Fawaz Al-Matrouk writes fiction and makes films about our power to confront the unknown. His previous stories in F&SF are set in Medieval Baghdad and Napoleonic Egypt. “Anwar” takes us into the future, a glimpse into a larger universe. “I wanted to explore a personal theme of faith and loss, set in a future where the concept of eternal life could be as real on Earth as it is believed to be in Heaven. At its heart, ‘Anwar’ is about the love between a mother and her son.” 8. Anwar was eight years old when he learned he was human.