Firewood

Chapter 5

When Armando woke up, he was already inside their room. His wounds were already cleaned up. He‘s now wearing clean clothes. He didn’t feel the wounds anymore but he felt very weak. He remembered he hadn’t eaten yet. So he went outside, to the kitchen.

As he was walking to the kitchen, he saw his son Alfred sleeping on their bamboo chair at the corner. He slowly picked up the fallen blanket on the floor and covered it to his sleeping son.

Tenderly looking to Alfred, he gently rubbed its head and softly whispered, “Thank you”.

He placed his food on the table and sat. Seeing the same basin and rug used by Elena when she cleaned the wound of the Japanese soldier, he again remembered how it all began…

“Armando, Armando…!” called Elena to her husband who was busy preparing firewood for their cooking. “Armando! I found a wounded soldier near the river. Help me carry him here”.

He immediately dropped the woods and quickly ran with his wife to where the wounded soldier was. This was another normal day for them. As a local nurse in the town, Elena was obliged to provide medical assistance to everyone who was affected by the growing war between her own people and the invading Japanese. And as a husband, Armando had also dedicated himself to support his wife.

“Another stranger to be helped”, he would always say. But each time he saw how happy that stranger was after he was cured and set free, complete joy was also felt by him, knowing that they again helped some of their own people.

And they continued to run in haste.

“Where, where is the man?” asked Armando, knowing that there should never be a second wasted because they were saving life.

“He’s here… he’s here!”, answered Elena as she came near to a man lying backwards with his bleeding legs. “Come here Armando. Be careful to carry him, he has wounds”.

As Armando walked towards them, he heard the wounded soldier spoke in Japanese language, “Tasukete… tasukete…  [Help me… help me...].

The two were surprised to know that what they thought as a wounded Filipino was indeed a Japanese. Both of them were not really sure what to do. For a second, the two of them were speechless, completely afraid.

Armando broke up the silence and said, “Elena, let’s leave him here. We will be in a great harm if we continue to be here”.

Watching the fainting Japanese soldier, Elena said “No, we will carry him with us. We are placed here to be his help”.

“But Elena…!”

“If you don’t want to help, I will carry him, by myself, to our house”.

Armando, who couldn’t do anything, carried the soldier at his back and went to their house.