When it happened it happened so swiftly there wasn’t much time to think about it.

It was our first decent Sunday afternoon, no rain, the sun shining, disturbed only by the rumble of the approaching warplane.

It cruised above us before circling and then all hell broke loose.

Sitting in the middle of the paddock behind our house there was no protection. The world around us exploded in fire. I grabbed my brother and flung him down a tiny dip in the field and threw myself over him.

The noise was beyond deafening; dirt, rocks and dust rained down on us, I could do no more than hold my breath and hope it would go away.

Eventually, the noise stopped. The air was thick, my ears were ringing, there could have been sound but I never heard it.

My brother crawled out from under me and said in my ear: “That was close.”

Written for: https://crispinakemp.com/2022/01/26/crimsons-creative-challenge-168/