Something is stuck in his throat, he can’t talk. He barely can breathe. He can’t open his eyes either! It is not humidity though! It feels like a cover of dust, heavy dust. He can’t move. His arms are glued to his sides and he can’t feel his legs. He can’t hear anything but the drumming noises coming from within- his heart beats. He could be dreaming but he is a live. He could be on his back or on his side, but he is not sure.
Suddenly the drumming goes to his brain, which seems to resume its functionality. Images of faces and scenes start flashing in his brain. Now he sees something, although his eyes are shut. It is still bright, the sky is clear and kids in their torn sandals and filthy clothes are playing on the sandy streets. Images are rushing in and out of his brain, yet they are muted. He can’t hear their voices, screaming at each other and calling each other names. Then suddenly, he sees an image of an explosion followed by a big bang. “Boom” and all noises come rushing into his head. The noises conjure a string of images, flashing rapidly in front of his closed eyes. He sees a building collapsing, an impossible scene to imagine if not seen with his own eyes. It just collapsed vertically- as if it was made of sponge.
Other sounds intrude, he can hear a baby’s cry and someone’s moaning, but they aren’t in the picture he is seeing! The sounds go away and he pulls another scene of a sand storm and people totally covered in white running and waving hysterically. He sees his legs moving, running through the narrow road that takes him to his house. He sees the small church on the corner of the road flattened and the debris are stained with patches of blood. He wonders: If there were people killed, where are the bodies? He runs east but the road is blocked by scattered bodies. He can’t look at them. He doesn’t want to!
He hears a baby crying but he can’t see one around. He walks ahead maneuvering around the bodies on the floor, stepping on some. His feet are bleeding. He sees a bright green roof on the side of the road. It’s the same roof of his in-laws but their house cannot be found! Where would they be? His brain starts hurting as he remembers that his wife and newly born baby boy must be in the house waiting for him. He steps on a broken glass, it must be a shattered window but he continues. It is amazing how he doesn’t feel any pain. He sees a car landed on a half destroyed one-floor house. Someone is breathing heavily, but there is no one but him on the road! The scene is stripped off sound again.
He reaches the end of the road and takes the unpaved side-road down hill. His house stands at the bottom of the hill. He built it with his own hands, one bedroom, L shaped kitchen and a small bathroom. It is made for a small family, which he has. He takes the turn right and descends towards his house. But there is no house. He stops and looks around him. No house could be seen, not even rubble! He runs towards the spot on which his house stood one day. What he finds brings back his hearing ability and the first sound he hears is his. He screams out his wife’s and baby’s names. The chaos around him starts dressing up in its true colors and sounds. The sound is too loud for him to distinguish. The earth has split in half, like a big mouth that has opened to swallow everything around it. His house was swallowed by the earth. He stands still and tries to remember what has happened and where could they be?
He suddenly remembers that his child had a sudden fever this morning and they took him to the hospital. When they were in the hospital the earth started shaking feverously. He remembers that he held his wife who was holding their boy tightly. Then everything went blank.
He hears a faint sound whispering his name. It is his wife; she has been there all of this time buried next to him under the hospital’s rubble. He hears her saying that the baby stopped crying. Then she falls silent as well. He feels moistness over his face. He wants to scratch his eyelids so badly but can’t move his arms. He tells him self it is not time to feel, stay numb.
Haiti was hit by a devastating Earthquake. Around 100,000 people were killed and more than 30,000 are left homeless.
