The sound of bullets
goes off."
There they were, laying lifeless in a pool
of blood, leaving us alone in this condescending world. I… I can't believe it. My
parents…are…gone?
Today is June 12,the night of our 7th birthday. Our hearts filled with joy. My mother singing with her angel-like voice, and my father stuffing our faces with ice
cream cake. Who could have imagined that this special day would be the last of
her lullabies.
All it took was the blink of an eye, when we
found ourselves rushing towards the basement, searching for a spot where our shadows
would not be seen. My mother, running alongside us, hid us in a dark corner
next to a broken window; The light coming in through the small crack created
the illusion of our absence. She carefully covered us with her beautiful blue cardigan,
shielding us from the freezing wind that was numbing our bodies.
"Mis bebes", her
voice trembled
"No importa lo que pase, por nada del mundo
salgan de aquí" (no matter what happens, do not leave this room),
She kissed our foreheads and made her way
back upstairs, before shutting the door behind her, she turned her head and for
the last time mi madre smiled beautifully.
Seconds later…
The sound of loud footsteps began surrounding the house, Sac and I held each other tightly as the screams of my mother could
be heard across the five oceans. I tried letting out a sound when my words were
cut short by the sound of bullets circling our home. We covered each other's
ears, feeling completely useless.
After what felt like a lifetime, the house became
utterly quiet, even a dropped feather can be heard across these four walls. Curiosity
finally got the best of me. I quietly stood up and before I could give my first
step, Isaac grabbed my hand "Vete con cuidado", (be careful) he said
worriedly, without an attempt to stop me. I gave him a smile of reassurance and
made my way upstairs.
My feet were trembling with fear; a seven-year-old having to confirm if her
parents are dead felt like a waking nightmare. Fear? Is this what it is? I
asked myself; What was this heart-wrenching feeling that shut my throat closed.
As I approached the living room, I heard the sound of clicking between teeth as
if it was calling out for me. I noticed a shadow staring at me through the walls;
Shaking in fear I suddenly froze, my feet felt wet, as if I had stepped in a
puddle, but for some reason something forbade me from looking down
There it was again, the sound of clicking between teeth, only this time it felt closer, as if they were exactly to my right? I gasped, there he was, standing just outside my door,
a tall man dressed in black almost like a uniform. And he was? He was smiling…
why? Why was he smiling? The night sky was covering the upper part of his face.
"Donde estan?" (Where
are they), I asked with tears running down my face, keeping himself quiet;
he then lit up a cigarette, stinking up the house. With an unknown purpose he
threw his lighter in my direction. I looked down and… once again, there they were,
the lifeless bodies of my parents, laying in a pool of blood, my mother holding
our picture. My father held her hand, and with a broken heart, I said goodbye. The tall man faded away into the darkness, taking away my most precious items. An unforeseen tragedy that left us angry at
the world.