When it stops raining....!

Time stopped, everything seized, and all hell broke loose. I opened my eyes to find only dust around me. It was blocking my lungs, I coughed really hard to get some air, I tried to breathe but it was difficult. I felt around me to get some support but it felt like I was surrounded by rocks. It was strange for when I slept I was in my comfortable bed and mother had tucked me in and had lulled me to sleep. But now, why were there rocks all around me, why so much dust, what happened?

I tried to move but a loud cry escaped my mouth…my foot, it was trapped under something heavy and when I tried to move it hurt so terribly. Unable to hold back tears I shouted for my mother. She didn’t reply. She didn’t come running in the room to hug me. And this dust, it wasn’t going away.

My little mind was troubled, it was looking for answers but there were none and mother, where was she? Where?

Lying there still, afraid to move for the pain was unbearable and crying for there seemed nothing else to do. The coughing had stopped but breathing was still hard.

Numb and scared, I, an eight year old was unaware of the traumas that had begun early in the morning. The earth quake which had brought down not only my house but the whole village had started a phase of life which I did not understand.

Shouting again and again for my mother to answer my cries I felt my strength receding. Who could have answered me for dead corpses did not speak but I was unaware of that.

Exhausted and weak I cried myself to sleep but was awakened after a short while by dampness around me. Too exhausted even to open my eyes I smelled the wet earth and inhaled deeply the fresh air that was coming from somewhere. It felt good for a while for the water was soothing. I opened my mouth to quench my thirst.

Outside someone shouted that he could see a child under the huge rocks. They called out my name but the rain was so loud that I couldn’t hear their voices clearly. Someone tried to move the rocks but the rain prolonged their work caused much problems. They decided to wait till the rain stops to start digging again. But God had other plans for me.

The rain mellowed and finally stopped, I felt weak yet strangely calm. I could hear people digging and moving rocks. They dug the whole day and finally at dusk they managed to create enough space to reach in and pull me out. A man reached in and touched me face. I opened my eyes and looked at him. There was fear in those eyes and stress marks on his face. He called my name again and told me that everything is ok and I will be alright now. He asked me to give him my hand so he could pull me up but I didn’t reply. I kept looking at him and then suddenly he started fading away.

I looked up and saw a bright light; I heard my mother’s voice. She told me to come to her for it was raining and it was beautiful outside. I reached for her outstretched hand and held it. Finally she had heard my cry and had come to relieve me of my unending pain. I closed my eyes once again, I told her that I am tired and want to sleep for a while. I told her I will come outside…When it stops raining.

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By no means to be judged critically...its a fiction but based on incidents of October 8, 2005...i am too lazy to proof read and correct grammar and punctuation so pardon me :)