FOR WHOM THE BELLS TOLL

Everyone sat silently as the child, laying on her mother's lap, began discribing her dream. She said it came to her in bits and pieces.

It was a day just like her birthday. The troop was at the waterfall. Having spent the entire morning picking flowers and berries in the forest they had finally gathered to bath. The boys as usual were in the water first whereas the girls sat by the edge. Saba noticed that Sana was restless and kept looking back for some reason. Something was bothering her. So she strolled leisurely to her and asked, "Che. What's wrong?"

"Nothing!!" said the butterfly as she fluttered away, avoiding contact. But Saba knew something was fishy. So she kept an eye on the butterfly.

When the sun had crossed two-thirds the sky, the troop decided to head back home. It was a day spent well, not a care in the world. Suddenly, Sana remebered she had not seen her sister for quite sometime, too busy being lost in all the fun and frolic. "Sana!!" she thought.

Everyone was interrupted buy a sudden noise that startled everyone. Like all ears in the room had suddenly changed direction. Three bells. WAR!! Suddenly everything was interrupted as if a herd of calm dear had suddenly sensed the presence of a hunter. There was a mixture of panic and fear on everyones face. The men hurried towards the city gates in a frantic pace. The women of the houses gathered their belongings outside as if in a hurry to leave. Within minutes a ghastly desolation fell upon the otherwise busy streets.

Sana's mother got anxious and impatient waiting for her husband to return. He had gone out with the other men and had not returned. The sun was already up in the sky and it had been long since he had left. Fearing the worst, she was almost in tears. Her daughters came to

"The capital is on high aleart. Enemy forces has gathered at the fortress wall. So far no one has attacked, but the Emperor has deployed the army." Silence fell in the room.

"Everyone has been asked not to leave their houses. Some are saying it's the biggest army they have ever seen." Father said under a heavy breath. The girls had never seen him so worried. Night fell soon thereafter.

The faint glimmer of the cooking stove is what she was paying her fullattention to. Like moths to a candle, lost in a trance of burning desires. Her father noticed this and called upon her, "What happened, sana??" "Nothing!!" she replied. Her father rose from where he was seated and moved closer to the child. Placing his hands softly on her head gently stroking her hair he started singing. An old song, from the days of his childhood. The house was slowly warmed up by his voice, soft but steady. Infusing hope into everyone's heart the song made its way out into the courtyard and a few steps onto the street. As if trying to break the stillness that had settled in. The crickets got their stage back once the children had fallen asleep.

Around midnight everyone's sleep was interrupted by the sounds of chaos at a distance. The faint screaming of people made the air of the dimly lit room ever more uncomfortable. Sana's parents asked the children to stay inside while they themselves went out to check. The girls held each other for comfort.

The night sky was glowing ember towards the east. "That is where the granaries were. And the gunpowder." he exclaimed. He ran out into the streets trying to find out what had happened, speaking to others who were headed in that direction. Sana's father could sense something terrible. He asked his wife to stay home with the kids. The bells began to ring again, this time without stopping at three.

The enemy forces had sent a secret team that had entered into the city after nightfall and set fire to the granaries and gunpowder stores. The guards and civilians were trying their best to contain the fire, and salvage whatever they could. Burned rice and wet gunpowder were of no use to anyone.