Julia's Journey 12/06/28

Excerpt:

she was just a little girl then but Julia remembered it vividly...


she was visiting family on the amazing caribbean coast of columbia. she proudly wore her beautiful white dress that her mother made for the sunday church service. Julia liked the way she felt in it, she felt like a princess. all her favorite people were there: cousin maria, who was just as mischievous as she was, auntie ramona who was so sweet and so beautiful, too many to tell me... Julia loved this yearly visit to Cienega...

as the inspiring service came to an end, they all exited the church into the sunny central square and onto the beautiful old cobblestoned streets of the city. the streets were filled with church going families, julia noticed as she reached for her mother's hand. just then she caught a glimpse of an unusual sight; men in military clothes with guns on the roofs. she grabbed her mother's arm and right as she was frantically telling her, a rain of bullets came down on the crowd....


it was late morning, but it seemed like night as the sky became dark from the smoke. julia was brutally pushed to the ground. people were screaming and the gun fire just continued for what seemed like forever. it was so loud. she kept trying to get up, to find her mother, but she was pinned to the ground. she felt like she was getting crushed from all the people above her, when suddenly she was released. julia prayed her family was safe, her heart was beating so hard. there were people running all over the streets...

julia pushed through the crowd, she had to find her mother. she tried to gain her footing as she cried out for her...but her small voice couldn't be heard amongst the screams...then she recognized the quiet figure lying on her side..."momma?" she whispered...

feeling dizzy, julia slowly walked over to her body... she thought she heard a voice in a loud speaker saying over and over, which none of it made any sense....

"this strike is over...all men on strike are being ordered back to work! unions are organized by communist revolutionaries, they are not welcome here!....this strike is over!..."



it was this massacre, the senseless death of her mother and all the rest, who had nothing to do with the building of that railroad that had changed her life forever. it was here where julia learned who was capable of such an act, a man so evil...his name was minor keith...


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