Never imagined
I never thought about war. Never planned for it. Never adjusted my plans for the possibility of a war. Never bought war insurance. When I got a puppy, never once I thought 'having a dog is really inconvenient in case of a war'. I never imagined it.And then it came.
Different from the old ones. Not the “proper” war of the old times when one country officially invaded another one. Not that. A different kind. A sneaky one. It is there, and it also isn’t. A Schrodinger’s war.
I never imagined many other things. I never imagined packing my suitcase with the sound of fighter jets flying above my house. I never imagined windows blown out and buildings destroyed in the middle of a European city. The city which just 2 years ago hosted a major football championship and welcomed visitors from all over the world. A modern city with freshly paved streets, green parks, new shiny public transport. I never imagined seeing people with assault rifles waiting in ambush next to a 14 story building as I walked to the grocery store. As if a game of Counter Strike but in real life.
I never imagined a city of 1 million people empty. Dead. Silent. Or that I could stand in the middle of the busiest road in the city centre, at mid day, and there would be no cars going by. I never imagined tank tracks on the damaged asphalt.
Guess my imagination is not so great.