We won't die!
I promise...
You cover your child’s face as you submerge yourself underneath the icy depths. You pray that your baby will survive.
You wait for close to a minute before swimming up to catch your breath — just enough time to confuse the soldiers. You see their silhouettes marching in the direction of the nearby forest. Quickly, you swim to the other side of the river, trying your hardest to keep your baby from the ice cold water.
On the other side of the riverbank, you check on your child. He has not made a sound since being held underneath the water. You take your jacket and dry him off, rewrapping him in dry scrapes of cloth. You begin to rub him, creating friction.
Time passes by — too much time.
You begin to despair, looking into your child’s face — a mixture of your partner’s nose, chin, and ears. All of a sudden, his eyes open, revealing you — your eyes. They sparkle a miraculous blue. Relief rushes over you.
You think to before this horrifying night — the happiness present in the village, the joy of starting a new chapter with him and our child. He was taken from you — to become a soldier and protect the land from imminent war. Where was he now
?
Was he dead?
The thought of it kills you inside.The night turns to daylight as you make your way north — towards safety. The mass-slaughter claimed countless lives, but there is still hope.