I am recounting a story told to me by a friend who is a native of Qatar. He and three others were on a long road trip across the country. The journey was initially planned for the afternoon, but they set off late at night due to various delays.
My friend was seated in the back with another passenger, and as they began the drive, the mood was light. They shared jokes and pleasantries. None of them had consumed alcohol, as it is banned on religious grounds in Qatar. A few hours into their journey, they found themselves on a highway cutting through the desert. The road was pitch black, illuminated only by their car’s high beams. Gradually, the mood shifted as they became surrounded by total darkness. The car beams cast enough light ahead to guide them, but there was an unspoken sense of unease. They all silently agreed they would feel safer once they reached their destination.
Suddenly, the driver exclaimed, “What is that?”
Everyone in the car immediately looked ahead. My friend recalls, “We all looked ahead at the same time and saw an old woman in a long white dress standing in the middle of the road. She was eerily waving at us with both hands. There was no way for the driver to stop in time, and just before we would have collided with her, she vanished.”
They all screamed and began reciting prayers. The driver wanted to slow down to regain his composure, but the others urged him to keep going. They were in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Had only the driver seen the woman, they could have dismissed it as fatigue or imagination, but all four of them had seen the same thing.
As my friend recounted the story to me, I could see its lingering effects on him. Even years later, his hands trembled as he spoke, and the nervousness in his voice was palpable. This enduring fear and unease made the story all the more believable—a testament to the experience’s profound impact on him.
