Ukraine Crisis

• Claire Ping, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2022

Boom! Bang! Bombs lay scattered along the road like Lego bricks. Inside, the sound of weeping babies echoed through my now dusty and tattered room.
"Liliyav! Wake up now!" my mother screeched. Slowly flicking open my exhausted eyes, I noticed my brother and my father acting like bees around their hive, desperately darting to find the last of our food.
"Where are we going?" I demanded, sitting upright. Pounding of footsteps were approaching our crumbling bungalow.
"Anywhere but here," Andriy replied reluctantly.

As loud as Zeus' thunder, raucous sirens blared as the deafening sound of bombs filled the frigid air once again. The smell of burning flesh gripped my lungs, the taste of metal clung on my throat.
"Quick! Run! They're heading for Kiev!" mum cried, her voice cracking like the broken pavement. Sprinting like cheetahs chasing an antelope, we scurried on hopeless and terrified. Rivers of tears cascaded down my cheeks, as missiles drowned our house and ferocious flames evaporated our Chortai's barks, the soft touch of his fur faded within.

As the obsidian night covered the sky, my fingers were ice when we reached the underground metro station. Reluctantly, the soles of my worn out shoes scraped the freezing cold floor as we trudged along the station. Like bears awoken from hibernation, millions of displaced Ukrainians devoured absolutely anything they found. Beside weeping women, wounded soldiers lay on the cold concrete floor.

By morning, there was no food or space. Cramped and airless, storms shook the world above. Devastated, I embraced my father as he prepared for war. Watching his strong, broad frame retreat into darkness, its suffocating hands choked the last flickering flame of hope.

After thousands of lives were lost, volunteers eventually arrived, presenting us with delicious food. Innocent soldiers fought for Ukraine, as we cheered for them encouragingly. Vulnerable citizens were protected like birds in a cage.

After weeks of desperation, we were finally able to leave! Exhilarated, I bounded towards my mum.
" where should we stay?" I exclaimed excitedly as a puppy, leaping over our suitcases.
" Poland or Hungary, but we will have to stay in a refugee centre," she replied, clutching our massive suitcases.
"Anything is better than the station ," I sighed, remembering how it sent the cold chill down my spine. As I followed suit, I knew that the tiny flame was flickering once more...