131 Words To Home

• Tahlya Mardini, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2022

My mouthed quenched with thirst. It's been days since I've seen the sun. Days since I've watched the oceans waves collapse onto each other. Days since I was home. Days since the bomb was dropped onto my village. Stumbling over my feet like a drunken sailor. I collapse. My body so close to the ground as though gravity is pushing me deep into the Earth's core. That's when it happens. The harsh gleam of the sun blinding me. The soft aroma of salt water mingling with the faint smell of the tropical flowers. I rise. Plodding through my weakness I walk towards the beams of sunshine beckoning me into their warmth. Barely standing I smile. Even though I know I have little time left I'm home. And that's all that matters.