The All-Clear began to sound as they slowly emerged from the underground station, David racing ahead of Sophia. "Careful David, there is rubble everywhere!" Sophia, David's older sister, called out. David took no notice, racing in between the piles of rubble, destroyed possessions and remains of houses that were destroyed during the overnight bombings. Dust filled the air as bricks continued to fall from the unstable buildings, narrowly missing people as they fell - this had been occurring for 2 weeks, every night the same; hundreds dead, a chance that there won't be a house for you to return to, no idea if your family is dead or alive. Sophia and David's parents were killed when an V1 rocket, commonly know as a 'Doodlebug', directly hit their house - Sophia and David survived, only by a few metres, as they were playing football in the street with their friends. They saw it all, though. Rubble and shrapnel shooting towards them. Possessions being thrown across the street. Screams from their parents as they became aware of their imminent death...
Something felt strange to Sophia, something didn't seem right about the safety of the street. "David! Come here, we need to head home!"
"I am!" he replied, dodging small piles of bricks that were scattered in the road.
"David, just come here!" The feeling of worry intensified, forcing her to begin running towards him.
"David!" As soon as she called him, he turned, seeing her running, and began to run away from her, believing it was some bizarre form of game.
"You can't catch me!" He giggled, gaining speed.
"No! David, STOP! You don't understand!" fear shot through her body as the feeling that something was wrong with the street intensified.
Little did she know that something truly deadly was looming...
The event unfolded quickly before her eyes, it seemed like a blur. David hadn't noticed the small, unexploded bomb that lay in the centre of the street and, before he could slow down or run around it, his foot landed upon the bomb, exploding it instantly. "No!" a small scream escaped from both David and Sophia's mouths - it was all they could do. David was sent flying as a crater was formed below him as the bomb exploded outwards, sending shrapnel towards Sophia. The tremendous power of the explosion sent her soaring backwards, knocking her out as her head hit the solid concrete road.
It was an hour before she woke again in the quiet, lonely street. Cuts, deep and shallow, covered her body.
"D...David?" She whimpered as she slowly sat upright, searching the street for anyone to help her search. She called again, but there was no reply.
Then she saw him.
His body was covered with blood due to the wounds he sustained during the explosion and his small arm was broken.
"No...David..." she sat next to him and gently stroked him face. "Why...you weren't even 10..." tears streamed down her face as she took him into her arms like a mother would her child. It all seemed so unreal and she begged for it to be untrue, that he would wake up, but he didn't - all she wanted now was for today to be over, for her life to end now, for David and a parents to come back and hug her, telling her it was all okay. No one could repair her damaged heart now.
Gently, she rocked him as she cried and sung him a sweet song - it was the last thing he would have wanted.
"We'll meet again, don't know where don't know when..."
She couldn't go on, knowing how much he loved that song due to it being a song their mother regularly sung.
"Goodnight, David" Kissing him gently on the forehead, she laid him gently onto the path, then began to search the rubble for a blanket or cloth, anything she could use to cover his vunerable body. Quickly, she found a small cushion and douvet and, softly, laid the blanket onto him and the cushion beneath his head.
"Goodnight, my love"
