Chapter 1
What do you think is the greatest threat to our planet? Is it natural disasters? Animals? Giant celestial bodies? You might have many examples in mind, but none of them represent the true issue. Some of you may already be aware of this reality, or perhaps everyone knows but does not want to accept it. The real danger comes from ourselves, like a virus that initially appears harmless but gradually leads to destruction. It’s painful to say this, but it is the truth. We cannot escape this reality, but we can learn from it. As the saying goes, “Better late than never”; we need to act according to this principle. However, words alone will not make a difference. Unfortunately, we are currently doing nothing to prevent this destruction. We are seeking suitable living conditions elsewhere, but this will not change anything because human nature is clear: we disturb the balance wherever we go. In a short time, those newly discovered places will face the same fate as our world. This is ironic because our interventions in nature affect us both directly and indirectly. A simple example of this is wars.
History books often present wars as completed events, but they fail to explain the background stories and betrayals behind them. The real battles lie in the untold parts: betrayals, children who never return home, and lost loved ones. During these wars, the cries of the world echo everywhere because humanity’s instinct to destroy harms both itself and the planet. With the advancement of technology, the scale of destruction caused by wars has grown significantly. Our world is silently crying out, but we either cannot hear it or choose not to listen.
Is humanity only destroying the world through wars? Certainly not. In everything we do with our drive for progress and production, we exploit the planet’s resources. We cut down trees, release smoke from factory chimneys, create nuclear explosions, and more.
Now, the story we will share will include the unheard cries of our planet. If you pay attention, you might be able to hear these cries.
The red-haired girl gazed out of her bedroom window into the night sky. The stars were distinctly visible; her aunt had mentioned this was a sign that the weather would be clear tomorrow. Her yellow eyes, after examining the stars for a while, drifted to the moon, which shone more brightly than all the others. The moon looked more beautiful than ever tonight, or perhaps it was because it was in her favorite phase. The full moon appeared so magnificent that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from it. On nights like these, she could watch the moon for minutes, even hours, without doing anything else.
This sight brought back memories of her childhood, when she and her parents would sit in their garden on warm nights, watching the full moon and telling each other stories and jokes. A pang of sadness hit her; she missed those times dearly, but reminiscing about them wouldn’t bring them back. Those days were gone. She noticed her eyes were getting teary and quickly wiped them with her arm. Every night when the full moon dominated the sky, she remembered these moments and felt sad. It wasn’t something new, but there was nothing she could do about it. She had once tried to stop watching the sky at night but managed to resist only for a day. Despite all her efforts, the dark sky at night would draw her to her window, almost as if it were speaking to her:
“They are waiting for you!” it seemed to say. When she told this to her aunt, she was met with disbelief. According to her aunt, the red-haired girl missed her parents so much that her mind was fabricating these things. But the girl knew it wasn’t just her imagination. She believed her parents were trying to communicate with her through the full moon. Once, her aunt even told her that she should stop thinking about them, that it wasn’t good for her health. The girl had already tried that but couldn’t sustain it for long. Her parents were calling out to her from somewhere.
After gazing at the full moon to her heart’s content, she heard some movements inside. She turned her head towards the door and then heard the sound of the light being turned off. It was quite late, and she realized her aunt was getting ready for bed. She heard footsteps approaching her room and then her aunt’s voice, “Good night, my dear!” “Good night to you too, aunt!” she replied, then quietly headed to her bed. She sat down carefully, not disturbing the star-patterned blanket. She would wait for her aunt to fall asleep. Every night the full moon adorned the dark sky, she would sneak out without her aunt knowing and head to the most mesmerizing place in her city, Yöküten, which was also the highest peak, Çınar Yuvası.
After waiting for a few hours and being sure her aunt had fallen asleep, the red-haired girl got up from her bed, trying not to make too much noise, and headed to the door. She slowly lowered the handle and pushed the door open. A slight creak broke the silence, reminding her that she had planned to oil the door yesterday. Fortunately, her aunt was a deep sleeper and wouldn’t wake easily. She gently closed the door and tiptoed to the wooden door leading outside. The house had a wooden floor, so nearly every step she took made a creaking sound. She minimized the noise as much as possible, silently praying her aunt had closed her bedroom door.
Finally, when she stepped outside, the first thing she saw was the majestic and glorious full moon once again. She knew where she needed to go, to a higher place to hear the moon more clearly. That place was Çınar Yuvası. She began walking quickly on the stone pavements of Yöküten.
As she walked, she constantly checked her surroundings. The streets were empty, which wasn’t unusual since there was a curfew at this hour, and soldiers patrolled the area. After the war, Kemer soldiers had occupied Yöküten. Since then, the people of this place had lost all their peace and had been suffering for years.
The red-haired girl used the backstreets to avoid being caught by the patrolling soldiers. She had gone to Çınar Yuvası so many times that she had memorized where all these streets led. Soldiers patrolled the backstreets too, but they didn’t check them thoroughly, thinking no one in their right mind would use these streets because of the wild dogs that roamed there. The girl had encountered these wild dogs a few times but had managed to deal with them. This time, she was lucky not to encounter any wild dogs. She decided not to question her luck too much and continued on her way.
After countless turns through the labyrinthine alleyways, he finally left the city behind and emerged onto Yöküten’s perhaps only remaining green path. This path would lead him directly to the Sycamore Nest. Since the soldiers were only tasked with patrolling the city, there was no longer a need for him to sneak around. He followed the path and climbed the hill. As always, he grew tired, but as always, it was worth it. The full moon stood there in all its glory, gazing down at him. His eyes began to well up again, but this time he did not wipe them away. He let the tears stream down his cheeks. What wouldn’t he give to have his parents beside him right now? But all he could do was wish for it. He sat down, leaning against the ancient sycamore tree.
“Don’t keep them waiting too long!” he heard the full moon say this time. He chose not to respond. Instead, he watched the full moon as he reminisced about the past. At one point, he felt something warm touch his shoulder, but he ignored it. The moonlight bathed him, making his red hair shine like a jewel. He closed his eyes. All he wanted now was silence. He would savor this moment.
Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the city. The girl jolted awake and stood up. From the Sycamore Nest, she could see all of Yöküten. She looked down and saw several Belt soldiers chasing someone. She was surprised; until now, she had never seen anyone else on the streets during the curfew. It was clear the person fleeing was unfamiliar with this part of Yöküten, as they were darting into random streets. She immediately followed the path she had taken to get there. She didn’t know why, but she felt she had to help this stranger.
