A Story Told in Stone

Chapter 2: I get kidnapped in 1942 (John)

World war two has begun, and many cities have already been destroyed by the German armies. One battle in particular has not yet started. Two sides of the war, two armies, just waiting for the other to make a mistake and one shall only be the victor. An American soldier was assigned on patrol, His unit was stationed in Athens, a city in Greece. The foggy afternoon prevents anyone from seeing the distance. the battlefield had an eerie silence, as if it was waiting for death to make a visit. The soldier waited in the trenches looking at the forest surrounding the city for any sign of life.

The seventh of December, 1941. In the morning.

"What's happening?" said a young girl as the ground shook.

"Stay under the table, Alice!" said her father. The house may be made of concrete but cracks already formed and small bits of dust started to fall.

"We have to go outside! Quickly, before the ceiling drops on us!" said the mother who went under the table to grab Alice.

The father immediately ran to the door and kicked it open.

"What are you waiting for? Come on!" he said.

The mother protected Alice under her as they all ran outside. Many of the houses were on fire including theirs. From the east, comes more planes with a symbol of the rising sun and behind them was the sun itself. As the planes pass, more and more the ground shook.

"Where is he! He should've already returned by now," said the father as he scanned for his son.

"There!" Alice pointed towards a boy with blond hair. She was pulling on her mother's dress to get her attention.

The boy ran as fast as he could to reach his family. He thought that no matter what happens, as long as he was with his parents and sister, everything will be alright.

The sound of the planes started to become louder, and in no time, they were already above them. One had dropped its payload. The boy heard the whistle and as soon as it stopped the same could be said to his heart, momentarily. His family disappeared in front of him from sight because of the smoke. Still, he kept running.

"Mom!? Dad!? ALICE!?" he shouted.

The silence was the only answer he had when the smoke had dissipated. There was only one thing on his mind, the realization that he was now alone. Nevertheless, he searched the rubble, still clinging to the hope that would forever be false.

Minutes had passed and after a frantic search, wounded and exhausted, he stumbled. He grieved the loss of his family; tears fell to the ground in the middle of the debris of his home.

"I'm sorry, my boy," a stranger approached him. "We must go to the shelter and have a look at those wounds. I know you lost your family, and I'm sure others had too."

"They're not lost! They're... they..." The boy couldn't believe what just happened.

"Look at the sun," said the stranger who knelt beside him. "No matter what happened it will still go west."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that no matter what happens we must always move forward," answered the stranger who patted the boy on his back.

"Come, we should get you treated."

The boy looked up and saw the stranger. Despite the situation, he gave the boy a smile as bright as the sun.

The boy then followed the stranger to the emergency shelters.

...

("I think I should tell this part of the story, after all I was the one who was kidnapped."
"Very funny John, and for the record I didn't kidnapped you!"
"Hey! No spoilers!")