(flash story)

This amazing autumn morning turned into a nightmare for thousands of Kyivans hurrying up to their offices and classrooms, construction sites and laboratories, shops and supermarkets. The rash rocket cracks right in the center of their beloved city of chestnuts was so unexpected that passers-by and passengers, drivers and dwellers, just got into slow motion stupor not knowing what to do.

Sophia, a cheery University girl, just passed the monument to Mykhailo Hrushevskiy in a car driven by her father when the blast wave threw their car several meters away. With heavy phone and ear ringing, absolutely appalled, completely confused, Sophia was close to the blackout, not knowing what to do…

Her father came to senses the first…After taking the glass debris out of his bleeding hands, he started the engine and sped up moving to their apartment block in the Shevchenko District,

However, there they got the second rocket explosion ruining the first two floors of the neighboring multistoried building…Sophia`s father got injured again, though he helped his daughter to get out of the heavily damaged car in spite of a crazy commotion and heart-breaking outcries of the hurry-scurry people…

Stunned and shocked, Sophia just followed her father flashing through the dark fumes of fire, their house entrance, the doors of their basement,..Just after meeting her Mom, Grandma, and Maria, her younger sister, she burst into crying, convulsively shrugging her shoulders.

“Go easy, my girlie,” Grandma, patted Sophia`s back, “and answer the calls of your Seryozha, he is getting more and more nervous about you…”

Sophia raised her tear-stained face, “How can I calm down, Granny? For two times I could be killed today…It`s just a miracle…”

“Its not a miracle, our beauty, smarty and hearty…It is love…All of us so love you that you just cant die…Look at yourself, No cuts no scratches…”

The whole family hugged the sobbing Sophia again while the voice of Seryozha said softly, “Angel, I just don`t have any words …”