CHAPTER 2

When the children woke up the next morning, the mother was quietly sitting with Leitifa in her arms. She explained them the situation and told them that the coming months might be difficult but that they would go through them together, united as a family. Sammy and Nada were not sure what it meant, but because their mother sounded strong and confident, they felt that they should be strong too. They ate their breakfast of black beans and bread and prepared quickly for school. As they walked, however, they noticed something strange. The few people they saw appeared nervous and agitated but surprisingly very few shops were open. It was as if the city was under a strange spell. Here and there they could see men that they had never seen before, holding guns and staring intensely. The two siblings looked at each others' and finding courage in being together, walked faster and finally made it to school. They went to their respective classrooms and immediately noticed that many of their friends were absent. Nada was told that her two best friends had left town with their family. Sammy knew that her sister was sad. First their father had to go, now her friends. So on the way back from school he reminded her what their father had said the last time he had to leave them. When the people you love are far away, they do not disappear. They remain in your heart for as long as you need them. Father always said, "When you can't see me with your eyes, see me with your heart, and you will feel the same joy, right here, inside of you." Strong from these words, the children forgot the strange feeling inside of their stomach and agreed to make their mother smile by playing with and taking care of Leitifa. Proud to see how well the children were coping with the situation and eager to help them fall asleep, the old house did what it did best and whispered the following story.

Mo, the little pigeon

Once upon a time, there was a family of pigeons living happily in a beautiful nest on the top of a high house. It was the perfect nest really because there were small walls on the roof that protected the nest from strong winds and there were also other pigeons living on the roof so when one of the mothers left to fetch food, the other mothers looked after the little ones. Mo was really happy. There was a lot of food for pigeons, and he could play with his friends as often as he wanted without risking being eaten by a cat or captured by a human. One day, however, big black birds flew over the roof, very low. Mo and his friends were very curious and interested. They are so big… said one of them. They are so fast… said another. And as they were looking at these strange birds, they heard a loud, deep scream that was very scary. A few minutes later another big bird flew even closer and dropped a stone on the roof while making a big deep scream and all the little pigeons ran to their mothers, frightened! What was that? Asked Mo to his parents. These birds are not from this land. I had only heard of them said the mother. I was told they were chased from their land and came here in search of new places to live, said the father, thoughtfully. They usually live in mountains or on top of tall trees, but there are no such trees over here. I wonder what they want? Whispered the mother to father pigeon. So do I, he answered.

The next morning, Mo was awakened suddenly by the loud and scary scream of the black birds but this time, it was followed by a lot of noise and confusion. A black bird had thrown another stone and this time, it had landed on one of the neighbours' nest nearly missing an egg that was hatching there. The adults were talking fast and loud; there were a lot of anger and worries in the air and Mo did not like that. He hid his little head under his wing to hide that he was feeling bad, but he was also curious, so Mo took a few deep breaths to give himself some strength and raised his head to hear the adults talking. Apparently, the black birds had not found any tree that was high enough for them to nest, so they had decided to chase all the pigeons from the house and make their own nest on the roof instead. Mo felt like his stomach was spinning inside of him. How could any bird dare to come to their roof and claim it as their own? He was born there and knew nothing else. While he was thinking, some of his friends came close to him. My mom said that we should leave and find another roof, one of them said. I think we should stay and fight them, said another. Fighting? But how? These birds are so big and can fly so high. If they start throwing stones at us, or if they land and destroy our nests, we don't stand any chance. Mo was thinking in silence. His mother had recently laid eggs in the nest and eggs cannot be transported just like that to another roof or even to the ground. What would happen? He wondered sadly.

