Ivanova Dariia, 16 years old

Winner of the 2024 essay contest, 3st place

Lyceum № 49 of the city of Odessa

Teacher who inspired to write an assay - H.V. Matsychko

 

«1000 days of war. My way»

Small, tiny hands powerlessly touched their mother's breast. The warmth and smell of milk gave him the impetus to live. A ray of sunshine and hope was born into the family. The gentle princess was dressed in a pink shirt.

Her mother had prepared in advance. She had a headband with a white flower on it. She was just beautiful, no matter what you say.                 

The house is full of shouting and noise, laughter and joy. Zlatka is growing up to her parents' delight. A smile never leaves her pink cheeks. There are dolls, bears, balls and colourful books in the room. The white crib is covered with a golden cape.

On the wall are photos from the maternity ward: a mother with a huge bouquet of roses, the happiest father in the world, and a little snub-nosed nose lost somewhere in the diapers.

...It was a damned, black, terrible night. Everything was cracking, burning, crumbling. Smoke mixed with blood. The heavy stove did not let me breathe. I had no strength to call for help. It was the last embrace of a mother and daughter. The acrid smell lodged in my throat and made me dizzy.

The girl was still breathing. It was a matter of seconds... A white angel with a shining head rose high into the sky in her mother's arms.

My house is opposite. Lots of fire trucks, ambulances. Desperate screams of people. Someone was crying loudly, someone was sitting on the ground barefoot. A black bear was lying on the ground. Last night it was still white. My sister was six months old. She was sleeping soundly in her crib. It was too late to run anywhere. It didn't matter whether the alarm was over or not.

From my window, I saw everything collapsing, cracking and falling down. My mum was running from house to house and crying loudly. I had no tears. My heart froze in anticipation: what about Zlata?

My mother was standing by the collapsed stoves from midnight to noon, waiting. She believed that she would feed Zlata with breast milk, she had enough for both of them.

In the evening, they found the body of an angel smiling from the clouds and her mother clutching her baby close to her chest.

Who gave you the right to kill? I believe that life is given by the Lord God, and only He can take it away.

The house is being restored. From the ninth to the second floor, you can see a bricked door to another room. People survived there, and it was one apartment and one family.

I witnessed this horror. My sister is smiling at me. But Zlatka was supposed to play on our playground with my sister.