No Safe Zone - Competition

This flash fiction post was written for a competition hosted by the author of No Safe Zone, Adite Banerjie.

The theme is: “What does safe zone mean to you.”  Share a moment/incident/episode where you felt you were in a "No Safe Zone". It could be an anecdote, short story, poem, haiku or essay. Feel free to give it your own twist. As long as you use the words “No Safe Zone” somewhere in the post.

The Refugee

The tourists walking along the European shore, invariably cast their eyes on him.

His colourful array of bracelets and necklaces are striking and hard to ignore. It is only when their gaze travels to the dark skinned stranger selling them, that it registers – his faded light blue long tunic and wide trousers does not suggest “local”. His desolate, deep set eyes speaks volumes, but no one is interested. 

Some stop by to examine his wares, others walk past.

It is the rocks along the sea that claims their attention. They stand mesmerised by the splashing waves hitting the rocks with a vengeance and drenching it completely.  It impels the adventurous to scale these massive stones, feeding their sense of achievement, and capture it for posterity on lens.

The complacent ones are satisfied to click around, to take in the beauty of the waves and the huge rocks lining the shore. Many would venture as far as the foot of the sea, dip their toes in, taking them out in an instant, claiming the water was too cold for them.

The vendor is enamoured by the sea too; only he views it differently. Not an adrenaline challenge, for him, it is a perilous path to safety.

He closes his eyes and feels the icy wind and cold splashes, cut through the skin. 

He recalls battling the treacherous waters on a rickety boat, leaving behind everything he owned and his home - now branded a “No Safe Zone”.

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