As he was reflecting, he heard the terrifying scream of the black birds again and this time, there were, at least, three of them. He felt the feathers on his back rise and his little legs started to shiver. The birds dropped stones very near them, and the little pigeons flew away to avoid them. Mo's little heart was beating very fast. He hated those big birds. He felt so upset inside that the duvet on his head was straight up in the air, and he looked as if his head was twice its normal size. After the incident, all the parents ran to their children and everyone went back to their nests. Mo, said the mother, your uncle and aunt are leaving for some time to protect your cousins, and we want you to go with them. No! said Mo in shock. I don't want to leave; I want to be with you! My dear Mo, said the father, calmly, your mother and I have made a difficult decision, but it is for your safety. We cannot leave the eggs behind, but we must protect you. It is for your own good, and you will be leaving tonight with your uncle and his family. No!!! No!!! I want to stay and help you protect the eggs. I can fight those big bad birds. Fight? Asked the mother looking deeply into Mo's eyes. Do you think it would make us any safer? Sometimes wisdom is better than muscles. Pigeons may not be the biggest birds nor the fastest, but we never lose our way because we think things through and never forget the lessons we learn. But I don't want to leave you…. Mo said softly, I don't want to go away. Listen to me, my son, said the father. You are not leaving for ever, just the time that someone finds a solution. We will be with you in your heart, and you will always be able to find your way back home because home is within you.

So that afternoon, Mo hugged his parents and left with his uncle, aunt, and all his cousins. It was so unfair, he thought. He did not want to go. Be brave my son and never forget who you really are! Said the father. Mo felt like something inside of him was ripped apart. Had he been a human he would have surely cried, but pigeons don't have tears, so he hid his head under his little wing to hide the sorrow in his eyes. Would he ever see his parents again? Would he ever meet the brothers and sisters still sleeping inside the eggs?

The trip was very tiring. Mo had never been so far from the nest before. The sadness inside him was so deep, so profound that he felt it like a weight inside his stomach. Like when you eat a stone rather than a grain, like everything inside you feels hard and heavy. He wanted to scream, to shout and tell the entire world about those black birds and how unfair it was that the pigeons had to suffer when they had nothing to do with what happened to them. Why did the strongest birds have to impose their way? Why didn't anyone come forward to help them? Lost in his sad thoughts, Mo hadn't realised that he was flying slower than his cousins and the distance between them was increasing more and more. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his uncle who had turned around to reach him. Mo, he said, I understand how sad you feel and how difficult it must be to fly while carrying the weight of your pain, but you must understand that the heaviness you feel inside is just a perception. It is not real. You can choose to let your pain and anger take you down, or you can throw those feelings to the winds and fly faster than you ever flew before. Race with me Mo, let's catch up your cousins and you will see that as you do something fun, you will begin to feel the tensions inside of you go away. And as you feel the sun on your head, and the wind in your face, you may even begin to see things that you had never noticed before. You may even begin to think things through differently. Because when you take your attention away from your problems, your energy increases and when your energy flows, you can achieve anything. Looking at Mo straight in the eyes, the uncle flapped his wings very fast and extended his neck in the speeding position. Follow me nephew, and give your sadness to the wind!

Mo followed his uncle, swirling and gliding on the wind, letting everything go, every thought, every emotion, just enjoying the moment, flapping his little wings as fast as he could, feeling the sun and the wind as he never had before. Mo looked down at the world below him, feeling his muscles, hearing the beating of his heart and, just as his uncle had said, his chest suddenly felt lighter and lighter. And because he was beginning to have fun, he was able to fly faster and higher. Each time I breathe, he thought, I feel better and better. The higher Mo flew, the more confidence he got, and Mo suddenly began to notice the sky. He had seen the sky every single day since he was born but away from the nest, so far from his family, it seemed as if he was noticing the changes in its colours for the first time. Like if the sky was revealing its true beauty for the very first time. Mo felt like the sky was trying to tell him something. You know when you look at something so beautiful, and you don't know why but you just think "everything is going to be fine". Mo still missed his family very much, but deep down he knew that he would see them again, so he kept flying and looking at the sun, as it sets slowly. And when the pigeons were totally surrounded by a soothing shade of pink and orange, they landed on the top of an old shed.