Warning -- this may be a little hard for some to read. No language issues or particularly gory images, but very emotional.
Still haven't seen any comments, but made some more changes. I'd appreciate any feedback.
"Come on Tom, we've gotta go!" Elena screamed at her son.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, I've gotta grab Gulliver." Tom had a frightened look
on his twelve-year-old face as he frantically tried to get the scared dog out
from under the light brown couch. He'd hidden there, thinking they were doing
something bad, like giving him a bath or going to the vet.
Tom stared into the shaggy white hair and frightened charcoal colored eyes.
"Come on, Gulliver, it's okay. I'll give you a treat when you come." At the
word treat, Gulliver's ears stood up straight, like he was suddenly hearing
something exciting, but he still didn't come out. "There's no time," Elena
screamed. "Sixty seconds, Tom! And fifteen gone already. Let's go now! Leave
him!"
Tom looked around frantically, trying to find something to coax his dog out
from hiding. Desperate, he pulled the couch away from the wall and grabbed
Gulliver as they ran to the other side of the house. Elena was panting, her
bleached blond hair hanging in a mess all around her, holding Tom close as he
held Gulliver.
No more than five seconds later, Daniel, Tom's father and Elena's husband
raced past the two of them with Alexandra, their eight-year-old daughter in
tow. "Alex for short" she liked to tell people. Her dark hair and pig tails
contrasted sharply with her mother's looks. Daniel shut the door behind them
and huddled together with his wife and children.
Alex was always the brave one, or maybe she's just naive,
Elena thought. Being just eight years old, the world still seemed such an
amazing place to her that she didn't mind the excitement (and truth be told,
this was normal life for her -- in her eight years, she'd known nothing else).
She took in the scene calmly as she sat down to play with Gulliver while the
family waited.
Presently, they heard the boom and felt the house shake around them. Elena
cautiously opened the door of the safe room and looked outside. Coughing on
the smoke and feeling the rancid smell of explosives in her nose, she walked
out to where the family had been sitting, seconds before. There, where
Gulliver had hidden under the couch, where Tom had coaxed the reluctant dog
out from his hiding place, where she herself had sat with them, watching TV,
trying to have a normal life, a Qassam rocket had exploded.
Tom and Alex looked on and began crying. Elena, initially too shocked to
think, huddled with her children, waiting for the sirens signaling rescue
workers were on their way.
Just another day, here in Sderot, Elena thought, shaking
her head as she surveyed the damage. When will it finally
end?
Authors note: This story is dedicated to all the victims of the terrible
tragedy of the Israel/Hamas war, both Israeli and Palestinian. May we all know
peace. The reader should note that this story uses creative license. In
reality, residents of Sderot, Israel have just fifteen seconds to reach a bomb
shelter, not sixty.
Notes: I made some changes to make the story flow better. I wanted to put this out there for people's thoughts because it is very personal to me. I recently moved to Israel have students in my class now who have evacuated their homes and are staying with friends or family in the center of the country, trying to escape the rockets (6500 and counting for the past eight years).
Still haven't seen any comments, but made some more changes. I'd appreciate any feedback.
Sixty Seconds
E.M. Hammer
E.M. Hammer
"Come on Tom, we've gotta go!" Elena screamed at her son.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, I've gotta grab Gulliver." Tom had a frightened look
on his twelve-year-old face as he frantically tried to get the scared dog out
from under the light brown couch. He'd hidden there, thinking they were doing
something bad, like giving him a bath or going to the vet.
Tom stared into the shaggy white hair and frightened charcoal colored eyes.
"Come on, Gulliver, it's okay. I'll give you a treat when you come." At the
word treat, Gulliver's ears stood up straight, like he was suddenly hearing
something exciting, but he still didn't come out. "There's no time," Elena
screamed. "Sixty seconds, Tom! And fifteen gone already. Let's go now! Leave
him!"
Tom looked around frantically, trying to find something to coax his dog out
from hiding. Desperate, he pulled the couch away from the wall and grabbed
Gulliver as they ran to the other side of the house. Elena was panting, her
bleached blond hair hanging in a mess all around her, holding Tom close as he
held Gulliver.
No more than five seconds later, Daniel, Tom's father and Elena's husband
raced past the two of them with Alexandra, their eight-year-old daughter in
tow. "Alex for short" she liked to tell people. Her dark hair and pig tails
contrasted sharply with her mother's looks. Daniel shut the door behind them
and huddled together with his wife and children.
Alex was always the brave one, or maybe she's just naive,
Elena thought. Being just eight years old, the world still seemed such an
amazing place to her that she didn't mind the excitement (and truth be told,
this was normal life for her -- in her eight years, she'd known nothing else).
She took in the scene calmly as she sat down to play with Gulliver while the
family waited.
Presently, they heard the boom and felt the house shake around them. Elena
cautiously opened the door of the safe room and looked outside. Coughing on
the smoke and feeling the rancid smell of explosives in her nose, she walked
out to where the family had been sitting, seconds before. There, where
Gulliver had hidden under the couch, where Tom had coaxed the reluctant dog
out from his hiding place, where she herself had sat with them, watching TV,
trying to have a normal life, a Qassam rocket had exploded.
Tom and Alex looked on and began crying. Elena, initially too shocked to
think, huddled with her children, waiting for the sirens signaling rescue
workers were on their way.
Just another day, here in Sderot, Elena thought, shaking
her head as she surveyed the damage. When will it finally
end?
Authors note: This story is dedicated to all the victims of the terrible
tragedy of the Israel/Hamas war, both Israeli and Palestinian. May we all know
peace. The reader should note that this story uses creative license. In
reality, residents of Sderot, Israel have just fifteen seconds to reach a bomb
shelter, not sixty.
Notes: I made some changes to make the story flow better. I wanted to put this out there for people's thoughts because it is very personal to me. I recently moved to Israel have students in my class now who have evacuated their homes and are staying with friends or family in the center of the country, trying to escape the rockets (6500 and counting for the past eight years).
Last edited:
