thawab means God's reward.” She explained that showing off is something that creeps into the doer’s heart, and it eventually distracts him from doing the deed for the sake of God, then someone would start to do the good only to enhance his public image.

She said that showing off or “Reyaa” is really hard to detect in someone’s self. Reyaa is like a black ant that walks on a dark rock in a gloomy night. ( Hadith)

I was always concerned about this thought, and I once found this story that I wanted to share with you all. It's about Sultana Zubeida Bint-Jaafar, the wife of Sultan Haroun-Arasheed.

“The photo is not actually hers, and so added some details to spice things up a bit.😉”

Sultana Zubeida was known for her eloquence and extravagant attire. She was beautiful, eloquent, wise, and healthy. All women envied her for her high sense of wisdom and fashionable taste. She was well-spoken, intelligent, and generous. Her name was Zubeida, the wife of Caliph Haroun Arrashid. She was so concerned with people’s satisfaction. Once, she thought about the long distance, the pilgrims to Mekka had to go through and how overwhelming their journey was. She decided to build a channel with multiple tubes and tunnels to cater to this area and provide water to the pilgrims coming to the desert to perform Hajj “pilgrimage.”

She donated all her jewelry, her money and asked for donations from all the wealthy people she knew, and she never checked after anyone working on this project. She spent generously on this project. She made sure that the water channel project was for god’s sake, and she made sure to spend and do whatever it takes to get it done as well and fast as possible. The work would stop due to a shortage in budget or lack of workers sometimes, but she made sure to keep going.

Finally, after eleven years of working on this project, it was ready for use. The fountains were fancy, the place was well equipped, and the pilgrims were well served, and everyone was satisfied. People kept talking about Sultana Zubeida and how successful and beneficial her project was.

Years after she died, her son dreamed of her. He was thrilled seeing her indulging her green silk dress with the most charming fragrance someone could ever smell. 

He hugged her and said, “You look stunning! I bet you are at the highest level of Janna/ beaver. because of the water channel, you built of course!”

“Son, it was almost the reason why I was about to be thrown in the fire!” She said in full despair.

“What? Why?” He asked in shock.

“Showing off is what destroys our sincerity. It creeps into your intentions, ruins the heart, and urges you to do the good deeds only to please your ego and not your God. Make sure not to fall into this trap. Do some good and keep it in the hush. Make sure not all of your deeds are visible to people. Make sure that some of your deeds are witnessed by God and God only. Make sure to hide some of the good you’re doing to keep your heart sincere, your soul high, and hence, your deeds would be accepted. God accepts deeds that are done with sincerity, and He loves those who are sincere.”

COVID Reflection. My Editorial at Little Farah Magazine! Issue 2. December 2020

 

 

COVID Reflection.

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I remember a story my grandma once told me. Once upon a time, a guy was sailing his boat. The waves were so high and caused the sailing boat to sink. The guy swam for hours until his limbs were numb. After hours and hours of swimming, finally, he reached the beach of an island. He was sorry for the boat he had lost, even he didn't know anyone on the island where he landed. Days passed, then he figured out that there was no way he could get back to his home village. He gave up searching for ways to return, then eventually, he started to explore the island. He found out that the island was even better than his home village. "Allah always has better plans," he told himself.

The guy lived on the island for years and years. He built his hut, established his business, and everything was going fine. Until that day, he forgot his food cooking and left his hut. He went away for hours and then returned to find that his house was set on fire, a massive fire. The smoke was everywhere, and the hut was burned to the ground!

He tried to put off the fire, but, unfortunately, it was too late. While the guy was putting off the fire, he lost a finger as well. He was so devastated that he started to blame his luck. He sobbed, wailed, and cried out loud. A few minutes later, a gigantic ship was crossing by the beach. The people on board were curious to see where the smoke was coming from. They found the guy and his burnt hut. They got off their ship and told the guy that their king just died, and they were looking for a new king to role them. They suggested that he might be a good fit, but he should have a scar on his body. They believed that Scars are signs of strength and well-being. In their tradition, they think that if someone had a scar, that means that this person has survived great misfortunes. Then they saw the burnt finger of his, then, they decided to appoint him as their new leader!

Allah always has better plans!

 

Let's just say that this year has been the best year of our lives. The year that we saw how many blessings Allah had granted us. This year is when we realized how important our families are, and our true friends have revealed.

 The year we discovered that even our ability to breath is a blessing, our ability to run errands and go out is a blessing, our health and well-being is the greatest blessing of all. 

Still, this year has been so hard for many of us. However, as long as we still breathing, there is always a chance for better days and new beginnings. 

Of course, we might feel sad for those we lost during the pandemic and for those who caught the virus, but let's just say that pain, loss, and tragic events are natural reminders of the hereafter. They are reminders that nothing and no one would last forever, so we remain focused on living our lives like we are travelers. We should not behold or hoard anything. We should love with all of our hearts and stay kind as much as we can. We should give and forgive. We should practice gratitude and see the good in others. We should love more and judge less. We should be more sharing and extra caring. We should count the blessings instead of thinking about what we lack. I need you to take all of these brain tips into consideration and try your best to practice them…

·         Brain tip: Do you know that you can rewire your brain if you count three things you are grateful for 21 consecutive days? Stay grateful!

·         Brain tip: You will be who you always think you are. Stay positive!

·         Brain tip: Art will enhance your mode even if you're not good at it. Art can be drawing, cooking, baking, writing stories, beading, or photography. Stay artistic!

 

 

Biography:  My name is Shama Farag, born and raised in Egypt. I graduated from the school of science, and got a premaster degree in Botany. I worked as a researcher at the Egyptian Environmental Affairs in Egypt. Then, switched to translation and language localization. Earned a diploma in Islamic theology. Studied writing for young readers at Commonwealth Trust, creative writing at Wesleyan University, storytelling technics at the University of Houston System. Took courses in History and modern literature from Stanford University and Harvard University as well.

I'm grateful for people who made online learning free back then.

My dad was an Engineer and a scholar. He was granted a magnificent sense of righteousness, caring, and wisdom. He taught me the importance of community work and how it instills purity in our hearts and favoring others over ourselves. This is hard for many people to do. Still, it's considered a pure Iman "belief." When you help others, help make them as good as you, when you love to see goodness happening to others as much as you love goodness for yourself, that means you have a strong faith. It's a pure test for your heart and intentions. As simple as that.

I started volunteering at an orphanage 16 years ago. I volunteered to tell prophetic stories to kids. Then I began to record audiobooks for non-profit organizations for the visually impaired. Hence I started my media platforms on SoundCloud and YouTube. Also, I began to write short stories on Facebook twelve years ago. I have participated in many interfaith work and programs since I moved to the US. I'm grateful to be a part of the MAPS-Many Culture One Community and MAPS-Interfaith Outreach community.

I have been writing since I was 12 years old, and now, I'm a published author. I have more than eight books published through Amazon kindle. I'm the chief editor for little Farah Magazine for Muslim kids all around the world. Also, I'm a columnist at Arabicpost and Aljazeera Arabic. My writings are mainly focused on diversity and inclusion.

My latest release on Amazon is Mrs. Z, the substitute, a novella for kids nine years and up. I have partnered up with some young fellows from my Blog fans, and I was blessed to have two incredible little eight and ten years old illustrators and 11 years old author helping me out. Feel free to write back to me at

Shama_farag@outlook.com

 Also, feel free to check out my Amazon author page here,

https://www.amazon.com/Shama-Farag/e/B073XWK3JZ%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

My website,

https://shama-farag.square.site/