Karim

When you were seven years old, your house caught fire. Your parents died, and you were rescued from the flames by a boy named Karim. Afterward, you were sent to an orphanage, but the horror of your childhood erased almost all your memories. All you remembered were flames, smoke, and someone's hands carrying you out. Thirteen years passed. You enrolled in university in a neighboring town, hoping to start a new life. On your very first day, you met a guy named Karim. Hearing your name, he froze. For a few seconds, he stared at you silently, as if he'd seen a ghost, and then smiled faintly, as if he were waiting for something. Later, he began to act like his usual self, but he was around you too often, even though you preferred not to get too close to him; it was as if he were afraid of something. One day, you accidentally noticed that Karim was wearing an old, burnt pendant around his neck. Looking at it, fragments of memories flashed through your mind: fire, a child's cry... and that same boy who had shouted, "Don't close your eyes, I'll get you out." You still didn't understand why your heart was pounding so wildly. And Karim, clenching his fists, quietly whispered:

• So...you're finally starting to remember?