I cry for help, do you hear me?

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Running and tripping through the streets, blending up dust, I lay hold of my younger sister. Jasmines panting echoed mine, as our footsteps staggered. The stones and pebbles were fighting back against our torn shoes. My right heel was experiencing every uproar of pain because of the remaining, shallow grip. Tanks snowed in our usual path from school. Cutting through the land is very risky but it was our only option. Walking down the broken ground and Jasmine skipping along cheerfully whilst I am reading my rusty old book. What hit me the most was the silence as I would usually hear children cheering, eating, mothers talking to other mothers, fathers meeting up at the mosques, and shops selling delicious food and sweets that children would start running for, but there was none of that anymore. It was silent, children, mothers, families hiding in their homes and hoping not to get killed or have to be taken away from their families or having to get out of their houses and hoping not to lose anyone or anything.

Walking in, memories of my father flooded my head.

“Where’s mama?” Jasmine asks, as she tosses her ripped school book bag.

 I shake the thoughts away immediately.

“Mama will be home soon, you need to take out your homework and do that okay Jasmine” I answer. Whilst Jasmine was doing her homework, I walked miserably to the fridge and opened it; I sigh and I immediately close the fridge, not letting myself linger on the emptiness. I walk around slowly, and find a piece of pita bread on the kitchen table and I spread some jam on it. I gently place the sandwich in front of Jasmine where she is sitting on the burnt carpet.

“Thank you Muhammad,” Jasmine says as she stuffs her little mouth. I smile and fill a cup of water from the broken sink. I turn off the tap and take a sip. The liquid flows down my throat, delivering relief to the dryness.

I begin my usual chores, and humming the song my father would sing to us when we were young. Jasmine hears the familiar tunes and sings along. I grab her hands and together we start dancing on the broken tiles of our kitchen. The chipped paint and cracked walls expand as the moods lighten. Suddenly, the door creaks open and my mother walks in, her head down. I drop Jasmines hands and we stood there in silence.

“Hi mama” Jasmine stammers.

She opens the fridge and gently closes it, trying to hide what we had already seen and knew. “Is there something wrong mother?” I ask, concerned by her silence.

“Yeah, everything is fine habibti, how was school?” she sits down, avoiding something. I knew my mother too well.

“It was great, except Sister Hanna wouldn’t let me go out for recess because I forgot my homework mama”, Jasmine rants.

“Well, you should learn to not forget your homework silly, you know doing your homework is one step to success” mother states.

Jasmine smiles and runs to lie on the ripped mattress.

Mother sighs, and says “They are going to cut off our water pipes,” mother releases with a breath.

“The Israeli military?” I ask.

“Yes son, they have hired contractors, they will be removing it from our land… tomorrow” she hesitates.

“But… without water our crops will go dry.”

“Don’t worry son, we can get water from the nearest town.”

“Mother, that’s miles away though and we do not have a car and also mother it will cost ten times as much.”