April 23, 2023

We were playing a game where were had to crawl around in a ditch to take cover to avoid a giant eagle from snatching us up. I enthusiastically agreed to laying prone underneath metal grates in between scrambling to the next grate as the bird circled above us.

I had now taken the place of the bird, perched up on a tree with a mouth full of food. My mom’s friend told me to put a bullet on my head as he didn’t have a radio receiver. He offered to teach me how to shoot a gun. I didn’t want to come down from the tree as he lectured me from underneath. My mom asked me to reconsider the offer - she suggested that it would make me a more convincing Canadian. My dad disagreed.

I eventually complied and came down to the ground. A bullet was placed on the top of my head as my chest was pushed against the rough concrete wall. I was frozen stiff out of fear and closed my eyes before a loud and sudden bang came from behind. There were about 3 more shots that followed and I felt like I was going to pass out.

When I came to, my aunt had walked out of the house because she heard the noise and saw a bright flash of light coming from the garden. The bullet on my head had shattered and I was so shocked that I couldn’t pull myself away from the wall.