1 You are worthless without power

"I'm sorry, Mr. Richards, but we are not going to move out from this land. Our forefathers have been living in these lands for generations. Please understand that our family is living and surviving here. My children are still young," my mother said.

My mother wasn't even finished explaining when Mr. Richards said. "Dorothy, I don't want to hear any reasons or excuses. As you can see here, we are holding the title of the land. You don't have any right to stay in the premises. I'm giving you one week's time to vacate the premises or else. Stop making things difficult or you will face the consequences."

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This was the conversation I heard coming home from school. We have this piece of land at the outskirts of the city. Our lives might be simple but we were content. It has always been peaceful. However, everything changed 2 months ago. A guy name Mr. Richards appeared with a title of the land that we have been living in. We inherited this land from my great-grandparents. The neighbors were the same, but these people from rich backgrounds are now saying that they own the land. The sudden boom in the economy made the progress of the city reach an all-time high. The outskirts of the city have now become viable land for expansion. The lands we are holding right now has always been used for farming. A couple of our neighbors have already moved from their houses due to the fear from the big time corporations that are trying to swallow every piece of land they can get to. I even heard that some were beaten up and were forced through underhanded means.

My neighbor, Arthur, was even taken by the police because of assault. The people from the large corporations threatened his small store by ruining his shop's supplies. They destroyed everything. In the process of stopping those people, his wife, trying her best to stop those fiends, got hurt. Arthur then pushed them aside trying to get to his pregnant wife but the man acted like he got hurt in the process. The police ignored the side of the masses and just took away Arthur to the police station. One week after, he was released all black and blue. He left with his family right then and there and decided to move far away. His face was full of regret and indignation. All that hard work was gone in the blink of an eye.

This was just one event from the many families living here. The people didn't have titles to the land they were living in. Who were they to blame? Were they to blame their forefathers for not getting the rights to the titles? Was it our parents who never thought of what would happen in the future? Or was it the big corporations and rich people trying to get hold of our lands? Was it my bastard of a father who bailed out from my mother when things were getting tough? I have no idea who to blame for what's happening.

A week passed by. The deadline was getting nearer. I can hear my mother's sobs at night. The electricity has been cut off for a couple days now. At this hour of the night, the only sound I can hear was the soft sobbing sounds of my mother. It was then that a large commotion was heard from outside. The sky, shrouded in darkness, was now filled with the hue of orange and red. Smoke was suddenly building up from everywhere. Most of the houses here were made of wood and light materials so the fire was spreading really quickly.

I ran to my mother and sister who were still inside their room. I took my five-year-old sister and held my mother's hand pulling her away from our burning house. As we were trying to get down the stairs my mother slipped and fell.

"Mother, are you alright? Please stand up. We need to get out of here real quick."

"Son, I can't move. I twisted my ankle. Take away Janet and I'll follow after. See if there are neighbors who can help," my mother said.

"No, mother. Just lean on me. I'll carry you out too. We aren't too far away from the door."

Smoke was all around us. The heat was making my body sweat out like a waterfall. The air was suffocating. My little sister was crying in fear. She kept calling my mother's name. I don't know if she understands what's happening but it seems that she knows mother is suffering.

God, what is this?

Why is this happening?

I felt so weak and small not being able to protect my family from this suffering.

"Son, take away your sister, remember to always take care of each other. Be strong and support each other. I'm only a burden to you now if you keep this up. I love you both so much."

Tears were pouring down my mother's face as she said those ominous words. I tried to follow my mother's words. I tried to stand up and let go of my mother's hand but I just couldn't do it. It was then that a pillar fell over. Still holding my little sister in my arms, I felt a weight as if the sky crashed down upon me. Intense heat emanated through my back.

It hurts.

It's pain I've never felt before.

The heat that surrounded me was scary.

Did I faint from the shock? My first action was to look around me searching for my family. That's when my vision caught my mother's silhouette.

I was scared.

I was afraid because deep down inside I might have an inkling of what might have happened.

It was then that I saw my mother's still crying face in front of me was now quiet.

My sister, who I'm still holding in my arms, is as still and quiet as an angel.

Rage, grief, and indignation. All these feelings inside of me were hard to explain. My mind was not able to fully comprehend everything that happened. It felt like my heart was being ripped to pieces. The physical pain disappeared and what was left was a void and emptiness in my heart.

I shouted at the top of my lungs.

No words came out. I only wanted to let everything out.

Why? Why? Why?

This was all I could think of…

Without power you are worthless, everything you hold dear can easily disappear in a blink of an eye. Happiness is just a fleeting moment that you will not be able to grasp if you do not have the ability to hold onto it.

As these thoughts crossed my mind, my body felt so heavy and I was starting to get enveloped in darkness. I closed my eyes as if I have accepted the lost and suffering or maybe I just gave up on life entirely.