Twinkling stars and Screaming Missiles
“Hey look there, it’s a shooting star!” shouted Kat.
“Where?” asked Mark glancing at the luminous sky.
“Not there, it is in this direction. Well now it’s gone.”
“Oh! no. Again I missed seeing a shooting star.” rued Mark.
Kat and Mark are two orphaned teenagers at the Balata migrant camp in West Bank.
Their community is stuck in the cross-wire of aggression between Israel and Palestine. The Balata camp is being supported by multinational charitable organizations and generous philanthropists.
The teenagers of this camp are studying in a vocational education centre to get skilled for working in other countries like Kuwait, UAE, Qatar etc.
Their desire of getting employed in other nations is a necessity.
The violence churning in their immediate neighborhood coupled with lack of freedom has deprived them of a humane life.
Star gazing is a common thing which most people of the world take for granted. However, in the West Bank, the situation is quite different.
In West Bank, the sky is usually filled with ammunition smoke and dust from the air strikes of rebel groups.
The sky is seldom clear and thus stargazing is not a natural past time for these communities.
People fear to illuminate their houses or stroll out after sunset. The fear is due to sudden air strikes which bombard locations where light is visible rendering the people vulnerable.
Thus the luxury of electricity, traveling, dining out, social gatherings are limited.
The only scope for social cohesiveness is seen during daytime or local folk festivals.
These are occasions when the people put back their sorrows of livelihood and revel in the little joys of their lives.
Teenagers being of high fortitude and free spirits do not prefer getting bound by the chains of darkness and the shackles of fear. They meet each other clandestinely in an abandoned bunker under a small hillock.
Here, they discuss their life stories, indulge in opium, and play poker. They remain vigilant of any suspicious persons and avoid illuminating the bunker to prevent attracting unwanted attention towards it.
In the bunker, many love stories have woven among the hormonally charged teenagers who believe they can find love amidst the chaos of war, strife, and destruction.
They tell utopian stories about how their lives would improve after five or ten years when the war would probably end and peace would usher in the region.
Amongst the teenagers, one such pair is Kat and Mark. They both are deeply in love with each other and are planning to get employed in other countries and start a new life.
However, escape from the West Bank is not easy. The borders are heavily guarded by armed commandoes and the people are thoroughly frisked. The neighboring region is surrounded by barren land and the western Dead Sea shore.
Many romantic souls have perished while escaping this region and many have been apprehended by the security forces and made subject to life imprisonment and torture.
Yet, a significant number of couples have managed to escape from this confinement and start a new life in distant lands. Such couples have become a source of inspiration for this present generation of teenagers. These tiny droplets of optimism are the only source of relief in this rather torn community.
Kat and Mark have been planning of an escape at an opportune moment which they hope is nearby.
“So, when is our mission going to be successful?” Kat asked with dreamy eyes.
“Very soon, Kat. If everything goes well, we will be on our way across the Mediterranean in the next fortnight,” replied Mark with confidence.
“I do not want to live in this camp anymore Mark. It is horrible. People get murdered without any fault of their’s. It is a like a horrible dream Mark. I want to wake up from this dreary dream.” said Kat with a teardrop rolling down her right eye.
Mark wiped off the teardrop with a handkerchief. “Everything will be all right Kat. This may be a dreaded dream, but we have to endure it so that we can behold a brighter sunshine tomorrow.”
“But, how can you be so assertive that tomorrow would be a bright sunny day rather a frigid cold dawn? You know I hate the feeling of cold. I want to wake up to a warm cheerful morning.” replied Kat sobbing hard.
“I cannot promise a warm cheerful morning Kat, but I can definitely promise a new morning. We cannot control everything in our lives, we got to leave some things in the hand of fate and destiny.”
Kat started weeping inconsolably and laid her head on top of Mark’s lap. “I do not want to die alone, Mark. I want to live the rest of life with you in a peaceful neighborhood away from this melancholy. I do not wish to possess immense wealth & jewelry, the only thing I want is emotional well-being.”
“Definitely we will get what you wish for Kat. We need to be calm and swift in our actions to escape from here. We cannot afford to be coward and bogged down by our emotional burden. Promise me that you will show fortitude and composure in adverse situations that may come our way.” Mark asked in a soothing voice.
“Well, I can try Mark but I cannot promise. It is very difficult,” replied Kat with her voice shivering.
“No problem, together we can accomplish our mission. Stay strong with me,” said Mark and they hugged each other.
They found solace in their warm hug. However, the world has different plans for them. Just as they were cuddling through their sorrows, an airstrike showered upon them.
