Giovanna Hughes Narrative Assignment The following is an excerpt of a diary entry dating back to April 20 !

" #He laid in my arms$ %o weak and vulnerable$ &t was as if he could break at any moment'and & knew he would$ As a mother( & never believed the day would come when my child would leave this world before & did$ )eaving for the next town over this morning( & never expected to be torn apart from my son in such a permanent way$ His skin was burned off( the screaming subsided but the tears were remaining constant$ #*ommy'help me+ *ake it go away+, #-on.t worry( honey( & will stay with you$ %oon you won.t be hurting anymore$ &t is all going to go away', & wish & could have healed his wounds and hugged him tight to make it all better but there was nothing & could do but give him the comfort of my presence until his last dying breath$ The day is so dark and there is much chaos as parents find their children and lovers find each other$ -ead( alive( or barely breathing$ The explosion went off at about //" 0 in the morning$ Three and a half hours after & left the village$ 0rom 0 miles away( & could still feel the deep rumble of the 1arth being crushed and destroyed by a singular bomb$ &n a mad dash to gain an understanding of what was happening and who were the survivors( every person rushed towards the source( a very foolish but necessary task( due to the radiation that could still harm after the bombing$ The pure stress and despair of the citi2ens of this new world was apparent as people discovered which of their loved ones were killed or dying$ & was one of them$

3f course my son was right where & expected him$ 3n the field near the edge of the village$ His laughter and 4oy was probably radiating as he ran playing with his peers$ & wonder how he saw the bomb$ -id he see it coming5 -id he expect fireworks5 His ingenuous outlook on the world had yet to be tainted by the evilness of the adults who believe they are always in the right$ Those 6epublicans'they targeted the very people who were the most innocent$ *y child( & raised him in a small( rural village in order that he may grow to be a man of high morals and live to become a strong role model for others$ There are very few people in our village( none of any political or economic standing$ Therefore( must they have targeted a people so insignificant5 7hat message were they trying to send other than they are savages who have no respect for human life or dignity5 & am ashamed to be even a part of the same species of these monsters$ &t is now almost midnight$ The day has ended but neither my anger nor my grief has subsided$ %o many people are still missing$ 7e are going to be forced to search tomorrow for the bodies of those unaccounted for$ After this we will be having a communal funeral$ & wonder where the strength will come from'&.m sure it will be a day filled with many tears and the cries of lost love( family( and friends$ *y son finally passed at 8"29 in the afternoon$ &.m sure he is in a better place$ *uch safer than the one in which we now reside$ &.m sure there will be an outbreak of war after this attack$ Had he survived( & do not believe his young heart would be able to handle the death that will be coming in the next few months as well as the schism that is sure to come about in this world$ Already people are taking up their own weapons and forming groups against each other( fighting( within only a few hours of the initial bombing$ & fear for the future$ & hope for my son$ & pray for my people$