After days of gloom, the sun arose. The tremors from the night before left a trail of destruction, until as far as you could see. The entire village had come down like a pack of cards. None was spared.
Picking up her delicate frame, the little girl walked out of the rubble. Strewn around were damaged walls and doors, broken windows and shards of glass—where once stood their home.
‘Where’s amma and the baby?’—she wondered, haplessly.
Tears trickling down her face, she looked up—‘Is that a voice calling out my name?’
A desperate prayer escaped her lips, as she turned, looking for signs of life.
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I’m writing for a word prompt at www.sammiscribles.com that aims to get your creativity flowing this weekend. How you use the prompt is up to you. You write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. There are no prizes and it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise.
I’m hoping her mother was calling to her and they were re-united.
Oh yes, I hope so too!
Oh this is tragic. It somehow reminded me of the many heartbreaking images of kids in Syria. You painted a very realistic image.
It is a sad picture, Raj and one that must have come from seeing one of the kids in the war-torn conflicts in the past! Thanks for the boost, Raj.
This breaks my heart and yet it is filled with a faint thread of hope. Very well written, Esha.
Thank you so much, Soumya! Need the boost from you all to reinstate faith in myself since I feel all rusty with fiction nowadays!
You made this tragedy personal through that little girl. I found myself hoping that it was her mom calling out to her.
Thank you so much, Tulika! You guessed right—it was, indeed, her mom calling out! 🙂
I felt I was right there with the little girl, feeling her despair. Very well done.
Thank you, Alana. So glad to know you felt connected to the story. It is an everyday reality in the country where we live in, only that it is so commonplace that sometimes we often undermine the suffering and the pain that such people go through.
It’s sights like these that when you see in papers and the tv that you wonder, but for a moment, how the lives of those affected must be, before you move over to something else. Never once do we pause to think or empathise with those who have lost it all, be it to war or natural disasters.
You brought out the desperation and the sadness so vividly, Esha. Would love it if you develop this further
I know, we read it en passe but for them it’s a 360 degree reversal of their lives, however commonplace and mundane that may be. Thanks for the suggestion, Shilpa. Will take your idea on board, for a longish story someday. Thanks for the blog love, my friend! <3
❤