Sorry, I may have gotten a bit (very) carried away on this task. It just seemed like it was perfect to make a much more detailed version of it. Then after making a more ‘detailed’ version of it, I realised it wasn’t supposed to be a long story.
I have cut it down quite a bit (from 3000 words to around 2500) and this is what I have. I know that it is not what you were asking for but here it is… I tried quite hard.
I can see you worked very hard!
July 10th, 2016
“We’re gonna’ leave you here. We haven’t seen any Drifans yet in the area, so hopefully you should be safe here.” The soldier says.
“Hopefully?” Mum replies with her well known sarcastic voice.
“Well do ya’ wanna’ watch us kill Drifans or d’ya wanna’ stay here?” … No answer. “You’re staying here!” The soldier says as he climbed back into his armoured vehicle.
The man, the three soldiers, the driver and our last chance out of here left us. Not only did they leave us, they took us away from the ‘safer’ place we had made it to and dumped us right back where we started. Big help…
We’re all cross minded, not sure what is happening or what just did happen. Confused at the military crews purpose was, we thought they were trying to help us… But little did they. We start to look around us, disgusted at the sight of Melbourne breaking down. It wasn’t until the point I couldn’t bear looking at the city any longer, that I turned and saw a ship.
It was a large ship, it was a cruise ship. It would have been a perfect opportunity to escape, if only…wait…what? The antenna on the roof was spinning, the only way it could be spinning is if it was functioning. And, is… is that…people?
There was movement on the front deck, it looked like it was people, on the boat, that is functioning… that is our key out of here.
“Mum, MUM! Look!”
“Where? What am I looking at?”
“The ship, the cruise ship! The antenna’s moving!… LOOK!”
“Yes? And? …. and…. and…” Her sentence drifted away, she was realising what I meant. A quick look around and, “The ship! That’s it!” She knew what I was talking about.
“Guys common… DAD COME!” I shout when I realise he isn’t listening. “We have to get to the ship as soon as we can, it’s our trip out, it’s the only way!” I manage to inform Dad and my sisters through my breath as I start to pick up pace running towards the ship.
A second later, while we were all running towards the ship… a loud horn went off and it seemed like it came from the ship. “Common! Run faster!” I shout, realising that meant the ship was about to launch.
“I can’t! I’ve got a stitch… I can’t keep running.” Dad says, slowing and struggling to keep up.
“Common! It’s not far… you can do it!”
WOOSH! Two loud fighter planes flew past above us, and they didn’t look friendly. The planes were followed by a larger plane looking like it was carrying cargo, though it had red targets on the side and I knew exactly what it was carrying. Bombs…
“Common we have to go! NOW!” Mum shouts from up ahead.
“I… I… “Dad struggles for words “I can’t…” Dad pants as I look up and see the ship start moving.
“I know you…”
“Can’t!” Dad says, interrupting me and almost stopping moving. “Son, go on without me, take your mother and your sisters. Leave me”
“Dad, I’m not going to do that, that only happens in drama movies.”
“Son, I…” His sentence was cut off when he let out a shout of pain. “ARGHH!” His voice almost like he was crying.
By now he was panting like a dog, and was barely managing a slow walk. He stopped to lean on a light post, then he put his arm to his back and tried to stretch, but he was interrupted and quickly moves his hand to support his right arm, and looks in pain.
I knew what was happening, and this was serious.
His face scrunched up, wiggling his jaw. He managed a slight look up at Mum and I, heading over to him to help, but we were too late as his hand slips away from the light post and he fell to the ground.
“NOOOOO!” Mum shouts.
“Dad?! DAD!” I say with a worried heart. But Dad didn’t move, he just lay there, on the road, along the foreshore, in the centre of the city… in the crumbling city of Melbourne.
Mum was kneeled down next to him, bawling her eyes out. This can’t be happening, but… it is. BOOM!… BOOM! Two bombs go off in the distance which were followed by a massive cloud of smoke and fire.
