2. The Aftermath

I live in a place relatively safer from earthquake compared to most of the affected areas in the country. I am thankful for it and I am also thankful that everyone I know are safe and are dealing with the whole situation so positively.

Even after all that has happened in this past 28 days, I had never really hated earthquake. Sure, earthquake has made me angry and irritated but I didn't hate it. I accepted it as the nature's way of doing things where all we can do is remain safe and help each other.

In these past few days I have been around many strangers. The people who live in my neighborhood. The ones I never had the opportunity to meet or know about until now. I would like to blame myself for not being social. 

One morning, after the 6.8/7.4 Richter scale aftershock, at around 4:00 in the morning, I heard a voice of a little girl, around seven of age whose name I had yet to learn. The innocent voice asked her mother why were the dogs barking and the birds chirping. I lost it then and there. I hated everything that was making the little girl afraid.

There was a lump of emotion building in my chest trying to make its way through my eyes and at that moment all I wanted to do was make everything stop, for the little child who isn't even sure what is happening. I wanted to make the dogs stop from barking, the birds from chirping and the land from shaking.

Like the earthquake that destroyed the houses, the child's question to her mother broke my heart into millions of pieces.

"They are letting us know it's morning." her mother replied.

I had to smile at her mother's response. :)