(miniflash story)

The rain poured down, drumming on the roof of the old house. Inside, by the fireplace, sat an old detective. On the table there was a tattered notebook, scribbled with mysterious symbols. Suddenly, the door swung open, and a breeze blew into the room, bringing with it the smell of the sea and anxiety. A young woman stood on the threshold, her eyes glittering with fear.

“Help me,” she whispered, “my father is missing…”

“He went to this war?”

“Yeah, to protect the Ukrainian people,” the young woman covered her face with her shivering palms and burst into tears…”