Pedrito’s Diary, Day 12
February 2, 2025
Soon after dinner, my stomach started to hurt. I asked everyone in our group if they noticed anything strange. Everyone answered with a “yes,” except for Gabriel who still had not eaten his hotdog. We all were given a hot dog, a slice of bread and a bottle of water for dinner. The guards told us the water had to last until tomorrow evening.
We started having cramps. There was loud moaning in the entire hangar. It looked like many of us children were getting sick. I was terrified when I felt a number 2 coming on. I rushed toward the back gates but saw that there were many other children already in line. My stomach was hurting very badly from holding it in and I saw that I was not the only one.
By the time my turn came, I ran to the boulder as fast as I could. The smell was terrible. It was much worse than after our pee sessions but I didn’t care. I just was glad that I didn’t poop in my pajamas.
Before I returned to my usual spot, an announcement came through the megaphone: “Listen carefully! If you didn’t eat your hotdog yet, DO NOT EAT IT! Many among you had a problem with their hotdogs. So, DO NOT EAT YOURS!”
I was relieved to know all along that Gabriel was still holding his hotdog in his hand. Being so little, he might have gotten sicker than we older children did.
A little while later, my stomach wasn’t hurting as much anymore. All 6 of us sipped from our water bottles. We took only a few sips. We knew the water had to last us until tomorrow evening. We said each other “good night” and tried to fall asleep on our empty stomachs.
© hülya n. yılmaz, February 10, 2025
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