23/10/2025
“Take him first.” – The little girl who never let go of her brother’s hand.
The world can collapse in just a few seconds.
And yet, even beneath the rubble, love knows how to stand tall.
When the earthquake struck, Mariam — seven years old — was playing with her little brother Ilaaf.
A roar, then darkness.
The walls of their home crumbled, and everything became dust, fear, silence.
When the noise finally stopped, Mariam found herself trapped.
One leg pinned down, the air thick with smoke and dust, her body crushed by concrete.
Then, through distant cries, she heard a small sound —
a familiar cry.
Ilaaf was alive.
She couldn’t free him.
She couldn’t move.
But she could protect him.
So, reaching out in the darkness, she found his head and pulled it close to her.
With her body, she covered him — a tiny human shield.
And she whispered:
“It’s okay. I’m here.”
Hours passed.
The air grew colder, heavier.
Sometimes Ilaaf shivered, and Mariam told him stories to make him stop crying.
Stories about stars, angels, and brave children.
Every time he moved, she whispered softly:
“I won’t let you go.”
Seventeen hours.
Seventeen hours of fear, silence, and love.
Above them, rescuers dug without rest.
And when, at dawn, they heard a faint voice say, “We’re here,”
they began to dig with their hands — with tears, with hope.
Under the beam of their flashlights, they found two small faces covered in dust.
Mariam was still holding Ilaaf tightly in her arms.
“Take him first,” she whispered.
They lifted her carefully.
Her body trembled, but she smiled.
That fragile smile — full of exhaustion and peace — made everyone cry.
The rescuers said:
“She’s the one who saved him. She never let go.”
💫
The whole world came to know Mariam and Ilaaf.
Their photo, wrapped together in a blanket, became a symbol of courage and love.
Because true heroism makes no noise.
It’s a seven-year-old girl who, in the dark, whispers to her little brother:
“I’ll protect you.”
And she does.
Until the end. 🕊️
