Showing posts with label War tragedy loss mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label War tragedy loss mercy. Show all posts

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Mercy Kill...a taste

Pain.
Sinking deeper like a corkscrew, through flesh, muscle, bone. Screaming a language beyond that of words, beyond ideas. A language so loud it explodes into a world of its own. Eclipsing any other world of people, cities, sun, or war. Eyes shut, I wander through my agony, as I lay in the dirt, my head pushed against a rock. Some while ago my hand touched my left leg. I felt wetness. The solid assurance of my leg was gone. But I could barely attend to it, the pain screaming ripped my mind away.
Time was a distant idea. Had it been moments, days, or weeks since I opened the door to walk into my home after temple? Then, a bright red, unbelievable heat, I was thrown backwards. I heard screams, cries of help, and people running. Such chaos, but my pain was already consuming me, pushing everything else away. Some time later I felt water fall on me. What could that be? Rain. For a while I heard a lone child whimpering. He sounded close, but so far away.
He is silent now.
Now here I lay, in the dark world beneath my eyelids, a sole habitant of my own uncontrolable pain. Distantly I feel another hand upon me. With great effort I return to this other world and open my eyes. There is a thick creature in green leaning over me. I squint and look into its face. Even that is painted green, or brown, it’s hard to tell. He speaks to me like a human, but I understand not his words. I gather my strength and say “Hello Jack” His name is probably not Jack, but it is the only English I know. Besides any other words would have been halted, blood is now pooling in my mouth. I look up at him with my last bit of energy. He puts his hand over my eyes. My dark world rushes back. I hear a distant loud bang and then the screaming world of pain within myself starts to quiet, in a slow rush, like a dam crumbling into the river. My head drops limply to the side, as I stare blankly at the charred remains of the foundation of my house, the last thing I hear are the words.
“Mercy kill.”