Weapons Of True Destruction-Children

The Trucks

When I and my father was going back to the village after a long day of fishing we saw them. The truck. They was speeding fast towards the village. They was flying the RUF flag. My father quickly threw me under a broken truck. He told me "Don't you move or make a sound boy or they kill you, Me is going to go get mother and sister. Stay here boy."

He then quickly ran into the village. I sat there for two hours waiting for him to return, he never did. After the two hours a boy with a AK saw me out of the corner of his eye. He came over to the truck to confirm what he thought he saw. When it was confirmed he quickly shouted "Lieutenant Lieutenant, come quickly there done be a boy under here!!"

When the officer came and saw me he told me to get out from under there. Then he inquired " What is your name boy?"

I responded with what was true " My father never gave me a name, he said I was a warrior and my war name will be my true name."

He gently responded with a "That is right my boy. Come with me."

We walked into my village. I then saw the pile of limbs. They piled four feet high.  Lifeless right arms from the elbow down. Near that pile was the true horror. All the women and children  of the village in a stack. In there was my mother and sister.  All the adult men were lined up in front of a table with a vicious warlord sitting there with a machete. At the front of the line was my father. The warlord grabbed him and threw him on his knees with his right arm on the table.

The warlord then barked "As the government says the government is in you hand. To rid you of the burden of the unfair government I will take your hand."

Then time slowed. I could see every detail of the machete falling into my father's arm. The cold slice. The crunch of the bone. The scream of pain. The arm being thrown to the pile carelessly.

Then it all sped up. I was forced to see the crippling of scores of men in what felt like a minute. The burning of corpses and limbs after the dogs got to them. I saw my father's tattooed arm being carried away by my neighbor's german shepherd. It all felt like a very sped up picture show. Even the horrifying event of all the armless men having their gaping bone holes sewed up by the captured medics and shamans.

After all the horrible deeds were done I was put in a truck with the other boys. Before we left the friendly Lieutenant put a blindfold on me saying "I am sorry warrior  boy but we can not let you know where our camp is because if you are found by the government you can crack. We will let you know the location when you can be trusted and hardened."

I then sped of to my new home.