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       #Post#: 467--------------------------------------------------
       FREEDOM, written by dragonborn99
       By: dragonborn99 Date: October 23, 2012, 1:04 am
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       here is an award wining (oh yes!) story i wrote a while back
       now:
       Freedom
       Jamie Findley
       ‘Serenity is not freedom from the storm but peace amid the
       storm’ by anonymous
       Fahim ran through the dusty streets, not wanting to look back,
       not at the Taliban, guns in hands, black turbans on head. Fahim
       ran around a brick building, lifting dust into the air. She came
       to another corner, almost tripping over a pile of rubble. The
       wind whistled around her. Her hair was being blown back as she
       ran. She finally reached a large, imposing stone church with two
       doors forming an archway and next to that was a hole that had
       been blasted through the wall.  The girl pushed the heavy doors
       open, revealing rows and rows of wooden seats and two holes on
       each wall where beautiful patterned stained glass windows used
       to be intact. At the front of the church was a stone alter.
       Fahim ran down the aisle trembling as the church doors burst
       open and five Taliban war lords stormed inside gripping
       A-K-47’s.
       Fahim hid behind the stone alter shivering with fear. The
       Taliban warriors marched angrily down the aisles of seats. The
       five fearless soldiers stood near where the Fahim cowered frozen
       with fear. The Taliban signaled to where the she was hiding and
       confronted her, all looking down at her in disgust, as if she
       had killed their families. Fahim slowly looked up her face
       drenched in tears.
       ‘Get up now girl!’ shouted one of the Taliban nudging her with
       his gun. She did not move, tears flowing down her face.
       ‘Get up now, or else you die!’ shouted another Taliban this
       time shoving her with his gun. The girl grunted and slowly got
       up. Suddenly the church doors burst open once again, this time
       soldiers swarmed into the church firing at the Taliban. The
       Taliban and soldiers exchanged shots rapidly ducking, evading
       and rolling. The girl covered her face with her hands trying not
       to look at the battle raging around her. After a while her
       surroundings went quiet. She looked up to see a soldier looming
       over her. The soldier had Australia’s flag patched onto his
       uniform.
       ‘Are you hurt?’ the soldier said in a soothing voice ‘I can help
       you out of here’ Fahim gazed into the man’s eyes than pushed
       past him running back out of the church entrance into the warm,
       lonely air.
       Fahim ran through the village once again passing dozens of
       abandoned houses, empty stalls and deserted vehicles. She
       stopped at a small empty house with its door ripped off its
       hinges and the windows smashed down into millions of pieces. She
       stepped into the house slowly to be emerged into a blank room
       filled with nothing but the putrid smell of dead rats. The girl
       leant on the wall and remembered back to when she was with
       family on Christmas night…
       ‘Can you pass the chicken over please’ asked a beautiful lady
       dressed in a long blue dress.
       ‘Yes mum’ replied a young girl as she passed over a platter
       filled with cut up chicken, big and small.
       ‘Thanks Fahim’ said the lady in the blue dress ‘did you want any
       chicken Nadia’ the lady said as she stuffed a white plate with
       chicken. The table was as long as a bus and had twelve seats on
       each side seated by laughing, chatting people all exchanging
       stories. Suddenly the sound of gunshots filled the air as a
       large truck rode up to the happy family. Inside the truck sat
       the Taliban.’
       The vision slowly faded away from Fahim’s mind as she slumped
       onto the floor, a new wave of fresh tears flowing from her eyes
       drenching her light green dress. They’re going to get me, Fahim
       thought to herself, shivering at the thought of it. Fahim slid
       herself up and left the empty building being cautious in case
       she was being followed. The sound of dead trees could be heard
       faintly swishing and swaying with the wind. Fahim passed more
       endless rows of ruins and destruction until she found what she
       was looking for, the cemetery.
       Fahim passed dozens of grey tombstones, shivering every time she
       saw one of her friends names engraved onto the front of the
       lifeless piece of stone. The smell of dying flowers caught her
       nose. Roses, Fahim thought to herself, the smell brightening her
       up. Fahim walked through the endless rows of tombstones until
       she saw the most import two names in her life;  ‘here lies the
       couple of Kareema and  Farah Safa R.I.P.’ Mum, Dad, Fahim
       thought to herself with anger and sorrow. Fahim bowed her head
       in respect then left her parent graves, coming back the way she
       came.
       Fahim walked sluggishly back to a small sand stone building, and
       stepped inside, no need to open a door. Fahim emerged into small
       room, lounges and tables flipped to their sides and windows
       obliterated into dozens of sparkling pieces. The floor, only a
       patterned carpet. Fahim strolled across the room, her dress
       flowing around her as if it was a green waterfall. She came over
       to a small wooden dresser and slid open the top left draw
       revealing a blue covered scrap book. Fahim pulled the book out
       and sat on the carpet opening the book to reveal pictures
       slipped neatly into place. A picture of a long table with a
       variety of people sitting at it. A picture of a small boy
       jumping on a small trampoline. A picture of a lady hanging out
       the washing. A picture of Fahim hugging a tall girl around her
       teenage years. Fahim chuckled to herself at the sight of the
       photos; Fahim turned the page as she heard the sound of around
       five pairs of feet marching. No, no, no, Fahim thought to
       herself her eyes welling up. Fahim quickly placed the book back
       into its hiding place and left the building, running for her
       life.
       Fahim sprinted, not even thinking of stopping to rest. Suddenly
       the sound of a chopper over went, going directly above her. The
       chopper landed one-hundred meters in front of Fahim, the
       helicopter doors being flung open as same Australian soldier
       that was in the church, emerged stepping out.
       ‘Run over to us, you have nothing to be afraid of!’ the soldier
       commanded. Fahim’s pace slowed slightly.
       The Afghan soldier adjusted the sniper’s lenses fixing them onto
       the running girl…
       Fahim still ran the rocky dirt piercing into her feet.
       ‘Just keep running you’ll be OK!’ Fahim’s pace slowed more here
       legs stinging with excruciating pain which made her feel if she
       would collapse and never come back up. 25meters.
       The Afghan soldier aimed the sight down to the slowing girl, the
       cross-hairs locked onto her head…
       Fahim hesitated and looked back to see a small man hunched down
       on a roof holding a sniper, aimed straight at her. The
       Australian soldier shouted more commands getting louder and
       louder. 50meters.
       The Afghan placed his grubby finger onto the trigger waiting for
       the right moment…
       No, no, no, Fahim thought to herself, Fahim let out rivers of
       tears from her eyes. Fahim slowed now to a slow run. 75meters
       The Afghan pulled the trigger, a bullet emerging from the front…
       Fahim thought about her family and her friends
       The bullet spun through the air…
       The bullet suddenly pierced into Fahim, dropping her to the
       ground, gunshots surrounding her, soldiers running past her as
       Fahim’s cracked lips parted revealing a small word, ‘ freedom.’
       
       thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment!
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