My Name Is Nily

I thought she had brought us to the wrong room. The profile of the man lying on the bed was not my dad’s. Nastaran stood frozen. Mom pushed her on forward. I was just looking at them both. Half of the man’s face was bruised. Dried-up bloodstains were all over his neck and down from his head. You could not see the rest of his body as it was covered under the sheets. I gripped Nastaran’s hand.“He is asleep; do you want to wake him up?�“Shut up.�The man’s face was shaved and there were tubes in his mouth and nose. This man was not my father. Nastaran cried nonstop. I could hear Mom’s breathing and her cries too. I felt so sorry for this man. Nastaran put her head on the sheet covering the man’s hands and continued her crying. I was like a wooden stick standing next to him and looking. All the hospital equipment seemed scarier than the dead man’s face. His skin was as white as a ghost and his cheekbones were standing out. With puffed eyes and a half-open mouth he was asleep and was snoring like a baby. Note: This book is also available in FARSI.