Grave of the Fireflies

"Hi, if you perchance stumble through a morsel of food, could you be as kind to send it my way?

You don't have to send me a hot piping meal, anything will suffice. They took mami and abu away yesterday, and I haven't seen them since. Tears blinded mami's eyes while she whispered her goodbyes, while abu promised me he would be back with lots of presents. I waved them goodbye, with a grin on my face, but something felt off. The ominous hum of the planes in the background almost made me forget that my stomach craved for a piece of stale bread.

As-salamu alaykum, my name is Salma. My favorite subject is maths, and I love adding up numbers, especially when abu is there to hand me a candy everytime I get one right. I hope to become a doctor when I grow up, and wake up all those people in a trance-like slumber, who do not when I try to nudge them on their back. Their eyes seem a pale shade of grey; mami tells me they are in the warm embrace of Allah. Any more questions I ask will always warrant a playful slap on the back from mami, and a hearty laugh from abu. The last meal I had was a can of samak; fish, as abu told me. They smelled putrid, a smell that wafted by when I passed by those sleepy people on the road. I could not complain though , as mami tells me to eat the good and lawful things that Allah has so lovingly provided for me. That was three days ago, and I could not find any scrap of food since, much to my stomach's dismay. I wet my lips by looking up to the heavens when it thunders, and I thank the merciful for bestowing rain down upon me and humanity, as I would not be here writing this to you if not for the pitter-patters of the raindrops that provide is a distant source of relief from all the rubble that I see surrounding the road.

As I write this , I see shiny objects illuminate the sky; mami told me to stay away from them though. One hit our vicinity recently, and the cries of people wailing and rushing to look for their loved ones, while being drenched in blood themselves was a sight I could not be prepared for. Abu covered my eyes with my hands, while mami rushed to aid them in whatever they were searching for. They're majestic to watch from a distance, but my small heart can't handle the fear that fills me up whenever I see one of them nearing towards me.

I live in the areas where the buildings which once towered the skyline now form a part of the shelter that I use to shield myself whenever I hear sirens wailing . I count the cracks engrained in the wall as part of my addition homework, and I can only imagine the proud smirk on abu's face when I tell him I can count to a thousand.

I cry myself to sleep when I feel hungry, I dream of mami whipping up a delicious meal of Knafeh, my absolute favorite meal in the whole world, which always did the trick, except for today, when my stomach was at odds with my brain, clashing over who gets the last nod. My small hands can't seem to get hold of the rats which dart around the streets, even one of them will fill me up for days. If this paper reaches your hands, pray for me, as I will pray for you and all of humanity together. May I get to see the stars one day, instead of those shiny objects which cause me so much pain. I miss my abu and mami a lot; if I go into an eternal slumber like the people I pass by the roads, may it be in the warm embrace of those two while they lull me to sleep.

I will not ask for much, all I ask is for you to have mercy upon me and give me what you think is right.

O kind stranger, would you please be as kind to bestow upon me any food, lest my stomach gives up before I get to see my abu and mami again. "

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"Today's day was off to a great start; I stumbled upon two cans of tomatoes, expired for years, but who am I to complain. The aid supplies seemed to have dwindled over time, so we have to make do with whatever fills up our stomach. With the cans on one hand, and hope and belief in the other, I trudged along the seemingly endless dystopia of rubble and corpses, which littered the once-charming streets .

My eyes scanned around the region for any source of food, and it locked upon a small child, no older than the age of nine, who seemed to have a piece of paper tucked under her delicate arms. The heart can't comprehend the fact humanity is so ruthless they would not even leave a child behind.

Tears welled up my eyes as I went towards her. It was clear little Salma had left us.

I read the letter, every bit of it, upto the last word.

Dear Salma, when you look down upon me from the heavens, I hope you smile when you see those tomato cans I left beside you. I hope you're there devouring delicious Knafehs , and I hope dad kisses you on the cheek while you recite to him till one thousand .

I'm sorry I was so late, I wish I could've fed you the tomatoes with my own bloodied and dusty hands."