It was the season of Light, we were full of hope, thinking only about the bright future ahead. After several years of fighting, our country’s enemy, the Drusus, had agreed to a temporarily truce with us so that we can celebrate our nation’s significant history, the Day of Remembrance, in which we honor the birth of our nation. Many citizens were happy about this but they were more thrilled by the rumor of a peace treaty.
Laughter filled the air as my younger brother and sisters ran ahead of my mother who was holding my baby brother, Rouben, and me. I smiled wistfully at the scene. How long has it been since the last time they were able to go outside and play? I turned to my mother to comment about it when I noticed her worried expression. I didn’t have to be a genius to figure out why.
“Worry about dad?” I inquired. She nodded as she adjusted her grip on Leo and sighed, “I wish that he’s here instead at the front lines.”
“Me too,” I agreed. “Hopefully, the rumor of a peace treaty is true so Father can come home.” An awkward silence stretched between us as we arrived at the main square of the village. Unnerved by the quietness, I offered, “Do you want me to hold Rouben for a little bit? He seems to be squirming.”
“It’s okay,” she smiled softly as she soothed the fidgety baby. “Besides you should go see your friends instead of babysitting. It has been months since they closed the school. I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do.”
She did have a point – I was really excited to see my best friends, Luciana and Alvena, and secretly hoped that I would bump into my crush, Denzil. My mother continued, “Go, have fun! Your friends are waiting for you. Just make sure to get your siblings and meet me at the fountain around 9 o’clock!” She pointed to them who were waving at my direction, and with a small nudge and a wink, she walked over to a small group of mothers who was gathering near the church.
I immediately ran to my friends and hugged them tightly. “Ilona!” Luci cried. “It has been awhile!” I laughed at her statement; sometimes she can make an obvious statement. “I miss you guys, too,” I replied. “How have you been for the past few months?”
“I’m fine,” Alvena responded, but she suddenly became somber. “Have you heard? Denzil has joined the army.” Shock entered my body and I almost lost my composure. “Wh-what!?” I almost shouted. “Since when?” Giving me a look of pity since she knew about my crush, she answered, “A month ago from what I heard. Apparently, he and his father got into a fight about it and his mother has been beside herself ever since.”
“Oh, I see,” I could only say. My friends glanced at each other before Luci finally said, “Hey cheer up! I’m sure that he’s fine. You know how stubborn he is. If we have a peace treaty like they say we would, and then he might not have to fight at all! Anyway, let’s talk about happy things! I know; my cat just gave birth to some kittens. They are really adorable!” I thought that they were right. Maybe he won’t get hurt or get a chance to fight at the front lines. It’s going to be okay, right? “You’re right,” I said happily and grabbed their hands. “Hey, let’s get our fortunes told!”
We spend the rest of the evening chatting and enjoying the festivities. In fact, everyone was having fun. The men were getting drunk and trying to top each other with their tall tales while the women gossiped with each other. Children were running around the square and trying out different games that were being offered. The thought of war was out of everyone’s minds.
Before long, darkness filled the sky. Looking up at the clock tower, I realized that it was almost time for me to go home. Hugging my friends one more time, I bid them goodbyes and went to get my siblings, who were reluctant to go home and decided to play an impromptu game of hide-and-seek. “Come on, Ezra, Saira, Jana, and Blanca,” I admonished as I chased after them. “You don’t want to make Mother upset, don’t you? In fact, I’m sure she-“
An explosion interrupted my train of thought and before I knew it, I was lying on the stoned streets. Catching my breath, I staggered back to my feet and stared in horror. A rocket had struck the church steeple and now rubble and fire filled the area. Screams and terrified cries filled the once-boisterous streets as panicked people ran with their tails between their legs. Another blast woke me up from my stupor and I suddenly remembered about my family. “Ezra? Saira? Anyone?” I shouted as I ran to where I last saw them.
“Ilona?” a soft voice answered. I followed the location of the sound and found my frightened siblings hiding behind some crates. “There you are!” I said with a sigh of relief. “Come on, we got to get out of here! Grab my hand and DON’T let go!”
