I was at home in Kabul when the Taliban reseized power on August 15 2021. The morning began like any other. I sent my son, Siawash, who was then seven years old, to school. I sat down to work on a collection of short stories I hoped to publish in Afghanistan.

By mid-afternoon, the Taliban had entered Kabul, and the president had fled the country. By the end of the day, there was no government left.

I went outside to check if what I was seeing on Facebook and TV — people running in panic in every direction, shouting “Talib! Talib!” — was actually happening. It was hard to believe that the same Taliban ousted from their seat of power two decades ago had returned. But they were there, out on the street. They wore kohl eyeliner, shoulder-length hair and white sneakers.