crowd. “We’re going exploring in the woods. You are a great
hunter and a brave warrior of our people, while I am your trusty and
swift-footed steed.”
“Doesn’t she understand what will happen
if she stays?” my mother called to Uncle as he began to follow me. “Go back
and fetch her. Implore her not to be a fool.”
“I have already done so, but she is out of
her head,” Pellen replied, prompting my mother to climb back through the fence
herself. “You won’t be able to convince her, Embo. Save yourself. Don’t
worry after her. I will use my energy to save my son. Give him to me, Jan.
He is too heavy for you to carry long.” Coming up beside me, Uncle removed
Amyr from my back.
Suddenly alone, I hesitated, undecided if
I should return to assist my mother and Auntie.
“Stay here, Jan,” Uncle said, just as the
bushes rustled beside me.
“Hi!” that street boy, Dov called, a large
grin spread across his face. “Are you coming?” He held out his hand.
“To where?” I looked back at the hole in
the fence.
“The hideout, of course. This will be fun!”
“Jan,” Uncle called again, just as loud
voices began to shout. Their calls echoed off the buildings and were
accompanied by that now familiar sound of heavy trucks.
“Let’s go,” Dov cried, reaching for my
hand. Though he was small, he was surprisingly strong as he pulled me into the
woods, following Uncle and Amyr.
“What of my mother? What of Auntie?”
“Too late,” the boy said. “There is
nothing to be done.”
Although, my knees were weak and my feet
stumbled on nearly every step. I let the child lead me as my mind went numb.
How long our journey took, or how far we traveled beneath the canopy of the
trees, I couldn’t begin to recount. All I knew was at the end, I fell into the
safety of Pellen’s arms, surrounded by a few others from our village.
It was already dark then, and cold, for no
one would light a fire, lest it attract the army’s attention. Instead,
throughout that first night, we huddled together in small groups, sheltered
behind fallen logs and large tree trunks, or buried beneath moss and brush.
It was not an adventure as I had hoped,
but a long cold night in a dark hellish place. Every sound sent a spike of
fear down my spine even if it was only the scampering of a squirrel across the
limbs above us, or the whisper of a night owl’s wings.
Sometime during the darkness, we heard the
sound of footsteps trampling about the woods and the whispering of men’s voices
as they passed by. Brush rustled as it was pushed aside and beams of light
illuminated the trees above our heads. I didn’t breathe until they
disappeared, and I didn’t move a muscle no matter how my limbs ached.
I clutched tightly to Dov as if he was my
own brother, for now, like him I was orphaned and alone. Next to me, Pellen
held Amyr upon his lap, my cousin’s head laying tightly against his father’s
chest.
“Don’t be afraid,” my uncle murmured. “I
will always protect you.”
“I am not afraid,” Amyr whispered softly,
his eyes hard and cold like the dark forest. “They can do nothing to me that
hasn’t been done.”
“We’re safe with Amyr,” Dov whispered
beside me. “He’ll protect us.”
Amyr? Protect us? My weak and sickly
cousin?
The street boy smiled and clasped my
hand. “He always does.”
In the morning, some wanted to walk again,
while others thought it better if we remained hidden where we were.
“Duke Korelesk’s army won’t stay in the
village forever,” a woman assured us. “They’ll depart after they have looted
our things.”
“We need to walk westward,” a man
disagreed. “It is not far to the ocean and from there we can build a boat.
The motherland will welcome us. This country doesn’t want us anymore.”
“We’ll die in the transit,” a third
declared. “Who here can walk all the way
hunter and a brave warrior of our people, while I am your trusty and
swift-footed steed.”
“Doesn’t she understand what will happen
if she stays?” my mother called to Uncle as he began to follow me. “Go back
and fetch her. Implore her not to be a fool.”
“I have already done so, but she is out of
her head,” Pellen replied, prompting my mother to climb back through the fence
herself. “You won’t be able to convince her, Embo. Save yourself. Don’t
worry after her. I will use my energy to save my son. Give him to me, Jan.
He is too heavy for you to carry long.” Coming up beside me, Uncle removed
Amyr from my back.
Suddenly alone, I hesitated, undecided if
I should return to assist my mother and Auntie.
“Stay here, Jan,” Uncle said, just as the
bushes rustled beside me.
“Hi!” that street boy, Dov called, a large
grin spread across his face. “Are you coming?” He held out his hand.
“To where?” I looked back at the hole in
the fence.
“The hideout, of course. This will be fun!”
“Jan,” Uncle called again, just as loud
voices began to shout. Their calls echoed off the buildings and were
accompanied by that now familiar sound of heavy trucks.
“Let’s go,” Dov cried, reaching for my
hand. Though he was small, he was surprisingly strong as he pulled me into the
woods, following Uncle and Amyr.
“What of my mother? What of Auntie?”
“Too late,” the boy said. “There is
nothing to be done.”
Although, my knees were weak and my feet
stumbled on nearly every step. I let the child lead me as my mind went numb.
How long our journey took, or how far we traveled beneath the canopy of the
trees, I couldn’t begin to recount. All I knew was at the end, I fell into the
safety of Pellen’s arms, surrounded by a few others from our village.
It was already dark then, and cold, for no
one would light a fire, lest it attract the army’s attention. Instead,
throughout that first night, we huddled together in small groups, sheltered
behind fallen logs and large tree trunks, or buried beneath moss and brush.
It was not an adventure as I had hoped,
but a long cold night in a dark hellish place. Every sound sent a spike of
fear down my spine even if it was only the scampering of a squirrel across the
limbs above us, or the whisper of a night owl’s wings.
Sometime during the darkness, we heard the
sound of footsteps trampling about the woods and the whispering of men’s voices
as they passed by. Brush rustled as it was pushed aside and beams of light
illuminated the trees above our heads. I didn’t breathe until they
disappeared, and I didn’t move a muscle no matter how my limbs ached.
I clutched tightly to Dov as if he was my
own brother, for now, like him I was orphaned and alone. Next to me, Pellen
held Amyr upon his lap, my cousin’s head laying tightly against his father’s
chest.
“Don’t be afraid,” my uncle murmured. “I
will always protect you.”
“I am not afraid,” Amyr whispered softly,
his eyes hard and cold like the dark forest. “They can do nothing to me that
hasn’t been done.”
“We’re safe with Amyr,” Dov whispered
beside me. “He’ll protect us.”
Amyr? Protect us? My weak and sickly
cousin?
The street boy smiled and clasped my
hand. “He always does.”
In the morning, some wanted to walk again,
while others thought it better if we remained hidden where we were.
“Duke Korelesk’s army won’t stay in the
village forever,” a woman assured us. “They’ll depart after they have looted
our things.”
“We need to walk westward,” a man
disagreed. “It is not far to the ocean and from there we can build a boat.
The motherland will welcome us. This country doesn’t want us anymore.”
“We’ll die in the transit,” a third
declared. “Who here can walk all the way
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