Upper Egypt is rife with many exciting and terrifying folk legends—legends that have endured through time and become entrenched in people's minds, yet are often absent from the literary scene and narrative exploration. In the governorates of Upper Egypt, especially if you live in a small, remote village more rural than urban, your biggest concern upon having twins won't just be providing enough milk, clothes, or medical care. Instead, the focus of mothers, grandmothers, and elder aunts will be on a more dangerous and significant point: they will strive to provide protection for the two newborns who came into the world together from one womb!

They will tell you that you must take them to a well-known shrine to perform a strange ritual called 'Al-Tahseeb,' where religious rites mix with folk practices of unknown origin. They will warn you not to wake them at night, no matter what, and to be cautious as they grow older, never leaving raw fish or strong-smelling food within their reach. Most importantly, never risk chasing a cat at night, especially if it has a docked tail. Do you know why? Because if you do any of these things, you risk causing great harm to one of your children, or even face the threat of losing one or both of them! You will come to learn that any stray cat roaming your rooftop, or a neighbor's, at night might be nothing but the wandering soul of your child that has left its body!

You might laugh sarcastically and dismiss this as superstition... but don't hold on to your certainty too tightly. Leave some room for reflection and to absorb the surprise. In the end, one of us—you or I—could be wrong!

• Publishing House: Dar Molhimon for Publishing & Distribution
• Author: Amal Abdelhamid
• ISBN: 9789948495666
• Number of Pages: 300
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Cover Type: Paperback