Got Lost|گم شدیم

By ( 85 )
“23rd story”
A story by Laleh Chini:
First published: Jan.25.2018
We were on a summer trip with my uncles. My father was the leader of the group as
usual and everyone respectfully followed him as he had great knowledge and researched about
each city, making sure we would see every tourist attraction.
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Back then there was no GPS so he had to follow paper maps and sometimes ask people

for directions to get to the attractions. Also, my father never liked to drive during the

night, so he always tried to find a place to spend the night before it got dark.

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My father was looking so hard to find the historical “Castle DimDim.” Castle DimDim was

built in the pre-Islamic period and was rebuilt in 1609. The Castle is located on top of

mount DimDim in West Azarbaijan Province of Iran and had a historical battle story

between the Kurdish and Safavid Empire.

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We got lost trying to find the Castle and day passed its light to dark so fast.

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There was not a single light other than the light of our three cars.

Not even a single car passed by which made it scary. We drove very slowly while my

uncles’ cars followed us.  We didn’t dare to stop and communicate with our family group

in other cars as there were no cell phones back then.

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We just drove to find hope somewhere. The road wound around a mountain with lots of

sharp turns. Driving in the darkness in such a road made it more dreadful.

 After hours of very slow and careful driving, we were all tired and hungry when we saw

some lantern light on the left side of the road. My father

turned toward the light without

any hesitation.

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Some faraway villages didn’t have electricity in those days and unfortunately, this

hamlet was one of them.

We drove close to the light. It was a small house with three small steps to a little entrance

of two tiny rooms, one was the kitchen and the other one was their bedroom and living

room. An old man and old woman were sitting on a small carpet on the front porch. My

Dad explained our situation and asked for shelter for the night.

The old man said: “I don’t have a place inside to offer, but you guys are welcome to sleep

in the front yard and can leave towards your destination in the morning.”

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  My father was so happy to hear that and thanked him and with some candle lights, we

spread the carpets on the cement floor and slept on them with the camping supplies that we had.

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When we woke up early in the morning, and now that we could see clearly. We realized

that we were sleeping in a cemetery.

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And those old couples were the attendants of the cemetery. We just thanked the couple

and ran away. 

We never said a word in our lifetime about it and left the story behind.

Dear friends:

You can purchase my book “Climbing Over Grit” Winner of “Canada Book Award” at;

Barnes & Noble, Gardners, Bertrams, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com and all bookselling channels via hubs in the US, UK, Brazil, Germany, Russia, and Australia. The links are listed below:

http://l-aleph.com

http://www.wisehouse-publishing.com

https://m.barnesandnoble.com

http://www.baker-taylor.com

https://www.gardners.com

https://www.bertrams.com/BertWeb/index.jsp

https://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/product/climbing-over-grit-978917637553237903

Our Book Page is:

http://l-aleph.com/project/climbing-over-grit/

http://l-aleph.com/our-authors-2/

Join me at:

lalehchini.com

Facebook-LinkedIn-Laleh Chini

twitter @chini_laleh

Instagram avoicefromiran

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Categories: bedtime story, Storytelling, taleTags: ,

85 comments ›

  1. Jack Eason
    January 25, 2018 • 2:01 pm

    …day passed its light to darkness so fast. What a delightful way of putting it. It beats the convential dusk to dark most are familiar with Laleh. 😉 x

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply ↓
  2. hassanmosleh
    January 25, 2018 • 2:35 pm

    Hi laleh nice story I think your dad did the right thing that you guys spent the night there without going any further thanks for sharing that with us.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓
  3. Felicia Denise
    January 25, 2018 • 5:53 pm

    Another great story, Laleh! Have you published a book of your short stories? I know my mom would enjoy them also. Thanks! 😊

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
  5. anne leueen
    January 25, 2018 • 7:45 pm

    A very interesting and atmospheric story. I was there with you in the darkened road and then in the morning to awaken in a cemetery! Whew!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
  7. Dewin Nefol
    January 27, 2018 • 2:48 pm

    Hey Laleh, Namaste 🙂

    Another wonderful short story pulled from out of the Genie’s Lamp 😉

    I am dying to ask if the family slept well that night? I also wonder if the experience might have haunted anyone thereafter? I’m just curious.

