Not finished but I know how I want the chapter to go
Ed found himself staring at a arid desert, sand blowing up into tendrils reaching at the clouds. His line of sight was a foot or two less than his actual height. He looked up at the woman guiding him to a city of tents. It was his mother, rather her mother. Internet Ed was now Aasia Farage, a 8 year old girl living in Syria. This was not the situation Ed wanted to be in. He thought he would be taken to a better place. Instead he was taken to a war torn country, a place dominated by rebels.
“Aasia, come on! We’re almost there,” her mother urged, dragging her along faster. Aasia didn’t know what was happening, she had to go along with it and trust her mother. Once they reached the city of tents, he saw sullen, dust covered faces and guns hanging around the men’s shoulders. Waves of fear were radiating off of everyone surrounding Ed. He had heard about the poor conditions of the people in Syria but didn’t think it was this bad.
“Hurry, we have to get back to the family,” her mother said, holding her daughter closer to her to make sure she didn’t lose her child in the streams of people flowing down the beaten dirt path. Looking at his excuse for shoes, he felt small shards of glass embed themselves into his feet. Ed was really missing the safety of home.
“Mommy, my feet hurt,” Aasia whined in a high pitched, unfamiliar voice.
“It’s ok, honey. We’re almost done walking and you can rest,” her mother ensured. The chatter of ongoing people filled Ed’s ears as he searched for any bit on technology that has the slightest possibility of having an Internet connection. He hoped someone carried around a cell phone. Even then, what are the chances of having Internet access in the middle of a desert? Maybe the tent city was near a cell tower?
“Aasia! Kalila! Over here,” a burly man shouted, stretching his arm for them to see his location. This man was Aasia’s uncle who has taken over as her father. Her father had died to the hands of the rebels. He died protecting their family. Ed wanted nothing more to do with this sad story. His eyes searched for anything remotely capable of an Internet connection. Sadly, the “flap” of the tent closed before Ed could find anything. Inside the tent were cousins, aunts, uncles, and Aasia’s brothers. Hole-filled blankets lined the floor and the smell of urine occupied the full space. The tent was barely held together by strands of rope and fabric. It was a depressing sight for Ed or as a matter fact, a depressing sight for anyone.
“Aasia, come play with us. We’re playing Haija outside,” shouted one of her cousins, oblivious to what’s going on. Before she could answer, she was tugged outside and started drawing the lines to the game with her finger. When Ed looks up, he sees a man holding a cell phone to his ear. It looked like a Blackberry type of phone which should have Internet access. However, the man had dried blood on his clothes and a gun resting in the crook of his arm. This could be Ed’s only chance of escaping this situation. The internal debate was overwhelming and Aasia’s cousin noticed Aasia lost in thought.
“Aasia! Finish the line, we wanna play,” said her cousin, beckoning her to snap out of her mind. By then, the man disappeared into the crowds of rags and guns. Ed searches to find the man with the phone but it’s long gone. Drawing the last line to the game, Ed continued to scan the mobs of people for anything with Internet capability. He tried to figure out what would have Internet access in a tent city? What is cheap and available to people who have fled their homes or are poor? A cell phone or tablet are portable and medical equipment would be necessary in a place like this. A hospital! A hospital would be bound to have something with Internet access. They have to communicate with the rest of the world somehow.
First, Ed had to figure out how he would get to a hospital. Obviously, he didn’t want to severely injure himself but what defined severe here? Did he have to get his arm cut off to go to a hospital? Second, how would he escape the grasps of Aasia’s family? Aasia’s cousins were playing Haija even though Ed was sitting on the side, looking like he was lost in his own mind.
“Aasia! Are you going to play with us?,” asked one of her cousins, others join in with begging Aasia to join.
“No thanks, I’m not feeling too good. My tummy hurts,” said Aasia, feigning discomfort and pain. Ed tried to make himself look as pale as possible to convince them.
No comments:
Post a Comment