Mariam Abidat

Love in Times of War

I sat in the corner of my room, adorned with its elegant Victorian details, sipping my warm coffee and gazing at the quiet scene outside my window. Carriages moved slowly down the street, laden with goods to supply the shops, while passersby walked with steady steps, preoccupied with their daily lives. Amid this familiar routine, I lived my own private waiting. Every Saturday, I would receive a package carrying a letter from my beloved, who had departed months ago with the army.

With the sound of the church bell, I felt that moment of waiting had arrived. I rushed to the door, hoping to find the usual package, but my mother called to me from a distance: “We’re late for prayer!” I quickly put on my shoes and followed her to the church, where we spent our time performing the rituals while my heart was preoccupied with what awaited me upon our return.

After the prayer, we returned home, and I dashed to my room. I opened the box of letters with trembling hands, only to find it empty. For a moment, I felt as though the world had stopped. Had something happened to him? Had the package gotten lost along the way? Many questions crowded my mind, and my heart felt heavy with anxiety.

I went downstairs to search for an answer and asked a praying woman if the mailman had passed today. She shook her head, saying, “No one has come.” That only heightened my fears, but my mother’s voice interrupted my thoughts. She called to me loudly, so I quickly descended into the hallway. There, standing before me, I froze in shock at a man whose voice was incredibly familiar. I lifted my eyes toward him, and my heart raced. It was him.

He approached me with confident steps and said with a smile: “I’ve come to steal you from your family and take you to my world. What do you think?”

I felt words racing in my mind, and I couldn’t respond for a moment. My mother watched the scene with a supportive smile, so I took a deep breath and said in a faint voice: “Yes, I agree.”

Days passed quickly after that. We had a beautiful wedding in our small village, amidst a warm atmosphere filled with family and neighbors. It was only then that I realized love could triumph over every obstacle, even during the hardest of times.

Passion in the Shadow of Anxiety

Gazes that conceal other worlds, carrying within their depths mysterious secrets and painful memories. Restless breaths quicken like a roaring storm, fearful of the heart stopping from the intensity of its beating, as if every beat holds the weight of the universe. We are drawn to the beauty and delicacy of the earth, and we cherish what is ours and what belongs to us—those fleeting moments that make us feel alive, despite all the anxiety and tension surrounding us.

Thoughts dance in our minds like ghosts, intertwining dreams with reality, leaving us stuck between the desire to escape and the longing to return. Every passing moment ignites a passion for life within us. And even amidst the burdens that weigh on our shoulders, love possesses the power to repaint the colors in our hearts. We live in hope that those hidden dreams buried in the corners of our souls will come true, as if we are writing a story without end.

Mariam Abidat

Short Bio:

Mariam Abidat

Mariam Abidat is a Moroccan-British writer and editor born in London in 2003. She is the Publishing Director of Barcelona Literary Magazine and a Board Member of the World Writers’ Union.

Her works include Kharbashat (2023), Shunning and Separation (2024), Ezzouf and Separation (2024), Your Last Melody (2024), and The Sacrificial Offerings (2024).

Her upcoming short story collection, The Black Veil, continues her exploration of identity, connection, and the complexities of human experience.