72/398

The cover art presents a montage of many women in headscarves, set against an ornately patterned backdrop, with a dramatic, intricate explosion bursting forth at its heart.

♫ Sleep Tight Little Fanatic ♫

72/398

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I enter the corridor, at the end of which the throne room is located. Dressed as a servant, I blend in. Satisfied, I run my hand over the belt hidden under my clothes, which makes me look fatter than I am. All homemade. The time has come. Suddenly, I hear the Muezzin. Here? Now? Bewildered, I pause. I don’t want to jeopardize my chance at the 72 virgins at the last moment. So, I unroll my prayer mat in a window alcove and kneel down facing east. In that exact moment, I realize it was a trap. The voice is on a recording. I already see the palace guards running towards me. I jump up, wanting to run, but somehow, in my excitement, I must have hit the detonator. Before the roar of the explosion reaches my ears, I’m nothing but small fragments. I’ve failed. May the Prophet have mercy on me.

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