Maralinga Bombing

• James Dyer, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2017

I remember that scorching, sweltering summer day in September 1956, when the ground shook so violently like a furious aggressive man, stamping his heavy iron boots upon his floorboards in a wild obsessive rage. I recall the iridescent flash of light and the tumultuous, hot, acrid wind that overcame us like a tidal wave.
Etched in my mind, the countdown over the loud speakers as my family and I waited nervously in anticipation. The whole of Maralinga was there to witness the event, standing in the open air, hands joined, some three kilometres away.
“Turn your backs and face me!” the Commander boomed to me and the rest of the town’s people. Then, the following six fateful words forever etched on my memory, “Five, Four, Three, Two, One FIRE!”
Immediately, we felt the ground vibrate violently like an earthquake, cars shaking, windows shattering and dogs howling, scampering away to find a safer place to rest.
Moments passed before the Commander shouts to us that we can turn and face the explosion. Turning round, I stood in complete disbelief at the site before me.
There ahead grew a towering inferno of dust, smoke and fire. Like a statue, I gazed in awe watching the darkness rise up into the sky, forming a huge mushroom cloud, black as coal, that we thought could have been the devil; we know now that we were not wrong.
The fierce wind following the explosion was burning and seething with heat, full of dust forcing us all to cough and choke as it overcame us.
My eyes were stinging with intense pain as though someone had sprayed mustard into our faces and poked our eyes with shards of glass. The dust tasted dreadful as it filled our mouths, nose and ears no parts of our bodies were immune. Everything stang like the excruciating pain of a bluebottle. The eerie atmosphere changed to a chorus of screaming town people engulfed in unfathomable pain and suffering.
We were told to wash our eyes, mouth and ears with water to ease the pain, which helped for a fleeting moment before the acute pain returned.
Shortly after, many other illnesses emerged. Symptoms included skin rashes, vomiting, blindness, blood diseases and cancer. We found out some time later that these illnesses were as a result of radiation poisoning.
As I opened my eyes, all around me was a black void, intermittent flash of light and soon were erased; the precious gift of sight was no more. The images of my beautiful family and the once unspoilt Maralinga land are now just a memory.
Although I am angry as I cannot see you, I am one of the lucky ones. Many of my precious family and friends have passed away as a result of the radiation emanating from the bomb. It is only fair to them, to those who have died, to tell the story of our injustice.