Lost

Eden was with me when it happened, by the abandoned railroad station where Eden’s uncle lived. The alarms sounded first but were soon dwarfed by explosions far off. The ground rattled. I ran back home, saying goodbye to Eden. Rounding the street corner, I saw the bomb. A tiny missile, like a toy submarine, exploded, knocking me back several meters. One second, my parents were there, calling my name. The next? Well I can’t eat eggs or bacon anymore.

I haven’t seen Eden since. Maybe she got out alive, maybe not, but the next thing I knew, I was in a make shift hospital in one of the underground bunkers. The underage doctor said I was fine. After that, my older brother came to find me. He looked mad at first, but quickly changed his demeanor as people gathered around him. It took me a few weeks to understand why.

I’ve seen plenty of movies where a young man or woman takes care of their siblings, touching stuff. But then, war heroes never make good parents; even fake ones. Nathan’s idea of taking care of me was leaving me in his on-base apartment while he was on duty. Not just during the day, but during military operations he went on for months at a time…

But still, it was there, on that base, that I met Sarah. It was there we started dating. It was there that she convinced me to join the army. I guess it was there I became a man.

I could look back try to see all the good that came from tragedy. Out of night comes dawn. Why is Nathan dead too then? Why won’t Sarah return my calls? And why, god, of all things, does my every dream consist of finding a lost Eden?