A street of debris and dust.

Hi everyone,

Time for yet another story! This one is a submission to a contest ran by my beloved @thewritersblock. I think I'm going to take some gas back from publishing stories on Steemit in the next weeks. I have been writing a lot the past few weeks, and I need to get some priorities straight again. I also want to write a little bit for some non-steemit contests, so I'll take some time to focus on that. Perhaps it's time again for some non-fiction blogs in the near future. Nevertheless, I couldn't pass on this contest. I hope you enjoy the story!

[Original picture by @Lymmerik]

The alarm is down. I unlock my belt and help my little sister to get out of hers. My dad is already opening the trap door. We should be safe for another couple of hours as the enemy is reloading their arms and getting some diner. I take my sister, get up the ladder and put her on a chair in the hallway. It has been five hours of constant bombings again. My sister has been crying for more than three of them. I give her a kiss on the forehead and walk to the window. I know this time the bombings were close to our shelter. The ground was shaking heavier than the last days. The sounds of falling bricks were as if it was the house next to us that collapsed. We got lucky.

I look at this piles of debris on the street. Our street that once had the most beautiful colors, has now turned into a gray mess. The rows of trees, the red brick buildings, the white chimneys... Even the colors of the wrongly parked cars my mom yelled when we went for a bike trip. I miss them. I miss the colors in my life.

Each day I stand at this window, watching how the dust conquers our street. The piles of debris get bigger by the day, and I suppose it’s only a matter of time before our shelter will be amongst them. I don’t know what we’re hoping for, but my parents refused to leave. They don’t want to get out on the streets with my little sister. The dust would kill her, they say. The bombs will do too, but I keep that thought to myself. There’s no point to argue when you have no other option available. I won’t leave my family. I don’t want them to suffer more than they’re already doing. They have enough headaches as it is.

“Son, didn’t you have plans for tonight?” My dad puts a hand on my shoulder. I shake my head and turn around.

“Uhh, yea, you’re right. I got lost in thought for a moment. I’m sorry.”

“You say that like it’s the first time you’re standing here.” My dad grins. “It’s nothing, but I only wanted to remind you. It’s been a while since the theatre opened it's doors. "

A warm feeling spreads all over my body. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for weeks now. I give dad a hug. “Thanks dad, you’re the best. I’m going to get ready.”

Dad presses me a bit more tight to him. “Be careful, okay?”

“I promise. Don’t worry.”

A few minutes later I’m standing at the entrance of the theatre. It’s a wonder this building survived the war for so long. The walls are dirty from all the dust, and there’s debris all over the place, but the walls are intact. I see some people enter the building. I follow suit. I asked my dad a few days ago if he wanted to come, but he said he had to stay home to care for Sophia. He wanted to me to go though. I’ve never been in the theatre before, and it would be good for me to take my mind off things.

I enter the building. Some people had risked their time to clean up the place on the inside. The shining floor tiles and the beautiful red curtains on the sides make my mouth fall open. The theatre consist of two floors, both filled with beautiful little red couches. In front of the hall there’s a big white screen with a blue square on it from the projector in the back of the room. I walk up the stairs to take a seat in the middle of the balcony. The luxurious appearance of the hall overwhelms me. The leather from the seats feels nice and comfortable on my skin as I adjust my position a little. My body relaxes.

I close my eyes for a second to enjoy the moment. I hear more people enter the hall. The leather from the chairs squeaks as more people sit down. Applause. I open my eyes again. The ground-floor is almost completely filled. Next to me on the balcony there are only a few seats left. Children are screaming from excitement. The movie is about to start.

The movie is so bright and vivid. I take a look at the crowd. All the heads are focused on the flashing images on the screen. Nobody is saying a word. It's like the movie has everyone hypnotized, forcing them to forget about life for a while. The war doesn’t exist in this building.

Minutes later a loud bang interrupts the movie. The alarm bells on the outside start to ring again. Parents grab their children by the hand as the others jump out of their seats and rush for the exit. Everyone is screaming and pushing the people in front of them. The screen turns black. This is no happy ending. The roof collapses.

The colors are gone.

[END]

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Thanks for reading. Please share your thoughts with me in the comments!

See you next time.

• Tuwore