October 1930
Anya stared at herself in the mirror. She was a little older, more developed in her features, but still felt the same as that 17-year-old girl from all those years before.
She splashed water on her face and shook her head, brushing away the thoughts. She couldn't afford to think that way.
Anya turned the water off and slipped on her coat. She grabbed her broom and went off to work.
As she was sweeping, what sounded like a gunshot rang out and she screamed, falling to the ground.
"Нет!"
(No!)
A man walked up behind her and said in a gentle tone as he pulled Anya up, "Это был грузовик, товарищ. Вот и все. Те дни прошли, сосед против соседа. Больше нечего бояться. Ты дрожишь. Тут в двух шагах чайная, позвольте мне..."
(It was a truck backfiring, comrade. That's all it was. Those days are over, neighbor against neighbor. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore. You're shaking. There's a tea shop just steps from here, let me-)
Anya rushed to grab her broom. "Спасибо."
(Thank you.)
"Куда вы торопитесь?"
(What's your hurry?)
"Я не могу потерять эту работу. Их нелегко найти." She ran off and called out behind her, "Но спасибо."
(I can't lose this job. They're not easy to come by. But thank you.)
"Я здесь каждый день!"
(I'm here every day!)
Anya watched warily as the man walked away. Something about him terrified her, but then again, she jumped at just about everything.
She had to get out of Russia as soon as possible. But getting papers and tickets would be a much more difficult matter.
As soon as she finished, she collected her pay and made her way to a train station.
"Мне нужен билет в Париж."
(I need a ticket to Paris.)
She wasn't sure why, but she had to get to Paris.
"У нас нет билета прямо в Париж."
(We don't have a ticket directly to Paris.)
"Мне нужно попасть в Париж или хотя бы из России! Пожалуйста."
(I need to get to Paris or out of Russia at the least! Please.)
The woman looked at her and nodded slowly, seeing the girl's desperation.
"Я могу доставить вас в Нью-Йорк, а оттуда вы сможете добраться до Парижа."
(I can get you to New York, and from there you might be able to get to Paris.)
"Это за морем!"
(That's across the sea!)
"Это все, что у меня есть. Возьми это или оставь."
(It's all I have. Take it or leave it.)
Anya glared as she took the ticket and walked away.
She made her way to a dock and waited for a ship to come in.
As she waited, she closed her eyes and was met with the familiar horrors.
With a gasp, she awoke. The ship had arrived.
Anya boarded and as soon as the ship was ready to depart, she watched as the only home she'd known grew smaller.
Anya watched as the waves lapped each other. She would get to Paris as soon as she could. Whoever was waiting for her in Paris must be important to her. That much she knew.
But little did she truly know she had nothing in Paris. Not anymore.
The one she'd unknowingly hoped to find had passed only two years before.
YOU ARE READING
Rumors and Ghosts
ActionMiraculously, the youngest daughter survives a brutal massacre. The only one to make it out alive. But it's at the cost of her memory. For years, she works odd jobs, trying to get to Paris, though she's not sure why the city is so important to her...
