Letters from a Survivor: Parents

I remember his frozen face - the look my father gave me as he sank into the earth. It comes to me in dreams, even now - the look of pure terror as the ground opened up beneath him and he was sucked inside. Never to be seen again.

My mother snatched me up and she ran with me. Whether she was running to save me, or herself or simply away from the pain of losing my father, I'll never know. After witnessing such a dreadful thing, it's no wonder my memory of the rest of that day is in pieces.

We sought shelter in a cave with a handful of neighbours. After a couple days, short on sleep and running low on food, my mother joined a small group to help forage for supplies.

Little did I know that was the last time I'd see her as well...