Based on the direction of the rockets, I quickly surmised that I should head south. Trying to put a calm façade so not to worry my brother and sisters, I hurried to the outskirt of town while trying to avoid the falling debris. By a miracle or sheer dumb luck, we were able to escape with a few bruises and scratches. However, there was no time to rest. We need to put a distance between us and the enemy – fast.
“We need to go home,” I muttered to myself, “but we can’t use the main roads. The Drusus is probably expecting it so we probably have to walk in the forest. Hopefully, the little ones can handle it.” Deciding that was a good plan, I quietly urged them to continue walking. The sounds of explosion gradually became dimmer as we moved away from the village. I didn’t know how long we walked but before long the light we saw was the stars themselves.
Suddenly, the youngest one, Blanca, stumbled over a tree root. “I’m tired!” she whined. The others looked at me pleadingly as well. I hesitated. I could carry Blanca but there would be no way for Ezra, Jana, and Saira to keep up with me. A little rest wouldn’t hurt, right? I searched for a small clearing and motioned the kids to lie down. “Get some sleep,” I said gently. “I’ll wake you up when it’s time.” Yawning, they gathered around each other and fell asleep immediately. A sense of uneasiness still bothered me so I went and pulled some branches from the trees and camouflaged them. Satisfied, I laid next to them and kept watch.
As I sat there, dreadful thoughts filled my mind. Is my mother and baby brother okay? How’s about Luci and Alvena? Are they even still alive? “I can’t sleep,” Erza, who was nine years old, spoke. Startled, I jumped and took a deep breath. “You scared me,” I admitted. “Are you thinking about Mom and Rou? I’m sure they’re fine and we’ll meet up with them again.”
His face abruptly darkened. “I don’t think they won’t be coming,” he said as tears welled up in his eyes. “While we were running out of the village, I thought I saw their bodies near the church and they were not…” I didn’t need him to finish what he was trying to say. “Oh, Ezra,” I consoled as I squeezed him tightly. Hopefully, it wasn’t true but if it was… “Don’t tell the girls about it yet,” I advised him. “We don’t want them to be troubled by the news. Try to go to sleep; you need your energy for the journey tomorrow.” Rocking him until I heard his shallow breaths, I tried not to think about my mother and baby brother’s deaths and remembered all of the happy memories.
Before long, I felt the sun beaming on my face. I slowly blinked my eyes and realized that I accidentally had fallen asleep. Cursing myself for being careless, I woke the others up. “Stay here and don’t move a muscle,” I whispered. “I’m going to look for something to eat. We’re going to eat quickly and then we keep traveling home. Got it?” They nodded and I went to look for food. Luckily I was able to find some wild berries and put them into my dress pockets. Hurrying back to the children, I gave them the foods, which were quickly gone. As soon as the last berry was gone, I held their hands and told them, “Let’s go.”
We only walked a mile or so when I heard a stick snapped behind us. I glanced worriedly behind me but I saw nothing. Must be my imagination, I thought as I marched forward. As we continued our journey home, I had a bad feeling that we were being followed. Don’t be ridiculous, I scolded myself. There is no way the Drususians could have catch to us so fast. They would be too busy searching through the village for survivors.
However, my pensive wishing proved to be wrong. At the corner of my eyes, I noticed two men were following us. They were wearing uniforms – Drususians uniforms. I discreetly brought my siblings closer to me and whispered, “Listen carefully: on the count of three, I want you guys to run.” I must have looked terrified because they didn’t question me at all but just nodded. Taking a deep breath, I whispered, “Ready? One… two… THREE!”
They didn’t have a chance to take a first step when a bullet was fired at our feet. A small group of soldiers appeared out between the trees and surrounded us. Despair fell on us, we had no place to turn. They pointed their guns at us and motioned us to raise our hands in the air before seizing us roughly by the arms. As we were being dragged away, the only thought that filled my mind was that I failed.
