Caleb Sammuller - Aged 15 -Runner-Up!
This is a heartbreaking piece. The author chose a challenging subject and handled it with real sensitivity. The result is a nuanced tragedy that meditates on the realities of geo-politics, and the long road to healing, captured through intimate familial struggles. This story is full of suspense and never loses its sense of unease. Understated language & holistic world-building create a compelling & tragic domestic-drama. The reader is captured by a very real depiction of the grief. Yet the majority of the piece warms the reader’s heart with Sasha’s journey through grief demonstrating the importance of love, connection, family and friends. None of us saw the ending coming. Beautifully done. Heart wrenching and truly sad! More than one of us cried. Well done!
The Flicker of Hope
It was a brisk winter morning when Sasha, a girl whose youthful glow had been dimmed,
walked towards the entrance of what would become her new home. Her face was sour.
Anna and James were a little bit nervous to comfort her, but they were desperate to ensure her happiness. Behind closed doors, they whispered about how, "we just need to make her feel confident here and loved. It can't be easy losing your parents".
The first few days were spent wandering through the streets of Stavropol. Anna showed off her favourite hotspots of cafes, shopping centres, hair salons and bookstores. The bookstore captivated Sasha, but she was uninterested in the rest. James showed her the way to her school, turning off the radio which was blasting 'Germany, under the orders of Alexander Schneider, has increased their production of industry and weaponry as they...'.
"We don't need to listen to that hypocrisy", rambled James, as he went into a rant about Russia's increase in armaments despite his hatred of Schneider.
Sasha hated Schneider too. He was the man who took her parents, and he didn't even know their names.
Weeks had passed and Sasha remained quiet and reserved. Anna and James constantly
flooded her with unnecessary attention, when she just wanted to be left alone. They were like bees around a flower.
Sasha reluctantly came down the stairs to go to school, trying to avoid the loving arms of her Auntie Anna and Uncle James. School felt like a penance to Sasha. She felt empty as she attended it, but there was an occasional glimmer of hope when meeting her first friend: Susan. Susan managed to express her comfort without constantly bringing up memories of her parents, and they also bonded over a love of literature. They would hang out in the library and read, chat and eventually laugh for hours.
When she wasn't at school, weekends were spent reading books, playing boardgames with Anna and James, watching comedic films and going to the park. Smiles would flutter across her face as Anna and James laughed at the movies, even though Auntie Anna had to turn off the news that she was so fond of panicking over. She was terrified of that Alexander Schneider. They would munch on sweet and salted popcorn, sat on the sofa for what felt like years.
Sasha was settling. At night however, she tossed and turned, the blistering image of Schneider was seared into her mind, as he stood on top of legions of corpses. He hadn't even been there when her village was scorched, but it was his fault. This was the result of the persistent greed of man.
"We just need to ensure she feels loved", said James.
"I know", said Anna, "that's why I bought her all those books!"
"Can't we do anything else? What about a party? We could invite that Susie girl!"
Anna corrected him, "Susan! And maybe a few more!"
The party was held on September 6th, Sasha's birthday. Vibrant, vigorous music pulsated throughout the house. The house smelled like cinnamon glazed churros, and the air tasted of sausages. Thirty people had turned up in the end. With children cascading through the rooms, Anna and James finally got to witness Sasha being happy and fulfilled. For a short time, her soul's desire for a feeling of belonging had been quenched.
Sasha became increasingly open with Anna and James after the party. Their family was slowly becoming whole. Even though there were dramatic moments of arguments, lying, and yelling, they always came back together, unable to be made at one another for any prolonged period of time.
After one squabble, Sasha shook with anger as she sat on the sofa with Anna, whispering about her burning village, and her hatred towards Alexander Schneider, who bore no guilt for his actions. Anna shared her fears that history might repeat itself, and they both panicked about what could happen to Russia.
As James prepared dinner, he butted in with views of hope, "A man so wicked has no power here. Life's too short to worry about these things. At least we are together, and happy and healthy. This is all so much more important that this silly Schneider."
Christmas Day arrived, a scornful reminder of the absence of Sasha's parents. It was her first time without them on Christmas Day. Weeping pitifully, Sasha was comforted by her Auntie and Uncle. They celebrated the somber day together in each other's arms.
As the New Year came around the corner, Sasha's hopes, dreams and ambitions rose higher once more. The New Year promised a new beginning. She knew she was blessed to have not just one but two families in her life time who cared for and loved her. They would be with her till the bitter end.
At the party, surrounded by friends and family in their little home, the crowd was cheering to the arrival of new year' and the promise it could hold. That was when they had struck. As bullets of hellflame scorched the earth's surface, the atomic bomb's radioctive storms wrenched that once promised future from humanity. This is when the last flicker of hope died out in the cold embrace of fire, death and brimstone.