Sisters of the Sky by Lana Kortchik

Author:Lana Kortchik [Kortchik, Lana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2023-06-05T12:00:00+00:00

Nina folded the letter and put it in the envelope. Then she pressed it to her heart, her tears falling on the wooden top of the kitchen table. ‘Don’t cry,’ said Anton, suddenly appearing behind her and placing his hand on her shoulder. ‘She would want us to keep fighting. She would want us to stay strong.’

When she looked up, she saw that Anton was crying too. ‘I know. And we will,’ she said. He sat down next to her. She pushed Katya’s letter closer to him. ‘Would you like to read it?’

Anton nodded. She watched him as he read. His face looked grey in the light of a candle.

‘She saved my life once. Did you know that?’ said Nina when he was finished.

‘I didn’t know that.’

‘We were fifteen. It was winter and we decided to go ice skating on a lake not far from our house. The ice looked so strong and it was freezing outside. We didn’t think for a second that it might be dangerous. We did it every year. I put my skates on quicker than Katya and shouted that I would race her to the ice. She replied that it wasn’t fair but I didn’t listen, I was already on the lake, spinning in circles, happy, skating away from her. Wait for me, she shouted. But I didn’t wait. Suddenly, the ice started to crack and I was trapped in the middle of the lake. I tried to make it back to safety but it was too late. The ice underneath me crumbled and I fell right into the freezing water. My legs were in the water but my upper body was still on the ice. I was holding on for dear life but I could feel myself slipping. It was the scariest moment of my life.’

‘What did Katya do?’

‘She was by my side instantly, despite the danger. While the ice was breaking around us, she pulled me by the arms until I was out and then helped me off the ice. By that point my legs were frozen and I could barely walk. I was sick with pneumonia for weeks afterwards. If it wasn’t for her, I would have drowned in the freezing lake that day.’ Nina dropped her head in the palms of her hands and cried. Moments passed before she could talk again. ‘She didn’t leave me behind, Anton. She didn’t walk away from me to get help. She risked her life to save me and brought me home safely. But I couldn’t bring her home safely.’ Nina’s voice faded to a whisper. ‘What are we going to tell Tonya?’

Anton spoke slowly, like every word was agony. ‘We will tell her it’s war. We will tell her we did our best to find Mama. We will tell her Mama was a hero and she loved her very much, until the end.’

The candle crackled and died, plunging the kitchen into darkness. The two of them remained side by side, talking about Katya, and soon not talking at all but sitting in silence.

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