The Darkness

"Good morning,"

They both said it at the same time and went back to their work. I didn't have much intimacy, but we got on well. More precisely, they would talk, and I would remain unresponsive. After losing my family, I was very withdrawn. There were two people I spoke to properly. One is Aunt Rumeysa, and the other is my close friend Azra.

I went to the back room and hung my bag on the hanger. I dressed in my work uniform, a blue T-shirt, and left the room. Without wasting time, I identified the missing sections and started to put out new products. The market wasn't very full in the morning, but it was very full in the afternoon. Since it is the biggest market in the neighborhood, most of the residents used to come here.

After completing the deficiencies until noon, I went to the grocery section. I liked helping Serdar Abiye. I think I was comfortable with him. "Easy, Serdar brother," I said, and I grabbed the tomatoes he had placed on the aisle.

"Thanks, Elif girl. Is it done inside?" Then, at the same time, he showed the inside of the market with his head. He was a smiling man. That's one of the reasons why I didn't feel comfortable with him.

"It's over, Serdar, brother. I thought I'd help you." I took the tomatoes from the box and started to arrange them on the aisle.

I looked over my shoulder as I heard footsteps behind me. It was Emre, one of the market employees. Emre would also help me a lot. He was also my friend from high school. He was both studying and working in the market in his spare time. It was impossible not to admire him. It was fulfilling my dream. I also wanted to read a lot. Although my grades were good, I could not take the exam.

"Easy... How are you, Serdar brother?" He looked at Serdar first, then at me with the same smile.

"We're fine, Emre; how are you? Wasn't there school today?"

"It was morning, brother. I went to him, too. How are you, Elif?" Emre has always been a friendly person. He was also funny. He was one of the few people who made me smile. I was biting my cheeks hard not to laugh in front of him. When I laughed, I was afraid, as if people would find me strange. After my family, I almost forbade myself to laugh.

"I'm fine, how are you?" I spoke in a voice that was only a whisper.

"I'm fine too, you know lessons." He complained a lot about the difficulty of his lessons. He was studying law and was in love with his profession. Even though he said it was difficult, I could tell from his eyes how much he loved him.

"Emre, we weren't expecting you today?" With the voice of Brother İhsan, we went back to work with Brother Serdar. He didn't like being talked to during working hours. We knew this very well, so we spoke in silent whispers.

"Ihsan, brother, my lesson finished early. I thought I'd stop by. I'll stay if I have a lot of work."

"Okay, it's a bit busy today. You can go to the butcher's aisle."

When I looked from the side, Emre shook his head and entered. After arranging the tomatoes on the aisle, I stepped aside to avoid being seen.

All kinds of people were coming. I would study people passing by on the street. They came and went with all sorts of facial expressions. I would look a lot to understand what they wanted to say. But I couldn't. I wasn't one of those they call a human being.

I couldn't go to pick up Ahmed at noon. Seeing the intensity, it would be thoughtless to ask for permission. After calculating the time of entry to the house, I called Aunt Rümeysa and found out if she was coming. He forced me to wait at his house while I was away. He was very afraid that something would happen to him because he was young. He was right. I had to work. I had to do this for our future. I threw my own future away. But I wasn't going to throw hers away. Ahmed was going to read for my mother and father.

I changed my clothes and left the shop. It was starting to get dark. It was good to go out again at this hour. Sometimes I was leaving so late that I had to check behind me many times before I got home. A few times I ran until I was out of breath when I heard someone's footsteps behind me without looking back. When I entered the street, I saw Aunt Rümeysa waiting for me, and I took a sigh of relief. He was waiting for me when I was out of work. Sometimes he even came to buy it. I could never repay him. Despite his age, he was protecting and watching over us.

Feeling a chill like I had for the past two months, I looked around. Someone was watching me like they had for the past two months. I felt it, and I knew it. With one last glance behind me, I quickened my steps and turned back to the street where my house was. When I got to the front of the apartment and was about to open the door, I threw my head back and looked behind me, in the direction I came from, and saw a person with a black hat. The gleam in his eyes made me startle, making me shiver with fright. There was a problem with his eyes. And there was a problem that could have been bad! He turned around because he saw me. I looked back, confused as to what to do. I didn't know why I was waiting like an idiot. Once again, I thought about whether I had seen it right. But I saw it, and I was conscious that you were looking at me. With trembling hands, I forcefully pressed the bell. Normally, I would use my key, but with the shock I was experiencing, I couldn't think about the key or something.