An archive keeper discovers what her careful appointment rule asks of a night worker.
01Read the Arabic story
أَرْشِيفُ الْقَرْيَةِ الْمَفْتُوحُ بِمَوْعِدٍ فَقَطْ
عَلَّقْتُ عَلَى بَابِ أَرْشِيفِ الْقَرْيَةِ لَافِتَةً تَقُولُ: «الزِّيَارَةُ بِمَوْعِدٍ فَقَطْ». كُنْتُ وَاثِقَةً مِنْ أَنَّ الْعِبَارَةَ تَحْمِي الْأَوْرَاقَ وَوَقْتِي مَعًا. أَعْمَلُ هُنَا تَطَوُّعًا، وَبَعْضُ الدَّفَاتِرِ يَتَفَتَّتُ عِنْدَ تَقْلِيبِ صَفَحَاتِهِ. لِذَلِكَ نَسَخْتُ مَا أَسْتَطِيعُ، وَجَعَلْتُ فَتْحَ الْخِزَانَةِ مَرْهُونًا بِوُجُودِي، لَا بِحَمَاسِ الزَّائِرِ وَحْدَهُ. وَأُجِيبُ عَنِ الْهَاتِفِ فِي الصَّبَاحِ قَبْلَ الذَّهَابِ إِلَى عَمَلِي.
وَجَدْتُ فَوْزِيًّا أَمَامَ الْبَابِ لِلْمَرَّةِ الثَّالِثَةِ. أَعَدْتُ عَلَيْهِ رَقْمَ الْهَاتِفِ، فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ يَعْمَلُ فِي الْمَخْبَزِ لَيْلًا وَيَنَامُ صَبَاحًا، وَهِيَ السَّاعَاتُ الَّتِي أَتَلَقَّى فِيهَا الْمُكَالَمَاتِ. «لَيْسَ النَّوْمُ رَفَاهِيَةً»، قَالَ. سَأَلْتُهُ لِمَاذَا لَا يَطْلُبُ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَنْ يَحْجِزَ لَهُ، ثُمَّ سَمِعْتُ مَا فِي سُؤَالِي مِنْ تَكْلِيفٍ إِضَافِيٍّ. هَزَّ رَأْسَهُ، وَلَمْ يَقُلْ إِنَّ الْفِكْرَةَ مُسْتَحِيلَةٌ.
لَمْ يَطْلُبْ فَوْزِيٌّ لَمْسَ الْوَثَائِقِ الْهَشَّةِ؛ أَرَادَ تَصَفُّحَ نُسَخٍ مِنْ دَفْتَرِ الْمَخْبَزِ الْقَدِيمِ. كُنْتُ أَجْمَعُ فِي شَرْطٍ وَاحِدٍ حَاجَتَيْنِ مُخْتَلِفَتَيْنِ: حِمَايَةَ الْأَصْلِ وَتَنْظِيمَ كُلِّ زِيَارَةٍ. لَكِنَّ إِلْغَاءَ الشَّرْطِ كُلِّهِ يَعْنِي أَنْ أَعِدَ بِحُضُورٍ لَا أَمْلِكُهُ. ظَلَلْتُ أَنْظُرُ إِلَى اللَّافِتَةِ كَأَنَّهَا تُجِيبُ عَنِّي.
خَصَّصْتُ نِصْفَ سَاعَةٍ مَسَاءَ الْأَحَدِ بَعْدَ انْتِهَاءِ دَوَامِي لِقِرَاءَةِ الْفِهْرِسِ وَالنُّسَخِ بِغَيْرِ حَجْزٍ، تَجْرِبَةً لِأُسْبُوعَيْنِ. بَقِيَتِ الْأُصُولُ بِمَوْعِدٍ، وَكَتَبْتُ الْفَرْقَ عَلَى وَرَقَةٍ ثَانِيَةٍ. لَمْ أُسَمِّ ذَلِكَ «فَتْحَ الْأَرْشِيفِ لِلْجَمِيعِ»؛ فَنِصْفُ السَّاعَةِ قَدْ يُنَاسِبُ فَوْزِيًّا وَيَفُوتُ غَيْرَهُ. وَضَعْتُ كُرْسِيَّيْنِ قُرْبَ الْبَابِ وَحَمَلْتُ النُّسَخَ بِنَفْسِي إِلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. وَاتَّفَقْتُ مَعَ أُخْتِي عَلَى عَشَاءٍ مُتَأَخِّرٍ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ.
