SARA. Laws are keeping silence during the war. Elena Fishtik

no athletes in our city, – Sara exclaimed and pouted her small lips with the sense of resentment, and then she added, – if only Mania would go with us, I’ll miss my sister so much.

      – My darling, Mania has got family. You know that Mosia can’t leave his barbershop.

      – Why?

      – Sara, his business is going well. And indeed Moisey is “a water boy” – they won’t let him go.

      – And will you miss Mania?

      – I’ll miss Mania, and my grandson, my little Izia, I will miss so much, but what can I do!?… – Emma turned away to hide her tears.

      – Mother, calm down, Sara was asking crying and hugging mother’s waist.

      – My dear daughter, don’t cry, everything will be good, you need to understand if the party sent Boris then he is needed there and his skills are needed, and you will love L’vov like you love your native city Zaporojye.

      – You’ll meet new friends, – Emma clasped the daughter with care and stroked her splendid wavy hair.

      Silk locks of hair were spreading over shoulders of a young and incredibly pretty girl.

      She was proud of her hair so much.

      – And Mania has got family and she can’t go with us, – mother continued.

      – Oh, I understand everything.

      Right at that moment Sara recognized that her childhood was finished and she began new adult life.

      She was in prospect for not only changing the city for living!

      She was at hand to get to know all the polar sides of life.

      Nobody could know what was waiting for him in the future.

      Summer, 1940

      A long way lay ahead.

      The ship was going by Dnepr to Kiev.

      Passengers were sitting on the floor of the hold, it was quite crowded but Boris has found some sheltered place where Sara and Mum could feel themselves more comfortable.

      The young pregnant woman was lying near.

      Her face was frightened, time and again she protected her big belly by hands from the scrum, it seemed that she would give birth right now.

      Emma smiled to her with encouraging smile and greeted her, Sara has copied her Mum’s behavior, though she felt uncomfortable.

      Knapsacks, bags, kitbags, people – all was mixed, the shout, the scream of children, tears of people who were saying goodbye, loud greeting exclamations of people which met their acquaintances by chance, the moan of the old lady who was lifting on the gangway with difficulty, sailors who were finishing the last preparations for leaving, the powerful horn, and the ship is slowly going.

      People are waving to their relatives from the shore and people from the ship are also waving in response, the last exhortations are heard, the picture of the shore is getting smaller and finally it is disappearing, disappearing…

      The freight ship that was transporting people sometimes, finally it slowly began to go, it captivated Sara with Mum and brother Boris to something completely unknown.

      And it scared the young girl.

      She was afraid not only for herself but also for her brother and Mum who became a widow so early.

      Very often Sara asked her mother to tell about her Dad as he died when Sara wasn’t even five.

      Of course, she remembered some moments when her father was playing with her with hand-made toys, when he was reading books to her, he brought these books from the printing house where he’s been working for all his life and the printing house was the reason of his death, as some chemicals that were harmful for lungs formed the big cancer tumor that killed him.

      Sara remembered even her questions that she asked her father:

      – Father, is it true that Jesus was a Jew?

      – Yes, daughter, it’s true. At that time all were the Jews – it was such time, – though her father was never religious, moreover he was a strong communist.

      – Father, Sioma told me, that God lives above.

      – Yeah, daughter, your friend is right, God lives above, – and mentally added to himself, – and torments below.

      Sara’s father was the mine of information, he knew a lot of proverbs and sayings as all Jewish people knew.

      They are wise in the womb.

      It is said in some Jewish saying that Jewish people are born old.

      When his father Isaac died Boris became the support of the family.

      Since childhood he was notable for the great responsibility, accuracy and he liked to take care of others so much.

      It was not necessary to ask him about the help, to force him or plead to do something, the nobility was in his blood.

      The name – Boris he took for himself when he got eighteen and before his name was Ziama.

      This story is also very exponential and it shows the qualities of his nature.

      Ziama had his beloved cousin Boria.

      They were very amicable. Boris died when he was young.

      The death is very strange and mysterious.

      Friends and acquaintances talked a lot about the solar eclipse.

      This day came. Boris as many other people went out on the street, he spent an hour in the yard and watched the sky.

      He watched the disc of the Moon that slowly hid the solar disc – this beautiful new formation enraptured him.

      The sky got dark and the bright stars appeared on it.

      And suddenly, around the solar disc that was hidden by the Moon, he noticed the bright solar crown.

      Feelings were inexpressible.

      It continued only a few minutes but it was enough for Boris.

      As if he discovered something essential for himself.

      As if he got to know the Great Secret.

      His face was calm and unruffled.

      He looked at the sky one more time, smiled and went home, lay on his bed and… died.

      This mysterious death of a young and healthy boy shocked the whole family, and Ziama closed for a few days, he couldn’t communicate with anyone, and when his stress has gone away he announced to everybody that in memory of his brother he would take his name.

      And from that time he is Boris.

      The hold of the ship was impossibly full.

      People were sitting, lying and staying, yawning with boredom.

      Sara’s pregnant neighbor name was Maria.

      She was going to Kiev to her parents for childbirth as her husband was taken to the army.

      She was afraid a little bit because it was almost the time for childbirth, but it was much more awful to stay alone in Zaporojye where there weren’t any relatives at all, where there wasn’t any help, and this one was her first child, she didn’t know what to do and how, she hadn’t any experience, that’s why she made so desperate decision.

      The first day of the journey was quiet.

      The weather was fine. Passengers were eating and drinking, the food was