Adam and Thomas

Chapter 6

The morning light woke them.

“Our mothers didn’t come to get us,” said Thomas, still drowsy.

“They’ll come, but till they do, we have to fix up the nest. Did you sleep well?”

“I usually sleep deeply, but last night I couldn’t sleep. Too many pictures raced before my eyes.”

“I’m not worried. My mom is stubborn. She keeps her promises,” said Adam.

“My mom is also stubborn and keeps her promises. But why didn’t she come and get us?”

“I think we shouldn’t worry. Worry won’t do us any good.” Adam spoke in a practical tone.

“I had a strange dream,” said Thomas. “It was summer. We were swimming in the river. The sun was bright and pleasant. Then suddenly, without warning, black clouds gathered in the sky, and it started to rain hard. The light summer umbrellas were swept up by the wind and fell into the river. Dad suggested going up to the forest and looking for shelter there. We all made fun of his suggestion. ‘It’s a summer rainstorm, a passing shower, soon the sun will come out again. There’s no reason to hurry.’ Dad was insulted by our mockery, and his spirits fell. A strange dream. They say dreams come to teach us something.” Thomas spoke excitedly.

“I don’t have dreams. Only very rarely.” Adam spoke lightly.

“I dream often, but usually I can’t understand the dream. Sometimes the dream seems real, and sometimes it’s confusion.”

Adam raised his eyes with a faraway look as if he was still attached to his mother and to his schoolbooks.

Thomas was surprised by Adam’s look and said, “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, Thomas. Everything is fine.”

“What are you thinking about?”

“About our nest. We can improve it. We’ll add twigs and leaves. A nest has to be well cushioned, otherwise it will cave in under our weight.”

Strange, Adam isn’t worried. The thought flashed through Thomas’s mind. Maybe he knows something that I don’t. He’s quick. He’s a child of nature. I’m a city creature.

They came down from the tree, washed their faces, drank some water, and looked around. Not a sound could be heard. The forest was covered with delicate points of light, blinking and shimmering.

“Come, let’s have a little meal next to the stream. We still have some sandwiches, vegetables, and fruit,” Adam suggested.

“Excellent idea. I’m hungry.”

Adam climbed up and helped Thomas up, and soon they had sandwiches, fruit, and vegetables. Thomas’s mood improved from minute to minute. Adam gave him a friendly look and said, “The forest is the safest place these days. In the ghetto they snatch up children and grandparents. Here they won’t catch us. We’ll improve our running and tree climbing, and we’ll leap like squirrels.”

“Maybe because I’m nearsighted, and maybe for other reasons, I’m not quick. My running isn’t graceful.” Thomas lost his self-confidence.

“You mustn’t lose hope, Thomas. If you keep practicing, you’ll get better at it.”

“Are we going to stay in the forest for a long time?” Thomas asked.

“As long as we have to, until the ghetto calms down. Maybe the war will be over in the meantime.”

“I’m afraid,” Thomas admitted. “Why am I always afraid?”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. The forest has everything. We’ll learn how to find the good things in the forest. Yesterday we took the first important step. We built a nest.”

“You say that building the nest was the first step?” Thomas asked.

“That’s right,” said Adam. “When you have a base, you can move forward.”

“Adam, your way of thinking surprises me.”