    I have spent nights in graveyards before, it was twice and so very long ago. However, more recently I took a road trip for three days circumnavigating Wales following coastal roads. With night falling I ventured to find somewhere remote to park-up and sleep for a few hours. By some will of fate, or perhaps it was destiny, I found myself a quiet location after having turned off the main road and driven into the Welsh heartland. I had been drawn to an ancient burial Caern (a Welsh word for tomb) located within the Preseli hills, called Pentre Ifan (1) It was here that I decided to brave the elements and took to sleeping beneath the giant cap-stone. Until 3a.m I slept well and without being disturbed or being unduly concerned. However I woke with a bit of a start to the sound of metal grating and wire twanging piercing the unimaginable silence with a very haunting tune. Grabbing the torch I cast its light around me anticipating heaven-knows-what approaching, but found only the sheep cleaning and sharpening their grass-eating teeth on the fences surrounding the burial site lol 🙂 To say I was somewhat relieved would be an understatement: however once the drama was over, I went back to sleep until dawn waking as sunrise topped the surrounding hills and lit up the site I was in.

    I was to return to the same site only very recently with a good friend who pointed out to me that cresting the hills surrounding the cairn were other tombs supposedly associated with the one I slept in…perhaps they were the sons or daughters of the ‘chief’ whose cairn I had been invited to. I felt empowered by this knowledge although I cannot think why but allow the experience to linger inside for a future time when understanding will be revealed.

    thank you for your wonderful story and for the prompt it served in reflecting on my own experience. For those with the heart to brave a night in such a place, I’d thoroughly recommend it: if only because it wakens something deep within and stirs it all up with magic and mystery 🙂

    Enjoy your weekend Laleh, take care, have fun, rejoice in the act of being alive!

    Love and Peace for the World. Namaste 🙂

    DN

    (1) – http://www.visitwales.com/explore/traditions-history/prehistoric-pembrokeshire

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓
    • Laleh Chini
      January 27, 2018 • 2:57 pm

      Oh my God, that was scary to read.😂How brave of you. I was a little kid and we had no idea that was a graveyard. I’m sure we would not stay. I don’t know why, but it is not a delightful place to be at night 😅

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply ↓
      • Dewin Nefol
        January 27, 2018 • 3:16 pm

        Oooh Laleh, then as a child the experience must have been all the more ‘upsetting or ‘profound’ whichever it was? 🙂

        Graveyards do seem to inspire or conjure curious thoughts, yet in truth it is not the dead who can harm you but those still alive and breathing.

        I have one or two stories I could share about other experiences I have ‘enjoyed’ whilst wandering the graveyard close to where I live. It is a favourite haunt of mine: a place so wonderfully peaceful and at ease with itself that I venture there to write poems, and to be inspired by all those who have come before me, including ex-servicemen and women who have fought in the past to give me the freedoms I have today. We should all be grateful in our own way for the sacrifices that some make and celebrate there lives accordingly.

        Namaste 🙂

        DN

        Liked by 2 people

      • Laleh Chini
        January 27, 2018 • 5:58 pm

        Not really upsetting, this is the end of our story and we all shall rest there one day eventually 😂🛏
        I’m not sure if you like to read my book “climbing over grit “
        Story of my childhood 🌺

        Liked by 2 people

      • Dewin Nefol
        January 27, 2018 • 6:19 pm

        Hmm. I read that you had a title available on Amazon. I’ve no doubt given the delightful stories that you tell, it would also be a fascinating read. Certainly growing up in your country during the latter part of this century would be most interesting.

        Perhaps I will invest in a copy. Thank you for bringing it to my attention 🙂

        Namaste 🙂

        DN

        Liked by 2 people

      • Laleh Chini
        January 27, 2018 • 6:34 pm

        Thanks Dewin, let me know how you like it 📖 📚 😊

        Liked by 2 people

      • Dewin Nefol
        January 27, 2018 • 6:42 pm

        My pleasure. Of course I will let you know 🙂

        Namaste 🙂

        DN

        Liked by 2 people

  8. Christopher Lindsay
    January 28, 2018 • 4:31 pm

    Great surprise ending. It is amazing what the darkness can conceal.

