The sun rays shone right in my eyes. I don't know how I wasn’t blinded, but I tried to keep going. I could see the goal, as I ran with the ball as I heard the encouraging yelps of my teammates. I felt my heart pumping and the soccer ball going from one foot to another as I ran with it. Everything went in slow motion as I kicked and saw the ball fly right past the goalie and into the net.

  “Goal! Goal!” all my friends, even the ones who lost, cheered as they picked me up onto their arms and we jumped with exhilaration.

  “Time for lunch!” my mother said as she poked her head through the window. “Come on, you don’t want it to get cold.”

  “See you guys tomorrow,” I assuringly said as my younger brother skipped behind me.

  Whilst I ran up the old stairs of the decaying apartment, I could smell the familiar smell of my mother’s special soup. She always left the windows and doors of our house open, allowing the delicious scent of her food to fill the apartment and fill all the others in their homes with jealousy as my mom never shared that recipe. I turned to see my younger brother smiling as he jumped up the stairs holding the soccer ball that was half the size of him. 

  As I walked through the door, I was greeted by my father sitting on the sofa. He never allowed anyone else to sit on, smoking his pipe, and my mother wearing her favorite cooking apron pouring our soup into small bowls. As I walked into the living room I petted my dog as he wagged his tiny tail in the back

  “It's a shame we have to keep our dog tied up all the time, they're not dangerous, just look like it.” I thought.

  After washing my hands I found my family sitting and waiting for me so we could say our prayers and dine. 

  While we ate, my mother and father discussed the usuals, politics, and taxes, things that never interested me. As they bickered I dozed off and stared at the sun slowly drift off behind the mountains of Vlore, my ear caught only a few words of what my parents were talking about.

  “Yeah, those folks in Tirana are right. Everyone here acts like nothing is going on,” my father protested “We have to do something, at least us!”

  “We are going to be fine. There is nothing to be suspicious about, we are safe here and the people of Korce are relaxing as they should. There is no danger,” my mother exclaimed.

  Just as my mother picked up her spoon again, a distant, but loud, thunder like sound struck the ground. The whole ground shook as small pieces of the dingy floor fell onto the dining table. No more than a second later another, and another deafening thud hit the ground. I could hear what sounded like bombs, and terrified screaming from outside the apartment. We all looked at each other for reassurance of what to do. Without any sound, we all got up and began to rush for the door. Right as I was about to step out of the door, I turned back to hear my poor dog howling. 

  “Leave him!” my mother yelled, trying to be heard over the screaming and thundering sound,  which seemed to be getting closer by the second.

  “No way!” I tried to push out any words I could through the tears 

  “There is no time. Let's go!”

  I looked back at my whining dogs face and bolted for the door.

  At this point, I knew it was a bombing. Even though I never listened to those boring talks my parents had about the war, I still picked up a little. Today was supposed to be a normal day, March 25, 1939, and now im running as I think about each second being my last. Once I got outside I noticed everyone running into the tiny bunker, trying to fit all the people they could. 

  For a second I seemed frozen, I couldn't move, I had never seen such a sight like this. People running while not realizing they were injuring each other as fire and collapsed buildings surrounded them, and the smoke in the air drowning all of Korce and Italian Army helicopters circled the town. 

  After being frozen for an entire minute, I felt a strong force push me onto the ground. I turned around to try to see what just happened, and what my eyes caught sunk my heart. From a distance, surrounded by chaos, I saw fire spilling out of the small windows of my apartment. I felt like I couldn't breathe. My ears were ringing so loud all that I could hear was the faint screams of my family trying to pick me up. 

  All of a sudden black spots began to form all around me.

  “What is happening,” I thought “This has to be a dream! What is going on?”

  Then I realized.

  ‘Im fainting..” I said quietly as I felt my body become heavier. I felt something warm dripping down my nose. I touched my face and blood was covering my fingers. Then it all went black.

  After a few minutes, I woke up in a dark room on the cold floor. My ears and head were pounding. As I got up and saw people sighing with relief as they realized I had only passed out, I realized I was in the bunker. I said nothing and hugged my mother tight. 

  “Please let this be a dream, someone please wake me up. When will it be over, when will I wake up on my soft bed to the smell of my mother's breakfast and the dog joyfully barking through the morning” that was all that filled my head and those were the thoughts that I fell asleep to that horrid and cold night.