Mohamed_Jdia

Shapes in the Dark" is a fictional, psychological novella that depicts the thrilling story of an old man sentenced to death after committing uxoricide, the killing of one's wife . The narrator delves into the mind of the ex-communicated prisoner, Stoki, during his last five days before the execution and attempts to portray the forces of good and evil through his thoughts and actions .
"Life is not for good and evil, but only a place for good or evil," Stoki said. Human beings are good by nature but the social and mental traumas encountered in life impel them to change their attitudes mostly for the worse. The dot of goodness in every man and woman renders them viable to opt for the brightest choices despite the suffocating darkness that may engulf them. Stoki struggles to overcome the diabolic power of his evil thoughts. He, eventually, finds redemption by exorcising the Devil that conquered his soul for many years.
The novella is a blend of fiction, allegory and inspiration for students, teachers as well as children that seek to enrich their imagination with breathtaking events and characters

Shapes in the Dark

In the morning of the third day in prison, he sensed something different in the air like the smell of something familiar, something he longed to see and hug. He heard the crying of a child, his child. He jumped up into the door and started pounding on it with his fists pleading to be out.     


"Laura, your dad is here, Laura, don't cry. Daddy is here with you. Open the door!"  He shouted hysterically 


The door opened. A white, fine-featured, healthy man stood at the door glaring at Stoki with his curious eyes. He was dressed in a neat suit with a suitcase in his left hand. One guard behind him was carrying what seemed like a computer. Stoki looked through them searching for his daughter. But he found nothing. He was only hallucinating.


"Take him down to the lab. We will examine his brain tissues under the highest powered microscope but first I need to talk with him for a while," the white man gave his orders and left


Stoki quickly understood that the white man was a psychiatrist sent by the government to determine if he was psychologically and legally insane, or just playing fool on the authorities. After about half an hour, the guards manacled him and dragged him with all sense of humiliation.         


"I am but a poor victim of a merciless law that wants to rob me of my life, thought the prisoner. 


Stoki was given permission to sit on a rickety chair facing the doctor. The guard put the machine on motion and connected its strings to his hands. 


"Do you know what this is?" the doctor asked Stoki pointing at the computer.


"It's a Lie Detector Machine. I will ask you questions and you answer honestly. Are you a psychopath?"


"True.  Do you believe that your actions, as horrified as they were, were the right thing to do?"


"True! Do you have any regrets about that?"


"Wrong. Are you fully aware of the contingencies of your actions?


"Wrong. Have you done anything similar?"


"I don't remember and I don't want to answer any more stupid questions"


"You still have a chance to be cleared of murder by reason of insanity__"


"I am not crazy" Stoki stood up abruptly and shouted, "The Devil and I killed her because I hate her. I am sober and know what I say"


The doctor stood up, whispered in the guard's ear and headed toward the door. Stoki returned to his cell the same way he left.


DAY THREE: The Psychiatrist