a person standing in front of a house at night

The Guest of the Dark NightIt was a cold and dark night. In the last mud house of the village, Zainab lived with her six-year-old daughter, Maryam. She was busy making tea on an old wooden stove when she heard a faint knock on the door.Zainab was startled. Everyone in the village knew that she and Maryam lived alone, and it was strange for anyone to visit at such an hour. But the knocking continued persistently. Gathering her courage, Zainab opened the door.An old woman stood outside, dressed in tattered clothes, her face wrinkled and worn.In a frail voice, the woman said, "Daughter, I am a traveler. I need a place to spend the night."Zainab invited the woman inside and offered her tea. The woman sat quietly on the floor but kept staring at Maryam with a peculiar intensity. Her gaze was so unnerving that Maryam clung to Zainab in fear.Sometime during the night, Zainab realized that the woman was no longer in the room. Alarmed, she got up and began looking for her. Suddenly, she heard a faint sound coming from