Hiroshima – Inés Alonso (Past Pupil)

August 6^th 1945 started just like any ordinary Monday in the small town of Saka, on the outskirts of Hiroshima. It was very early in the morning and I was getting ready to go to work. Usually, my duties were performed by men, however, most of them were away fighting in the war against the Americans. After having breakfast, I headed to work to one of the government’s supply offices. There was little work to do because there was a lack of products to be supplied due to the war.

Exactly at 8:15, I took a moment to admire the beautiful landscape from the window in my office. I could enjoy the amazing view of the sea and, as if I could almost touch it, Hiroshima’s harbour. It was a sunny morning with a beautiful clear sky. That’s the reason why the Americans chose that day to drop the first atomic bomb ever used. Suddenly, I saw for half a second, an incredible bright light. Fortunately, I closed my eyes, otherwise, I would have been blind for the rest of my days. I felt an enormous amount of force moving my body away from the window. All at once, I drifted into a deep sleep.

When I woke up, there was no more Saka, no more Hiroshima. Both cities were destroyed and most architectural structures disappeared. Every inch of my hometown was covered in flames and ashes. After getting medical assistance, I set off to find my family. To be honest, I thought none of them would have survived after such a terrible happening. Luckily, I was wrong and I found most of them.

As a consequence of this inhuman attack, a hundred thousand people died on the spot, and after a short agony, other twenty thousand people passed away. Three days later, when we thought that nothing worse could happen, another atomic bomb exploded in the city of Nagasaki.