One day, I went with my father to my grandfather’s house. As I was playing among the palm trees outside, I saw an old door in the sand. It opened and I was pulled inside.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a wooden box and an old envelope, which I opened. Inside, a letter said, “I am Abdullah bin Salem. This wooden box contains a pearl necklace I made in 1949. You will also find a dark, green notebook (19th May, 1955).” I opened the box, found them inside and began reading the notebook.
Suddenly, I found myself at sea. There were lots of men onboard, in old-fashioned clothes, diving for pearls. One man looked familiar. I remembered my grandfather’s photo. “Grandpa Abdullah is that you?” The men could not hear me. I realized I was invisible.
After dinner, they all went to sleep except Grandpa. As he sat counting his pearls, he composed a poem about a young girl called Shamma bint Saif. The wind got stronger and stronger. The sailors woke to the sound of a loud, devilish laugh. Then a large, ghostly white sail appeared. “It’s Khattaf Raffay. Be careful!
Try to control the ship!” shouted someone. As soon as one sailor caught the sail’s rope, the sea became calm because ghosts cannot live without rope. When the sailors burnt the rope to ensure Khattaf Raffay would never return, I found myself back with the notebook.
The page read ‘I made this necklace from the deep waters of the Gulf for Shamma bint Saif. Her father promised I could marry her. But when I returned, she was married to a wealthier man. Abdullah my son, can you give it to her for me?”
I then found myself back with my father. When we arrived home, I went to my mother and asked if we could visit grandmother. When my grandma entered her room to pray, I went with her. “Granny what was your father’s name?” I asked. “Saif” she replied. I held out the necklace and said, “So Grandpa made this for you.”
Written by: Afra Al Junaibi
