The Third Morning
It was the third day.
The cold had grown even harsher.
Outside the café, the fog had settled
as if someone had wrapped
the entire city
in a white blanket.
Inside the café,
Nilofar adjusted every chair,
switched on the coffee machine,
and kept looking toward the door
again and again.
In Front of the Photograph
Zaria stood in front of the photograph.
That photograph…
the one in which,
in that corner,
an unfamiliar shadow
had been captured.
“Who is this?”
Nilofar asked softly.
Zaria’s eyes remained fixed on the picture.
“Maybe someone
whose story is still unfinished.”
The Door Bell
Around noon,
the bell hanging on the door chimed.
Nilofar’s heart suddenly began to race.
It was the same stranger.
The same tired face,
the same old camera
resting on his shoulder.
And with him,
the same little girl.
A Question
Zaria didn’t waste time and asked—
“The shadow in this picture…
who is it?”
The stranger looked at the photo slowly.
A strange shimmer
appeared in his eyes.
“It’s my wife.”
Silence
The entire café
fell into deep silence.
“Where is she?”
Nilofar asked cautiously.
The man sat down on a chair,
placed his camera on the table,
and said softly—
“She left three years ago.
Without saying a word.
Just left behind this child
and a few memories.”
The Child’s Secret
The little girl whispered—
“Mama told me
that if I ever come to this café,
she would see me.”
The Truth of the Photograph
The stranger picked up the picture.
“I’ve been to so many places,
taken countless photographs…
but she never appeared
in any of them.
But in this café’s photo,
she did.
Maybe…
she’s here.”
By the Wall
The little girl took the picture
and stood by the exact corner of the wall
where the first wet paper
had once been placed.
In a faint voice, she said—
“Mama, I’m here.”
Her voice carried so much pain
that even the air inside the café
paused for a moment.
A Soft Rustle
Nilofar and Zaria
clearly felt it—
a gentle breeze
came from that corner.
As if a hand
had softly touched
the little girl’s hair.
The girl smiled and said—
“She’s listening.”
One Last Photograph
The stranger lifted his camera
and captured that moment.
After clicking the picture,
he took a deep breath and said—
“I’m leaving this photograph here.
Maybe now…
our waiting can stay here too.”
Before Leaving
As he walked out,
he said only this—
“If someday
another picture
makes that shadow clearer,
don’t remove it from the wall.
Because some people never return…
but their waiting comes back.”
The Last Line
That day,
Zaria wrote in her blue notebook—
“For the first time,
it felt like this café’s wall
doesn’t just hold stories,
it holds waiting too—
the kind that pulls someone
back again and again.”
Bayaan Café | Tape #32
Tagline:
“Some people never return,
but their waiting always finds its way back.”
Bayaan Café | Tape #33
Tagline:
“Sometimes photographs begin to speak
when someone’s silence hangs on the wall
for too long.”
The Changing Photograph
Three days passed.
The photograph had been placed
on the café’s stop-wall,
right where the girl had stood
and whispered “Mama.”
Nilofar noticed
that in the corner of the picture
where the shadow had once been blurry—
it had now grown clearer.
A Faint Face
Zaria examined the photograph closely.
It was no longer
just a hazy shadow.
A faint face had begun to form.
Hair…
half a cheek…
as if someone
was slowly trying to return.
The Fourth Day of Fog
On the fourth day,
as evening approached,
the same little girl arrived—
this time alone.
Nilofar rushed outside.
“Your father didn’t come today?”
The girl shook her head.
“No…
he says sometimes
we have to find our answers
ourselves.”
In Front of the Photograph
The girl went straight to the picture.
She pulled a chair,
stood on it,
and whispered—
“Mama…
can you really come back?”
The First Sign
Just then,
a soft rustle moved inside the café.
The glass window
slightly opened on its own.
A cold breeze
touched the photograph gently.
In the corner of the picture,
the face looked even clearer—
this time,
the eyes were visible.
Tears in the Girl’s Eyes
Crying softly,
the girl said—
“Nilofar-api,
this is my mama.
Look…
that’s her eyes.
I know it’s her.”
Her tiny fingers
were touching the photograph
as if knocking
on an old forgotten door.
Zaria’s Understanding
In a deep voice,
Zaria said—
“Maybe your mother
left a memory
inside this café.
And until someone
listens to her whole story,
she will remain
inside this photograph.”
The Secret of the Wall
That night,
after closing the café,
Nilofar and Zaria
sat in front of the picture.
Zaria whispered—
“I think…
if she tells us her mother’s story
tomorrow,
this photograph might change.
Some pictures
aren’t just paper.
They listen.”
Waiting for the Fifth Day
In her blue notebook,
Zaria wrote—
“The fifth day may be
a day of return.
Either a story will be completed
or this picture
will become a door
that never opens.”
Bayaan Café | Tape #33
Tagline:
“Sometimes photographs begin to speak
when someone’s silence hangs on the wall
for too long.”
The Fifth Day
The morning was still
covered in fog.
But inside the café,
there was a different kind of uneasiness.
Nilofar and Zaria
kept glancing at the door
again and again.
The Girl Returns
As evening descended,
the little girl
entered the café again.
In her hands
was a small box.
She went straight
to the photograph’s corner
and gently placed the box
on the floor.
An Old Story
Zaria asked softly—
“Will you tell us everything today?”
Tears shimmered
in the girl’s eyes.
“My mama…
used to come here often.
She told me—
if I ever get scared,
I should come to this café.
Because someone here
would find me.”
The Secret of the Box
Nilofar opened the box gently.
Inside were some old letters,
two photographs,
and a pen.
The first photo
was the same woman
whose shadow
was now appearing
on the café wall.
The Day She Disappeared
With trembling voice,
the girl said—
“Three years ago…
Mama just left one day.
No letter,
no message.
Everyone says
she left us.
But I think
she stayed inside this café…
somewhere in these walls.”
The Photograph Changes
As the girl spoke,
the photograph
shivered slightly.
Suddenly,
the once-blurry face
became completely clear.
Her eyes
looked directly
into the little girl’s—
as if trying
to say something.
A Gentle Breeze
Nilofar and Zaria
held their breath.
A soft wind
from the window
brushed against the paper.
New words
slowly appeared
on the photo—
“I’m here.
Don’t be afraid.”
The Girl’s Hand
The girl touched the picture
and said through tears—
“I’ll come here every day
until you return.”
Her tiny drops of tears
fell onto the glass,
one by one.
The Last Line in the Blue Notebook
That night,
Zaria wrote—
“Some people leave their homes,
but some places
become their home instead.
Today, Bayaan Café
became someone’s mother’s home.”
Bayaan Café | Tape #34
Tagline:
“Some stories find their way home
through silence.”
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