Mohamed El-Bisatie’s writing is known for its visually stimulating descriptions of setting in which any drama or romance is subdued or inferred. Here, a woman tries to visit her husband in an Egyptian prison. She is allowed to leave a package (cigarettes) but not to see him. As she stands in the street below, her husband calls out from his third floor cell window. They have a brief but superficial conversation in which a lot of things are left unsaid. Themes include loss (of family and freedom), powerlessness, disappointment, uncertainty, struggle.
Despite the story’s seemingly simple plot, there are several layers of tension and drama beneath the surface:
- The woman shouldn’t be communicating with her husband from the street. The policeman or soldier in the guardhouse could intervene at any time.
- The other prisoners are unruly and disrespectful. Her husband appears to have little authority or power over them.
- The husband begins several times to say something to his wife, each time followed silence. One imagines it is personal, and he is reluctant to express it in front of the other prisoners.
- The woman appears to be struggling to cope alone. Some jobs around the house the husband asked about are left undone and, although he had expected her to have traveled by tram, the descriptions of her feet suggest she walked the long distance to get there. Could this be the reason she only brought one child?
- The prison is moving. If it moves too far, the couple may not see each other until he is released.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (1,650 words)