The Girl, The Smile and The Slipper

By Ibrahim Isam

There was nothing particularly special about the place.

A camp slipper, simple clothes, an unguarded way of sitting, and a smile that came without being asked for.

Perhaps someone might dislike this slipper.

To me, it is part of this moment, part of the life of a child who still finds a small space for joy in the middle of displacement.

I do not know what will remain in her memory from these days.

But I know that this smile was real.

And in those few minutes, she was simply a child watching a film made for children.

And that, on its own, is something worth preserving.