ORPHANS

 

ORPHANS

Marysa looked at their faces, tear-streaked and dust-covered. They’d hidden in the cellar till now, but that explosion was the final straw. “Right – we’re leaving.”

Older children helped toddlers into layers of clothing and, carrying the babies, they set off on foot.

At dusk Marysa spotted the cattle-shed and the exhausted children burrowed into the straw. “Titka, we’re hungry.”

Town-bred Marysa approached the cow with trepidation, but it yielded its aching udder gratefully to her fumbling efforts, and soon thirty bellies were full of warm milk.

Days later they reached the border, with several children perched on the cow’s broad back.

....................................................................................................

I woke at five this morning, unable to sleep again for thoughts of the desperate plight of the Ukranians. Media reports of children making the journey to Poland unaccompanied because their parents are staying to fight the Russians. There was one child alone because his mother had to look after a grandmother too frail to move, another whose mother couldn't leave her orphanage full of children. Hence this story, prompted by Lisa Fox's photo on Rochelle's blog at  https://rochellewisoff.com/

Thanks to Google for translating 'Auntie' into Ukranian for me. 'Titka'.