Member-only story
The blue bird
This short story was written by Rayhana Bayani, translated to English by Rustam Seerat
When Hosna Jan slightly raised her head and opened her eyelids, her eyes began to burn as they were filled with dust. She lowered her head and blinked a few times. Then she opened her eyes again. She saw nothing, only darkness. The smell of dust filled her nasal cavity. She felt intense pain. Her entire body ached. She heard vague sounds in the distance. She tried to move her hands and legs but couldn’t. She had fallen face first on the ground, and her frail body was buried under the weight of the debris. She screamed in agony, then lifted her head to scream louder, but her mouth filled with dust. She coughed and spat out the dirt from her mouth. She could feel a large, heavy mass of stone, brick, and earth pressing against her body. It felt like all her bones were broken and her entire body was covered in wounds. The pain was excruciating. She remembered hearing screams and cries as she ran toward the door of the room when the ceiling collapsed on her. How much time had passed since that moment? How long had she been unconscious? She didn’t know.
She coughed again. She thought, “I can’t even scream!” A lump formed in her throat, and her eyes filled with tears, which washed her eyes and relieved some of the burning sensation.
The faint, indistinct sound of male voices reached her, along with that of bricks, stones, and wood being shifted from her general area. She also heard the more distant sounds of wailing from women, men, and children. She took a deep breath and stopped crying, thinking, “Maybe they will rescue me.” Her heart warmed slightly at the thought. She knew that if she wanted to stay alive, she had to shout so they could hear and pull her out from under the rubble. She cleared her throat, keeping her head low to prevent it from refilling with dust. She shouted several times, using all her strength, then listened intently but the voices remained weak. No one moved closer.
***
“Where are my parents? Where are my brothers? Have they also been buried under the rubble?” she wondered. Her heart ached with grief. Suddenly, she remembered that her maternal uncle and his wife were supposed to arrive with Salim from Herat. They were bringing an…
