All over Europe telephones are ringing in empty rooms.
The phone in my neighbours apartment remains unanswered. Every day it rings in the morning and then in the evening. It rings more in the evening than in the morning and I guess - although I can't be sure - that different relatives are ringing before they go to work and after they return. The ringing continues way past the average eight rings that people normally do and two things are becoming clear: The neighbours should have been home by now and people are expecting to hear from them. Other rather sad deductions can be made, namely anyone alive in Thailand would be in contact with their relatives to let them know they are safe. Anyone who was calling would be bound to call another relative and hear this news.
Sadly none of this seems to have happened.
I searched the internet hoping to find a list of people, but again like so many other searchers it quickly became clear to me that the one thing that you won't find is a complete list of the dead or of the living. Considering that most of the victims were on the beach at the time, it is hardly likely that they will carry with them all the necessary identification. Add to this the fact that many of the dead have already been cremated unidentified and it looks as if there will never ever be a complete list of the dead - it will only ever be a list of those who have disappeared.
And still the telephone rings in the forlorn hope of an answer.
And everytime it does, we remember the disaster and we continue to wonder about our neighbours.
The phone in my neighbours apartment remains unanswered. Every day it rings in the morning and then in the evening. It rings more in the evening than in the morning and I guess - although I can't be sure - that different relatives are ringing before they go to work and after they return. The ringing continues way past the average eight rings that people normally do and two things are becoming clear: The neighbours should have been home by now and people are expecting to hear from them. Other rather sad deductions can be made, namely anyone alive in Thailand would be in contact with their relatives to let them know they are safe. Anyone who was calling would be bound to call another relative and hear this news.
Sadly none of this seems to have happened.
I searched the internet hoping to find a list of people, but again like so many other searchers it quickly became clear to me that the one thing that you won't find is a complete list of the dead or of the living. Considering that most of the victims were on the beach at the time, it is hardly likely that they will carry with them all the necessary identification. Add to this the fact that many of the dead have already been cremated unidentified and it looks as if there will never ever be a complete list of the dead - it will only ever be a list of those who have disappeared.
And still the telephone rings in the forlorn hope of an answer.
And everytime it does, we remember the disaster and we continue to wonder about our neighbours.
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