news.
She puts both her arms on her hips and puffs her cheeks.
“你们让我很尴尬.”
You all put me in a very difficult... spot.
She sways her body left to right while clutching her dress.
“不管怎样.”
But silly me.
She jumps into the air and starts skipping about the room again.
“让我们开始吧.”
Let’s play.
A smug smile comes to her face.
“谁先来？”
Who is going to be first?
She walks to the men all dressed in silky white tops and grey pants. They were all standing at attention.
She goes to the one at the end closest to her; looks at him with a smile.
She puts her hand to her chin, as if deciding.
She walks further down the row; stands in front of the one in the middle.
“你呢，先生。我们可以开始了吗？恩，我想我们可以开始了.”
What about you, Sir. Shall we play? Yes. I think we shall.
She takes him by the hem of his shirt and leads him towards the desk.
آمن
“Careful.”
He takes her hand and gently helps her to get up.
She emerges.
Slowly.
“Don’t worry. You are safe.”
She straightens her small body.
Looks around.
“You’re right. It looks exactly like the thing we saw the other day.”
He smiles excitedly.
“Come. Let’s sit here.”
She rests her small hand on his shoulder.
He helps her to balance.
They both sit down.
The girl traces the vine from the top, to her left, all the way down to the centre between them.
“It’s pretty.”
“Everything is always pretty to you, even if it is ugly.” He smirks.
“Not.” She bumps him softly with her right elbow.
“Whatever you say. This is more creepy than pretty.”
He traces the vine from the top, his right, all the way down to the centre between them.”
“You’re always scared of everything.”
She mocks.
“Am not.”
He tries to hide his smile.
She gives him an accusing wink.
“You see. You can’t even lie with a straight face. You’re the worst liar I have ever met.”
“Am not. I can lie betterly than you.”
“I would like to see you try.”
She looks through the holes in the bottom.
“How high up are we, you think?”
“I can’t say. Very highly up.”
He looks down too.
Then at her.
She gets up slowly and moves along the vines that leads from the centre to the outside a few feet in front of them.
“Careful. It’s not strongly enough. Not to carry your weight.”
She turns and laughs softly.
“I’m as light as a feather. You’re the one that should be worried.”
She gives him a mocking glance.
Smiles.
Moves further along the vine.
He gets up slowly.
Holds onto the vine to his right and moves cautiously along the edge.
“Please, be careful. I don’t think this is such a great idea. I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“You should have thought of that before you made me walk through that dark tunnel. You know I don’t like dark places.”
He moves back.
“I’ll wait for you here. You can tell me what you see.”
Sweat slowly runs down his forehead.
His breathing changes.
“Oh no you don’t, mister! You brought me here, so you’re coming with me.”
He swallows hard.
“I didn’t think this through properly. I… I don’t like highly places.”
His words barely audible.
He sweats more.
“How many times have I told you to speak up? Stop swallowing your words. You don’t have to be nervous around me.”
She turns and faces him.
Balancing on the thin vine she was standing on.
“What did you say?”
She waits.
Slowly he starts.
“I’m afraid of highly places.”
She looks down.
The hole in the centre was big enough to swallow them both.
Whole.
She makes her way back to where he was, confidently clutching the side of the vines that closed in from the sides.
She stretches her hand towards him.
“Take my hand. Don’t be scared. I’ll keep you safe.
Promise.”
أمل
Maryam
“Hello, Maryam!”
The little girl shouts from where she lay in bed to the right of the big room.
Maryam slows down, waves at the girl as she peeks inside. She notices that the bed to the left was empty.
Surprised, she goes into the room and right up to the girl.
“Hello, Madison. Feeling better today?”
Maryam scans the bandages on her arms and gently caresses the girl’s forehead and right cheek.
“No more pain at all. None left.” The girl smiles cheerfully.
She sits up more.
Maryam helps her up as she asks.
“What happened to Reese? Has she left?”
Madison stares at the empty bed, then at Maryam.
“Yes.”
She looks down.
Slumps slightly.
“What, what are you not telling me, sweet thing?”
Maryam runs her hand along the girls, long blonde hair.
