The Children
Fisherman noticed the children lining the edges of the sea just before sunrise. There was only a single line of them in most places, but were quickly becoming 2-3 bodies deep in some areas as more arrived.
The fishermen had called out with questions as to why they were there, but no child had given a response.
When the first of the fishermen reported to the authorities, rousing the night shift from their final moments of peaceful duty, calls from anxious parents about missing children began almost simultaneously.
Reports from the smaller islands also flooded into the central station all morning, and the reports were the same: there were thousands of missing children, and these were coupled with reports of congregations of children along the shores. A nation-wide mystery was unfolding.
As the number of reports of missing children continued to grow, the number of children lining the banks of the islands grew.
And in spite of close questioning of the parents, no one understood what was happening.
The children were not giving any assistance to the inquiry. Their silence in response to questions was only the soft tune they had hummed in unison even as they were headed toward the beaches. From each child came this unknown tune, and it would have been beautiful except for the eerie mystery of it all.
By noon, it looked like every child of the nation had gathered along the shores of their respective islands, all continuing in the humming harmony of those already there.
A number of children had been detained en route as the police had become aware of the strange events of the morning. Questioning was consistently met with the beautiful sound of their music, however, and a clear desire to be allowed to pass.
Just after noon, the humming stopped. The children, probably anywhere from 4 to 12 years old, sat along the shorelines. Some were on mud banks or sandy beaches, others on the edges of woods or in brush. Even the marinas lined with boats in their slips had the youngsters along the docks.
When they were all silent, the upper bodies of the children began swaying in unison. Once the rhythm had been established, they began a new song, a song of sounds but not words, or at least not words anyone understood.
Adults had begun to infiltrate the line of children by mid-morning, slowly at first as news spread. There were clearly two types of adults, those accepted and those not.
Parents (or so they were assumed to be) appeared to be accepted when a child broke from his or her trance and accepted their embrace. The child returned to the humming of their peers, and the adult joined them. The accepted adults appeared to become one with the children.
Other adults were ignored by the children and relegated to the back row. News reporters and politicians along this back row came to dominate the airwaves. Having gained nothing but a rebuff from the children, they still had plenty to say. Their words on camera revealed nothing that was not obvious to other bystanders.
Explaining what was happening and why requires some understanding, so allow the story to unfold through a series of vignettes, brief views of the people and events.
This must begin with my own story simply because, as Job’s servants each reported from their particular tragic event, “I alone have escaped to tell you.” Indeed, I wished for a long time that I had not escaped, but this also changed.
Next chapter
Fisherman noticed the children lining the edges of the sea just before sunrise. There was only a single line of them in most places, but were quickly becoming 2-3 bodies deep in some areas as more arrived.
The fishermen had called out with questions as to why they were there, but no child had given a response.
When the first of the fishermen reported to the authorities, rousing the night shift from their final moments of peaceful duty, calls from anxious parents about missing children began almost simultaneously.
Reports from the smaller islands also flooded into the central station all morning, and the reports were the same: there were thousands of missing children, and these were coupled with reports of congregations of children along the shores. A nation-wide mystery was unfolding.
As the number of reports of missing children continued to grow, the number of children lining the banks of the islands grew.
And in spite of close questioning of the parents, no one understood what was happening.
The children were not giving any assistance to the inquiry. Their silence in response to questions was only the soft tune they had hummed in unison even as they were headed toward the beaches. From each child came this unknown tune, and it would have been beautiful except for the eerie mystery of it all.
By noon, it looked like every child of the nation had gathered along the shores of their respective islands, all continuing in the humming harmony of those already there.
A number of children had been detained en route as the police had become aware of the strange events of the morning. Questioning was consistently met with the beautiful sound of their music, however, and a clear desire to be allowed to pass.
Just after noon, the humming stopped. The children, probably anywhere from 4 to 12 years old, sat along the shorelines. Some were on mud banks or sandy beaches, others on the edges of woods or in brush. Even the marinas lined with boats in their slips had the youngsters along the docks.
When they were all silent, the upper bodies of the children began swaying in unison. Once the rhythm had been established, they began a new song, a song of sounds but not words, or at least not words anyone understood.
Adults had begun to infiltrate the line of children by mid-morning, slowly at first as news spread. There were clearly two types of adults, those accepted and those not.
Parents (or so they were assumed to be) appeared to be accepted when a child broke from his or her trance and accepted their embrace. The child returned to the humming of their peers, and the adult joined them. The accepted adults appeared to become one with the children.
Other adults were ignored by the children and relegated to the back row. News reporters and politicians along this back row came to dominate the airwaves. Having gained nothing but a rebuff from the children, they still had plenty to say. Their words on camera revealed nothing that was not obvious to other bystanders.
Explaining what was happening and why requires some understanding, so allow the story to unfold through a series of vignettes, brief views of the people and events.
This must begin with my own story simply because, as Job’s servants each reported from their particular tragic event, “I alone have escaped to tell you.” Indeed, I wished for a long time that I had not escaped, but this also changed.
Next chapter
