Annihilation by Michael Bosland

Author:Michael Bosland [Bosland, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Michael Bosland
Published: 2019-10-19T00:00:00+00:00

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Three weeks after leaving Malatya, they reached their next temporary settlement. Urfa was a much larger town than the last couple they had visited. The camp was isolated—there was no chance to interact with the town itself. There was a small pond at the edge of the camp. Actually, it wasn’t much more than a large puddle. A group of soldiers was keeping anyone from getting to it. When someone couldn’t stand it any longer and lunged forward for a drink, one of the soldiers would hit them with the butt of his rifle. One particularly aggressive woman kept charging forward. Even with blood pouring from her head, she refused to relent. A bayonet to the gut ended her struggle.

One little boy was pleading with his mother. “Thirsty, Mama. Please, Mama.”

“Not now, you must be patient.”

“Why, Mama?”

“God is working in ways we do not know, but nonetheless working. We must take pleasure in suffering for Christ’s sake.”

Rosmerta didn’t think the woman was talking to her son anymore. Maybe she was trying to convince herself to keep going. Maybe she was praying. All Rosmerta knew for sure was that staying around this pond wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She moved on.

She found Boghos sitting by himself, his eyes greedily fixed on the pitcher in her hand. “It’s empty,” she said. “They won’t let us have water. Did you find anything?”

“No.” He looked away in shame.

His magic was fading. There was no food. “What are we supposed to do?” Rosmerta asked.

“Not much we can do. We’ll have to wait and try again later.”

“Do you remember that year they built the well in Bayburt?”

“How could I forget? We had more visitors that summer than we ever had before. Your father spent as much time with us as he did with you.”

“That was the year my father first let me go into town with him. He said that when I got older, I wouldn’t be able to leave the house and he wanted me to see Bayburt before it was too late.”

“My sisters never went into town,” said Boghos. “I don’t think they ever got beyond our courtyard—until they left, that is. Now I don’t know where they are. I’m glad they got away. It’s just that I miss them so much. I hope they’re okay, but I have no way to know.”

“Where were they going?”

“I don’t know. Sivas, I think. I don’t think they were planning on staying there.”

“We just left Sivas.”

“Don’t you think I know that? I tried to get out of the camp to look for them. I couldn’t get past the guards.”

“The Muslim boys from town didn’t have any problem coming and going at will.”

Boghos gave her a look of pity.

Rosmerta didn’t know what to say. They sat in silence for a long time.

After nightfall, they went back to the pond to find that the soldiers were gone. They drank their fill, returned to their patch of earth, and fell asleep. They awoke to find that someone had stolen their water jug.

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