Day One

Although I've been here only for a day, it seems like I've been here forever. Right now, I'm in a revolutionary troop led by Captain Mendoza. I still can't believe that I'm a part of a war, a revolution. It was supposed to be another ordinary day. Gathering and selling more bananas for the never satisfied mouths of my family and chat with friends randomly. That's what I thought it would be like today until I heard a rumbling noise of trucks arriving at our village. It was the rebels although they were not here today for more food and supplies. Instead, they recruited us, Ignacio, Lolo, and I. We were taken to their fortress, which was heavily guarded, where we noticed how many young kids like us were working there: Each one of them holding guns with blank facial expressions. My friends and I could instantly feel the weird and tense atmosphere surrounding the whole area that was totally different from our plain village. Just yesterday, all I knew was how to wrap some bananas. In a few days, I'll be learning to kill people, become a soldier. I'll be fighting for the rebels, and all I'll be useful for would be shooting at the enemies. If I die in the middle of the fight, I'll be left to rot. Nobody would be sympathetic enough to just pray a few words for me. But what's far scarier is that I would become that person: Someone who just abandons injured people behind, busy trying to save himself rather than to help the people who need my help. Kids here, like Esteban and Juan, are actually willing to fight for the rebels and win the war. They thought that this war, the forty third one, could bring peace and freedom to everyone if we won. I'd be happy to fight this war if it was that easy.

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