Gospel
Day by day, I discover the amplitude of the humanitarian meanings, caging among the folds of the HEART of Dr. Amal Al-Malki ......... I do not want to say, good job because it is more than that, it is really AMAZING Prof............. Innermost enormous humane - consistent with the magnitude catastrophe - cracked with it all the words, until become debilitated to express, or even uttering a word ........ I could not tell at first, when I started reading, if this is only a short sad story or a real case ........ Recitation for a bitter reality, in attractive novelist tactic, cannot any reader with it - whether one of those world affairs news buffs or tragic stories lovers - but goes on to, read until the last words, to find both that, they had reached the same end - The disastrous fact that happened to those miserable people - ..........Wonderful wizard, and an enormous human expression for one of the monumental catastrophe, could not be dealt with, any normal author because the sentiment in such humanitarian issue takes an important aspect.January 16th, 2010 @ 3:11 pm
SAUD
Wish you all the best.January 16th, 2010 @ 5:09 pm
Mohammed Alhamadi
اقف احتراما لما قرآت للتو، و اقف حدادا على ضحايا هاييتي... مشهد محزن وجدت نفسي من خلاله ارى ما يراه الراوي، اسمع ما يسمع، و اسرح فيما يسرح من احلام و وقائع مؤلمه... وجدت نفسي احزن لما فقد، و افرح لما وجد في نهاية مفرحة موجعه لشخص معدوم لن يذكر و يعد رقما من ال ١٠٠٠٠٠ ضحيه.. ليقف الكل حدادا لهاييتي و كل بلد منكوب مسه غضب هذه الارض التي دمرها جشعنا و تكالبنا على مواردها فغيرت من مناخها فعصفت بشواطئها، وهزت كبرى مدنها لا تفرق بين غني وفقير، و بين مبنى رئاسي و كوخ حقير... ليقف الكل حدادا على هذه الارض التي سلبناها ما بها من خيرات ...آآسف لكتابتي بالعربيه و لكنني لم استطع وصف ما شعرت به الا من خلالها... شكرا على هذا المقال و كم اتمنى ان يقرآه الكل ليحس ولو قليلا بمعاناة انسان اخر يشاركه انسانيته على هذه الارضJanuary 16th, 2010 @ 11:31 pm
Lulwa Aburamadan
شعور رائع ياعزيزتي, تذكرتُ معها مأساة مدينتي و شعبي في غزة هاشم, والتي أصبحت منسية، فاحساسكِ المرهف نقلتيه بصورة مؤثرة و مبسطة للقارئ, فقد ترك معه ذلك الأثر العميق على النفس الأنسانيه في حلِّها وترحالها......January 18th, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
Emtethal
((Stay numb))......I am wondering to whom, this appeal directed?.. The poor people who their live been destroyed or the world, particularly the Muslims world .. I will not pay honorarium here to the trajectory that the author constructed her imagination on the appalling situation that might these miserable people live by because I do not think she is waiting for the yields on these agitated emotions, she is feeling toward such a humanity circumstance that obvious to any human since he has awakened conscience among his pleats, pulsing of tenderness and clemency.. Instead, I will lament our Muslim nation situation which, is become mournful since they lost their awakened conscience, everyone galloping to extend its helping aid to these miserable people, while we stand her as a viewer -as usual, have not we been watching our brothers in Palestine killed by Israelis heavy tanks and devastating warplanes while we did not move a step-............... هذا هو حال لسان العرب دوما، ليس على لسانه سوى........................ What a favor. Stay calm, do not worry; I will - stay numb-...................... For Muslim's countries this is the normal case, while the opposite is the odd, nothing has been or will be changed, Silent Mouths, and Tied Hands - as they believe that the matter does not concern them because they are not Muslims, and they have suffered the wrath of God which, they deserve it -, we Muslims no one try to feel the others pain, each believes that his scourge is the greatest... However until when we will remain without a sense of the other's problems????January 20th, 2010 @ 7:01 pm
Lulwa Aburamadan
I think dear Emetithal we have to try to solve our huge problems and do not creat another wars in the Middel East and improve the life of our sisters and brother , so maybe we will have tis sense of the other's PROPLEMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!January 22nd, 2010 @ 6:39 pm
Emtethal
Dear Lulwa//// What you said is true, but who would do all that matters (solving our huge problems, stopping these wars from breaking out and most important improve our sisters and brothers life), if there is no sense of humanity -Far away from the religious matter-.. Moreover, the funniest part in this topic, if they ask us a help we turn our face far away from them, while when we ask them the same help, and they do -like when tsunami calamity occur- we think they did because they want to turn us away from Islam to Christianity...................... تعلمنا نحن العرب ان نعتمد على غيرنا في حل ابسط امور حياتنا اليوميه (الصغرى) فما بالك ياأختي بالعظيمىJanuary 23rd, 2010 @ 2:02 am
Lulwa Aburamadan
I agree with you dear Emtithel, we are living in a very difficult time as a nation, but still we have to look to ourself first and don't wait the others to Guid or to show us the right path we can start with are around us, eour kids and who ncourege them to read alot and give them that dignity in their own culture, their Arabic language and teach them many ways to deal and respect the others!!, i am sorry to say that we haven't that respect for poor people who are suffering all the time.... I am sure if we begin to do simple things, we will make a diffirence one day and our Grandkids will see a good results inshAllah. Also, i am so happy for the State of Qatar Qatar when it has started that significant improvemen in the Education and the Media...........January 23rd, 2010 @ 1:32 pm