There was a girl named Nour who lived in the city of Damascus which was described by those who loved it as the fragrant place Apricot and cherry orchards surrounded it like a sweet-scented belt while rose perfume filled its streets But one day the city began to lose its fragrance because war was knocking at its gates with its smelly tanks and noisy guns Nour’s name means light in Arabic It was indeed perfect for a girl whose face was as round as the moon whose eyes were as bright as stars and who brought joy to everyone she knew
The person Nour loved most in the world after her Mama and Baba was her cousin Amir who was like a brother to her When they finished their schoolwork Nour and Amir would climb trees play hide-and-seek and jump over puddles They especially loved reading adventure stories about detectives They wished they could find treasures and go camping have picnics and solve mysteries like the characters in the books They dreamed most of all about having their own secret society a club just for their friends
