It was a normal day with beautiful, colourful birds flying and chirping in the sky; children gleefully playing outside. The people were busy doing their chores. As I was looking out at all this from my balcony, suddenly sky turned dark grey and lightning stroked the sky.

Everything started to change. Birds flew back to their nests and the wind started howling amid thunder and rain. The evening, which was so beautiful, turned into a horrifying one.

The rain started getting intense. Even though the sudden change in the weather made everyone worried, many of them, including me and my family, got excited and enjoyed the rain in the best possible way. I, along with my siblings, started playing in the balcony in the rain. In a little while, mum called us in and gave sizzling hot spicy fried chicken with fries.

I took the plate and came inside the living room, switched on the television to see the news and the current situation of the city. The news shocked us all, we saw various roads and colonies being submerged in rainwater and people were crying out for help. The rain didn’t seem to stop, instead it intensified. The mood of the news also changed from pleasant to distressed.

We were all feeling bad, we wanted the rain to stop so that people who were stuck in the rainwater on the roads could go back to their homes, and the people in submerged areas could be rescued soon.

With depressed feelings, I settled down on sofa and heard the breaking news, “Water level in Terbella and Mangla dams have crossed the danger mark!”

Meanwhile, my father came in the lounge, holding his mobile phone and showing us a terrible video of the city facing urban flooding. As we kids were only making our parents more worried, they asked us to go to our room and take a nap. With heavy hearts, we walked to our rooms and laid down. I soon fell asleep.

After a short nap, I woke up and as I put my feet on the floor, I felt water. I looked down and saw that the floor of my room was submerged. I saw water coming from the living room inside my room in small waves. I saw a lot of things floating, including my slippers, in it. I shouted for mum and dad, but there was no response. I rushed towards the sitting room to see what was happening, there was no one in the house, only knee-deep water. This made me cry, I didn’t know what to do now. I helplessly shouted for mum and dad.

I rushed towards the stairs to go out, but the stairs were all under water. It was a sight of terror, never in my life had I feared the rain so much like I did that day. I wanted to cry and shout loudly, for the situation was getting out of hands. I was very anxious about the whereabouts of my parents, so I mustered up all the courage and got into the water. I went to the street and look around for mum and dad. The rain was so intense that I could hardly see. I wanted to cry, I walked back towards the house when suddenly a hand shook me.

It was my mum asking me to get up and have dinner. My heart was beating fast, I was sweating profusely on my bed. Yes, it was a dream, a bad dream.

I was relieved to find myself in the comfort of my bed. I went to the bathroom to wash my face. The dream made me realise the blessings I have and the sufferings of the poor people. I realised how difficult it is for the poor to survive in their shabby huts in bad weather and seasons. I thanked God for whatever I have, and decided to provide the necessities of life to the needy whenever I got the chance.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 23rd, 2021