Cool crisp air awakened my sleepy body; a steady stream of sunlight peeking from the window gently warmed my face. Stepping out into the neighbourhood the smell of fresh falafel engulfed the city. Due to previous, shelling the beige bricked homes are only a shadow of their former selves; the same could be said about the citizens, too. Confused children and dazed adults walked the streets lost in thought. But suddenly we heard an ear popping noise from above.
A bomb fell from the sky, we scattered towards safety taking cover under unstable rickety buildings. BANG! The first bomb sliced through the road, releasing dark brown earth from deep underground. BOOM! The second bomb sent our bodies flying in the air, as if weightless we floated for a few seconds before coming to a bone crushing fall. The overwhelming scent of chemicals and dust chocked the air out of my lungs. Our eyes filled with tears and a stinging sensation overtook our bodies. In a drunken state we re-emerged onto the street. A silence lingered before the bone chilling shrieks of a mother desperately searching for her children awakened us. As the dust began to sit we frantically ran toward the hospital.
Men with blown off limbs dragged themselves, with every pull a deep throated howl was shot into the air. “I’m going to die” they said. Children watched in astonishment of the events that took place but when they slowly glanced toward their bodies they realized the effect had also reached them. Their skin was peeled back from their arms and dangled down to their knees. “We are only dreaming” they announced, temporarily convincing themselves that such a gruesome event could not take place. Patches of white phosphorus covered us and caused our skin to slowly burn like hot lemon juice on a fresh wound. A young man laid dead on the ground, but his clear green eyes remained open. He looked to the sky as if he could see something the rest of us couldn’t. His left side remained untouched by the effects of the bomb, clean skin and a perfectly groomed beard emphazing his youth. And in utter destruction, the right side of his face laid in chunks on the sizzling tarmac. An ocean of blood drowned the body of a child; he too looked to the sky with intrigue. The remaining few of us pushed towards the hospital; there was nothing that could be done to help our dead.
Days pass and an interesting buzz is in the air; what seemed to be a heart shedding misfortune has taken a change for the better. The sweet smell of revolution is in the atmosphere and we are all breathing it in. The country takes to the streets once again, the ground shakes with every step, and the allies echo as we chant. This time we stand stronger than before, this time we are ready to fight, this time freedom is going to be delivered, like a new found cure for a disease; much needed and long awaited for.
