Read Online Mara and Dann by Doris Lessing - Free Book Online Page B

andfighting in the palace, and took away a lot of things. But it is a long time since these lamps worked. No one knows how they work.’
    â€˜Why didn’t you ask those people who brought Dann and me here where your children are?’
    â€˜There wasn’t time.’
    â€˜Who are those people? Why did they want to save us?’
    â€˜Gorda paid them to bring you. He probably thought there wasn’t any other place that was safe.’
    â€˜Are we safe?’
    â€˜Not very,’ said Daima. ‘But if my children could manage, then so can you.’
    â€˜I’m afraid,’ said Mara.
    â€˜That’s good,’ said Daima. ‘That means you’ll be on your guard.’
    â€˜I will try.’
    â€˜And now, Mara, we should stop, and you can think about everything and we can talk again.’
    â€˜And play the What Did You See game?’
    â€˜As often as you like. I would enjoy that, after all this time. And we must play it with Dann, because there aren’t schools here and the children are taught nothing at all.’ She got up. ‘It is midday now. This afternoon everyone in the village will go over that ridge to the river, because there will still be new water there from the flood, and we will fill our containers. I’m going to take you and Dann so they can all see you. And remember, you are my grandchildren.’ And she embraced Mara, a good, hard hug, and she said, ‘I wish you were. I’m going to think of you as my granddaughter, Mara. You’re a good girl. No, don’t cry now; you can have a good cry tonight, but if we start crying now we won’t stop. And I’m going to wake Dann, or he’ll not sleep tonight. And I’ve got something new for you to eat.’
    She took a big yellow root from a jar and sliced it fine. She put the slices in three bowls, poured water over them and went to fetch Dann.
    Mara tasted the water the sliced root was in. It was very sweet and fresh, and Mara did not find it easy to remember her manners and sit quiet, waiting for Dann. He came to sit on Mara’s lap, and sucked his thumb until Daima told him to stop.
    They ate up the root and drank the fresh water. Dann wanted more, but Daima said the roots in the jar were all she had until she could go out and hunt for more in the earth.
    Daima then gave Mara a big jug and Dann a small one, and she herselflifted up four big cans that had set across their tops pieces of wood to hold them by, tied two by two with loops of rope. She pushed the door and it slid along in its groove, and the light and heat came in. Mara’s eyes hurt, and she saw Dann screw up his eyes and try to turn his face aside, so that he was squinting to see. Then Mara was outside the house, holding Dann’s hand, and her eyes stopped dazzling and she was able to see. There was a crowd of Rock People, all looking at her and at Dann. Mara made herself stand still and look back, hoping they did not see she was frightened. Now she was close to them for the first time in her life, she could see their dull greyish skin and their pale eyes, like sick eyes, and their pale frizzy hair, which stood out around their heads like grass or like bushes. And they were so big. Everything about them seemed to Mara unhealthy and unnatural, but she knew they were not sick but strong people. She had often seen them carrying heavy loads along the roads. A girl was in one of the People’s tunics. It was torn and dirty, but it had been a soft yellow colour once. She was splitting it because she was so big.
    Daima was saying, ‘These are my grandchildren. They have come to live with me. This is Mara, and this is Dann.’
    Everyone was staring at these two thin, bony little children, with their short black hair that should be shining and smooth but was stiff with dirt.
    A man said, ‘Yes, we know about the fighting in Rustam.’ Then he said to Mara, ‘Where are your parents,