Deputy to the Angel of Death

This is a very interesting play written by distinguished late Egyptian prominent figure in the domains of literature, culture and information. Following is Youssef El-Seba'ei introduction of the play and a part of Act I, which is to be continued in a forthcoming issue of the magazine.

Dedication
To the beautiful ... Azrael
Has anybody dedicated a book for you before ???
Has anybody, except me, poured courteous words in your ears???
Has anybody told you beforehand that your return is the best of days ever???
Come on! say it... Of course not...
You were dedicated nothing but curses...
Best known as the "Killjoy"...
Now, what about a brand-new and only lover ??
There's no mockery here... I have never attempted to make a fool of anyone, so, what is the case with the powerful Angel of Death!
There's no room here also for flattery, as it must be meant for either fear or need and you should know that I'm not in life to fear you nor do I hate it to need you...
No mocker, nor flatterer; nor even mad - at least no madder than the rest of the human race, it's crystal clear that I'm an honest friend where honesty has no place nowadays.
I try, Honourable Azrael, in this book to show the true you, or what I guess you are and to remove the distorted image of you that lies in minds...
I don't know how far I will manage or will I please you, the people or myself...
As for me, I'm satisfied; which is undoubtedly an aspect of every man's pride...
As for the people, I think that a man who could satisfy them does not exist yet...
Now, what about you...
Don't rush into anger and remember that I meant nothing except fairness and appreciation, God only knows...
I've painstakingly tried to imagine you...
So if I fail, you're the one to blame as you're over-invisible; maybe because you want to keep your reverence.
But anyway, why don't you try once and for all to bring us back some of what you took so that they might describe and speak about you in order to allay a bit of ambiguity surrounding you...
If you did that, you would spare yourself lies and fiddle-faddle I might say about you.
You never did, and you'll never do...
So, pardon me if I depict you the way I did... A man can do no more than he can, you know...
One more thing, Sir, I'm afraid to exasperate you and drive you to extremes:
The jokes you might catch here and there, however, I'm sure I'm to be excused if you know that I'm jocund...
I see, Sir, that hours won are only those spent when laughing and that man, as a matter of fact, is a kidding creature...
If you want somebody to listen to you, make them laugh first, then go ahead and tell them.
So, all things considered, I think I'm to be pardoned in my buffoonery and you to accept what I've said about you and, thus, I might secure satisfaction...
I'm waiting, Sir, for our meeting either on pages on another book or in heaven ... No fear ... No cringe as it makes no difference to me being alive or dead ... and goodbye.

Youssef El-Seba'ei
Chapter (1)
A return from the Hereafter
We were hustling and bustling and the air, a stinking mix of breath, sweat and dust stirred up by feet, was hot and suffocating.
A caller was loudly uttering a name after another, and those who heard their names had to cut a way among crowded bodies to go through a door and take a place in a long queue making its way inside.
I heard my name on the caller's tongue and it was a bit mispronounced or, I thought, close to mine so I didn't answer and no one else did; it was repeated and I tried to spell it right to the caller who looked at me as if he saw red.
He did it a third time, and I made no reply so he went on with the rest of the names.
The crowd gradually grew slim, until I found myself alone and the caller finished taking the roll.
The caller, heaving a sigh and looking exhausted, asked me half amazed and half angered,
"Everybody went their way, so what are you standing here for ?"
"You didn't call my name, but a similar one, however, I tried to set it right, but you clung to your mistake."
"There can be no mistakes in this roll."
"And I cannot be mistaken about my name which I know for decades of years."
He was perplexed; gave the roll an examining look and said in a stutter, "this is unbelievable, this has never happened before... and I'm afraid you were brought here by mistake instead of the one with this name in the roll due to a similarity between your name and his... What an awful mistake ! the first of its kind! wait here for a minute."
The man, extremely confused, left me and ran inside.
This was not a roll call of some students or conscripts. This scene was not actually on any spot of the Earth. In fact, it was not in life anyway, it was in the hereafter.
Yes, the hereafter .. no amazement .. no doubt .. no argument.
Actually, I moved from life to the hereafter or, according to those alive, died a few days ago.
It was very easy and simple; it is the easiest "move" man can make, it is at least easier than moving from one house to another, especially, nowadays where getting a vacant place is harder than getting honesty and endearment among inhabitants of the Earth.
This move needed no key money, no contracts, no cleaning of the new place, no vans to carry furniture, etc.
The whole thing is open-and-shut affair that if people realised it, there would be no one in this loathsome world; this is perhaps the reason why man fears death, otherwise mankind would have vanished in two shakes of a lamb's tail.
I felt as if I had broken free from a prison: my soul, without an imprisoning body, was as smooth as the breeze.
I quitted life; leaving my body to receive the others' both pretending and honest tears.
I didn't have to wait for long; the man with the roll call came back preceding a reverend person and the two drew near.
"This is our Master Azrael," said the man with the roll call.
"Pleased to meet you, sir," said I, bowing my head and stretching a shaking hand.
I couldn't help a chill when the name Azrael was uttered, though, I'm sure, he has no power over me now; after all, I'm dead.
I gathered myself, feigned firmness and asked indifferently, "what's going on?"
"It seems a mistake has been made. The man with the name in the roll should have been here instead."
The two names are similar, however, this is not an excuse for such a terrible mistake. A little delay can happen when someone is brought; but to get someone else, this is completely unimaginable."
Silence took over for a while. I saw Azrael depressed and confused; I felt sorry for him.
"Take it easy, everybody errs. I'm ready to forget about the whole thing and go with you into the hereafter; as long as I will do it sooner or later.

"In fact, it looks much better to me than life. And as regards the other man, he, of course, knows nothing about this, and if he did, he would thank God for such a mistake," said I, trying to make things easy for him.
Saying this, I expected Azrael would give me hugs and kisses as being obliged for the decency I showed to get him off the hook, while I could make a fuss and demand a compensation for taking me to the hereafter unjustifiably.
"This just can't be, forgetting isn't allowed here. Maybe used to do this in life; but here, no way," said Azrael.

I looked him all over and regretted my bid to pay a favour to someone ungrateful. "So, what are you going to do ?" I asked offhandedly.
He didn't reply; led me tenderly by the hand and whispered in my ear, "I have to get you back to life as soon as possible and bring the other man before this mistake is discovered, and I ask you to hide somewhere for a moment until I get back and return you there to life."