Minds buzzed around me like a swarm of bees. I pushed a few of them away, but that seemed only to make them angrier. I was too hungry and tired and emotionally charged to handle them gently.

The voice came again, assertive and calm. Control yourself.

I gathered myself together, and checked on her. She was quiet but fidgety. Nervous? No, frightened. I reassured her, then I let go of the world and watched it change to grey, then black…

…

Birdsong… the soft bleating of a few goats… dishes clattering in another room… a fresh breeze through an open window… a cozy down comforter… a soft pillow… These things all seemed so foreign to me. I opened my eyes. The sounds from the next room stopped.

“Yuliya! Come help Ekaterina to the table. She’ll be hungry.”

“Yes, Sofiya!” A door opened and closed.

“Here, take this milk in to her. She’ll be thirsty too.”

The girl that I had seen when we arrived appeared in the doorway, the cup of milk in her hands. “Breakfast’s ready,” she said brightly.