The first thing I remember was me being on the ground. I wasn't tired but that was where I was, I don't know how. One minute I was kicking the ball then this. I could hear the bang in my ears, they hurt like fire.

The grey old lady from down the street, Mrs Smith I think, she pulled me up and kept telling me to get away ' that I shouldn't look. She kept tugging on me, trying to pull me through the people who were rushing out of their houses with white clown faces. Annoying cow she was. My mummy would not like me saying that, but I just thought it. I've learnt that that is the way to shout at adults, you do it in your head.

Mrs Smith kept hold of my hand but I just wanted to see what had been done. I had seen a big dark cloud in our street and that had stopped me seeing the houses further up, almost stopped my chest. The cloud didn't smell right, not like the cloud from Grandad's pipe, I liked that smell a lot.

Mrs Smith pulled me into her super clean house. It was like ours. Mummy said that women had to keep them like that "for when the men get back".

I remember Mrs Smith was shaking as she stopped me getting away and she kept calling me a poor dear, again and again. It was strange because adults never usually acted like that to me. Usually I was being hit for being a pain.

I remember I wanted to go outside again so I stopped trying to get away. When Mrs Smith let go and moved away I ran as fast as I could. That felt good, I had fooled her I think. She was strong but couldn't move fast so once I was running out of that shiny hallway, through the door into the swaying people in our street, she couldn't catch me. She said something about it "being for my own good", but I didn't listen.

"Goodbye," I shouted.

I ran up the road, ladies everywhere and old men to dodge, which was fun, normally they are inside cleaning like mum did. The cloud I didn't like much, it seemed even darker than before, more smelly, I felt a bit sick.

As I moved into the cloud I remember seeing a big red car, bigger than other cars, a lorry I think. It was near my house. There was a hole and lots of burning wood where my house and the house either side had been. That didn't seem right. People, I had seen mum talking to before, were shouting and crying and other people, who I didn't know, were pulling bits of wood and pouring water everywhere.

Mrs Ballard, who I didn't know then, picked me up and ran back down the street.

I stayed with her afterwards. She said that "the Germans have taken your mum". I still don't know why they stole her and the house but I miss her. She said that "my Harold and your Daddy will teach them a lesson because of it", I don't know what though. I'd rather just see mummy and daddy again.

© Stephen McCoull 2007

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