“I’m not sure, M.”
The girl tries to make eye contact, but looks down quick.
“Don’t be scared. You can tell me?”
Maryam reassured her.
The girl pulls the covers to her chin and slowly, she utters.
“A woman came to take her. I’m not sure who she was. All I know is that she was not happy that Reesie was here.”
Madison’s big, blue eyes not blinking.
She pulls the covers tighter.
“She said that it was not safe here.” She looks down.
“Why would she say that?” Maryam stares at the empty bed to the left.
Hesitantly, the girl continues.
“I’m not sure, M, but I think she was referring to you.”
Maryam understood.
She tucks at her scarf and nods.
“And you? What do you say?” Maryam smiles.
“There is no safer place then here with you.” The girl smiles too.
She pulls the covers back and relaxes more.
“That’s exactly right,” exclaims Maryam.
She kisses the girl’s forehead.
“I’ll check in on you a bit later, okay?”
She caresses her right cheek and heads to the door.
“Please don’t forget, M. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Maryam blows her a kiss as she exits the room and heads further down the long hallway. She stops at the next door.
“Hello, M,” says the dark haired boy.
“Hello, Maryam,” the bald girl joins him.
Maryam smiles at the two playing in their cots.
“Salaam, you two. Everything okay, Summer?”
She quickly kisses each of them on their cheeks. She gently examines the girls head.
“All better, Maryam. Can you tell?”
The girl smiles excitedly. She was dressed in pink pyjamas.
“Thanks be to God. It does look much better. And you, Brandon?”
She turns and assesses the boy’s arm.
“No more, pain. Just an itch, M. God is good.”
Maryam smiles.
“Never lose faith in Him.”
&
nbsp; She turns and exits the room.
“See you later, M,” they both shout out loud.
She continues further down the hall to the next room.
“Maryam, hello, please remember to come by before you go.”
The boy stares at her imploringly from his bed.
“I will, Billy, don’t worry.”
Maryam continues down the hallway.
More and more hellos as she continues.
She takes the time to say hello to all of the children as they excitedly shout her name. All were happy to see her.
A small, blond boy jumps out of his bed and runs after Maryam. He grabs her by her dress and tugs at it hard.
“M, M. I have something for you.”
Maryam turns and goes onto her knees.
“Hello, you. Why are you out of bed?”
She gives him a side look, but smiles.
“You know you’re not supposed to be up. You need to rest. Till…”
“But I’m much better. Can’t you see?” He lifts his pants to just below his knee.
“See, it is all better.”
“I see. She gently touches the dark bruises on his legs. Pulls down his pants and puts her hands on his scrawny shoulders. She gives it a slight squeeze.
Smiles.
“What have you got for me?”
Maryam waits excitedly.
“I hope you like it, M. I made it especially for you.” The boy seems suddenly shy.
He takes the drawing from his back and hands it to her.
Maryam takes it from him and looks at it. She admires it for a while and then sighs.
“It’s beautiful, Mark. Is that…”
“You, holding me when I first came here. I put in a sun, because that was how I felt; warm and safe.”
He looks at her.
“I feel safe here with you.”
سويا
Connection
“Hi-uh.
Sorry to-uh just-uh show up here. My name-uh is Jeanne.”
The tall, dark-haired girl smiles and extends her arm to Maryam.
She was dressed in a blue dress, small cardigan, she wore flat shoes.
“Hi, I’m Maryam. How may I help you?”
Maryam tucks at her pink scarf, wipes some food off her top, puts the child she was holding down and gets up.
She takes in Jeanne’s dark eyes.
“May we-uh speak privately?” Jeanne seems anxious. She fidgets with the hem of her dress, runs her hand nervously through her hair.
She clears her throat.
“It’s-uh really important-uh.” She scans the room.
The many children stare at her in wonder.
One hands her an apple.
Unsure, Jeanne takes it from him.
“Thank-uh you-uh. Merci.” Jeanne pats him softly on his head.
Maryam gestures for her to follow her.
“I’ll be right back, children.”
With many ‘okay Ms’, Maryam and