White Light\Black Rain: The Destruction Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki Page #2

a ball of fire.

Everyone calls it

a mushroom cloud.

But it wasn't a cloud.

lt was a pillar of fire.

A huge pillar of fire.

l woke up

and looked around.

l saw an incredible sight.

People with their

eyes hanging out.

People who were

completely burned.

Their skin was shredded

and hanging off

their bodies.

''Please help me,

please help me!''

they cried out.

People with no arms,

no legs,

their intestines

spilling out,

brains spilling out

of their crushed skulls.

And near ground zero,

there were black,

carbonized bodies

burned beyond

recognition.

People in

unimaginable states.

So many dead.

One woman was

carrying a baby.

The baby

had no head.

l was so scared

The woman said,

''Give me water!''

l felt paralyzed.

What could l do?

l was 10 years old.

l had to take care

of my sister.

So l left the woman

and went to

help my sister.

At our orphanage,

there were a lot

of little babies

Most of them

died instantly,

crushed when

the building collapsed.

Although some were

alive for awhile,

they did not survive.

My sister

had passed out.

l tapped on her head

and yelled at her

until she came to.

She started crying

for our mother.

Mommy, help us!

Mommy, help us!

We huddled together,

calling ''Mommy!''

We cried for help,

but no one came.

From under the rubble,

my father cried for help.

My sister was already dead.

She was crushed to death

when the house collapsed.

My little brother

was trapped

under the house.

Flames swallowed

our house.

My little brother

was screaming,

''Mother! lt's hot!

lt's so hot!''

You could hear him

as he died.

My mother told my brother,

''l will die with you.''

Luckily,

a neighbor came by

and pulled her away.

He said, ''Please,

Mrs. Nakazawa,

you can't die with them!''

We walked out

onto the playground

lt was a sea of fire.

All Hiroshima was burning.

There was no escape,

except to the river.

The flames were

jumping at us

so l put my head

underwater.

The river was full

of dead bodies.

We stayed there

and watched

the city burn.

When the hysteria

died down,

l realized my skin

was dangling

off my arm

and the clothes on

my back were gone.

l said, ''l'm burned''

With all my might

l tried to get up,

but l couldn't stand,

much less walk.

Someone carried me

on his back

and laid me down

under a tree.

All around me,

people were dying.

They told us their names.

and asked us to

contact their families.

Then they asked

for water

and they died.

The children were crying.

Even though their

parents were dead,

they still cried

for their mothers

''Mama,

please give me water!''

Then they'd fall over

and suddenly

they were silent.

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