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Description
1. The sunlight glistens on her wet skin as she's walking towards the beach. He has never seen anything so beautiful in his life and even if the words seem to dry up in his throat, he knows what he is going to do next.

2. It hasn't rained for months now so it only takes a small spark from the cigarette to set the undergrowth on fire. On the first sign of fire they panic and run, never to look back but to remember years later, in nightmares, the crazy old man who lived in the shack nearby and was never seen since.

3. They lay together on the grass, watching the sun slowly go down behind the treeline. He takes her hand, old, wrinkled and frail into his, and whispers: "I would give up everything I have for one more summer like this". She responds: "Darling, you already did that years ago". They burst into giggles, just like the one he was supposed to take her dancing for the first time and got lost on the way, and it seems that all these years haven't changed anything at all.

4. The thorns in the rose bush cut into her skin. She is only nine but already knows that the best places to hide from other people are the ones that hurt the most, both physically and on the inside. She closes her lips tight and crawls deeper, then watches the older kids laughing and walking by. Somewhere far away she hears her mother calling for her, shedding only a single tear as she tries to think of a good story.

5. She's ten and this is the first time her parents have taken her on their annual bike trip. The scenery rolls smoothly alongside the road even if it does get a bit hot in the sunshine. They should finally reach grandma's house in the evening. The last night in the tent along with all the bugs and the ghost stories was a lot of fun, but now she's thinking of all the strawberries and the vanilla ice cream she knows will be waiting for her once she gets there.

6. The silence is deafening and moments turn into minutes. Then she lowers her gaze, picks up her purse and walks away without saying a word. When he can no longer make her out from the crowd, the well-dressed man lights a cigarette and shouts to the waiter: "More champagne!", then drowns himself in the noise of the boulevard by the sea.

7. She paces barefoot in the moonlit garden, enjoying the feeling of the blades of grass between her toes. Still, her thoughts lie elsewhere: he has come here, just like her friends said he would, and she knows that tonight is the night that will finally make the difference. She steal a glance, then walks to the pier and waits for the perfect moment. When she hears his steps on the path approaching the shoreline, she takes off the rest of her clothes and dives into the cool water, hoping that he will follow.

8. It was supposed to be just another camping trip, his annual retreat with the guys. That's what he said, and after all these years, it felt like she could finally trust him. Yet, as she sees the police car pull up on the driveway and the look on the face of the police officer getting sluggishly out of the car, she bursts into tears and realizes that their life will never be the same again.

9. Giggling, they open the barn door and marvel at the light that filters through the holes between the old painted boards that make up the walls. She takes him by the hand (or is it his that takes hers?) and they find themselves a perfect spot, a pile of hay in the dimmest corner which also provides some cover from the prying eyes who will eventually notice their absence. The buttons on her dress prove quite difficult for his trembling hands, but smiling she helps him out and after that everything just falls in the place.

10. The days in the desert are searing hot but the nights are cool and dark, so they wake just before sundown and keep moving east as fast as they can. They can no longer hear the gunfire, but the smell of their homes burning does not leave them. At this pace, they should reach the border in less than a week, provided they can find enough water to survive. No one talks of Micha, or what happened to young Anya before they fled. Before they fall asleep the next morning, they try listening to their old radio for signs that the world has not forgotten about them, hearing only static.

11. He is counting the markings he has made on the bunk. Fifty-two. Forty-three. Twenty-six. Now the count stands at fifteen, barely more than two weeks. That many days until he can finally go home, away from this cursed place in the middle of nowhere. The camp counselor has been unbelievably patient and helpful for an adult, but there is nothing that he can do, because he cannot be everywhere all the time. Even school is better because at home he doesn't feel like he has to lie to his parents about how things are. And yet, he knows that after two weeks, he will never see David again, or hold his hand like he did back then on the forest hike when they thought no one was watching. Tomorrow the number will be fourteen. He sheds a few tears and then falls asleep, dreaming of his first kiss.

12. There is a new scent in the air. It smells of winter and hunger and sleep. It has been a long summer. She has forgotten the scent of her cubs already. She heads to the river to seek for fish. She needs to eat. She is hungry. Some of the leaves have turned yellow already. Soon there will be berries again. And then there will be the long sleep.

