The Old Woman and a Girl Named Nika

(In memory of Nika Shakarami, a beautiful daughter of my homeland. Please read.) #داستان The old woman and a little girl named Nika In our story there was a village where it was always night. There was no light anywhere, and the villagers struggled to live in the darkness. An old woman lived there with her granddaughter Nika. Whenever the woman needed to go somewhere and there was no moonlight, Nika took her hand and guided her. One day Nika said, 'Grandma, I found something wonderful.' 'What did you find, my girl?' 'A candle. It lights up, brighter than the moon. Its light can fill a room. That means the dark doesn't have to be frightening anymore. You could even walk through the village without trouble.' 'What is this thing you've found? Light is forbidden. Looking at it is a sin.' 'But Grandma, why should it be forbidden if it gives us strength? If it lets us drive back the dark?' 'If light were good, why would God have made everything dark? The darkness must be His will. So the light must be forbidden.' A few more nights passed. Nika kept the candle hidden and spent time with it in secret. Then she decided to light it and take it to the village square. 'People!' she called. 'This is light! You don't have to be blind. You don't have to walk through the dark or be afraid of it!' The villagers stared in wonder. The village headman shouted, 'Put out that source of sin! Everyone, close your eyes! Throw the girl into the dungeon so the others learn their lesson!' 'No!' the old woman cried. 'Please forgive her sin. She's only a child. She doesn't understand.' Nika held the light beside her face. 'Look at me. See my face.' She turned it toward another little girl. 'See how beautiful she is.' Then she held it toward the grass in the square. 'See? The grass isn't gray. It has color. Look: you can see.' The village children were thrilled. They gathered around her, shouting, 'Light! Light! We aren't blind! We don't want to live in darkness anymore!' Light will overcome darkness. The light Nika and others like her showed us means we need not remain blind. We can taste the beauty of freedom. We can live. My compatriot, my friend, a part of my own heart: let us kindle the lights within us. The darkness has no power against our light. Long live Iran, radiant Iran. #جاویدشاه