MINI-STORIES FOR THE YOUNG AND NOT SO YOUNG Salko, hidden inside the woodpile as bidden by his father, watched the massacre of his entire family-- his parents, grandfather and two sisters. He lay perfectly mute and still, but a scream of utter dread and ultimate violation pervaded his entire being. He knew he had to wait until the bandits left the village completely. Their language was familiar to Salko but it was not his own. He had not heard of ethnic cleansing. The bandits were gathering up the bodies and taking them away somewhere not far from where he lay. He heard the sound of digging and a great burst of grief for his family and friends overcame him. But his father had told him that the country was at war and if anything happened he must be very brave and go through the forest to any place called a refugee camp for people of his own kind. The bandits finally left after ransacking the houses and taking all the food. He was the only one left alive in the whole village. Salko made up his mind to be as watchful as the Indians he had read about and he moved deftly through the forest, intent on the task of getting him to the largest village of his people in the vicinity. This helped him not to think about what happened. He knew the way well although he was only eleven years old and quite small for his age. Despite all the feelings of desperation that assailed him, he kept vigilant. He knew his peril was acute. He walked for the whole evening, the whole night and came out of the forest at daybreak. He sat down in the brush and watched the activity in the village. It appeared full of life and safe. Salko ventured closer. He could hear his own language being spoken. He went up and told the first people he met of what had befallen his village. He was at once taken to the bailiff who listened to him very carefully and, putting his hand on Salko's head said to him, "You've been through a terrible ordeal. You must eat and rest. We will all go with you to the nearest refugee camp, which is 62 kilometers away. You can ride on one of the wagons until you are strong again." Salko wanted to cry but remembering his father he made a great effort not to get tearful. The bailiff noticed this and said, " You are a very brave young man." Salko was taken to a large house, where he was given scrambled eggs, bread and milk. After a short rest he offered to help with getting ready for the journey to the refugee camp. This was better than thinking of what had happended to his family and to him. During the preparations the bailiff kept Salko under his wing. The convoy from Salko's new village to the refugee camp moved slowly. There were horse-drawn wagons, old and dilapidated cars, and plenty of people on foot. The wagons carried small children, the sick and later the wounded. Twice there was a bombing raid from the enemy. Three people , including one young farmer were killed, and more than a dozen were wounded. Salko was surprised that some part of him grieved also for these, his countrymen. He fought hard not to get despondent and tried to keep himself useful. After about 40 kilometers they were met by Red Cross wagons which took the wounded. The bailiff called another boy, slightly older and bigger than Salko named Selimand told him, "Salko lost his whole family. We must help him not to get too sad." From that time on Salko had a friendly, cheerful companion to help him work and, despite his inner turmoil, he came to see Selim as a friend. The refugee camp was large and overcrowded. It was cold and the food was skimpy and rough. Salko caught a chill and was sick for three weeks. He had to stop working , which made it very hard for him. He would wake up screaming at night and his mood was painfully low. But the bailiff and Selim watched over him, and he lived his pain as best he could. He tried not to think of the future with apprehension. After he got better the bailiff called him to talk to him at length. He told Salko that he was widowed, his children were grown, and that he had decided to adopt Salko if Salko was willing. Salko came to the gray-haired and bearded man and put his arms around him. For the first time he let himself cry. His new father told him " It will be a long time before you get over what happened to you. It's possible that for years you'll wake up screaming. But we'll be together. I want to go back to our village when the war is over and help life start again for everybody in it. You can help me with that, but you will need to go back to school and do the normal things for a boy your age." When they returned, they found their village in ruins. Before school started Salko was at his father's side working hard. He spent time with Selim and made new friends. He was known as the brave boy whose warning saved the people of the village. This gave him a sense of reassurance about himself among strangers, but he remained very serious and silent. He smiled rarely and still had moments when a look of great pain came into his eyes. His new father would come and stroke his head at those times. They loved each other implicitly. The reconstruction was a long and arduous process. Salko learned the skills of a master builder. He grew taller and wiry in stature. The bailiff liked to watch his son playing soccer with the other boys in the village. Salko was an acute and graceful player and his father took great pride in him. Slowly, slowly, life was becoming bearable again. |