I want to die, so that others might stay.
At 6, I imagined my older self extricating a hardly conscious woman from her collapsing house during a rescue operation.
Chemicals poured into the night sky, and the flames roared out of the windowsills.
I made another round as my crew began defensive attacks.
I saw the mother's cry of relief as I rushed out of the crackling house, cradling her baby against my chest.
I imagined that I go back in for their two puppies, but the structure finally gave way.
At 12, I imagined my older self accompanied by a few friends in a desert.
We played our usual pick-up soccer match until our squad was ordered to carry out a civilian evacuation in a nearby village that evening.
......
I want to die, so that others might stay.
At 6, I imagined my older self extricating a hardly conscious woman from her collapsing house during a rescue operation.
Chemicals poured into the night sky, and the flames roared out of the windowsills.
I made another round as my crew began defensive attacks.
I saw the mother's cry of relief as I rushed out of the crackling house, cradling her baby against my chest.
I imagined that I go back in for their two puppies, but the structure finally gave way.
At 12, I imagined my older self accompanied by a few friends in a desert.
We played our usual pick-up soccer match until our squad was ordered to carry out a civilian evacuation in a nearby village that evening.
......