Blood Stains

Struggling to make a living with his small corner shop, Akram notices some young boys playing cricket. Thought from the past flood his mind. Then a refugee family moves into their neighborhood, only to add more challenges to his life. Thankfully, Baba Sharif, a long-time elderly friend and a great storyteller, guides Akram and his two young sons with helpful advice. However, one stain from the past is too much for Akram to handle.

Akram comes from Afghanistan, but has settled in Pakistan for many years. Struggling to make a living with his small corner shop, Akram notices some young boys playing cricket. Thoughts from the past flood his mind. Then a refugee family moves into their neighborhood, only to add more challenges to his life. He only wants to help them, thinking this will give him some good ‘sawab’ and honor, but life unravels before him – his home, his efforts of kindness, and worst of all, his past. Thankfully, Baba Sharif, a long-time elderly friend and a great storyteller, guides Akram and his two young sons with helpful advice. Baba Sharif grew up as a traditional Persian wrestler and entertains Akram’s sons with endless stories of wrestlers and his own experiences. As Akram becomes more entangled with their new neighbors, one stain from the past is too much for Akram to handle.

Arley Loewen (Canada) completed an MA in Persian Literature from the Quadi Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan and a Ph.D. from the Department of Middle Eastern Civilizations, University in Toronto (Canada). He has worked and lived among Afghan people for 35 years. He lived in Kabul, Afghanistan for four years with his family, where he worked with Op-Mercy Afghanistan (2003-2007). Loewen travels to Afghanistan and the regions, presenting seminars on leadership development for professional, government and educational institutions.