That night he dreamed of rope ladders that stayed, of flimsy boats anchored safe and still, and of a little girl who wore the sea like a shawl. In the morning he sent one last message to +218 80: "Noor is safe."

Amal told them of his grandmother's tile, of mosaics that kept secrets well. In return, Salima pulled a small photograph from her purse — Noor, older now, hair cropped close, laughing with a boy over a soccer ball. Noor’s passport photo was clean and official, untroubled. Beside it was another number, unfamiliar, a contact listed: "Download — IPA." Amal misread the letters at first; then Salima explained. It was a shorthand name for a friend who had helped them when they arrived: an app for finding work, a program that had taught them the language, a place in a city that never slept.

The reply came hours later, like an animal deciding whether to enter light: "Noor is my daughter. We changed everything to keep her safe. Meet me at the coffee shop on Al-Fateh at noon. Bring the old key."