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Dati dalle informazioni generali inglesi.Modifica per tradurlo nella tua lingua.
Mama injured her leg when she fled with her parents from the Nazis in the frozen fields of Russia. The Nazis invaded the entire area unexpectedly, and the family took a few bundles and started running north. Mama’s shoes slipped off in the dark, and when they had to cross the icy cold river to get to the other side, her leg froze. No matter what her parents tried to do, the leg was lifeless, and remained so.
Dedica
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This book is dedicated to the memory of my deceased family members, to my parents Esther and Shaikè Kagan who had been my inspiration. I salute the people of Mongolia for opening their hearts to the refugees of World War II who ran away from the Nazi persecutors.
Incipit
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The hill was covered with wildflowers. I was three years old when Mama brought me there with my sisters and said, “Stand still. Don’t move!” My sisters and I stood silently, our hearts beating hard. I saw the butterflies flitting around, white and yellow stripes, from flower to flower, and scratched my head. My sister Esther shoved me and said, “Stand still, stupid!”
One little baby butterfly was circling around my head. It landed on top of me. “That’s one husband,” said my sister Bella. I sighed in relief. I would not remain an old maid. Then another butterfly landed on Esther’s shoulders. She gave a yell, “Mama, I will have a husband,” and Mama said, “Shhh! be quiet. Don’t move.”
I could feel the little butterfly stretching its wings on my head, and my feet started to hurt. I wanted to run around on the hill and smell the flowers. Two butterflies were chasing each other. They came right in front of my nose. “Go,” I said, “I have a husband already; go to Bella!” but they both landed on my head, right next to the first one.
Bella was breathing heavily. “She will have three husbands, Mama.”
Citazioni
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Gal was the wildest of all my brothers. He was totally untamed. He was an individual whom no one could influence. He was in no way similar to either Ma or Pa, and he was Ma’s favorite. He was the only one that she had fights with. Every word led to an argument. He had absolutely no set of rules, and he lived as he wanted to live.
Ever since he was a baby his idol was Genghis Khan, the legend says that when Khan came into the world he was clutching a large blood clot in his right hand which was a sign that he would grow up to become a great and successful warrior.. Ma swore to us many times that Gal came out of her body holding a big blood clot in his right hand as well and Pa would node his head reassuring her story.
As a child Genghis Khan was a wild little boy just like Gal, he was shooting birds rode horses as if he was born on them and had no fear of the frozen river. When Khan became nine years old his father set up on a trip to find him a good match from a tribe called Onggirat. He found his son’s future bride in a ten years old girl named Borte. She was a beauty, she had pale face and flashing eyes and she looked just like Yael.
Gal just as Genghis Khan his hero was a born leader. He would form groups of kids as his own privet army and trained them to do as he said. He was playing war games with them as if he was playing with a bunch of soldiers toys and just as Genghis Khan was very shrewd in his choice of unit commanders so was Gal in choosing the boys who would carry out his orders. Gal too would drill the neighborhood boys for hours with their horses Genghis Khan’s “circle and close in” tactic, the boys would string themselves out in a long line and then ride forward herding before them all the game they came across as they rode. When they came close the right and the ldft sides of the line would turn and ride towards each other and so they would trap the man that had been Harding
Gal was a definite leader. He was Genghis Khan in body and soul, in spite of the Chinese- Israeli mix of blood in him; he looked like a Mongol and behaved like one. He had his own set of laws that he forced on the entire school age kids in the village but he himself had no abidness for any rules that Ma and Pa had tried to force on him. He was a great archer and the best horse rider in town, he could fight well with his sword and his fists were rough.
Ma had a very good nature, but he was the one who popped her out of her skin. He was the only one against whom she ever raised her hand or her voice. She would scream out of frustration at his attitude. He was stubborn, ungrateful, aggressive, would be in constant trouble with his teachers and other children, and she loved him the most.
When Liu Young would look any of the other children in the eye, they would be glued to the wall. Gal would look him straight back in the eye, as if saying combatively, “What, what’s the problem?” Ever since he was born, he had no attachments to any of his siblings except Yael.
Gal would close his fists whenever the boys started circling around her and narrow his eyes like a tiger ready to attack. He would stand between her and the rest of the world like a wall, and nobody dared talked to her. I would say to him, “Gal, let go of her, she will never be able to protect herself. Let her learn to be on her own,” but Gal would not listen.
The two grew up together like twins. They were only one year apart. Ma used to laugh. Whenever Yael was hungry Gal would eat. Whenever Gal would be tired Yael would take a nap. They were always together in their own world. They created their own language, a mix of Mongolian and Chinese that even we could not understand. They would disappear for hours into the woods..
Little Molian who was eight years old was the family’s favorite. He was the one in the family who most reminded everyone of av-ga Molian. Whenever na-gats Manika was depressed or missed her late husband, she would go and fetch little Molian. He was her favorite nephew. She would spoil him, buy him toys, and buy him candy. Manika would always be his safe haven.
Ma did not like to call her kids after the dead, but when he was born, it was Pa’s turn to name the baby (they would take turns naming them). Pa took one look at the screaming package and told Ma, “This one is a present from your brother. He looks just like him. I will name him Molian.” Ma looked at Manika’s pale face, and started crying. Manika took the baby in her arms and started washing his little body with a wet cloth slowly, as if she were washing once again
Ultime parole
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We passed by Manika’s house, and in a sudden urge I stopped the horse and took my gold necklaces, both of them, off my neck. I had never taken them off in all the years
that I had them. The gold horse shoe and the heart with Sami’s picture in it never left me. Manika will know what to do with them, I thought to myself, and left them by her door.
Aarlima left the village. I looked back and smiled. The most peaceful spot on earth was here. I kicked Aarlima softly and rode up the mountain. We passed through the butterfly hill. I smiled again. Spring will come soon and all the butterflies will be back. I wonder what kind we will get this time. Suddenly I was flooded with happiness. My heart beat fast, as if I were riding to heaven. The sun came up on the red horizon. Aarlima stopped by Sami’s grave. I bent down and said, “Sami, I am here.”
He touched my hair. I turned around. He was there smiling at me. His arms opened. I walked into them. “Come now! It’s time” I held him with all my strength and cried, “Sámi, don’t let go of me. I love you so much. I miss you so much.” He kissed me and said, “Hold on to me. I won’t let go,” and he led me to the edge of the mountain.
I felt a strange sensation. I looked to the side and saw that I had grown white butterfly wings, just like Sami’s. Our fingers linked. We smiled at each other, and we flew away.