They get to Germany and receive a warm welcome. It is a bushy area in the woods with green tents pitched all over the place. They all come out of their car while a man comes to drive their car to their tent site. While another man walks to them.
Man: hello, [stretches out he's hand for a handshake] I'm a big fan of your work Volcano's I'm Mr Nagredi.
Mr. V: [receives the handshake] thank you. This is my wife she's the one you spoke with on the phone.
Mrs. V: [they shake hands] hello sir nice to formally meet you.
Nagredi: [shakes her hand] the honour is mine. I've read a lot of your write ups and reports on the work you're doing here, it's unparalleled.
Mrs. V: thank you. This is my daughter, Mariana.
Nagredi: hello there little one.
Mariana: hello, though my daddy calls me little warrior and my uncle says I've got a heart of a soldier, but 'one' is fine for now.
Her parents look at her and smiled while Nagredi bends down to her height....
Nagredi: you're a really brave one indeed. [Stands and directs them] this way please.
He takes them to the main tent.
Nagredi: this is Thomas Hopkins, the man you've been communicating with.
Mrs. V: [shake hands] finally we meet after all these years.
Thomas: yes, and I got new information for you.
Mr. V: [returns from taking Mariana to make some new friends] and this must be...
Thomas: Thomas [shake hands]
Mr. V: Thomas Hopkins, you look a lot younger than I anticipated, anyway did you manage to bring in everyone?
Nagredi: we only got four hundred people
Mrs. V: four hundred?! We had almost seven hundred people in Kazakhstan perhaps some are still in hiding. Did you search....
Nagredi: no, we also have about a hundred dead bodies with thirty-eight injured.
Mrs. V: oh no. They keep reducing in numbers.
Mr. V: what about the rest?
Nagredi: we tried all we could they were taken.
Mrs. V: you mean they took about sixty men?
Nagredi: yes ma'am.
Mr and Mrs. V sigh in awe.
Thomas: by the way your urgent expertise is needed in the medical tent.
Mrs. V: I know, but I'm sure Clara and Tess got it.....
Thomas: [in low saddened tone] Tess died trying to save them back there, she's amongst the bodies....
Mr and Mrs. V: oh no!
Mr. V: and Clara is she injured?
Thomas: she quit and left way earlier.
Mrs. V: in that case I have to go.
Nagredi: Thomas you said you had some information for us.
Thomas: yes. I just discovered that whatever they're planning doesn't fully add up. They say they're planning to build in a barren wasteland in some desert, but where? Because when I counter checked the desert places, they're strong hold countries they'll not be able to pull through.....
Mr. V: meaning it was a decoy
Thomas: probably. Then what doesn't make sense is how Iraq and Afghanistan can work together with Iran separating them....
Nagredi: yes, I told you to look into it.....
Thomas: I did and all I found is nothing, it's an endpoint, it's silent.
Mr. V: wait, where do you get all this information from?
Thomas: I have a skilled guy on the inside he sends monthly information.
Mr. V: how does any of this help to explain how they keep finding us?
Nagredi: what do you mean?
Mr. V: we've been to three places so far and they keep finding out exactly where we are, not forgetting these past years.
Thomas: I sent it to my guy about a month ago I was supposed to receive new information a week ago but nothing which is very unlike him.
Nagredi: maybe they got to him.
Thomas: my thoughts exactly.
Mr. V: you put a man in a very difficult and dangerous place....
Thomas: he knew the risks.
Nagredi: now what?
Mr. V: I think Iran could be working with them or they're making decoy stories to hide from them.
Thomas: my thoughts exactly
Nagredi: meaning they'll have a stretch of free land
Mr. V: enough to build a whole new country.
Its quiet for about a minute....
Mr. V: let's not work with maybe's we need facts
Thomas: I guess I'll have to go there myself
Nagredi: you realize you might never return?
Thomas: just like my informant, I understand the risks.
Mr. V: [hugs and pats him] you're one brave man, Thomas. Hope you'll be safe.
Thomas: I'll try my best.
Nagredi: [hugs and pats him]
Thomas: kindly send my regards to your wife sir
Mr. V: [nods]
Mariana is eavesdropping and she sees Thomas leaving. While all this is happening, Mrs. Volcano attends to the injured Somalians in the medical tent.
Mrs. V: (in Somali) hello, I'm Doctor Volcano, but you can call me Beatrice.
Woman: [nods] (in Somalian) nice to meet you, Beatrice. I'm Saline.
Mrs. V: (in Somali) you'll have to bear with me [she begins palpating her wrists for pulses] I'm the only doctor available.
