This was an exceptional read. I thoroughly enjoyed it Anike. Your images are vivid, impactful. You write with great feeling too.

I rubbed my face with the soil, soaking my tears so the earth could know my grief.

Her brown eyes darkened at my words, her smile melting away while she cupped my face. She wouldn’t cry again and those cheeks would stay covered in dirt.

Laughter boiled from my belly, sickly hot and unwelcome.

And your descriptive prose is excellent:

Dirty metallic spit ran down my throat and upturned my stomach while fires ate at my legs but I could not stop moving, my feet struggling across the loose tilled land.

Although tragic and sad, it resonated with hope. This was a joy to read.