The last two weeks of my life can be described in one word: crazy.
Followed by the earthquake, came with the aftershocks, the rumors, and endless heartbreaking news.
The night of May 12th was supposed to be a helpless, exhausted night. I never thought that I could be so exhausted, both mentally and physically. With communication going down caused by high-traffic surge, I had spent the longest six hours in my life before I made sure that my parents, my son, my in-laws and my husband were all safe. How time had dragged when things remained unsure, how I had suffered about being attacked by many what-ifs, I still remembered all too well the inescapable drudgery of those six hours.
After everyone had been confirmed safe, all I wanted was to back home. I longed for a shower, and I missed my bed very much. Though when I came back, I found my home was like being robbed: cloths, books strewn about everywhere; the vase fell to the floor and shattered. But home was still a home, and its still the place where I could feel safe and warm. However, my in-laws insisted that we should stay outside for fear of the aftershocks. So we spent the first sleepless night in the car. Heartbreaking news overcame the whole city from the radio and the mouths of the others: the death roll keeping rising with every minute went by and many students were trapped under the rubbles of their schools. The cities where we used to spend the holidays now had become the hell on earth, covered with bodies and ruins. Looking through the windows, I saw many scared, tired persons carrying bedding headed for open ground. Even in such a mess, I knew tonight, Chengdu was already a heaven compared to the other hit areas.
Where there is great disaster, there is great love. I had thought that our hearts started to become hardened with constantly being exposed to the dog-eat-dog world. How wrong I was! Several hours after the earthquakes, there were people getting in the line to donate blood, and many taxi drivers voluntarily running to Du Jiang Yan for help. My 80-years-old auntie, who lives alone on 5th floor, was hold in the arm to the safe place by one of her neighbors. In front of this unprecedented disaster, such things emerged in endlessly.
However, companied with these touching stories, all kinds of rumors came to test our nerves. “Another powerful earthquake would hit again around XX hour today according to some reliable resources.” I must have received such messages a dozen times. Two days after the earthquake struck, a malicious rumor went round that drinking water supplies had been contaminated. Panicked people rushed into large, medium-sized and small supermarkets. All the bottom water had been sold out within several hours. When TV and radio reported that predicated another earthquake might hit, everyone left home for clear space. Cars jammed roads leading out of the city, and it almost impossible for us to reach my parent’s home. That pandemonium triggered by the TV report showed how our nerves have been stretched to breaking point, and how we could be easily manipulated when we were in fear.
Now, things went gradually back to the normal. But the deep rooted fears need time to melt away; and the wounds also need time to be healed. Even when I am writing this, I've received many messages from QQ, MSN, to say that another 7-8 magnitute earthquake would hit this afternoon. God knows! Hope it is just one of another rumours.