Saline: (Somali) I know, I saw one get killed back in Kazakhstan. She fought bravely, she saved me.
Mrs. V: (Somali) you're one lucky woman [smiles]. You seem alright, just dehydrated. Kindly take a lot of fluids.
Saline: (Somali) thank you. My daughter [points in her direction outside the tent] Aamiina, is or was a final student nurse. I think she can give you a hand.
Mrs. V: (Somali) thank you, Saline.
Saline: (Somali) Aamiina!
Aamiina: [comes in] (Somali) yes mother.
Saline: (Somali) help Doctor Volcano, listen to everything she tells you. In the process, you will get to be a way better nurse.
Aamiina: (Somali) sure, mother.
Saline stands up to leave.
Mrs. V: (Somali) please don't forget to take a lot of fluids.
Saline: (Somali) sure [she leaves]
Mrs. V: (Somali) thank you so much for your help.
Aamiina: you're welcome.
Mrs. V: you speak English.
Aamiina: yes. I went to school in Chad only got back when I heard about the war. I came to be with her.
Mrs. V: just hold pressure [as she holds a man's wound using a cloth], good. Your spirit reminds me of my little girl, Mariana. She's so young yet so brave
Aamiina: I've met her, yes she is. You know a lot of us do know English we just speak Somali near people like the Iraqi people.
Mrs. V: that's smart. I did that once when I saw one of them in Spain some years ago. I don't know what business he had or how he managed to get in. He looked at me and smiled, I think he knew who I was and what I do. So I turned to my husband and used Spanish when talking to him.
Aamiina: [laughs] serves him right. I really hope all this finally ends.
Mrs. V: you have quite the skill. I'll put this into good word so you don't go back into school, you can just start work with me in Spain when all this is over. My husband and I will get to the bottom of this, I promise. Unless, you want to.......
Aamiina: [laughs] no. Thank you, I'll come to Spain I'd be crazy to pass up such an opportunity. Besides, I would want to marry a Spanish guy, they're cute.
Mrs. V: [laughs] I'll recommend. I know them better
Aamiina: [lowers her tone] what's wrong with my mom?
Mrs. V: oh, sorry I should have told you. Nothing serious actually, she's just dehydrated.
Aamiina: you know on our way here in the boat, she refused to drink anything whenever we were given. She gave me everything and kept saying, don't worry I'll drink when we arrive. I begged her, but no.
Mrs. V: she's a mom caring for her child. I'd do the same too.
They finished their rounds and stood by a freezer near the tent door.
Mrs. V: I now see where you get your warrior spirit from.
Aamiina: and I see where she got hers. I mean look at her parents.
Both: [laugh as they watch her play with a young Somalian girl].
She comes running to her while the young girl to Aamiina.
Aamiina: this is my little cousin, Casho.
Mrs. V: I see you made a new friend, (Somali) hi, I'm.....
Casho: (Somali) I know who you are (in English) and I can speak English too. Aamiina taught me.
Mrs. V: wow, okay and I see you have her spirit too.
Mariana: mom, I want to learn how to speak Somali, Arabic, Farsi and Kurdish like you and dad.
Mrs. V: whooo that's a lot, but I can teach you Somali and Arabic for now. Later.....
Mariana: no, we'll be moving together a lot now, there's time.
Mrs. V: okay, okay. Go play now.
Aamiina: you know all those languages?
Mrs. V: yes I do. The job I have, I just have to.
Aamiina: honestly, I'd want to be like you, work really hard, learn a lot of languages and help people.
Mrs. V: I'm happy to be an inspiration, but it's not an easy task.
They walked to separate tents. Till hours later it was night fall, the people put up a big fire, beat drums and danced. The three Volcanos and Nagredi joined in the celebration. Eventually they all went to bed.
Mrs. Volcano woke up in the middle of the night and found Mariana not in her bed. She checked outside and found her sited by the fire.
Mrs. V: hey, what's wrong? [Sits next to her]
Mariana: I can't sleep that's all [smiles] its not like I'm doing anything tomorrow. I have a lot of time to sleep. How about you mom, you have a lot you need to sleep.
Mrs. V: yes, but I can't. I'm watching over the remaining people who are still in the medical tent
Mariana: right. Okay, since we all have to sit out here for long, tell me a story about you and dad.
Mrs. V: how we met?
Mariana: well yeah, but also how you grew up and dad.
Mrs. V: okayyyy.......
YOU ARE READING
THE DAWNING
Misteri / ThrillerIf you like white house down and crime solving this is a tale you'll like. A girl loses her family in a massacre and decides to take revenge. She is taught and trained by her uncle to face it all. He makes her see that revenge isn't the way to face...
