Free The Boy from Aleppo Who Painted the War by Sumia Sukkar Page A

OWN LIFE INSTEAD OF LIVING YOURS!’ Yasmine shouts and runs to her room. Both of our guests look away as if they can’t hear what’s going on. I can’t take my eyes off Yasmine’s door.
    *
    â€˜Let’s go get some food Adam.’ Baba gently shoves me to wake me up.
    â€˜We are buying food?’
    â€˜Yes, let’s go, just you and I.’ I jump up and before I count to 50 I am ready in front of Baba. I’ve been hungry for days. I’ve been craving stuffed vegetables and rice and apple pie. I think I even dreamed of it.
    Baba and I walk out into a dead town. There isn’t a single person around. There are spiderwebs on the neighbours’ door. Baba tells me stories about the Prophet Muhammad as we walk down the street. These stories always inspire me to be the best I can be. When we get to the market we only find two stalls open in a whole street.
    There are two men sitting behind each stall praising God with their prayer beads. One of them is cleaning his teeth with a brown stick called the Miswak, which the Prophet PBUH used to use. Baba used to have one and I tried it but it has a funny smell that I can’t get used to. It looks cool to watch people do it though. The stalls aren’t as colourful as usual but everything looks tasty to me right now. There are mostly dates on the side.
    â€˜Why are there so many dates Baba and nothing else?’
    The man hears me asking Baba and pats me on the head.
    â€˜Young man, a house without dates is a starving house said the Prophet PBUH. Three dates every time you feel the pangs of hunger and you’ll forget your hunger.’
    I smile and look at Baba.
    â€˜That’s true Adam, come on, let’s pick the dates you want.’
    I like my dates quite soft and shiny brown. They’re the sweetest kind. Baba buys a huge bag of dates and a few bananas and gives me one.
    â€˜Thank you Baba.’
    â€˜Do you want to know something interesting?’
    â€˜Yes Baba…’
    â€˜I once read in a book that many fruits and vegetables resemble certain body parts and are in fact good for those body parts. Like walnuts, they look like a brain and are proven to be good for the brain. Grapes hang in a cluster that looks like the shape of the heart and are good for the heart. Isn’t that strange?’
    â€˜Are you sure that’s true Baba? It sounds like a story.’
    Baba laughs and assures me it’s true. I love hearing Baba tell me facts and stories. He knows everything. One day I want to know everything like him. But I don’t want to be a teacher like him though because I’m not good with people. We walk home holding the two bags full of dates and bananas. I can see my school building from here. The lights are off and it looks like no one has entered it for a long time. I hear heavy footsteps behind me. I look back and see four men walking two by two behind each other. They walk fast and start walking in front of us. From here I notice the two at the back holding guns pointed at the front two.
    â€˜Baba, they have guns!’
    Baba puts his hand on my mouth and pulls me back to the corner of a house.
    â€˜Adam, don’t say anything, we could get killed.’
    I freeze in my spot. How can everybody talk about death so easily now? We never used to talk about dying at all before. I hold onto Baba’s shirt and stand behind him. He doesn’t say anything. I can hear the voice of somebody shouting from afar.
    â€˜Have faith in God, never lose faith in God!’
    â€˜Shut up you…’ I am guessing the guys with the guns replied to them. I can’t repeat the word they said but it was very bad. Baba covered my ears. But I had already heard it. Baba says it’s okay to walk out and we walk slowly behind them. They are 14 feet in front of us I count quickly. Baba puts a finger on his lips and I just follow him slowly. I don’t take my eyes off the men. I can hear the men