“Mum… we have to leave him. We have to go!”
“No! No! I can’t leave him here, he’ll die!”
“But… Mum… he’s already dead.” Mum looked up at me, her face was wet with tears, and showing large objection of my certainty.
Mum took in a deep breath. She too knew that his time had ended. We had no choice but to leave him behind, and try and get on that cruise boat.
She stood up, shaky and traumatized, she faced her fear and started walking towards me. Faster and faster, then we were running. Mum grabbed my littlest sister and my other started running too. We had made it to the docks and the ship was just up ahead. We dared not look back because we didn’t want the horror to re-enter out minds.
The boat up ahead was picking up speed, we had less and less of a chance of making it on. We were running as fast as we could, forgetting about the exhaustion, our only chance of survival was to get onto the boat.
There were people on the back of the boat who could see us, they were all shouting and screaming for us to hurry up.
A few more bombs went off behind us and then the sound of bullets being fired. This time it seemed much closer, like it was right on our tail. We kept on running but the end of the dock was getting nearer and the boat wasn’t. I run faster than ever before but in disbelief that I would have a chance at making it. I was quickly followed by my older sister we managed to make it to the end of the ship.
The ship was on our right, a few metres away but too far to jump. But then, I get a burst of energy and launch myself over two metres of water and onto the bottom deck of the boat. I was caught by a huge crowd of people trying to help get us over. My sister manages to do the same but she winded herself on the railing after trying to dolphin dive across.
Mum was still on the dock, her face filled with doubt, horror and grief. She knew she wouldn’t make the jump before the dock ended. So she shifted my younger sister around onto her chest, her arms pulled back and put into a netball pass position. She wouldn’t, she can’t… but she has to.
A second later a 3-year-old baby was tossed through the air. She was the first of mankind to fly, but she was not flying for fun. Mum had thrown my sister through the air, over water and onto the ship. She was caught by someone in the crowd and safely delivered to my older sister.
I looked back and the dock had finished and there, at the end of the dock, was my mother. Waving and crying, her face was filled with sorrow, but with the slightest bit of joy. She was happy that we had made it across and she knew, we would be safer now, we had escaped.
As soon as I realised what had just happened, I dropped to the floor in misery. I felt as sad as a sunless sea, a sea that had never seen the joy of the sun. I had never seen the perfect bliss of my parents, I never saw the time that they shone. And now… they had vanished, they had finally met their cost. Forever they will be gone, forever they will be lost.
That was the day we fled Australia. Leaving everything we owned, knew, cared for and loved behind. Even our parents didn’t make it, we were left with nothing, so we had to start again.
Everything…
July 17th, 2016
We’re still on the boat crammed with a-thousand people. The ship isn’t headed for Tasmania, it’s headed for Asia. We had to go the long way around (Australian west coast) because the east coast is still being invaded by Drifans. We’ve passed Perth and we’re about to go past Geraldton. Unfortunately, we’re not allowed to be taken off at Perth because the Drifans aren’t far behind.
The ship was loaded with food at first, it seemed like we had an infinite supply. But when you share it evenly between a thousand people, it doesn’t go far.
July 20th
We’re passing Indonesia now. We tried stopping at Jakarta to see if they would let us in, but a thousand, ‘trouble making’ Australians doesn’t seem appealing to the islands government, nor the main Indonesian government.
We’re running out of food. Two people fell overboard after a fight on deck. People around us look sick and nasty. They don’t give us the nicest look when we ask if they have any water. Or ask anything.
July 21st
We’re headed for Malaysia. All hopes are that they will let Australian refugees into their country. We’re all dehydrated, starving, on a ‘used to be’ luxury cruise ship.
We’re running low on fuel and we’ve lost my little sister in this massive crowd. Though it’s not the first time.
July 25th
Malaysia didn’t like the idea of Australian refugees either. What is it with Asians not liking Australians? We also tried Vietnam, another no. Thailand, no again.
