The sun was just starting to go down and the sky was a deep orange color when we saw a group of people coming from the east and we all stood up and held our breaths because we didnt know if they were friends or more trouble. My brother stepped forward with his hand on his belt but then he stopped and his whole body went still like he saw a ghost from his old life. One of the men in the distance raised his arm and shouted a name and it was a name I havent heard since the day the bombs started falling and the city turned into a graveyard. It was Omar the best friend my brother ever had and the person we all thought was gone forever in the big fire that took the library and the school. They started running toward each other and when they finally met in the middle of the dust they didnt say anything but just hugged so hard like they were trying to make sure the other person was real and not just a dream from the hunger. We all started crying because seeing them together was like seeing a piece of our broken heart coming back to its place and it gave us a feeling that maybe everything we lost is not gone forever.
They sat by the fire that night and Omar started telling us about his journey and how he survived the dark days by hiding in the old tunnels and moving only when the moon was hidden. He looked so different now with a long beard and many scars on his face but when he laughed I could still see the young boy who used to play football in the streets with us before the world became silent. He brought two other friends with him who were also from our old neighborhood and it was like a small reunion of a world that doesnt exist anymore but we were making it exist right now. We spent hours talking about the people we knew and the places we loved like the small café on the corner and the park where the flowers used to smell so sweet in the summer time. Every time we remembered someone who didnt make it we stayed quiet for a minute and watched the sparks from the fire fly into the black sky but we didnt stay sad for long because we were so happy to be together again.
Omar told us that there are more of our people scattered in the hills and that they are all looking for a place to call home and that they heard about our camp and the new baby we had last night. This made me realize that our small camp is becoming a light for everyone who is lost in the ruins and that we are building more than just tents but we are building a family again. My brother and Omar started planning for the trade route and how they can use the old knowledge to find better ways to grow food and protect the camp from the winter. I sat there with my yellow notebook and I was writing as fast as I could because I wanted to capture every word and every look on their faces because this is the real history of our people and not the dates of the battles. The stars were very bright tonight and for the first time since the war started I felt like I could sleep without having nightmares because I knew that we were not alone anymore and that friendship is a weapon that is stronger than any army in the world. We shared the little food we had and it tasted like a feast because we were eating it with people who knew our past and who were ready to build our future with us. This night was the longest night of our lives but it was the most beautiful because it proved that even after the worst storms the friends who truly love you will always find their way back home.