It was a beautiful night before dozens of missiles destroyed the earth of Palestine, the missiles fell like a fireworks display on New Year's Eve. Two missiles blew up the roof of my house and my backyard. "Mom." I shouted but there was no reply. I ran to the family room and it turned out that my mother and two siblings had died in the rubble of the house and left only her left wrist and a ring on her ring finger. I took the ring as if I had a feeling that my mother must have told me to take it to give to my father.
The sound of two people wearing boots, I could hear me trying not to cry because I was afraid that it was the Zionists who wanted to scorch Palestine to earth.
"Hey little girl are you okay?" asked a rescuer, I nodded and went out of the house. When I came out of the house I saw many people crying, screaming and lamenting their dead families, they lamented while scolding and cursing the Israeli people. When I saw many people crying, screaming, I wanted to do the same thing but I have promised my father, "Azkia if one day you see your father, mother or brother die you should not cry until it can cause people who hear to cry too!" so I'm just silent because I'm confused what to do?
"Hey, are they your family?" asked a young man whose head was in bandages.
"Yes." I replied with an indifferent tone.
"Why don't you cry when your family is gone? Are you one of them?" asked the young man angrily.
"It's useless if I cry, if I am tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or when it is not certain that I can live on, if I die who will cry for me?" I asked emotionally.
"You are a stupid girl! Where do you know about those cursed people?" asked the young man while leaving me alone.
"Come on young people, young Palestinians, leave this city for a while get into this car, save the Palestinian generation from the hands of the cursed." the voice of a Hamas was clearly heard through the speakers. I started thinking about asking if he knew my father. When I approached it, it turned out that the person was not a Hamas but a young man.
"Hey, what's your name? Are there any survivors of your family?" said the young man.
"My name is Azkia, my family only lives my father but I don't know where he is now." I said.
"Is your father a Hamas?" said that person while looking closely at my face. I nodded slowly.
"What is his name? Maybe I can bring you together." he asked.
"His name is Yahyed Haidar." When he heard the name of my father, his friend who looked Hamas gasped in surprise.
"Did you say Yahyed Haidar?" asked the man.
"Do you know him? If so, please take me to meet my father." suddenly that person bowed to see my face clearly and held my shoulders, he said, "You have to be patient. Yesterday your father was caught by Zionist Israel." When I heard those words, it was like a bucket of lead being poured from the head of my head, it felt like life was useless but I had to live to find the prison where my father was held and give him the news that I was still alive.
"Come on, Azkia we go to the evacuation," invite the young man. I just stay quiet and sit in the corner of the car while hearing the children babble on how cruel the Zionists Israel is. I just heard the babble while sleeping on my knees. The car stopped a sign that we had arrived at the evacuation site.
"Come on, our Palestinian generation has arrived at the refugee camp." shouted the young man. I got down while fixing mt hijab and put the ring in my pocket.
"Hey." said the young man, I turned my head expressionlessly.
"What?" I replied in an indifferent tone.
"I haven't recorded your name and age," he asked.
"My name is Azkia." I answered.
"Your age?" he asked.
I said, "16 years old."
"Ahh, so are we the same age? Your father is a Hamas?" he asked.
"He was before, he was caught. Do you know where my father was held?" I asked with a pleading face.
"Maybe your father is being detained in Jerusalem," said the young man. I immediately left the young man before he came to me.
"This Azkia, I got something for you," said the young man, handing her a small pocket knife.
"What is this for? I won't accept this if it's useless."
"This is just in case there are Zionist soldiers who threaten you to throw this knife and run," he said proudly.
"Thank you." I said as I left the young man, it turned out that the young man's name was Jasir, I just found out.My days are lonely and only accompanied by Jasir and Zainab, a little girl who can see the future. One morning Zainab ran towards me crying.
"Brother, brother I saw you in my dream, you will be shot by the Zionist army," said Zainab
"What? No way, you should not speak carelessly Zainab." Jasir said, I just lay on the rock, looking at the sky.
"Azkia why are you just silent?" asked Jasir.
"Never mind, she was right. When the school behind the refugee camp would be bombed and it happened." I said, looking up at the sky.