Walking around the ship, I see people praying for luck that the next country will let us in. But for me, it’s not starving that depresses me. Not the crowd or the lack of water. Not being a refugee either. Its missing my family that makes me cry. I can’t think of them, or I cry and cry and waste water.
July 26th
The next country is China. Massive China with plenty of space, a few thousand refugees wouldn’t make much of a difference.
We have docked in Hong Kong and the captain is trying to get us in. Hours have passed and we’re still not allowed on land. At least while we’re here we get a bit more food and water. My older sister is terribly sick and my younger one is constantly shaking. I am not a mother, and I have no idea what I should do.
July 27th
The captain has returned and we are not allowed on. Though as he announced it to the thousands of people on board I remember him saying ‘yet’ in his sentence. We may be let into China after all.
July 29th
We’ve made it to Beijing and we’re docked again. The captain is now supposedly speaking to the government to let us into their country but is surely taking his time.
August 8th
We have been docked in Beijing for ten days. We are supplied with larger rations of food and water but we’re all sick of this god-forsaken ship.
The captain has finally returned with good and bad news. Good news is that we are allowed onto the country, more like we have to come onto the country. Bad news is what we have learnt from having to come into the country. Apparently we’ve done something terribly wrong.
August 9th
We have done nothing wrong, we’re just fleeing the war. We get on a big ship and travel thousands of kilometres to Asia. Were rejected by every country we go past until we get to China, where we are forced to come ashore.
We are stripped, everything we own is taken off us until we are nearly naked. We don’t get a say before we are put in groups like prisoners. What’s going on?
We have no idea what’s happening, nor why it’s happening.
August 10th
They put us in special clothes and tie us up in a line. We’re treated like prisoners. Are we prisoners?
I lost my two sisters ages ago, I haven’t seen them since we left the boat.
I realise what they’re doing, they’re putting us in camps, making us work, keeping us locked up. This is not what should happen to refugees.
One night I decide to fight back. While they were rounding us all up I break out of the pack and make a run for it. But it didn’t end well. The last thing I can remember is running and then I had soldiers chasing me. There was no way out, the area was all fenced up. I had forgotten about the soldiers behind me and I turned around and went back the other way, only to look up and see a soldiers face… and a baton.
Unknown Date, 2020
I woke up here, in a hospital, back in Australia. I had no idea what had happened and where everyone had gone. I didn’t know how I got here or, anything. I sit up and look around, I’m in a hospital bed, with no one else in the room. I look across and see a door and it looks like it opens into the main corridor. I can see people walking by through the window and make out some words of people talking on the other side.
“He has been in and out of a coma for four years’ ma’am. I’m sorry but you won’t be able to see your son today.” A man said with a clam voice
“I don’t care if he is awake or not! I just want to see my son!” A woman argued.
“Ma’am! I’m sorry but you are not allowed in there today!”
“Are you saying I’m not allowed to see my own son!”
“Ma’am!”
“OH THAT’S ENOUGH!” She interrupted.
The door swings open and the woman storms through, only to stop at her first step and look at me in disbelief. Her mouth open and her eyes about to cry.
“T…T…Tom?” She stutters.
“Mum?!” She races over with her arms out wide, already crying with joy. She comes over and gives me a huge hug. I can feel the warmth of her body, I can smell that scent that just says mum.
Shaken, terrorised, worn and torn apart. Horrified, abandoned, lost and found. This was a story of a boy who was a refugee. He fled his country to escape war, his father had a heart attack and his mother made the ultimate sacrifice to let them live. He spent days at sea, stuck on a ‘used to be’ cruise ship, searching for somewhere to seek asylum. He was mistreated by some countries in horrible ways. After being put in a refugee camp he found himself in trouble. Knocked out by a soldier and put into a coma. Four years later he finds himself in a hospital, only to be reunited to his long lost mother. Loved, cherished, treasured and cared for, he was now where he was meant to be…
How he got to the hospital will never be known.