Home Is Beyond the Mountains by Celia Lottridge

Author:Celia Lottridge
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Groundwood Books Ltd.
Published: 2011-09-03T04:00:00+00:00

THE FAMILIES WERE FORMED. But they didn’t really feel like families.

As Anna said to Samira, “There are people in this family I barely know. What kind of family is that?”

“I think it’s a new kind of family,” said Samira. “I hope it will work.”

Miss Shedd did not just hope. She had a plan.

“Families eat together and work together,” she said.

The meal schedule was rearranged so that each new family gathered together for their evening meal every day. The twelve members of the Rooftop Family sat around a big bowl of stew or rice and vegetables and each person scooped a serving into their own small bowl. They had to be careful to divide the meat fairly, if there was meat, and Anna made sure that the smaller children got their proper share.

At first there were long pauses in the conversation, but Samira and Anna, as big sisters, decided to ask questions about favorite games and stories or the worst job each person had ever had to do. In just a few days talk began as soon as the family sat down.

Samira began to feel that she was getting to know this family of hers. It was different from knowing them as friends. Maryam, for instance, never tried to get a bit more than her share and often waited to serve herself last. The ravenous boys would scoop as much as they could from the bowl, so Anna began watching out for Maryam as well as for the young ones. Small Monna was so thin and ate so slowly that she worried Samira. How could she walk to Tabriz?

Elias, on the other hand, was the youngest in the family but he ate as much as he could fit in his bowl. He also took part in every discussion. He often argued with Avram, who liked to talk about all the important jobs he would do on the journey.

“I’ll run ahead and help the cook get the fire going every day,” Avram said one day.

“But I can run faster,” said Elias. “I’ll be first to get to the camp.”

“The others will find you sleeping beside the road. They’ll have to pick you up and carry you.” And the argument went on, getting sillier and sillier.

Malik was the only member of the family who never expressed an opinion about anything.

“I know he listens to what we say,” Samira said to Anna. “I can see him almost smile when Avram boasts, and he shakes his head when we go on and on about how hard the journey will be. Maybe no one has ever listened to him and he just learned to keep quiet. If we keep eating together long enough maybe he’ll talk one day.”

“I think that pretty soon Miss Shedd will give us more to do than just eat together,” said Anna. “I’ve seen her going from one dormitory to another with her lists.”

Then one dark February evening, just as Elias had fallen asleep, Miss Shedd came into Samira and Anna’s room with a list in her hand.

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