Refugee

Chapter Two - Amar

There were tents spread out everywhere. Samir wandered amongst them, snatching glances here and there, sometimes looking inside. A block of toilets, square cabins, stood in a neat row. The smell said it all. People moved about, no one looked at him, probably no one even noticed he was there.

He was alright for now. Just walking around, trying to see where everything was. Except all there was were the tents and not much else. Eventually he found himself not even looking anymore. Shuffling along thinking his own thoughts. One of those playing in his head was what he would do tonight.

It was February and at night, the temperature dropped as soon as the sun went down. It could be zero, or dip below, and he really didn't want to be outside. There was no shelter. He couldn't just go up to people. He didn't know how things worked. Everybody might be in the same situation, but everybody only cared about themselves. Well, themselves and their own family.

Lost in his own thoughts, he jumped, startled by a hand grabbing his arm. For a split second he was back in the city being pulled from the rubble.

"What's your name?" Someone was asking.

He spun round and looked directly up into the face of a boy. A boy older than him. A boy with the faint beginnings of a moustache. A boy with an odd look, somewhere between nice and nasty. Samir couldn't decide which. He said nothing.

The boy tugged his arm, looked at him with a stony glare. It was like he was deciding something, making up his mind.

"You're new," the boy spoke again. "Got nowhere to go?"

Was that a question or a statement? Was this a way out of his predicament, or just a cruel observation? The older boy let go of Samir's arm. Instead, he now had his arm over Samir's shoulders.

"I'll take care of you."

The words echoed inside his head. Those were the same words spoken in the makeshift city hospital. Nobody ever did, take care of him. But Samir didn't resist as the boy with his arm around his shoulders, pulled him along.

They weaved their way between the tents. Samir tried, but failed to work out where they were. All the tents looked alike, more or less. There were no landmarks. Only the toilet block, but he'd forgotten in what direction that was.

"I'm Amar," the boy said.

Amar brought him into a tent. They stopped. Samir looked around. It was empty apart from various bundles of clothes or blankets, and whatever else, in little piles scattered around. Amar led Samir to the far corner, patted a small pile covered with a blanket.

"This is us." Amar looked intently at Samir. "You can sleep here tonight."

Samir sat down on the floor of the tent. He looked up at this older boy who called himself Amar. He had mixed feelings, but he was tired. Tired from everything. The journey here. Walking around aimlessly. Tired from thinking.

As if Amar knew this, he moved to take the blanket off the small pile. Carefully he laid it on the ground. Samir saw what he was doing and helped, taking hold of one side. Next Amar took a large sleeping bag and spread it out on top of the blanket.

"Stay here," he told him. "I'll be back later... before it gets dark," he added.

When Amar left, Samir stretched out on top of the soft sleeping bag. Kicked off his sneakers and left them next to what he thought must be Amar's clothes. He lay back down, turned on his side facing the wall of the tent, and fell asleep.