CHAPTER 3

The following week the family was sleeping peacefully after what had been a very long day. Sammy had spent most of the afternoon waiting to buy cooking fuel while Nada and her mother visited the few shops still open to make provisions of food. Life had changed so much for the family, but the love they shared had never been stronger. Everything was quiet, and the old house was also resting when, suddenly, they were all awakened by the sound of a big explosion and vibrations so strong that the house started shaking. As old as she was and even with a thousand years of memories, the old house had never experienced anything like this. Leitifa started crying very loudly while Sammy and Nada ran out of their room, terrified. 

What is going on? Asked Sammy. It must be an airstrike, said the mother, holding her children in her arms. Sammy took a deep breath. His heart was beating faster than anything he could remember. Nada was shaking, her eyes full of tears. She had heard of airstrikes in other parts of the country, but she never thought that it could happen to them. She wanted to talk, but no sound was coming out of her throat. She wanted to move, but it was like if her entire body was frozen. Like her arms and legs no longer followed her commands. Even if she could have talked, she felt as if no word could describe how she felt. She had been scared before but this, this was beyond anything she experienced. Like everything inside of her was on high alert. Like the blood in her veins and the air in her lungs were boiling inside of her. What was going on? Was she going crazy? Leitifa's cries were resonating louder and louder as she moved nervously in her mothers' arms. 

It's ok children, said the mother, no one is hurt. We are all together, and everything is going to be fine. Let's sit down and stay here together for the night. The mother took a few deep breaths, very slowly and Leitifa started to calm down. She looked at her three children lovingly. It's ok to be scared, but you can relax now. She pulled Nada towards her very gently and gave her a kiss. Sing with me, she said tenderly. It will help you feel better. The mother started a lullaby. At first, her voice was a little shaky, but as she relaxed, it became smoother, and she felt better and better as she sang. Nada could barely move her lips, but as she closed her eyes and focussed on the soothing sound of her mother's voice, she felt peace coming back inside of her slowly. Sammy joined the signing and Nada stopped shaking. Her mother was right, she thought. They were all alive, and they were together. She started signing as well, very softly and as she did, she felt something lift in her stomach. She began to relax more and more and little by little good feelings such as love, tenderness, and calm, replaced the bad ones inside of her. It was early morning when the family managed to fall back asleep, and as they did, the old house whispered them the following story.

The little leopard that was afraid to disappear

Once upon a time, there was a little leopard who lived happily with his mother and older brother in a small mountain cave. The little leopard loved to lie on the branch of a tree just in front of the cave while looking at his brother chasing birds and mice and sometimes lizards. Once in a while, the brothers would follow their mother further away from the cave to track a gazelle or a goat. On those trips, he could often hear loud, sharp noises like if someone was hitting something very hard with a stone but much louder. BANG! BANG! Whenever they heard such noise, they were told to hide quietly and wait. Then, his mother would be on high alert, looking everywhere but extremely silent. He admired the way his mother could remain completely still in the face of danger. It was very hard for him not to move. He always felt like he needed to move something, a paw, his tail, anything. The little leopard did not like those moments. He had seen a gazelle fall dead after hearing such a noise and his brother had told him that the same had happened to a leopard he knew some years ago. Apparently, when his family went looking for him, his body had disappeared. The little leopard was very scared. He did not tell anyone because leopards are supposed to be very brave but whenever he heard the noise BANG! BANG! He felt shivers down his spine and started trembling so much that the spots on his fur could almost fall. Well, at least, that's how he felt inside because the spots on his back were still all there but his heart was beating so hard and so fast that he sometimes wondered if it would break. Can a heart break when you are too scared?

One day the mother asked him to observe while she and the brother approached the Gazelle. Just as his brother was getting really close, he heard the loud noise again, BANG! Run! Shouted the mother. But the brother was so surprised he did not move. BANG! The little leopard observing the scene was so scared that he started peeing, right there where he stood. Was his brother going to die? Run! The mother screamed with a high pitch voice that the little leopard had never heard before. BANG! The Gazelle felt dead so close to the brother that the two shadows merged on the ground. He ran away as fast as he could to meet his mother. On the way back home, everyone was quiet. After a while, the mother broke the silence. My dear son, she said, today I thought I would lose you. The brother felt ashamed for not running when his mother told him to and was expecting her to lecture him about it, but the mother said nothing more and lovingly licked her son's head.

The next day our little leopard was playing with his friends near the cave where he lived. Suddenly he heard a noise in the distance and then another one, BANG! Closer this time, and just as he had done the last time, he started shivering and peed, right there, in front of all his friends. All the other leopards started laughing at him. HAHAHA you are scared they giggled, the hunters are far from here. Do you think that bullets can pass through stones? The little leopard was really ashamed. He was not a baby, why did he pee in front of his friends like this? You are such a coward! One of the leopards said. You are not a leopard; you are a mouse! They teased him. You are a mouse! You are a mouse! The little leopard left and returned to the cave where his mother and brother were resting. He felt sad, angry and confused at the same time. The emotions inside him were like a thousand butterflies flapping in his chest; he felt horrible. What if they were right, he thought? I am scared, does that make me a coward? He knew that the hunters were far. As he walked into the cave, his brother asked him what was wrong. NOTHING you coward! He shouted. The brother jumped on his feet extremely fast ready to reply, but the mother stopped him calmly and walked towards her younger son. She led him to a remote place of the cave where they could talk freely. The little leopard told his mother what had happened.

No, my son, you are not coward, and your friends should not have teased you this way. You see, fear makes our body behave in different ways. Fear is a good thing because it is there to protect us from harm. It is fear that makes us run away from danger or be careful when we approach dangerous areas. Mothers too are afraid you know. Really? The little leopard asked? Even you? Of course, do you think I am a coward? Oh no! said the little leopard. You are the bravest mother leopard of all! You see, said the mother calmly, I know the dangers out there, and I am always afraid that one day I will lose one of you. This is why I teach you when to stay still and when to run. But you see, my son, I respect my fear, and I don't let it control me.

The little leopard looked at his mother intensely. She smiled back the way only leopards can smile. Mom, he whispered. Why do animals disappear? What happens when we die? You are afraid to disappear aren't you? The mother asked lovingly. The little leopard nodded softly. This is a big question; the mother replied, and no one knows for sure, but you see some animals need to die for others to eat, some animals die because they are old and tired or have an accident and their bodies then feed the earth so the grass can grow and life continues. But some lives are also taken unfairly by people who do not respect it, and this is against nature. You should never be afraid of the noise because the noise is only a message to be careful and not even of the guns for they do not have a will of their own. What you should be afraid of are the people who do not respect life. Now no-one can know, not even the wisest one, when and how our lives will end and it is for this reason that we must make the most of each day, live each moment and appreciate every little thing that makes us happy because life is a gift that should not be taken for granted. If you are kind with others and do your best in everything you do, you will make a difference no matter how long your life is, and this, my son, is the only thing that matters.

The little leopard hugged his mom and ran to his brother to apologise. All the butterflies inside of him had gone. He was no longer angry at his friends. The little leopard lived a very long life and had many little leopards of his own. He got scared many times in his life, but he never peed unwillingly again.