It was an ordinary night--February 24, 2022. I was sleeping soundly. Suddenly I awoke at 5 a.m. I decided to move from my bed to the living room. I lay down on the couch and closed my eyes, falling asleep. I heard an explosion, but thought it was just a truck compacting scrap metal. My grandmother was standing near the window and saw what looked like hail flying over the field. At that moment, a powerful rocket flew by, and my heart turned cold. Cars began beeping. Grandmother came into the hall and said: "Is Putin really starting a war with Ukraine?" For the first time in my life, a war has begun! . . . Everyone knows what the word war means. But practically no one knows what this word really represents. Everyone says it's terrible, scary. But no one knows how much fear the word conceals. We started getting dressed. I had a panic attack; my teeth chattered and my hands were trembling. Fear surrounded me. My grandmother clasped a gold chain with a cross around my neck, and put the rest of the gold jewelry in a box in the closet. We ran out into the street and headed to the basement. I had another panic attack. Explosions, sounds, fear--that is all that was in my head. Excerpted from You Don't Know What War Is, by Yeva Skalietska. Copyright © 2022 Yeva Skalietska. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpted from You Don't Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine by Union Square & Co., Yeva Skalietska All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
