He
was cold, so cold. Where was his blanket? In his doze, he fumbled for
it. It was not there. The boy lifted his heavy eyelids. He saw a dark
shape, blurring in and out of focus. The boy squinted. Something - no
someone - moved towards him. Frightened, he tried to move away,
to hide. But his arms and legs felt so heavy...For a moment
everything spun, making him feel sicker than he already was. He
closed his eyes again.
Someone spoke in a soft voice.
Father. Strong hands seized him and lifted him up. He was safe. The
boy smiled and wound his thin arms around father's neck and relaxed
against the warm body, content to be held. Father had not done that
for such a long time. Then his father said something, and he frowned.
What did he say? He tried to concentrate but the words made no sense.
Why couldn't he understand him?
That was not his father!
The child opened his eyelids and stared into an
unfamiliar face. He screamed for his father. No one answered.
The man took him away, away from his parents! Why didn't father stop
him? He twisted, trying to get away. Still crying for his
parents, he kicked and pounded his small fists on the stranger's
body. The evil man did not even react.
"Njet!
Njet, Mother?" Where was she? Why did she not come? He bit hard
into the hand restraining him.
The
stranger screamed and cursed but only tightened his grip.
Exhausted, cold and miserable, the boy stopped
struggling. Before his eyes, everything spun. The sky turned as
green as the meadow. Everything was green. The wind whispered an
up and down swelling melody full of sadness, getting louder and
louder until all the boy heard was a roaring in his ears. Frightened,
the boy called out for his parents one last time. But they did not
come, did not answer him. Why weren't they protecting him?
His
surroundings turned darker and out of focus until blackness claimed
him.