Blackout

A loud explosion woke Zahra up, she had been deeply asleep and it took her some time to remember she was safe and away from the war that was ravaging her country. She sat up on her new bed with linens that smelled of lavender and sunshine. Her hand automatically seeked the switch on the wall, but the light didn't turn on. She opened the top drawer of her night drawer and felt around until her fingers stumbled with the flashlight she always kept there. War teaches a girl things, Zahra thought. Barefooted, she walked to the kitchen and checked the distribution pannel, everything was in the right place. She looked out of the window and saw that all the lights were out. She smiled, blackouts happened even in peaceful countries. It was comforting to be in the darkness and not afraid of bombs. 

The cold hit her on the face. She pulled the scarf up her nose and put her gloves on. Zahra looked up the sky and saw thousands of stars. There was no light from the moon, yet the city streets were not pitch-black but a dark grey. Some candles flickered from behind closed windows on her way down to the beach. The sea was waiting for her, its waters lapping on the sand, its waters black as coal, yet shining with the light of the newfound stars. She sat on a bench and looked at that sea that also washed on her country's shores. The sea that had swallowed all her family. The sea that had taken so much away from her, but she could not find the strength to hate.