Description
1. The sunlight glistens on her wet skin as she's walking towards the beach. He has never seen anything so beautiful in his life and even if the words seem to dry up in his throat, he knows what he is going to do next.

2. It hasn't rained for months now so it only takes a small spark from the cigarette to set the undergrowth on fire. On the first sign of fire they panic and run, never to look back but to remember years later, in nightmares, the crazy old man who lived in the shack nearby and was never seen since.

3. They lay together on the grass, watching the sun slowly go down behind the treeline. He takes her hand, old, wrinkled and frail into his, and whispers: "I would give up everything I have for one more summer like this". She responds: "Darling, you already did that years ago". They burst into giggles, just like the one he was supposed to take her dancing for the first time and got lost on the way, and it seems that all these years haven't changed anything at all.

4. The thorns in the rose bush cut into her skin. She is only nine but already knows that the best places to hide from other people are the ones that hurt the most, both physically and on the inside. She closes her lips tight and crawls deeper, then watches the older kids laughing and walking by. Somewhere far away she hears her mother calling for her, shedding only a single tear as she tries to think of a good story.

5. She's ten and this is the first time her parents have taken her on their annual bike trip. The scenery rolls smoothly alongside the road even if it does get a bit hot in the sunshine. They should finally reach grandma's house in the evening. The last night in the tent along with all the bugs and the ghost stories was a lot of fun, but now she's thinking of all the strawberries and the vanilla ice cream she knows will be waiting for her once she gets there.

6. The silence is deafening and moments turn into minutes. Then she lowers her gaze, picks up her purse and walks away without saying a word. When he can no longer make her out from the crowd, the well-dressed man lights a cigarette and shouts to the waiter: "More champagne!", then drowns himself in the noise of the boulevard by the sea.

7. She paces barefoot in the moonlit garden, enjoying the feeling of the blades of grass between her toes. Still, her thoughts lie elsewhere: he has come here, just like her friends said he would, and she knows that tonight is the night that will finally make the difference. She steal a glance, then walks to the pier and waits for the perfect moment. When she hears his steps on the path approaching the shoreline, she takes off the rest of her clothes and dives into the cool water, hoping that he will follow.

8. It was supposed to be just another camping trip, his annual retreat with the guys. That's what he said, and after all these years, it felt like she could finally trust him. Yet, as she sees the police car pull up on the driveway and the look on the face of the police officer getting sluggishly out of the car, she bursts into tears and realizes that their life will never be the same again.

9. Giggling, they open the barn door and marvel at the light that filters through the holes between the old painted boards that make up the walls. She takes him by the hand (or is it his that takes hers?) and they find themselves a perfect spot, a pile of hay in the dimmest corner which also provides some cover from the prying eyes who will eventually notice their absence. The buttons on her dress prove quite difficult for his trembling hands, but smiling she helps him out and after that everything just falls in the place.

10. The days in the desert are searing hot but the nights are cool and dark, so they wake just before sundown and keep moving east as fast as they can. They can no longer hear the gunfire, but the smell of their homes burning does not leave them. At this pace, they should reach the border in less than a week, provided they can find enough water to survive. No one talks of Micha, or what happened to young Anya before they fled. Before they fall asleep the next morning, they try listening to their old radio for signs that the world has not forgotten about them, hearing only static.

11. He is counting the markings he has made on the bunk. Fifty-two. Forty-three. Twenty-six. Now the count stands at fifteen, barely more than two weeks. That many days until he can finally go home, away from this cursed place in the middle of nowhere. The camp counselor has been unbelievably patient and helpful for an adult, but there is nothing that he can do, because he cannot be everywhere all the time. Even school is better because at home he doesn't feel like he has to lie to his parents about how things are. And yet, he knows that after two weeks, he will never see David again, or hold his hand like he did back then on the forest hike when they thought no one was watching. Tomorrow the number will be fourteen. He sheds a few tears and then falls asleep, dreaming of his first kiss.

12. There is a new scent in the air. It smells of winter and hunger and sleep. It has been a long summer. She has forgotten the scent of her cubs already. She heads to the river to seek for fish. She needs to eat. She is hungry. Some of the leaves have turned yellow already. Soon there will be berries again. And then there will be the long sleep.