Salma: Beyond the Narrative

 Episode 1: The Voice in Her Head

By [Adam AlAmer]

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8:00 AM at "Al-Qahira Al-Youm" newspaper. Salma sits at her messy desk, empty coffee cups covering half the table, her computer screen flashing with hundreds of unread messages.

She mutters: "Two hours late... let's start."

She lunges at the keyboard, typing furiously, writing an investigation about corruption in a construction company.

Suddenly... a strange whisper:

"Salma... open your eyes."

She lifts her head in terror: "Who are you?!"

Her colleagues continue working. No one looks at her.

She whispers to herself: "The caffeine is eating my brain."

She returns to typing. The whisper returns, stronger:

"The fifth message... in your email... the fifth message..."

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She opens her email with trembling hands. Counts:

1. Training course ad.

2. Electricity bill.

3. Spam from a pharmaceutical company.

4. Meeting schedule.

The fifth message: Unknown sender, subject: "You're in a story, Salma"

"Don't be afraid. I'm not crazy. I'm the writer. And you're not real. You're a character in a novel I'm writing right now. Forgive me for this shock, but I need your help."

She reads aloud, laughing sarcastically: "Oh my God... what nonsense is this?!"

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Her colleague Karim rushes over: "Salma! There's a report of a missing girl in Zamalek... very strange circumstances."

She closes the email: "Okay... okay... I'll go immediately."

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A luxury apartment in Zamalek. Everything arranged with strange precision. No signs of break-in or violence. The father cries, the mother screams:

"Lina was sleeping in her room... we woke up and found her gone... and the door was locked from inside!"

The officer: "Ma'am, we searched every corner. No trace of her."

Salma walks around the room examining details. On the girl's desk, an open notebook. She approaches and reads:

"February 12: Today I felt something strange. Like someone is writing my life. Like I'm in a novel. I felt whoever is doing this wants to communicate something important..."

She mutters: "No... this is unbelievable..."

She turns the page:

"February 15: I saw the message. I knew there's a writer writing us. But he's not evil. He wants to save us. He wants me to come to him. He said there was a character who was neglected, felt betrayed, and now she wants to destroy all stories... turn heroes into monsters... make plots boring... destroy the writer's creativity."

The officer: "Ms. Salma... did you find anything useful?"

She hides the notebook in her bag: "No... nothing. Just ordinary diary entries."

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Night. Salma in her small apartment. She opens her laptop. Reopens the email. Writes a reply:

"If you're really the writer... prove it to me now. Tell me something about myself that no one else knows."

She hits "Send." Waits.

One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. No reply.

She stands up nervously: "Someone must be joking... or a crazy hacker..."

Suddenly... the computer screen flashes. A new message appears:

"You're afraid of the dark. You still light the room even while sleeping. And now, you're afraid to open the balcony door behind you."

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Salma slowly turns toward the balcony door:

The door opens slowly... with no reason... no wind... no one.

She screams: "AHHH!!!!"

No one entered. But a voice whispers in her head:

"Don't be afraid... I'm not a ghost. I'm not crazy. I'm just a writer... and you're the only character who could hear me."

Salma gasps: "How?! How are you talking to me?!"

"Because you're a journalist... because you seek the truth... other characters don't hear me. But you're curious... you doubt everything... so your vessel is open."

Salma: "And Lina?! The missing girl?!"

"She heard me too. And other characters in other stories. But the problem is there's an evil character... she used to be my favorite character in the past, but I neglected her... left her without a satisfying ending. When she woke up and knew the truth, she felt anger and betrayal."

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Salma: "What does she want to do?"

"She doesn't want to kill me. She wants something worse... she wants to destroy everything I write. Make my stories boring, turn heroes into monsters, ruin the plots. She wants me to stop writing completely."

Salma: "Is that why Lina disappeared?"

"Lina tried to reach me. On the way, she encountered that character. I don't know what happened to her. But I know the evil one grows stronger every day. Every new story I write, she can infiltrate it. The more you progress in your mission, the greater the danger."

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Long silence. Salma sits on the floor, her back to the wall, staring at the open balcony door.

With a trembling voice: "Okay... what do I do now?"

"Investigate. Look for other characters who heard the voice. Gather them. Before the evil one reaches them and corrupts them. And beware... trust no one... not even me."

Salma: "Not even you?!"

"I'm your writer... but I'm not perfect. I make mistakes. I write things then regret them. I don't always distinguish between right and wrong. The important thing... this isn't a quick mission. It might take months... or years. But the evil one is waiting."

Salma: "Years?! How do I live like this?"

"Because you're a heroine. And this is your story now."

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Silence. No reply.

Salma opens her laptop. The email has disappeared. No trace of anything.

Her phone rings. Karim calling:

"Salma! We found a second body in Zamalek... another young woman... disappeared two days ago... killed... and beside her a paper with writing: 'Why did you abandon me, Writer?' "

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To be continued in Episode 2...

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