Orphaned
1145 Words
“Yes, Mom. I’ll remember that,” Yumn replied.
“What’s in that package, Yumn?” her mother asked, pointing at another bundle she was carrying.
“I’m not sure. The volunteers gave it to me earlier. Let me open it first.”
The package was wrapped tightly in black plastic. Yumn carefully tore it open and found women’s undergarments inside.
“Alhamdulillah, Yumn. Those are for you. Keep them and use them when you need them,” her mother said.
---
Life in the neighborhoods near the Gaza border had become increasingly dangerous. Military patrols constantly moved through residential areas, and heavy military vehicles appeared almost every day.
It seemed that Hamas was being pushed back. If things continued like this, the situation would only grow worse.
A few days later, Yumn left home alone. Wearing a modest abaya and a face veil, she headed toward a volunteer aid station to collect food.
As she walked, two soldiers in brown camouflage uniforms approached from the opposite direction, rifles hanging at their sides. One of them spoke to her in Arabic.
“There’s aid waiting for you at our station,” he said. “A smartphone.”
Yumn’s eyes widened. " a smartphone? Maybe I can finally learn more about Indonesia," she thought excitedly.
“Come with us,” the soldier said.
Trusting his words, Yumn followed them. She walked behind the two men for nearly five hundred meters.
“Excuse me, sir,” she said after a while. “Isn’t the aid station in the other direction?”
“This is a new one,” one of them replied. “Just keep following us.”
Eventually, they arrived at a large box truck equipped with what looked like a radar antenna on top.
The soldiers led her to the rear of the truck. One of them knocked on the back door before opening it.
“Go inside. Your aid package is waiting for you.”
Yumn glanced inside and saw three more soldiers.
“Sorry, sir. I’ll stay out here,” she said nervously.
Before she could step away, one of the men inside grabbed her arm and pulled her into the truck.
The doors slammed shut behind her.
The brightly lit interior was cool from the air conditioning. The soldiers laughed among themselves.
Only then did Yumn realize the truth.
She had been tricked.
Fear flooded her chest.
The men surrounded her, mocking and threatening her. One of them spoke Arabic while the others spoke a language she could not understand.
Yumn screamed for help.
The soldiers restrained her, covering her mouth and pulling at her clothing and hijab. A sharp slap struck her face, leaving her stunned.
“Be quiet,” one of them sneered.
“ALLAH WILL CURSE YOU!” Yumn shouted through tears.
Despite her fear, she continued resisting with all her strength.
Suddenly—
**BOOM!**
A massive explosion erupted beside the truck.
The entire vehicle shook violently.
The soldiers immediately released her. Panic spread through the truck as they rushed to open the doors and prepare for combat.
Gunfire erupted outside.
Weak and trembling, Yumn grabbed her fallen hijab.
She stumbled out of the truck, barely able to stand.
Explosions echoed in the distance.
Then everything went dark.
She collapsed unconscious.
---
A cold sensation brushed against her cheek.
When Yumn opened her eyes, she found herself lying inside a medical tent. A volunteer was gently pressing a cloth-wrapped piece of ice against her injured lip.
“Alhamdulillah. You survived,” he said softly.
Yumn recognized him as one of the volunteers she often spoke with about Indonesia.
To her surprise, tears streamed down his face.
“Sir, why are you crying?” Yumn asked weakly. “I’m fine.”
But the man continued crying.
“You’re a grown man,” she said quietly. “Why are you still crying? I’m safe now.”
The volunteer wiped his eyes and handed her a bottle of water. Then he sat alone nearby and silently continued weeping.
Though still weak, Yumn slowly got to her feet.
“I want to go home,” she said.
“You should rest first,” the volunteer replied.
“No. I want to go home now.”
Reluctantly, he let her leave.
Because the main roads were still chaotic, Yumn took a narrow alleyway. As she walked, she occasionally noticed the volunteer following from a distance, wiping tears from his eyes.
When she finally reached her street, she stopped.
Her throat tightened.
She could barely breathe.
The house was gone.
Nothing remained except shattered concrete and piles of rubble.
Yumn’s knees gave way beneath her.
“Mother...!”
“Zain...!”
Her cries echoed through the ruins as tears poured down her face.
The volunteer rushed forward and caught her before she fell.
“Come back to the camp, Yumn,” he said gently.
“Where is my mother? Where is my brother?” she cried.
The volunteer lowered his head.
“I’ll take you to them.”
---
He led her to the courtyard of a mosque.
Rows of bodies lay there beneath white coverings, separated into groups of men and women.
“There,” the volunteer said quietly. “Your mother and your brother are there.”
Yumn stared in silence.
Her mother lay among the women.
Her younger brother lay among the men.
Both were gone.
According to the volunteers, a rocket had struck their home. The building collapsed, burying them beneath the rubble.
No amount of tears could express the pain she felt.
At first she cried.
Then even the tears stopped.
She simply stood there, numb and empty.
What was she supposed to do now?
That same day, Yumn helped the women volunteers wash the bodies of the deceased.
In the afternoon, a mass funeral was held.
She stood motionless as excavators covered the graves of the martyrs with earth.
There was no home left for her to return to.
A group of four volunteers approached and invited her to stay temporarily at a refugee camp.
Yumn quietly agreed.
She had nowhere else to go.
Her entire family was gone.
---
Yumn moved into the women’s and children’s section of the refugee camp.
The days passed slowly.
She spent most of her time staring into space, waiting for food distributions.
Everything felt empty.
Very empty.
“Yumn, eat something,” said a middle-aged woman who shared the tent with her. “You’re getting thinner every day. If you get sick, you’ll only make things harder for the volunteers who are already doing so much for us.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sorry,” Yumn replied softly.
She picked up a piece of wheat bread and forced herself to eat.
For the first time in her life, Yumn truly understood what it meant to be alone.
She was now an orphan.
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