Nightmare on Beirut Street

A young girl wakes up from a dream, only to go on living a nightmare.

Late at night, a young girl is lost in a world of dreams. A barely distinct sound of sirens is heard from a distance, yet not loud enough to pierce her ears. The little girl has not slept well for days, but now she is eventually in what seems like a peaceful state. Suddenly, she wakes up in a fluster trying to catch her breath. Cold droplets are running down her forehead, while she is trying to rouse to consciousness.

A nightmare has caused her agitation. However, the nightmare was not in her sleep. A bomb exploded two squares away from her house, spreading havoc in the neighbourhood. Her parents are already up trying to pack up some things hurriedly. The little girl is now awake for good. She expected this to come since her parents had told her about the war. Now she has to leave Beirut - her city, her country, her home. She hears another explosion nearby, one that makes the floor tremble. She is wide awake to a living nightmare. A nightmare that fades only when she goes to sleep.

Her parents are now rushing her out. She does not have even the time to look back at her own home. The little girl closes her eyes and hopes for this nightmare to stop so that she continues with her previous serene dream. They are running down the staircase. They won't manage to go out, though.

The girl's wish came true, another bomb blasted her house, bringing her nightmare on Beirut Street to an end. The little girl will have sweet dreams once more.

Reviews

[emmajoy]

I read this story twice, first time slowly, wanting to feel the content.. to be honest i couldn't, there were words but somehow emotion was missing and, such a story needs feelings to make it come alive.

Read it slowly, and aloud the second time... There's such an honesty to the content.. the experience of bombs exploding closer and closer to a child is plausibly complex. Losing self in sleep is escape, to lose life in a nightmare is inevitable. Thus, though there could be shorter sentences to describe the oncoming ending, your words are indeed emotional.. and real.

[Orion]

Thanks a lot for your honest review! I appreciate your views on it and im glad that you are moved just a little.

[emmajoy]

More than a little..

[Cherrie Palmer]

You did a wonderful job shifting from dream to wake. We forget that the world is not covered in peace and goodwill. Thank you for sharing.

[Cherrie Palmer]

What makes this story especially sad is the truth of it.

[Orion]

Thank you very much for your kind words.

[Zoya]

This is heartbreaking. Overall, a story with good descriptions and a thrilling end. I enjoyed reading it.

[Orion]

Thank you very much for your review. Heartbreaking stories feel like the best way to raise attention for such important global issues.

[Zoya]

yeah, you're right. And you're welcome.