I’m not really the sort of guy who reads a bible or even gives a hoot about what’s in it. But when you’re a foster child you’ve got to do whatever your foster family is doing, and there were a whole load of churchy foster families. Enough that I learnt the story of Noah and his ark.

That’s what I dreamt about as the sound of rain woke me the next morning – I dreamt that Ayamin and I were the last humans on earth. We were sailing the world in a Winnie the Pooh shaped raft and would eventually have to repopulate the planet – a task I decided I would be rather looking forward to.

After that dream ended, I opened my eyes to what at first seemed like bliss. The back of Ayamin’s body rested against mine, the heat of her back made me warm, even without either of us wearing a t-shirt and I could feel her every heartbeat through her soft skin.

I didn’t really want to get up but my throat was dry. As I hopped off the inflatable mattress my feet sunk up to the ankles in cold muddy water.

Blinking, I half wondered if I was still dreaming about Noah’s ark.

But then I unzipped the front door and another layer of water slipped into our tent. I got a glimpse of thick brown water swirling through the camp. Raindrops pelted people as they left their tents.

‘Ayamin?’ I called, sloshing water as I spun around.

‘Mmh,’ she said.

‘I think we’re going to have to move the tent.’

Ayamin stretched out. Her hand dipped into the water on the side of our bed, she opened her eyes, ‘Oh damn.’

‘It’s still raining as well.’

We stuffed everything dry into the pack and attempting to drain the water from our tent by lifting one side. After pulling out our poles and pegs, we threw everything onto the inflatable mattress and pushed it like a raft toward the border road. It was then, that we noticed the barrier.

A large orange fence had been erected on either side of the road. A mob of refugees had gathered on the camp side of the fence, some of them were shouting.

Ayamin tapped the arm of a woman whose hijab was soaked and sticking to her face, ‘What’s happening?’

The woman pointed to the road and let out a stream of words too fast for me to understand. She looked like she wanted to cry. She kept talking until a little boy, probably no older than four tugged at her side. She picked him up out of the water.

Ayamin turned to me, ‘They’ve blocked us from the road, they don’t want refugees holding up the traffic.’

I shook my head, ‘It’s the only ground above the water. What about us?”

Ayamin stared at the fence, ‘I don’t think we matter.’

Near the orange fence, the young refugee men were getting frantic. They shouted strings of curse words at the guards, who had brought in something that vaguely reminded me of a bazooka.

I took Ayamin’s hand as the men picked up rocks and mud from beneath the water and begin pelting the guards.

The grenade launcher went bang and what looked like a bomb exploded near the young men, showering them in a cloud of smoke. Refugees began to run, coughing as they went. Some reached down to the water at their feet and began splashing it frantically on their faces.

The grenade launcher turned to us and Ayamin grabbed my arm, ‘Tear gas,’ she yelled, ‘Let’s get the hell out of h-‘

Ayamin was cut short as a shell exploded above us. She pulled her semi-wet t-shirt over her face, while I, in my stupidity, stared at the white vapour that leaked from it.

As the first drops hit my eyes I blinked, the sensation was like getting soap in them, and my nose and my mouth felt like I’d been snorting pepper. As Ayamin pulled me away the burning slowly increased until my eyes were watering so much I couldn’t see.

Ayamin dragged me until the screams of the people behind us had quietened. She told me to sit down and I felt the inflatable mattress underneath me. My skin stung and snot bubbled from my nose.

‘Ahhhh,’ I screamed, rubbing my eyes.

‘No!’ Ayamin shouted, slapping my hand away, ‘That’ll only make it worse. I’ll get you to the stream, but you need to blink those tears away.’

I did as she said, and my eyes began to clear slightly, but still stung like hell. With my eyes now open, I saw Ayamin was also blinking away.

‘Did they get you too?’

She shrugged, ‘Yeah, but it’s not as scary if it’s happened to you before.’ She wiped at her nose, ‘My first time, I thought I’d gone blind.’

She took my hand, and helped me up from our inflatable mattress/life raft, then pulled me towards the stream. There were already a couple of people there, lying face down in the water with just their underwear on.

‘Time to strip,’ Ayamin said, throwing off her clothes.

As I took my clothes off the stinging around my body increased. It was like having saltwater poured into a thousand little cuts. The moment I was down to boxers I let myself fall face-first into the swollen stream.

The current carried me a few meters before I clung to the side of the bank. I opened my eyes then instantly squeezed them closed as what felt like little needles plunged into my eyeballs. But quickly the water carried the stinging away. By the time Ayamin and I came up for air, we were smiling again.

Ayamin allowed the current to drag her down to me, and little raindrops clung to her skin as she settled beside me.

‘Congrats,’ she said, ‘You’re no longer a tear gas virgin. How was it?’

I shook my head, ‘I don’t even think swearing my head off would begin to describe it.’

She laughed and wiped her nose before she hugged me, ‘I guess though you’re getting the true refugee experience, right?’

I wrapped my arms around her, ‘Yeah lucky I was here to protect you just then.’

Ayamin laughed, then brought her lips to my forehead, ‘You’re my hero Danny.’