Short Story: Dear Sniper* By Ali Ramtahn Hussein Translated from the Arabic by Essam M. Al-Jassim

Essam M. Al-Jassim translates a powerful short story originally written by Ali Ramtahn Hussein in Arabic. A letter written by a young child, this story will move the reader beyond tears.

Dear Sniper, 

     I’m the boy you killed a few days ago. 

     Regretfully, resolute, and unwavering sniper, I cannot introduce myself to you because, having lived for little more than a dozen years, I had no significant achievements to boast of—nor did I have an illustrious heritage.  A small, inconsequential being in this vast world. Only a marginal soul in this life. My identity was just taking shape when you delivered my end.

     Simply put, I was merely a young boy with a pulsating love for his country. I knew nothing about the murky, unsavory realm of politics. And yet—and yet I’m dead.