السّاعَةُ الَّتي تَوَقَّفَتْ
كانَ هُناكَ طِفْلٌ اسْمُهُ كَرِيمٌ، وكانَ دائِمًا يَشْعُرُ أَنَّ الوَقْتَ يَمْرُّ بِسُرْعَةٍ كَبِيرَةٍ. كُلَّ صَباحٍ، كانَ يَسْتَيْقِظُ وَهُوَ يَتَمَنَّى لَوْ يَسْتَطيعُ النَّوْمَ أَكْثَرَ. وَكُلَّما حانَ وَقْتُ الذَّهابِ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ، قالَ: «لَيْتَ السَّاعَةَ تَتَوَقَّفُ، فَلا أَضْطَرُّ إِلى الذَّهابِ!» وَعِنْدَما يَعودُ إِلى البَيْتِ، وَيَرى واجِباتِهِ، يَتَنَهَّدُ وَيَقولُ: «لَيْتَ الوَقْتَ يَتَوَقَّفُ، فَلا أَضْطَرُّ إِلى فِعْلِ شَيْءٍ!» وَفي لَيْلَةٍ، وَبَيْنَما كانَ كَريمٌ يُحَدِّقُ في السَّاعَةِ المُعَلَّقَةِ عَلَى الحائِطِ، قالَ بِضِيقٍ: «لَوْ تَوَقَّفَ الوَقْتُ لَكانَتْ حَياتي أَسْهَلَ!» ثُمَّ نَامَ. وَعِنْدَما فَتَحَ عَيْنَيْهِ في الصَّباحِ، نَظَرَ إِلى السَّاعَةِ… لَمْ تَكُنْ تَتَحَرَّكُ! تَوَقَّفَتْ عِنْدَ السَّاعَةِ السَّابِعَةِ تَمامًا. ابْتَسَمَ كَريمٌ وَقالَ: «رائِعٌ! لَنْ أَذْهَبَ إِلى المَدْرَسَةِ اليَوْمَ!» جَلَسَ يَنْتَظِرُ… لٰكِنَّ أُمَّهُ لَمْ تَدْخُلْ لِإِيقاظِهِ. نَظَرَ مِنَ النَّافِذَةِ. كانَ أَبوهُ واقِفًا في الحَديقَةِ، ثابِتًا في مَكانِهِ. وَرَأَى عُصْفُورًا في السَّماءِ… كانَ لا يَزالُ يُرَفْرِفُ بِجَناحَيْهِ في نَفْسِ المَكانِ. خَرَجَ كَريمٌ إِلى الشَّارِعِ. كانَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ قَدْ تَوَقَّفَ. السَّيَّاراتُ. النَّاسُ. الأَشْجارُ الَّتي تُحَرِّكُها الرِّياحُ. حَتَّى قِطْرَةُ ماءٍ كانَتْ عالِقَةً في الهَواءِ. في البِدايَةِ، فَرِحَ كَريمٌ. لَمْ تَكُنْ هُناكَ مَدْرَسَةٌ. وَلا واجِباتٌ. وَلا أَيُّ شَيْءٍ يَطْلُبُ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَفْعَلَهُ. لٰكِنْ بَعْدَ وَقْتٍ، شَعَرَ بِالوَحْدَةِ. حاوَلَ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَ أُمَّهُ، لٰكِنَّها لَمْ تُجِبْهُ. حاوَلَ أَنْ يَلْعَبَ مَعَ أَصْدِقائِهِ، لٰكِنَّهُمْ كانُوا ثابِتينَ كَالتَّماثيلِ. ذَهَبَ إِلى المَطْبَخِ، وَحاوَلَ أَنْ يُعِدَّ طَعامًا… لٰكِنَّهُ اكْتَشَفَ أَنَّ لا شَيْءَ يَتَغَيَّرُ. النَّهارُ لا يَنْتَهي. وَالشَّمْسُ لا تَتَحَرَّكُ. وَلا أَحَدَ يَضْحَكُ أَوْ يَتَكَلَّمُ مَعَهُ. جَلَسَ كَريمٌ وَحْدَهُ، وَشَعَرَ بِالخَوْفِ. نَظَرَ إِلى السَّاعَةِ وَقالَ: «لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ حَرَكَةَ الوَقْتِ هِيَ الَّتي تَجْعَلُ الحَياةَ تَسْتَمِرُّ.» أَغْلَقَ عَيْنَيْهِ وَقالَ: «أَرْجوكَ يا وَقْتُ… عُدْ مِنْ جَديدٍ!» وَفَجْأَةً… تِكْ… تِكْ… تِكْ… فَتَحَ كَريمٌ عَيْنَيْهِ. عادَتِ السَّاعَةُ تَتَحَرَّكُ. سَمِعَ صَوْتَ أُمِّهِ تَقولُ: «كَرِيمُ! هَيَّا، سَتَتَأَخَّرُ عَنِ المَدْرَسَةِ!» نَظَرَ إِلى السَّاعَةِ، ثُمَّ ابْتَسَمَ. لِأَوَّلِ مَرَّةٍ، لَمْ يَتَمَنَّ أَنْ تَتَوَقَّفَ. قَفَزَ مِنْ سَريرِهِ وَقالَ: «أَنا قادِمٌ يا أُمِّي!» العِبْرَةُ: قَدْ نَشْتَكي أَحْيانًا مِنْ مَرورِ الوَقْتِ، لٰكِنَّ الوَقْتَ هُوَ الَّذي يَحْمِلُ مَعَهُ الحَياةَ، وَالتَّغْييرَ، وَاللِّقاءاتِ، وَاللَّحَظاتِ الجَميلَةَ. وَكُلُّ لَحْظَةٍ تَمْضي هِيَ فُرْصَةٌ جَديدَةٌ لِنَعيشَ وَنَتَعَلَّمَ وَنَفْرَحَ
