NINE

Parvana couldn’t sleep. Her belly was empty, and it hurt.

When they had the chicken and the eggs, it felt like they had all the food in the world. Hassan couldn’t eat chicken very well because he only had a few teeth to chew with, so Parvana and Asif decided to let him have the eggs. Parvana cooked them up nice and soft. There was no oil left to cook with, but she watched them carefully, and they did not stick to the pan too badly.

Asif killed the chicken simply and quickly, and Parvana began to think there were things he could do besides complain and annoy her.

They ate the chicken for as long as they could, feeding Hassan the softer parts. They all felt better when they were eating. Hassan took an interest in things again, and Parvana wasn’t nearly so grumpy.

But eventually there was nothing left to eat, and they all became hungry again.

Had it been a week since the chicken ran out? Parvana could no longer keep track of time. She lay on the hard ground, wondering what the point was of eating one day, when they just got hungry again the next day.

She closed her eyes and tried again to sleep.

She had chosen her sleeping spot carelessly. There was a rock in the ground that jutted into her back. No matter how she changed her position, she was still uncomfortable. But the night was cold, and at least she was warm. If she got up to find a more comfortable place, she’d get cold. If she stayed warm, she’d be uncomfortable.

At least she didn’t have to worry about waking Hassan if she got up. He slept with Asif all the time now.

The rock dug into her again, and she decided to move. She could always get warm again.

“One, two, three,” she whispered, then flung back her blanket.

The cold air grabbed at her. She tried to move quickly before it really chilled her, but she couldn’t find a smooth place to put her blanket. So she wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and sat on the ground.

“Maybe I’m the only person awake in the whole world,” she whispered. “Everyone else is sleeping and dreaming, and I’m awake, watching over all of them. Parvana the Protector.” She smiled.

She started humming a song about the moon that she had learned at school. The music went out into the cold night air and seemed to make the stars twinkle more brightly.

There was a shuffling behind her. She knew without turning that Asif was awake, and she waited for him to say something rude about her singing.

Instead, he shuffled over to her on his bottom. He gently tugged at the corner of her blanket, and she wrapped it around both their shoulders. She added words to the song she’d been humming. Then Asif sang something he knew, then they sang something together that they both knew.

They sat and sang and watched for shooting stars, until they were both so tired they were able to fall asleep again, even with the ache in their empty bellies and the sharp rocks under their backs.