فِي الْأَحَدِ جَلَسَ فَوْزِيٌّ وَأَخَذَ يَقْرَأُ بِبُطْءٍ. وَرَاجَعْتُ مَوْعِدًا حَجَزَتْهُ بَاحِثَةٌ صَبَاحًا لِفَحْصِ وَثِيقَةٍ أَصْلِيَّةٍ. صَارَ لِلْأَرْشِيفِ مَدْخَلَانِ إِلَى الْقِرَاءَةِ، وَلَيْسَتْ لَدَيَّ بَعْدُ قَائِمَةٌ بِمَنْ لَا يُنَاسِبُهُ أَيٌّ مِنْهُمَا. عِنْدَ إِغْلَاقِ الْخِزَانَةِ بَقِيَتِ الْوَرَقَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ عَلَى الْبَابِ؛ وَكَانَ عَلَيَّ أَنْ أَعُودَ الْأَحَدَ الْقَادِمَ.
Show English translationHide English translation
I hung a sign on the village archive door saying, “Visits by appointment only.” I was sure the wording protected both the papers and my time. I volunteer here, and some notebooks crumble when their pages are turned. So I copied what I could and made opening the cabinet depend on my presence, rather than a visitor’s enthusiasm alone. I answer the telephone in the morning before going to work.
I found Fawzi outside the door for the third time. I repeated the telephone number, and he said he worked nights at the bakery and slept in the morning—the hours when I took calls. “Sleep isn’t a luxury,” he said. I asked why he didn’t get someone to book for him, then heard the extra demand in my own question. He shook his head without saying the idea was impossible.
Fawzi wasn’t asking to touch the fragile documents; he wanted to browse copies of the old bakery notebook. I had combined two different needs in one condition: protecting originals and organising every visit. Yet removing the whole condition meant promising a presence I couldn’t provide. I kept looking at the sign as though it could answer for me.
I set aside half an hour on Sunday evening, after my working day, for reading the catalogue and copies without booking, as a two-week trial. Originals still required appointments, and I wrote the distinction on a second sheet. I didn’t call this “opening the archive to everyone”; half an hour might suit Fawzi and pass someone else by. I put two chairs near the door and carried the copies to the table myself. My sister and I agreed on a late dinner that day.
On Sunday Fawzi sat down and began reading slowly. I checked an appointment a researcher had booked that morning to examine an original document. The archive now had two routes into reading, and I still had no list of those whom neither suited. When I locked the cabinet, the second sheet remained on the door; I would have to return the following Sunday.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| لَافِتَةً | a sign |
| تَطَوُّعًا | as a volunteer |
| مَرْهُونًا | dependent on |
| رَفَاهِيَةً | a luxury |
| تَكْلِيفٍ إِضَافِيٍّ | an extra demand |
| الْهَشَّةِ | fragile |
| تَصَفُّحَ | browsing |
| الْفِهْرِسِ | the catalogue |
| بِغَيْرِ حَجْزٍ | without booking |
| بِبُطْءٍ | slowly |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Track voices, omissions and competing accounts. Choose the reading best supported by the Arabic text.
What to remember
- The keeper revises access to copies while retaining appointments for fragile originals.
- Her trial changes her schedule without establishing that everyone can now visit.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Kana in Arabic: Was and Were
كُنْتُ وَاثِقَةً
Kuntu gives a past state; the female speaker’s adjectival predicate is accusative.
Laysa in Arabic: Is Not and Is Not Here
لَيْسَ النَّوْمُ رَفَاهِيَةً
Laysa denies a present description: its noun is nominative and its predicate accusative.