The Clock That Stopped There was a boy named Kareem who always felt that time was passing very quickly. Every morning, he would wake up wishing he could sleep a little longer. And whenever it was time to go to school, he would say: “I wish the clock would stop, so I wouldn’t have to go!” When he came home and saw his homework, he would sigh and say: “I wish time would stop, so I wouldn’t have to do anything!” One night, while Kareem was staring at the clock hanging on the wall, he said impatiently: “If time stopped, my life would be easier!” Then he went to sleep. When he opened his eyes in the morning, he looked at the clock… It wasn’t moving! It had stopped exactly at seven o’clock. Kareem smiled and said: “Great! I won’t have to go to school today!” He sat and waited… But his mother didn’t come in to wake him up. He looked out of the window. His father was standing in the garden, completely still. Then he saw a bird in the sky… It was still flapping its wings in the exact same place. Kareem went outside into the street. Everything had stopped. The cars. The people. The trees that had been moving in the wind. Even a drop of water was frozen in the air. At first, Kareem was happy. There was no school. No homework. And nothing that he had to do. But after a while, he began to feel lonely. He tried to talk to his mother, but she didn’t answer him. He tried to play with his friends, but they were as still as statues. He went to the kitchen and tried to prepare some food… But he discovered that nothing was changing. The day would not end. The sun was not moving. And no one was laughing or talking to him. Kareem sat all alone and began to feel afraid. He looked at the clock and said: “I didn’t know that the movement of time is what makes life continue.” He closed his eyes and said: “Please, Time… come back!” Suddenly… Tick… tick… tick… Kareem opened his eyes. The clock had started moving again. He heard his mother’s voice: “Kareem! Come on, you’re going to be late for school!” He looked at the clock, then smiled. For the first time, he didn’t wish for it to stop. He jumped out of bed and said: “I’m coming, Mom!” The Lesson Sometimes we complain about time passing, but time is what carries life forward—with change, meetings, and beautiful moments. Every moment that passes is a new opportunity to live, learn, and be happy.
