Nile. It was bold. It was daring. It was peaceful. Those were the three reasons why Lyam and Martha Risenburn had decided to name their first son after the mighty river.
Nile had grown up in the city and he loved it there! He had everything he ever wanted, his loving family who always supported him, friends keeping him happy, and the sight that appealed to him the most was that of a football pitch smelling like nothing but freshly mown grass. Nile was a joyful kid and in the ten years and six months of his life, he was always kept busy. The family lived in a cozy medium-sized house with no permanent pets but visiting birds and squirrels all year round. Martha Risenburn was a lawyer nevertheless even through all the bulky laws she had to settle she always found time to fetch her little one from school every afternoon. As the sun warmed up the earth and the light breeze gradually blew away the chalky clouds, Mrs. Risenburn made her way to the school her son attended. "Hi, sweetheart!" she exclaimed as Nile climbed into the elegant white car his mom drove, he looked cheerful and -as usual- rather worn out. "Hey mom," he answered, "so, how was your day?" Mrs. Risenburn continued "well... My day... Was pretty interesting..." Nile hesitated a bit and when his mom encouraged him to go on, he spilled out: "I made it to the football team!!!" and let out a hearty laugh that seemed to have been stuck in his throat for ages. His mom couldn't help but giggle. Her child had been dreaming of making the team since he was only four years old and boy did that kid practice! He trained and prayed and trained and trained even more and now finally, the results were showing up and this motivated him even more. Back at home in the late afternoon, Martha a beautiful fair lady was preparing a delicious meal for her beloved family; after Nile and his father had finished laying the table, she brought the food which filled up the living room with a warm, homey atmosphere, while her silky brown hair gently curled up on her soft shoulders.
They all dug in and when they were stuffed, Mr. Risenburn spoke: "how was your day champ?" "it was AWESOME!!" The champ exclaimed and went on "you won't believe it, actually no, you'll have to believe it... Drum roll...-" and he made a quick drumroll with his finger on the wooden table "your son right here, this big guy, made it to the football team!!!" Nile announced with pride. His dad smiled a broad
smile, pronouncing his deep dimples which his son had inherited Lyam's dark complexion and bright smile always seemed to make him stand out, just like his son. Without warning the ground started to shake violently and the lights exploded, flooding the city into complete darkness, a rather bizarre view for a crowded city "everyone here!" Yelled Mr. Risenburn as the family hastily found each other and huddled up into a tight ball. 'Stay together' was Lyam Risenburn's one rule. screams pierced the air outside and a deafening 'bam' sound was heard about a kilometer from the house, buildings seemed to be tumbling to the hard ground all around them, Nile clung to his mother as tightly as his trembling hands allowed him to while hearing the hearts of his parents beating as loud as ever. The situation was uncontrollable and finally, the city was wrapped up by a loud siren. It was an 'either save yourself or lose yourself' scene. After a while, when the situation seemed to have relatively settled Mr. Risenburn removed his hands from around his son and wife "is everyone alright?” he asked shakily Mrs. Risenburn quickly looked for her son in the obscurity and sighed in relief as she held her son's healthy hands. Mr. Risenburn had gone out a few minutes after the siren had stopped to investigate and offer his help to anyone in need while his son and wife stayed inside. When he came back with news half an hour later, he wore an expression of absolute terror " Everything... Gone... Destroyed!” he paused then went on"Terrorist! They've dropped a bomb on the neighboring city, it's hideous!" Lyam's expressions happened to be very contagious, Martha gasped in horror, and Nile looked petrified. He was scared. Despite Nile's young age, his parents thought that it was right for him to know what was going on, he was very mature. "Martha, it's not safe here anymore” Mr Risenburn finally said we must leave, as soon as possible" he concluded and stared into his wife's pale brown eyes, she silently nodded in response "no! But we can't leave!" this was the first time Nile had spoken since the terrorist attack "look, I know it's hard for you Nile, even we are very attached to this place but for our safety, for your safety, we must go" Mr. risenburn tried to convince his son "but-" Nile argued "don't persist, my little one, it's not worth it" pleaded his mother in a very soft tone and by seeing the sadness and distress in his mother's eyes, he didn't argue. "But where?" Wondered Mr. Risenburn there were a few moments of silence, finally broken by Martha, " I think I know exactly where to go," she said in a confident tone and looked at his son as if he was a shining gem and this was the first time she was discovering him.
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