The events take place in Sumgait in 1988, against the background of the growing Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. The narrative focuses on an aging poet, his mother Zeynab Khanum, the neighbor Maksud, and an Armenian boy caught in an atmosphere of violence and fear. Through these figures, the text explores memory, moral responsibility, indifference, and the choices people make when society begins to collapse. We thank Anna Mnatsakanyan for granting permission to publish this work on our website free of charge.