Hollow Fires

The media reports on Jawad and his parents as, “Eye-rack-ees” rather than American citizens with US passports (13). Jawad lists several articles that report his false arrest as a bomb threat, and many of his classmates started calling him Bomb Boy when he returns to school. He can no longer participate in the makerspace club, and his club sponsor Mrs. Ellis tells him to not “let them take away [his] shine” (16). Now a ghost, Jawad tries to communicate with Mrs. Ellis, but she doesn’t hear him. He goes to his old locker and notices that the sticky residue from the hateful signs posted after his arrest is still there.

When the EMTs transfer Jawad’s body from the culvert where Safiya finds him to the ambulance, Safiya notices a broken hand of Fatima keychain on Jawad’s belt loop. The hand of Fatima, a symbol of protection, seems familiar to Safiya.

A few weeks after Jawad returned from his suspension, he started receiving threatening text messages. He didn’t tell his parents because he didn’t want them to be more worried. Now that he’s a ghost, he thinks he should have said something. He wants to get Safiya to believe in him.