Mark and Kat jumped at an instance hearing the loud burst of missiles which annihilated a camp nearby.
“Quick Kat. Let’s go under the bunker,” said Mark holding the hand of Kat and helping her to descend the narrow pathway riddled with stones of the hillock.
The sky turned violet with occasional streaks of crimson yellow lines caressing it. The screaming sound of fighter jets reverberated across the landscape. People inside the camps extinguished the oil lanterns and shut off their camp doors.
Men hurried together to envelop the roof of their camps with large tarpaulins of black cloth so that camps are not easily visible to the fighter jets.
Mark noticed that some elderly were facing problems in closing their camps. Immediately, Mark scurried off to help them. After all the camp was like a close-knit family which not only shared joys but also problems among themselves.
Seeing Mark running away towards the camp, Kat shouted at top of her voice “Mark what are you doing. You will die. Are you mad? Please come back.”
“I have to go Kat, I have to help the old men, they will not be able to close the camp. I will be back in a couple of minutes,” replied Mark running briskly.
“Why are you doing this to me. I cannot live without you. Please do not leave me alone.”
“Don’t worry dear, I will be back soon. It won’t take much time,” shouted Mark, his voice becoming hoarse.
Beads of tears rolled down from Kat’s eyes and her face turned pale red. Her body shivered out of cold and fear. She had no other choice but to wait inside the bunker for Mark to return.
Mark ran towards the camp keeping an eye on the sky.
In the dark, he couldn’t notice the stray rocks scattered on the ground and tripped over one of them.
Kat screamed in despair and held her breath, clenching her fists. She couldn’t believe what was happening in front of her.
Mark had bruised his left shoulder and cried out in pain. His survival instinct made him compose himself, stand up on his feet and run towards the elderly camp.
Mark helped them to pull down the tarpaulin and connect the locks and zippers of the camp. He saw the camp was not having sufficient water and thought that the elderly would suffer in the night if the airstrikes continued.
He immediately ran towards the neighboring camp to fetch two cans of water. He placed the amber blue water cans inside the elderly camp and comforted them.
Despite the harsh circumstances, teenagers like Mark have evolved a distinct personality filled with courage. Their young blood and optimistic world-view made every problem seem like an opportunity to showcase their dynamism to alleviate the suffering of others.
Meanwhile, Kat waited in the abandoned bunker which was pitch dark and had the reeking smell of opium. The air was damp and the dust from the airstrike was itching her eyes uncomfortably.
The only noise she could hear was of zooming missiles and the wails of people in the distant land. She began praying for Mark’s safety and collapsed on one corner of the bunker, her eye’s felt heavy and her mind emotionally drained.
After what seemed like a lifetime, she heard the foot-steps of a person running towards the bunker. She straightened herself in a jiffy and felt relieved when she saw it was Mark.
They hugged each other for a long time amidst the loud blasts of missiles in the background.
However, their bliss was short-lived as a forceful strike of a missile landed on top of the hillock which was directly above the bunker. The impact of the blast threw them apart and both hit the sidewalls of the bunker.
Kat suffered a head injury while Mark re-injured his already bruised left shoulder. Mark winced in acute pain and Kat was dripping blood from her forehead.
Mark started crawling toward Kat steadily inch by inch trying to straighten his shoulder.
After struggling for a while Mark reached Kat and tapped her hand repeatedly loudly calling out her name. Then he began tapping her cheek and felt the pulse of Kat in the wrist.
Kat was ruffled by the impact but was luckily conscious.
“Kat, do you hear me,” Mark said cusping his hands on her face.
Kat nodded her head with droopy eyes and said something which was inaudible to Mark. The blast had impaired their sense of hearing to a certain extent.
“It will be alright Kat. I am there for you and will be there with you forever.” stammered Mark enduring the pain in his shoulder.
“I want to go with you, Mark. Please do not leave me ever,” said Kat in a soft voice.
“Of course, you will be with me, Kat. How could I think of leaving you?” assured Mark.
“Will you promise me, Mark, that you would never leave me?” asked Kat stretching her right palm towards Mark.
“I promise to stay with you forever,” said Mark and overlapped his right palm with that of Kat.
The zooming of fighter jets and the booming of missile strikes became more intense. Little did Kat and Mark fathom that their mortal relationship would be short-lived.
Soon, another missile strike showered on the nearby camps and on the hillock. It completely annihilated the hillock and reduced the bunker to dust.
It was a sad end to the tragic love story of Kat and Mark.
They couldn’t escape from the harsh realities of this society but ultimately gained freedom from the tragedies of this destructive world.
