I guided them to the other side, yes like Aslan, as if we had discovered our own Narnia. We arrived at this city of colors with few belongings in tow. My father, mother, sister, and I left the old home in a deluge of rain and bullets, and reached a new soil that welcomed our tired bones.

In the morning, Yana climbed out of the window of our new home, and walked into the new world. A symphony of sounds invaded our bodies. Joy, tears, applause, embraces; the day unraveled in seconds.

I know the world of children; I live in the same dimension, sensing their heartbeats, perceiving their specific scents. I’ll see that Yana and mother continue their journey into this new country. I’ll make good on the promise I made to father when we stepped into that train, “Olek, see that they make it through until the end.”

*Dedicated to the pets of Ukrainian refugees.