Long ago that nobody believes in miracles here. Long that the bodies start piling up in the driveway and no one dares to open the windows, hiding under the ignorance of what really happens to their neighbors.
A mass of uniform with their rifles pointed to who pretends to snoop through the windows cracks. Along the streets, blankly, showing a brave that disappears every night in the arms of their disappointed mothers.
A woman kisses her pendant while praying, in silence, for seeing back the days in which the laughter bounced off the gray walls.
—I’m hungry...
—Hush my son, and stop peeking.
Pushing the tiny head under the rough blanket, drowns out the broken crying that comes from his throat, hiding the shaking of her hands, while press her child’s ones with such force as she can, when in fact, aware of the latest news, she feels the fear as well as with watery eyes looks up under a thick mantle wrinkle. Despite knowing that it is impossible to take a lot of time in this rotten cloth that covers them. Swallowing a bunch of rejection, evidence of a smile bathed in dry tears, insisting to put him back to take a look again through the crack in the door.
«When will she return?», the nervousness of the wait begins to despairs her, she does not know how much time she could endure hidden there. Every noise from outside makes her stick a jump and run on both the darkest corner.
Breaking out quickly under the stairwell, with the child on their backs, waiting in silence.
—If you keep quiet , I'll buy you an ounce of chocolate — promises awaken the boy's naive joy.
Quieting that maybe she will never get to fulfill it.
The boy closed his mouth with such force that drew her lips a thin and tight line, the idea of melted the sweet taste on his tongue makes that the seconds run faster. Sure that his sister would died of envy when she heard it.
—When will Anna return?— he asks thinking about all the time that his sister had left to do a few errands.
But his question was never answered. His mother looked, without seeing, at the back of the room, speechless, controlling the tears that she does not want to reveal, yet.
The little boy soon returns to his thoughts, to the sugary tones of the chocolate, enjoying the pleasure of not knowing.
A shiny rifle shows coming into the room, unannounced. Mother and son are thrown against the wall, taking shelter in the gloom they naively believe will offer them a false safety.
The man from the frame waits for any sign of response. Goes deep into the room, slowly, listening to the calm, wise. Turning the heels it is produced a sharp sound from the greasy leather boots rubbing each other. Mother and son hold their breath, having tested for many times, the child comply faithfully with what her mother had asked. But she knows that the clumsiness of the boy has not really been as expected.
The gray shadow approaches firmly and decided, with the barrel opening the way to the mass that frightened huddled shivering on the floor.
The child tries to look up and see the impassive demeanor of who pointing in their direction, but his mother pushes his cheek hard against her chest, stretching the ingenuity of her child to what se knows will happen.
The man smiles with icy coldness, supporting strongly the gun against the left shoulder pronounces a word in another language.
A strangled shout on the outside stops the man just when his finger touches the edge of the trigger. The Anna’s dark and wavy hair blows with the wind, which makes closes the door behind her, locking her up without giving an opportunity to turn back. Their minds are filled with the smell of gunpowder.
After the crash, the child's eyes are still closed, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. When he opens them observes his mother's body lying on the floor between the man and his sister, who is still standing, has collapsed to such a scene.
The yellow star of the bloody jacket stained crimson, forming a groove in the ground. Runs to her side to embrace her, still warm, he can almost feel the last heartbeat, until say goodbye forever.