Free Children of Gebelaawi by Naguib Mahfouz

I though t bei ng pregnant had just taken away your
    passion, bu t now I see it's made you lose your good sense too.
    - You agree with what I say, by God. But you 're afraid, and
    that's not worthy of you.
    Over his face came a darkness quite out of keeping with the
    compliance he felt within. He said:
    - We'll remember this as the night of our first quarrel.
    She said very gently:
    - Adham, let's thi nk about it seriously.
    - No good will come of it.
    - That's what you say; but you 'll see.
    He felt the heat of the fire that was fast approaching, and he
    said to himself: 'If you get scorched, tears won't quench it.' He
    turned his head to the wi ndow, and thought how lucky the
    inhabitants of that bright star were to be so far away from this
    house. He murmured feebly:
    - Nobody loves his father as much as I do.
    - You 'd never do anything that would harm him.
    - Umayma, you need to sleep.
    - It's you who are keeping me awake.
    - I hoped to hear the voice of reason from you.
    - That's the only thing you have heard.
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    Adham
    He wondered to himself in a whisper:
    - Won't it destroy me?
    She stroked his hand, which rested on the edge of the sofa,
    and said reproachfully:
    - We share our fate, if you love me.
    With a resignation that showed he h ad already made his
    decision, he said:
    - Even that star doesn't know my fate.
    She lost all cau tion.
    - You wi ll read your fate in the Deeds.
    His gaze wen t out to the unsleeping stars, and to the shreds
    of cloud lit up by their calm ligh t. He imagined that they had
    heard his conversation, and he murmured:
    - What a lovely sky!
    Then he heard Umayma's playful voice:
    - You taugh t me to love the garden, let me return the favor.
    8 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    At dawn Gebclaawi left his room for the garden. Ad ham was
    watching from the end of the corridor, and Umayma stood
    behind him in the darkness with h er hand on his shoulder.
    They listened to the heavy, even tread, but could not make out
    its direction in the dark. It was Gebelaawi 's custom to walk
    about at this hour wi th neither light nor companion. The
    noise died away, and Adham turned to whisper to his wife:
    - Don 't you think it would be best to go back now?
    She urged him on, wh ispering i n his ear:
    - You can curse me if I mean any harm to anybody.
    He took a few steps forward, confused and unhappy, his
    hand clutching the li ttle candle in his pocket. He felt his way
    along the wall ti ll his hand touched the door. Umayma whispered:
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    Children of Gebelaawi
    - I'll stay here on guard. Go on, and good luck!
    She stretched out her hand and pushed the door open, then
    drew back. Adham tiptoed wari ly into the room, and was met
    by a strong smell of musk. He closed the door behind him and
    stood peering into the darkness till he could make out the
    windows overlooking the desert, which let in the first light of
    day. Adham felt that the wrong - if wrong there was - had
    already been done with his entry into the room, and that he
    must now go through with it. He followed the left hand wall,
    falling over chairs once or twice, passing the door to the private
    chamber on the way, till he reached the end wall, which he
    followed, fumbling his way to the dressing table. He pulled out
    the drawer and rummaged in its contents till h e found the box.
    After pausing to regai n control of h imself, he returned to the
    door of the private cham ber, groped for the keyhole, put the
    key in and turned it.
    He opened the door, and there he was slipping i nto the
    secret place that no one but his father had ever before entered.
    He closed the door, took ou t his candle and lit it. He saw a
    square room with a high ceiling and no opening other than the
    door. A small carpet covered the floor. To the right was an
    ornate table and on it rested the huge book, fastened to the
    wall with an iron chain. His mouth was dry, and when he
    swallowed it was as painful as ifhe had a sudden sore throat. He
    clenched his teeth