Water ties

Author's name: Abdo Khal

I don't remember how I submitted to being buried; rather, I participated in burying myself. Scattered images and moments that deeply scarred the soul. I don't know the extent of their impact on me. I certainly didn't collapse or break. It was an experience that could be described as my attempt to die while still alive.

Our exhumation reached the depth of the grave. There were close-packed bones, indicating the position of each organ. I was asked to strip off all my clothes, carry part of my umbilical cord, which was preserved in a jar, and lie on my back. The last command was for my grandfather to place his hand on my navel, which was protruding from my stomach like a walnut. I did everything my grandmother and mother asked. My grandmother threw a black cover and ordered me to place it over my face. She and her daughter began to cover me with dirt.

Abdo Khal is a Saudi writer and novelist. His novel "Throwing Sparks" won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2010, and his novel "The Seductress's Pain" won the Best Novel by a Saudi Writer Award in 2013. His published works include: "Night Coincidence," "Anfas," "The Seductress's Pain," "The Clay," "Debauchery," and "Cities That Eat Grass."