War Child

As the thunderous noise and chaos built around me, I searched for a place of shelter. The weight of my silent younger sister in my arms slowed me down, but amongst the rubble I found a small gap to conceal us. I’d lost track of how long the war had gone for...what the adults were fighting for was now clouded by the sheer horror that blanketed our country. So many things had changed so quickly...suddenly we feared for our lives rather than fearing for what we would get in our next arithmetic test. Wails from the wounded and cries from people mourning the dead haunted the streets...there was never a second of silence.
Horrific memories played over and over again in my mind and I cringed as I leant into my sister’s hair. I’d been separated from my family for several days it seemed...though I wouldn’t know...day and night didn’t mean much to me anymore. I hoped against hope that I could be reunited with my loved ones again...to be able to hear my mother’s gentle, soothing voice ...and to be able to feel her fingers running gently through my hair...
I looked down into my sisters eyes...she was only four years old. Her glassy stare penetrated mine, but I did not become choked up. I was beyond tears for my fallen sister...when we unsuccessfully ran from violence she did not fully understand what was going on, but the absence of my mother made her distressed. It made no sense that she should die rather than me.
I will never underestimate the power of conflict again. Our country has dramatically changed...will it ever be back to normal? Or will we always be scarred by what has happened? I looked up as I heard a bomb go off in the near distance. The sky lit up with the impact, only to be followed by thick clouds of smoke. The foul smell in the air doubled, a mixture of ash, smoke and of the dead. Screams punctured the sounds from the explosion and I felt the earth tremble underneath my body. There was never silence...never any peace.
It was hard, with my surroundings to remember happy memories...but somehow I did. I remembered the sound of our house echoing with laughter during dinners, the unusual games my siblings and I would make up to play...and the peaceful, contented silence of night time. My eyes fluttered to a close, and I huddled deeper into my hiding place. Finally I fell into the false security of a dreamless sleep... only too soon to be awakened by the horrors of the reality I had to face.

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