Bombs

• Daniel Pardo, Grade 5, McKinnon Primary School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'Read Write Repeat 2015' competition

Bombs, gunfire it’s all I can hear. I am sitting in the corner of a half destroyed room. My dad and I both two brothers are outside fighting. Mum and I are staying here. I am considered a disappointment. I do not live up to my name, Matin. It means strong, powerful and durable. I stand up, my mum tries to pull me down but I resist her. I step outside into a plume of grey dust that looks like a mushroom. I could barely hear my mum between all the gunfire, she was screaming at me to come back. I wasn’t listening. I stepped forward, slipped but stayed upright. I was used to the bombshells now. I walked half limping, half jumping over things you wouldn’t believe, when I found it. A bright orange water bottle. I dug into the rubble and gasped. Tears filled my eyes. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t him. I search for proof. I found sefr, none. It was dad. I searched him thoroughly. Oh no. Bad thoughts filled my mind. The food had been burnt to ash and the water had evaporated. If my brothers couldn’t send resources we would surely die. I tried to find our house but I couldn’t see anything between my tears. All I could see was a bright orange blur. Suddenly a thought hit me. I ran back the way I thought I came. I found mum. When I found her, I told her my plan and she nodded happily but her cheeks felt tears when I told her about dad. We stood crying for a long while. Then I heard the delightful low hum of a medical plane. I waved the water bottle furiously. I think they saw us. I waved for my life. The plane flew past into the distance. The atmosphere miserable, fast. I started to walk towards the desert. Then I heard something. The medical plane was back. I watched it land on the soft desert. I ran towards it, pulling mum along. When we got in, I saw my two brothers in the back. I yelled with glee. There was a loud explosion. I looked back my village was destroyed along with dad. I cried all the way to the hospital.