    Minor suggestions:
    researched [delete “about”] each city
    GPS[,] [“so” is a coordinating conjunction]
    the morning, [delete “and now that”]

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓
  9. Sean D. Layton
    January 28, 2018 • 5:13 pm

    I really like your site! I love your use of imagery as you relate your experiences.

    My good friend is an American-born Parsi whose father is from India, but they still feel the strong cultural pull to their ancestral homeland of Iran. I’ll have to recommend your site to her – I’m sure she’ll love it.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓
  10. Sean D. Layton
    January 28, 2018 • 5:18 pm

    P.S. Being a worrier, I would have been pretty alarmed at the whole event! I don’t think young people today understand how disconnected we were in previous generations (some people more than others depending on circumstances) and you just had to make do the best you could.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
  11. reocochran
    February 2, 2018 • 12:43 am

    That was a very nice story which was well told by you, Laleh.
    It would have seemed strange but I don’t mind cemeteries or graveyards. This worked out, all safe and sound!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply ↓
  12. myexpressionofthoughtsblog
    March 17, 2018 • 1:01 am

    You really have a delightful way of telling stories and make readers engrossed completely into your stories.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
  13. natuurfreak
    July 28, 2018 • 11:11 pm

    ook van dit verhaal heb ik weer intens genoten

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
  14. Jonathan Caswell
    August 24, 2018 • 11:11 pm

    Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
    UNTIL NOW! BUG I KNOW THIS IS NOT “GHOST” WRITING….BUT REAL—INTERESTING! ❤

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
  15. Foxy WildSpirit
    September 30, 2018 • 4:29 pm

    I just discovered your Blog and I feel lucky about it! Your stories are so interesting! Thank you for sharing it! ❧

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply ↓
  16. crispina kemp
    May 4, 2020 • 8:14 am

    You tell the most delightful tales… of a land and a way of life now gone. Such memories are precious to us all.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  18. Sonrisa (Crissy)
    May 4, 2020 • 8:34 am

    I like the way you put it “ We just thanked the couple and ran away”
    Running away is an understatement 😀
    Thanks for sharing the story. ♥️♥️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  20. bigskybuckeye
    May 4, 2020 • 10:45 am

    It is amazing how our perspective changes when we feel lost, hungry, and tired. Laleh, the ending of this story is a treasure.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  21. inhiscare753
    May 4, 2020 • 10:56 am

    Beautifully expressive story. The imagery is so vivid. Thanks for sharing, Laleh. 💜😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  22. utahan15
    May 4, 2020 • 11:11 am

    raven craven
    black crow
    hooded thief
    mr death
    schtye sheaved
    and you
    the living
    bereft
    of light
    and sustanance
    oh oh

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  23. OIKOS™-Publishing
    May 4, 2020 • 12:20 pm

    Wonderful written as always, Laleh! Thank you for sharing this lovly story. OK, its a little bit scary. On the other hand, a cemetery is the savest place ever. I am sorry for the long delay visiting your blog. Hope you and your are well and stay save. Best wishes, Michael

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  24. www.corneliaweber-photography.com
    May 5, 2020 • 12:49 am

    A cemetery sounds to me like a peaceful place to get some restful sleep, because there is peace.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  25. parikhit dutta
    May 5, 2020 • 3:56 am

    The ending!!! I would have freaked out.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  27. DutchIl
    May 5, 2020 • 11:47 am

    Thank you for sharing!!.. perhaps you were not lost, perhaps you were there for a reason.. “Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come”. (Author Unknown)… 🙂

    Until we meet again..
    May the road rise to meet you
    May the wind be always at your back
    May the sun shine warm upon your face
    The rains fall soft upon your fields
    And until we meet again
    May God hold you
    In the palm of his hand..
    (Irish Saying)

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  28. morishige
    May 6, 2020 • 4:48 am

    I really didn’t expect the ending. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  29. Clare Pooley
    May 9, 2020 • 6:13 pm

    What a brilliant story, Laleh!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓
  30. Ankur Mithal
    May 30, 2020 • 3:06 am

    You have a treasure trove of interesting stories.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

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