(Description of a come-back-home situation)
Short story
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
A child of probably four was walking looking down; with his small stride stooped parallel to the narrow path struggling to keep pace with his mother; he was stumbling and fumbling, his toes peeping out of canvas shoes were dashing against stones now and then.
The pain was so excruciating and at times he would shriek to the extent that his mother would jerk out of shock. Tears were trickling down his soft and tender face like never before; his hand was in the firm grip of his mother’s hand whose sole desire at that moment was to get back to Ethiopia away from the hustles of refugees camp as fast as she could. Amid sobbing, he asked his mother.
“Why are we going away at dawn while all other people in the area are still in bed, perhaps fast asleep? We, too, could have been comfortably in bed.” He could not figure out why they were in such a hurry.
“I have no time to tell you why we are in this situation. I am so eager to get back to my country,” said the mother excitedly.
Having observed a spark of smile on his mother’s face, he was even more confused as he had not seen his mother in such a mood for a long time. “Please tell me mom why you are so happy.”
“Keep walking,” she said without even allowing him to finish what he was trying to say. “The soldiers might be following us,” she shouted. Suddenly she stopped and looked at her son. She realized that her strong grip was too much for the child to bear it; the part of his flesh on which her hand lay was sunk deep inside.
She knew that since she did not listen to his plea, he had been suffering from the excruciating pain all the way, his tears profusely gushing out trickling down his face drenching his collars.
The sight was a heart-rending one. She loosened her tight grip and pulled him close to her side while trying to cover him with her shawl to keep him warm. One could imagine the throb the pain would cause the child.
She sat down on the stem of a large fallen tree looking back to see if there was any person following them. For her relief, there was no one tailing them at least for the time being. She could see as far as her eyes could reach.
With regret, “My son,” she said, “I’m sorry for not listening to you. I was so afraid that something would happen to us if we didn’t get away quickly. As you see there is no one to come to our rescue in case someone attacks us; your father is not with us.”
“Why isn’t he here, Mom?”
“As I had told you, he is definitely at home where we are rushing to.”
“Of course, Mom,” he said giggling. At the moment, comforting him is enough and she handed him a piece of home-baked bread which she snatched while rushing to getaway. That sure did calm the tide inside the boy and he started munching it without even asking where it came from.
That gave the mother enough time to think about how they should proceed with their flight without being followed by an enemy. After having had enough rest, she wiped the tears from the child’s face and rose to continue their journey with promising destination.
Suddenly, she heard voices at distance. The voice of the fast approaching people seemed they, too, were running away from something and heading to motherland. The sound of their feet could be heard; dust was rising to the sky from behind them.
She believed the gunners would not catch up with them by all means. She put her belongings on her back and lifted up the boy and rushed forward as fast as she could. A lot of people from other areas were heading to the directions she was heading, frolicking. They, too, were in a similar happy mood.
“What is this noise I hear, Mom?”
“It’s just a sound; it doesn’t harm us anymore. It’s the bad people from where we came who are doing this to scare away the good people; don’t worry, my son.” That’s how she had to answer his question without creating complicated idea.
“The sun is getting very hot. Can we rest under the shelter somewhere there?” pointing his little finger to a place just in front of them.
“I’m happy; they will soon catch up with us. We won’t be alone anymore.”
They reached the Ethio-Sudan border where everybody was flocking back to Ethiopia. The mother came to know that it would take them no more than a couple of hours to reach their destination. Nevertheless, the mother and the child had run out of food and water.
“I’m very thirsty, Mom.”
This statement sent chill down her spine. Where would she get water? Who would she turn to? It was in the middle of the desert? Everyone was for himself.
“Don’t worry! We will soon get to the place where we can get food and water; we are now in our territory,” she said.
Even though the area was flat unlike the place they were used to, it did not bother her much. The low stretched of loose, dry sand would blow into their faces every now and then making the journey forward very difficult; yet, the hope of returning to motherland would sustain them all the way.
After such a torturous struggle, when they crossed border to Ethiopia, a feeling of relief overwhelmed them. The help of the expensive guide to refugee camp who charged her almost all her money is a past story.
The mother and the boy can find the way to their home without anybody’s assistance. Her son, as soon as he saw the green fertile land snatched away from his mother’s grip and ran as fast as he could out of joy.
“Come on baby, we are not yet home.”
“It doesn’t matter, Mom. It is great to be away from that over-crowded refugees camp. There’s nothing more pleasing than this.”
“I know that baby; we left our country thinking that we would find a better place. Yet, I have to admit that it was my mistake to put you in this difficult situation.”
“No, Mom. You thought you were doing the right thing for us both.”
“You are right, Son, nobody would know what could happen had we not ran away.”
“Yes, indeed,” said the boy nodding his head in a sort of acting as grown up.
“The other day a certain guy told me that the government has put everything under control. Electricity is being installed, and telephone is back to service. Furthermore, shops and offices are open. Food and all necessary things are being provided by many national and international organizations. Most of all, law and order is satisfactorily maintained.
While the mother and the child were in hot discussion, the people who caught up with them surprised them by giving them water and something for a bite. The son gradually gained strength and the mother was extremely happy for her son.
“Mom, what is this place? Why are so many people gathered here?”
“Well, my son it is the border of our country. This is where we get the government’s permission to continue their trip into the country. Isn’t it exciting, my son?” We left our home thinking that we would not be alive if we didn’t.”
“Why?”
“The friends and relatives were being killed by bad people. So, I thought it would be good for us if we left our area before it was too late.”
“If my father had been there, nothing would have happened to us. He is very strong and can kill them all,” said the boy.
“You are right; he can’t be here either. He can’t come for us any time. We need to go to where he is.”
The boy started crying for his father would not be anywhere around.”
The mother did everything she could to calm him down. She gave him a leftover food.
After eating the food, he said, “When will we exactly reach home? Is our home very far from here?”
“Maybe some hours walk from here. Will it make you very tired?”
“Not at all, I am after all your strong son. Aren’t you proud of me?”
The thought of her past bitter experience overwhelmed her. She totally forgot the present time. She said to herself, we were in a dire living conditions that made the camp extremely dangerous. Women, children and people fleeing persecution are often more exposed to security and safety risks. I am glad that we are back to our country; there is nothing like home. The extremity of agony that the rebel junta brought upon the people is beyond description.
Their story will soon come to a conclusion. I can’t wait for that day to arrive. The child who was still waiting for his father’s return was secured by his naivety. Such was the case when peace was dispelled by human atrocity that subjects the people to take certain measures to secure their safety.
The situation did not last long; all is back to normal and the citizens have in the process of assuming their normal life. The jubilation of a come-back-home rocked the entire neighborhood.
The Ethiopian Herald March 30/2021
