Today marks the fifth months I set out to travel to Europe by road, I left my family to embark on this miserable journey that is about to end soon as we arrived Libya late in the night about 11pm, I hadn’t had anything to eat since morning and there is no hope of finding food anytime soon. That night I barely closed my eyes, thoughts of my pregnant wife with my two boys kept coming to my mind plus the nasty mosquitoes combined with foul odour that made me vomit the little left in my stomach some minutes ago.

Many are called but few are chosen, I am among the six chosen by nature to be in Libya and in a couple of hours we will be in Europe, that was what the Libyans that brought us kept telling us yet they tortured and maltreated us. I had at one point in the tried to run away when I overheard two Libyans saying we will be used as slaves when we get to Europe anyways I was caught and beaten to pulp.

After two days in this dirty, dark and smelly hole we heard that the boat taking us to Europe has arrived, that was the best news I ever heard in a very long time. I could see misery and hunger in everyone’s eyes, as for me I was really thirsty the Libyans did not give us anything that morning maybe they already knew the boat will arrive that day, I quickly gulped the freshly squeezed saliva in my mouth but it made no difference even the water bottle I have been holding onto is completely dry.

I decided to ask the Libyan taking us for water but instead he hit me with his gun, brought out a filled plastic bottle handed over to me, with so much anxiety I gulped the liquid but could not swallow it because it was salty and tastes like urine.

After about twenty minute walk on the dry sand, we finally arrived the sea shore, I was really exhausted and dry that I could not even open my mouth while the rest of the immigrants were excited to see the boat approach us. We watched closely as it came closer to us, my dreams are finally going to be real and all these sufferings will finally worth it, those were the words in my head the moment Hammed arrived with the boat, Hammed was what the guy that brought us called him and they hugged like they haven’t seen each other for the past two years.

The rickety boat meant for just four or at most five has six immigrants with Hammed the boatman in it but that didn’t really bother me since my dream of living in Europe is about to come true. Hammed talked to the man that brought us for few minutes while we waited in the boat for him, they communicated in their native language but we could see them pointing at us, instinct told me they were talking about using us as slaves when we get to Europe.