Sand blows around the few
buildings, which have seen better days. They tell a tale of a town
full of life and people in its high days, and of the tragedy that
happend, wich left it in the state it is in now. Surviving signs tell
stories of social disintegration, of nature disappearing, leaving
nothing but sand. A lost piece of paper blows past an entrance of a
square building with boarded up windows and doors. From the entrance,
the only door that has been left open, a man looks at the outside
world with a nervous look on his face. Behind him in the building, a
group of people is busy moving and rearranging furniture.
When a pain-filled scream
suddenly arises, everybody jumps a little and gives an anxious glance
in the direction of the origin of the scream. Not long after that, a
few woman chase out the men who are too close to the screaming. The
man who was watching the outside world gives a few orders to those
who look a bit uncomfortable with being chased out. Quickly they do
as he says to avoid the burning eyes of the others.
On the outside of the building, nothing gives away what is happening inside. The wind calms down a bit, as if the world itself is holding its breath. Inside, the cries grow more intense, and people begin to feel the pressure of not doing anything but listening. Minutes, hours pass, then one last long scream and then a deafening silence. The seconds pass as all now turn their faces inwards and pray.
After a few centuries long seconds, another scream emerges from inside. Together with the people inside, the wind outside the building wind picks up in a collective sigh of relief. People now come back to their senses, continuing with what they were doing with vigour so that they would be done in time.
Meanwhile the scream changes pitch and becomes more of a cry. Some of the people can’t hold back their tears anymore, for they know what the crying means. Everybody stops working for a second time when a woman appears in the hallway, still washing some blood off her hands, but with a tired but happy look on her face. She walks towards the man by the doorway, while fending off questions of the people in regard to the blood on her hands and her smile.
The man gives some orders to give the woman some room to explain and tell her story, but he cannot hide his own concern. She lays her hands on his shoulders and looks him deeply in the eyes. She tells him that he doesn’t need to worry and that everything is alright, with a big smile on her face. She lets him process all this for a moment and then steps back a bit.
Everybody around them listens to her with their breath held, waiting for the big word to come out. She looks around for a moment and then back at the man. As she says the words he has been waiting for, the people around them give way to a loud cheer. In the noise, she comes closer to him again to repeat the words. That he has become the father of a baby girl, and of the first child born in a long time.
