Raïhanyat,

Moroccan Writer

Mohamed Saïd Raïhani’s Website

WAITING FOR THE MORNING

(A Collection of Short Stories)

(Stories versus Songs)

TEXT 10:

THE CRACK

You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day
Tried to run
Tried to hide
Break on through to the other side

We chased our pleasures here
Dug our treasures there
But can you still recall
The time we cried:
"Break on through to the other side!"

I found an island in your arms
Country in your eyes
Arms that chain
Eyes that lie
Break on through to the other side

" Break on through to the other side ", a song by The Doors

The building inhabitants:

-It’s cracking open...

-It’ll collapse sooner or later…

-The buzz of any vehicle will shake it and pull it down…

-What about the building owner?

-He considers us a mere group of maniacs…

The building proprietor:

If the split were horizontal, there never would be such a trouble. Unluckily, the split is vertical, digging the building from foundation to rooftop. In fact, at first, I could not understand the ground-floor inhabitants’ complaints when they noticed the first split signs. That is the reason why I shouted in their faces:

“The entire world is splitting around you. Can your eyes see nothing else beyond this building?”

When objections started resounding in the higher floors, I hurried to see skilful master builders who tried to defeat the split with clever tricks. They dealt with it as a long wound and sew it horizontally with iron sticks to stop the split from any further extension. Then, they restored the ornaments and graffiti. Yet, the split was stronger than any embellishment and reappeared to dig up the remaining upper floors of the building, later.

City Architects’ Association:

It is inevitable to evacuate the building from its inhabitants and pull it down before it puts an end to their lives and destroy the surrounding habitations. From the very beginning, the construction of this building did not respect the characteristics of the ground on which it is constructed. Furthermore, the building despite its modern facade is built illegally on an ancient house... For all these reasons, City Architects’ Association declares itself innocent of what may engender from this crisis: In - no - cent…

The building care-taker :

Sir, I have two pieces of news for you : the first may sound bad but the other surely is good .

As far as the first one is concerned, local newspapers these days can have no concern outside the possible collapse of this building and the catastrophic consequences it may cause ...the inhabitants have deserted the building and put up tents all around your villa in the suburbs, menacing to go out in a street demonstration supported by City Architects’ Association....

Concerning the second piece of news, sir, it is about the world-wide reputed genius of architecture who came to our city to examine a construction project trusted to his foreign company .Therefore, your contacting him, sir, may arrange things positively.

With the construction company manager:

- It’s very simple, sir.

-I’d like to hear that, Professor, but how?

- You’ll dig five centimetres on the right of the crack and five on the left. Then, you’ll fill up the ten-centimetre crack from foundation to rooftop with a crumpled cement-and-paper blend. Afterwards you’ll cover up all that with a mixture of cement and sand.

-And by doing so we will easily get rid of the split?!

-The mixture of cement and sand will adhere to the paper within the crack .At that time, garnish your building with whatever ornament you like and paint your walls however you please and have no fear from splits or… cracks.

-Can the split disappear in the course of time?

-Absolutely not, the crack will remain inside the wall with the same width and depth you see because soil around here is breathing, dear customer.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

FEAST

A PAIR OF SCISSORS

SHATTERED

FOGGY

WAITING FOR THE MORNING

ETERNITY

MOUTHS WIDE OPEN

MONSTER-LAND