In the Envelope of Memory by Ilana Haley

Author:Ilana Haley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2019-10-16T14:10:51+00:00

Chapter 17

Aliya

Oh reader, I think about our excitement at that time; it was a different sort, weaving inside, weaving slowly, knitting a carpet of utopia. An excited anticipation of the stirring presence, and sun, so much sun. Even so, it was an excitement of a different sort, not gut-wrenching, not hilarious, quiet, with a long breath. Through lemon orchards, through inflamed sunrises we did not go in vain. Even though our faces were lifted to heaven and stars flickered in our eyes, we knew that the desert of bones lay only a few steps from us.

I am tired. What more can I demand from time? Another toxin? spiritual marijuana? I will stay right here, until you tell me otherwise; and you, my childhood friends? Please look for me. The heart of the woods pervades my thoughts and I am taken back to a time when red, red anemones were in bloom, alongside a military presence. Yes, sorry, I forgot to tell you about the war and the way people in the kibbutz handled it. It isn’t easy to narrate. I was 13 years old during the war of independence in Israel. We were bombed from the air regularly; machine guns deafened our ears, grenades blew up next to us. We did not have shelters; we were huddled together in trenches and counted the bombs. Every few minutes our principal from school came to the trench, his clothes spotted with fresh blood. He came to tell us who was killed, that day, who wounded. We were not afraid at the time of the wars. The fear came much later in life. In the story I wrote here, I concentrate on what happened to certain people after the war. It is a true story; only the names are different. Here it is:

{For the E-Book version place a link here to the video, Anemones, by John Brusseau}

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