Home Is Beyond the Mountains by Celia Lottridge Read Free Book Online

I’m old enough to
live with the women and work in the nursery and never see Samira. Or Elias.”
She was quiet for a long moment. Samira wondered what she was thinking.
    Finally Anna said, “Samira
and I know what it’s like to have little sisters. We want to keep this
little brother with us. Not lose him. So you must write down that Anna and
Samira and Elias will stay together. And it must be signed by a British
officer.”
    â€œI’m an officer in the
medical corps,” said Nurse Macdonald. “If it will make you feel better I’ll
write you a letter. It will be in English, of course.”
    She took paper from her bag
and began to write. As she wrote she smiled, and Samira knew that she was
thinking, “What will these girls ever do with this letter? I might as well
give it to them.”
    Samira moved close to Anna.
    â€œWhat good is this paper to
us? We can’t read it and we have nowhere to keep it.”
    â€œI’ve seen how the British
want everything written down. The paper might help if they ever wanted to
separate us. I’ll put it in the bottom of my clothes box and keep it
safe.”
    Elias arrived with Nurse
MacDonald the next afternoon. He had curly black hair and round dark eyes.
He walked into the tent and looked quickly from Anna to Samira and then all
around his new home. When he saw that there was plenty of space for running,
he ran. Samira darted to the door so he wouldn’t go outside, and Anna
managed to keep him from racing through a group of girls who were sitting on
the floor sewing. He was very fast.
    When he finally stopped, Anna
picked him up and said, “Elias, I’m Anna, your new sister, and this is
Samira, your other sister. You’re going to live here with us.”
    Elias cocked his head as if
he liked the sound of her voice. Then he wiggled to show that he wanted to
get down. This time he walked from one end of the tent to the other, looking
at everything. Then he began to run again.
    Nurse MacDonald quickly said
goodbye. When she was gone, Anna and Samira looked at each other and
laughed. They could see why she needed to get this boy out of the
nursery.
    â€œHe’ll be a full-time
responsibility for a while,” Anna said.
    Samira nodded. “For once I’m
glad there’s a fence around the Orphan Section. At least we can’t lose him
completely.”
    By suppertime Elias was
tired of running. He came straight to Samira and leaned against her.
    â€œHe needs something to eat
before he falls asleep,” said Anna. She got some bread and milk from the
eating tent, and Elias ate it with his eyes nearly closed.
    â€œI don’t think he’ll have
any trouble sleeping tonight,” said Samira, and she laid him on his sleeping
mat between her mat and Anna’s and covered him up.
    When she woke the next
morning she was relieved to see that the little boy was still there. He
opened his eyes and looked at her for a long time. Then he turned his head
and looked at Anna. And then he sat up, ready to start running.
    â€œI think he’s made up his
mind,” said Samira. “He’s willing to stay with us.”
    Helping Elias settle in kept
Samira and Anna very busy for several days. He didn’t talk much but he had a
way of deciding what he wanted to do and simply setting out to do it. The
girls had to keep up with him or he would try to climb the tent poles or
unroll all the sleeping mats. To keep him busy they marched around the
outdoor area counting and singing songs with him. They all slept very well
at night.
    But as another winter began,
Elias settled into a routine, just like everyone else in the Orphan Section.
He even learned to let Samira and Anna do their lessons in the school tent
and the chilly days went by, one very much like the others.
    ONE MORNING SAMIRA opened
her eyes and noticed that the light was brighter and the air had a warm feel
to it.
    â€œI think