mercy

Ï was in the airport in Kabul on my way to Herat. It was a pretty uneventful morning, the waiting room was full but not crazy. I was reading my book and waiting for my flight. After a a while there was a bit of a commotion. I looked up and saw a crowd starting to gather around an old man who was seated and talking to an airport official. The man started to get very excited and seemed to be pleading with the official. I took a better look and that's when I saw it, the body of a dead child wrapped in a blanket. The old man was pleading with the official to be allowed to transport the child's body on the plane. No casket, no anything, just the body wrapped in a blanket. It was the most horrific and heartbreaking thing that I have ever seen. Somebody started to take up a collection to bury the child. I gave a few dollars worth of Afghanis. All I could think was I have to get out of this place.