‘It’s
unclear when exactly the dam was first damaged, but satellite images
suggest that an explosion was the cause, possibly triggered by its
own military in order to prevent the enemy from taking the City.’
2023. British Broadcasting Corporation, and Reuters.
The
war was in its third year. Nobody had expected it would last that
long. The culprit issue seemed to be about troublesome minor border
boundaries between the countries; an issue that had been around,
on-and-off for generations.
The
two retirees were from the same factory after thirty years of full
time employment. They now lived happily in different towns. They
met
regularly on Thursdays at one of their homes, alternately, to have
dinner, watch television, and enjoy meaningless leisure pastimes.
The
war had broken out on Sunday.
All
electronic communications had stopped. The retirees had not heard
from each other.
The
war had worsened. The one town was bombed; obliterated. The
Government declared the other town indefensible, and was evacuating
everyone.
The
one retiree waited; not knowing. They would wait until the last
minute to embark on the last military evacuation vehicle. Unexpected
and joyfully, the other retiree from the obliterated town arrived on
Thursday, bedraggled, having walked all the way. The two boarded the
last military evacuation vehicle.
The
vehicle was crowded. Of course, everyone was traumatized. Nobody
spoke. Eventually the vehicle reached the safe venue. Everyone
alighted. The two kept together. The vehicles left to transport other
refugees.
The
people were advised to continue ahead on foot along the road. The
vehicles would catch up when they returned with more refugees. The
people were advised to walk at a casual pace because the road would
soon pass uphill along the foot of a hill for the next few miles
before reaching a bridge over a major river.
A
pedestrian woman had one of her legs of prosthetic metal. She had
difficulty carrying her heavy duffle bag. So heavy, in fact, that she
had to rest every ten steps, or so. She did not ask for help. The
retirees gave no thought to why the woman with the duffel bag seemed
to make all effort to be near them. Perhaps it was because they were
the only persons that had no bags. They had left in such confusion
and despair, they did not think to pack anything for their enforced
travels.
That
safe venue ahead beyond the bridge, was safe for only two sunrises.
Along the pedestrian road enemy bombers were visible at the horizon,
wreaking fiery devastation. They were too far away to be heard; and
so they looked like predatory insects.
The
retirees became troubled by righteous concerns. Should they offer to
help the woman who had the prosthetic metal leg? Should they, at the
least, pause with her every ten steps, or so? Were they obligated to
speak to her? Their whispered discussion continued, on and off, for
some distance along the uphill road.
The
close presence of many other pedestrian refugees along the road, made
pausing to engage in a continuous discussion inconvenient between
them.
On
the other hand, they were comforted by that presence for making it
practical for them to keep a comfortable distance between them and
the woman with the heavy duffel and prosthetic limb.
Everybody
was irked by none of their cell phones receiving or sending. The
explanations provided by the military vehicle drivers before they
drove off, was that the war bombings were rendering electronic
airwaves erratic.
Many
of the pedestrians cheered spontaneously when friendly military
helicopters roared passed, heading along the uphill road toward the
bridge. The sudden cause for joy caused some pedestrians to sit on
the ground to rest and enjoy clapping and laughing. The retirees,
somewhat recklessly, joined in the celebration, and were not put out
finding they were sitting on the ground in the company of the woman
with the prosthetic leg.
Nonetheless,
they were not comfortable with her smiling to them, but in polite
courtesy, they smiled in return. They hoped that would be the full
extent of the obligatory formal pleasantries between them and the
woman. It was not.
She
interpreted their polite smiles as indications she could approach
nearer. She approached. The irritation that was building in them came
to a sudden halt when she whispered to them, conspiratorially, “We
are in danger.” The retirees, although puzzled, paid attention.
She
gestured them to accompany her a little way removed from earshot of
other pedestrians sitting about on the ground and chatting.
When
the three of them were far away enough for sufficient aural privacy,
she held out her cell phone for them to see its signals.
Nearly
in unison, the retirees exclaimed, “Your phone’s
working?” She nodded, and pointed to her metal leg, and
continued whispering, “I think it’s because most of the
metal in my leg is structurally embedded with electronics. But more
important is that my phone has been picking up radio communications
among military personnel in those helicopters that roared above us.”
She struggled along the ground to be nearer to them. They inched
closer to her.
She
continued, “There is a dam about ten miles ahead. The enemy is
making straight for that dam. Our helicopters are going to blow up
the dam before the enemy gets there. All of us on this road will
perish.”
“There
are military vehicles returning to transport us back.”
“I’ve
overheard that being discussed. The people in charge think it’s
too late. The vehicles cannot get here before the dam has to be
destroyed.”
“They
have abandoned us?” “That’s what it looks like.”
One
of the retirees insisted, “We have to tell the others. Let’s
all turn back and run.” “Yes, and curse the military
while we run!”
The
woman’s response was, “Let’s tell the others; but I
think we should get off this road, and climb up this hill, and go
wherever it takes us. That dam water will not be gushing uphill.”
The
one retiree called out to the other pedestrians, “Everyone,
let’s go climbing!” The other retiree said to the woman,
“Here, let me help you with that duffel.”
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