Chapter 2 The man in a coal-colored coat The next morning brought the excitement of something incredible and joyful to Dina – she was no longer going to be alone on her way to school. The last time her mom walked her to school was on the last day of first grade, and until sixth grade Dina walked with Ira. In sixth grade she requested to walk alone because Ira managed to transform a simple walk to school into a modern torture method. So, Olga agreed and made sure Dina had a good five minutes of advantage before she let Ira leave the house. Very quickly Dina finished her breakfast,…

Chapter 1 “I got it, and that’s OK” The yearly calendar is full of dreadful days. Thursdays are especially devastating, but there is no day quite as bad as the 1st of September. Old grass-stained shorts and ripped t-shirts, filled with the warm smell of summer, get packed away to await long months until school is over and joy can return to the world. The uniforms, grey and wrinkly, march out of the closets and begin to rule over every hour of the day. The dusty air of the small northern town of Vytegra was still warm, and the grasshoppers were singing their late-summer songs in the withering grass on…