"Aren't you afraid?" said Zainab.
"Not if I die I can meet my family." said Azkia.
"No, you can't die because of me, me. Never mind, the most important thing is you can't die." said the young man in a stuttering tone.
"Jasir brother, where are you going?"
Jasir goes towards the refugee camp office.
"I'm sure Jasir wants to tell you something but he is ashamed to say it may be because there is Zainab." I muttered to myself, and Zainab went after Jasir. And leave me alone.
I don't know why every time I look at the blue sky and see the clouds imagining what those clouds will become? It turned out that my mind calmed down. On a quiet Sunday, there were only Zionist soldiers staring at the camp of the refugee children, many of whom carried out 'intifadah' movements (-an intifada (Arabic: انتفاضة intifāḍah) is a rebellion or uprising, or a resistance movement. It is a key concept in contemporary Arabic usage referring to a legitimate uprising against oppression) by throwing stones at them, the soldiers were just silent and occasionally firing warning shots to frighten the children of Palestine, they were not afraid and I threw a stone as big as a fist and caused one Zionist soldier to bleed in the head and at that time bullets were fired at me and at that moment the world felt like there was no sound. Jasir approached me, crying.
"Azkia you have to wake up! Yu can't die, you have to stay alive." said Jasir while carrying me to the nearest hospital after arriving at the hospital suddenly the world became dark and my mother's shadow appeared.
"Azkia you can't catch up with your mom now, your mom, Ahmed, Fatima is happy to be here and you have to remember that your mom is always with you, you have to wake up Azkia!"
When I opened my eyes, I saw Jasir sitting beside me with a face swollen as if he had been crying. When I tried to sit up, my chest started to hurt again and without command my mouth groaned, waking Jasir.
"Have you awakened Azkia?" asked Jasir.
"How many days have I slept?" asked Azkia.
"Five days." said Jasir, getting a glass of water.
"Please just rest so that you will get better soon."
I lay my body down and the pain in my chest slowly diminished so long as neither of us spoke, "Hmmm .. Azkia." said Jasir looking restless.
"Why?" I asked innocently.
"Hmm, Zainab is dead." suddenly the pain in my chest appeared again
"Innalillahi wainna ilaihi rajiun. Never mind everything has been arranged by Allah," said Jasir, holding my hand.
"Can I go back to the refugee camp?" asked Zainab.
"Come on in, I'll carry a camping car in front." said Jasir, lifting me up.
When I got to the camping car, I was put up and immediately sat in the corner. Jasir came to me, "Are you all right?" asked Jasir in a worried tone.
"What do you see I'm doing? If I can sit that means I'm fine." I replied casually.
"I'm afraid today is the last day we meet." said Jasir.
"Let's just leave it to Allah." said Azkia when the car stopped a sign that we had arrived at the refugee camp.
And when I came down, I was treated to a very sad bath. There were children who were shot and thrown into the kennel, "let's destroy this tent!" said an Israeli soldier whose head I injured. Suddenly from behind the wall appeared a very large slender car (asphalt leveling car). I immediately blocked but Jasir grabbed my arm, "Don't Azkia, I don't want you to die!" said Jasir, "Let me go Jasir!" snapped Azkia.
"I won't let you there." said him.
I shouted, "Let me go!"
After I managed to get out of my grip, I immediately ran to the front of the slender and blocked him so he wouldn't be able to flatten the camp. Jasir followed me from behind, because he was following me, his legs were shot by the Zionist soldiers, "Move away, you stupid girl, or I'll run over you!" snapped the soldier but I was not afraid of the words of the soldier. After that the slender car drove and ran over me. Jasir cried, shouted and berated those cursed people. It was as if a beautiful evening was crying and it was as if the earth and everything in it had cursed Israel.
YOU ARE READING
Dusk in Palestine
Short StoryThis is a short story based on a true story in Palestine. Introduction of the characters: 1. Azkia, a-sixteen-year-old Palestinian girl who lost her whole families. 2. The Rescuer. 3. Israeli Soldiers. 4. Jasir. 5. Zainab, a little Palestinian girl...