By: Riya Talwar, Grade 9

Money, cars, cell phones, iPods, televisions. I step outside and hear the cars honking and people swearing. I see the fierce competition of businesses, vying for sales. I walk to school and listen to the spare change clinking in my pocket. When I get to school and put everything in my locker, I notice that my mom has packed me a tuna sandwich with fresh slices of cheese and lettuce. Ugh, I hate tuna, I think as I walk over to the garbage can and throw it away. When the bell rings, I head off to class. The teacher distributes worksheets. A small paper cut is a cause for terror. Holding my wound, I get a band-aid from the first aid box. The day moves on and when the bell rings for dismissal, I take out my cell phone and turn up the jams. The screen lights up – I have just received a text message from an anonymous sender. It reads: I dream of what it’s like halfway around the world…

Poverty, Blisters, Lack Of Education, No Food, Contaminated Water. The sun is beating down on my face, sweat trickling down my cheeks. I woke up this morning with the intent of going down to the river to get water for my family. Today is my birthday; I’m six years old. I’ve been hungry all day, but right now, my family needs me. My bare feet are covered in blisters filled with dirt and pus. As I walk across the rocks and sand, I hold back the tears of pain, knowing my family is waiting for me back at home. They’re all that I have and all that I live for. My dream is to go to school with my friends, but we can’t afford it. I reach down with my water container and fill it to the brim with 20 litres.

As I carry it on my back, I am stunned by the heavy weight. The container filled, weighs almost as much as me. I carry the water container with a pole between my shoulder blades; it presses into my skin. Home is a wavy blur in the distance as the heat waves lift off of the stones and sand. Suddenly, I feel weightless; I’ve been knocked over. The military is here. Rising to my feet, my arm is bleeding fast. I’m dizzy and all I hear is silence. Instinct takes over, and I run over to the pile of rubble that was once my home. My eyes are full of tears. Burnt bodies lie on the ground; I recognize them as my mom, my dad, and my uncle.

They have been killed in the attack. Next to my dad is my sister, who is crying and telling him to wake up. “I want to hear my favourite story,” she cries. I am choked. This can’t be happening, I think. Feeling the ground move beneath my feet, I take my sister, and we run. For three days, we run far away from the place we once called home. We come to another village where my aunt lives. After I tell her what has happened, she sobs for days. The following days feel longer than ever.

To keep from thinking too hard, I visit my friend. Sometimes we play tag. He has water that he shares with me. My sister falls sick; she wasn’t getting enough to eat. She was weak and only four years old. She might not make it, my aunt has said. Eventually, it got so bad that she began coughing blood. She died on a Monday morning. In such a short time, I have lost everyone I love. I miss my mom’s hugs, my dad’s stories, my uncle’s humour, and my sister’s laugh. I want to die. I can’t handle this anymore.

When I close my eyes and go to bed, I hope for a better day.

“YOU OVER THERE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!”

“ C’MON, GIRL, SHOOT, SHOOT!”

The soldier looks at me and signals for another guard to fetch me. I tell my aunt I love her and after humming a short prayer, I run. The large guard catches me easily and takes me to the truck. I can hear my aunt screaming, “No, please, don’t take him!” But they don’t care; the heartless fiends shove me into the truck. We drive for hours, maybe days; I can’t breathe in the back of the truck. I can feel my lungs filling with dirt. Just when I thought I was taking my final breath, a soldier grabs and he pulls me out.

I am greeted by a man with strange yellow hair. Behind him is a plane – I’ve only seen pictures of planes before – he tells me to get in. I can’t read the words on the side of the plane and don’t know where we’re going. I get in anyways. I say my final prayers, and I cry with every step towards the plane. I am sent to the back. As the plane idles on the runway, I close my eyes and wonder where I’ll be tomorrow.

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, I hear my alarm clock and I reach over to hit the snooze button. I can’t believe the dream I’ve just had. But I have the feeling that somewhere, halfway around the world, my strange dream is a reality for someone…