Blueberry Cupcake

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"Look where we are now. When we met, did you ever imagine we'd be in a place like this?" Afrid said, looking at Annalise. 
All around them, battle raged. A bomb had just dropped in the middle of the city and people were trembling with fear, worried about the enemy's next move. The cries of the wounded echo in their ears, promising to haunt them forever. 

"Blueberry cupcake!" The store owner announced, "it's ready. Come and get it!"
Two little children immediately perked up at the mention of their favourite treat. Their heads turned in unison to face the shopkeeper 
The children bolted up from their seats and started running to the counter. The little girl, Annalise, slipped on a patch of water that an irresponsible customer spilled. The little boy, Afrid, was raised to be a gentleman. He immediately stopped in his tracks to help the little girl to her feet. As soon as she was on her feet, Afrid darted off to the counter again. Little did he know, Annalise was following quickly in his wake. 
"Which one of you kids ordered the blueberry cupcake?" The shopkeeper asked. 
"I did!" They both exclaimed. 
They both look at each other, shooting daggers with their eyes. It's as if they would fight to the death over a blueberry cupcake. 
An altercation followed between the children, the shopkeeper and his employees. Once all was said and done, the children left the store, smiling widely, with a blueberry cupcake in each of their hands. 
Outside the store, they both looked at each other again, smiling sweetly this time. 
"So, you like blueberry cupcakes too?" Annalise asked. 
"They are my absolute favorite!" Afrid exclaimed. 
Annalise gasps. "Oh my god! That only means one thing! We should be best friends!" 

As the years passed, annalise and afrid grew to be unlikely friends. As the war began, their families disapproved of the friendship, believing it would bring more discord between their people. These two did not care what anyone said. They made sure they were always there for each other, comrades in arms. 
"This is not how I thought our lives would be," Annalise sighed. 
"If we ever get out of this, what would you do?" Afrid asked. 
"I just want peace. I want to be free. I want to be able to walk around without having to worry about what's going to happen next. I want to see a unified society... But... I don't know if that would ever happen. I mean, look at where we are now." 
They both close their eyes, praying for a better, brighter future. But, the only thing they can focus on now is the wailing in the background. The sound seems to cut through their bones. 
"Is this all we are ever gonna have? Will we never have a blueberry cupcake again?" Annalise sighed. Her eyes opening slowly and tears welling up.

(This is a short story I wrote with my team at the Katha Utsav 2024 Workshop. We were supposed to write a story set in the middle of a war, including a flashback, a present and some talk about the future. Here's what my group and I came up with.)

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