“More Splendid than Silver, rarer than Rubies and Greater than Gold"!

I woke up to the sound of gunshots and screams of innocent individuals. A black smoke cloud hovering above my village as female citizens catch pieces of paper that were flying across the sky, while the sound of kids crying also floats through the air.

As I'm gazing ahead, my father gripped onto an Iron box with a dusty, old book that was ripped with pages torn. He said the book was more splendid than rubies & greater than gold. It was about our people and how they lived. As we leave the village, I stop & look for my friends as if they are behind me. I decide to look back but can barely see anything through the smoke hovering below the clouds. I haven’t seen my mum since the bombings. I suddenly felt dejected, burst into tears worrying about her. Knowing my mother, she  is strong and independent, I know for sure that she is safe wherever she is. 

Leaving the village felt different because it was my home town,  where I was brought up. As we headed towards the forest to find a place to stay, we decided to sleep on the side of the road for one night. We were all exhausted from the long walk. We were laying on hard rocks and I felt cold and tired. My back was aching, all the rocks were sticking to me and pressing to my spine.

We found an old, cold mouldy shed to stay in.  my father wasn’t feeling well. It was dusty, filled with cobwebs &  a weird smell. We had no choice but to stay in for the night. I held my father’s hands with fear & tears running down my face. I could feel the weakness in his body, his voice changing  and the face of my father becoming cold. I had a feeling in my gut that a day like this will come where my father will leave me.

Its my father burial day. My father was wrapped up in an old white cloth that was found  from the shed. The villagers lowered my father down to his grave, I was depressed and had no words to explain how much my father meant to me. He was the only person who was beside me  at all times when my mother wasn’t here when I needed her the most. I’m speechless and miserable that I can’t see my father’s face again, hold his hands, and laugh with him. He is resting in a better place now.  I know that my father is watching over me every step of the way.

I had to continue on with my life. The treasure box is all I have with me & the villagers told me to leave it behind because  “we have a long way to go.” I left my suitcase behind, the Iron box is more important & precious. I went past a Linden tree I stopped and thought about the Treasure Box and how much responsibility I have to take to look after it. My fingers were so sore, I had no other choice but to dig it under the tree where it would be more safe. 

As I grew older I became more mature. I decided to go back and find the treasure box where I could put it back into the library where both young and old can read the stories about our people. I found a girl playing in the park with a golden retriever, so I asked her to help me dig up the treasure. My heart dropped as she said “ew it’s just a book”, I sound just like my father at that moment saying “more splendid than silver, rarer than rubies and greater than gold.”  I read the book to her and she became more and more curious about our history.

 I decided to put the treasured book back  into the library where both big and small children could read it.