The Ravine

The Ravine

Seven-year old Lev fingered at the yellow star on his lapel as he and Henri, his older brother by 13-years, walked through the forest with the rest of their village.

“But why do we have to go, Henri?” Lev asked. “If it is a village meeting, should not the only ones attending be adults?”

“I told you Lev, they want everyone here.”

“But will there still be time for games after? You promised to play with me, remember?” Lev implored.

The villagers looked beaten down. The woman had bags under their already sad eyes and the men looked scraggly and malnourished. Children were tugging at the skirt bottoms of their mothers, alerting them of their boredom. The sky was grey above and the leaves were soggy and dead below. Up ahead Henri could see uniformed guards, keeping the line marching forward. He looked down at his brother. “Lev, how about a game now?”

“Here?” Lev gasped. “Now? Sure! What?”

“Have you heard of the quiet game?”

“Aw Henri, that’s so boring!” Lev cried. “I play that all the time in school. I don’t want to play that now.”

“Well, have you ever played the candy version of the quiet game?” Henri asked.

“No!” Lev was shocked, having thought himself familiar with every game known to humankind. “What is it?”

“Oh, no, you don’t want to play that game” Henri teased, “so we won’t.”

“Aw no come on Henri, please?” Lev begged.

“Nope! That’s what you get”

“Hennnrriiiiii pleeeaaaaseeee”.

“Alright fine. You see that ditch up ahead?”

“Yeah?”

“When we pass by it, I’m going to push you in. Don’t make a sound, or else you lose the game. Okay?”

“Okay…but how do I win?”

“If you stay in the ditch until nightfall, you get my after-dinner sweets for a month.”

“A month?”

“A month.” Henri confirmed.

“Deal.”

They approached the ditch. It was covered with a flat bed of leaves and pale-brown twigs. The soldiers were still safely far ahead, harassing a grandmother who had tripped and fallen.

“Okay Lev—now!” Henri shoved his brother into the ditch. Lev, always the best at games, made no sound. Someone behind Henri hissed fool, what are you doing! He responded with a backward glance that ended the conversation before it began.

Lev hugged his knees as he sat in the ditch, listening to all the footsteps above him. He could hardly keep from giggling—how he loved to hide! He sat until all the footsteps were far away and to the left of him, towards the village meeting. He wondered when night would come. He tried to locate the sun, but it was well-hidden behind the familiar, drab clouds of Ukraine.

He was startled by a loud POP coming from the direction of the village meeting. He wondered what it could be. Balloons? Then there was another POP. POP. Another. POP. They kept coming. For a second he entertained the idea of going to investigate. He even got up to his feet—but the thought of losing an additional month’s supply of candy held him momentarily steadfast. But eventually night came, and cold along with it. Lev gave up almost immediately—he didn’t have any intention to freeze to death, thank you very much.

So he walked toward the village meeting on the path everyone else had taken. As he got closer the popping became more thunderous. Now it was more like the cracking of a bullwhip. CRACK. Pause. CRACK. Pause. CRACK CRACK. Pause. Lev for the life of him could not figure out what the noise was. Being a natural voyeur, he decided to snoop rather than make his presence known. He ducked back into the woods and continued towards the source. CRACK CRACK CRACK. Lev was simply taking the approach which made the sound louder.

Finally he saw a person. A soldier with his back facing the forest. His hands were on his hips and he was very still, expect for periodically taking of his helmet and running his hands through his blonde hair.

Lev took a few steps forward, but accidently stepped on a loud branch, which made the soldier whirl around, clutching his rifle and scanning the woods madly. Lev froze. The soldier’s gun was pointed right at him. Lev held his breath so that the only sound he could hear was his heart slamming oxygen-rich blood into his brain. The soldier took slow, tentative steps towards the forest, flinching at every noise. Then, without warning, he fired three rounds into the forest. CRACK CRACK CRACK.

None of them even came near Lev.

The guard, satisfied, turned back to resume his post. Lev waited a few minutes, his heart still beating furiously. He slowly inched backwards into the woods, making sure his steps were light and inaudible. When he was far enough to be sure the solider wouldn’t hear him, he walked back towards the village meeting, this time from a different angle. As he came closer, he saw through the trees three soldiers aiming their rifles at something obstructed by a pile of dirt. Their backs were turned from him. He inched closer. Closer. All he had to do was see over a pile and then…

He stopped in his tracks.

Henri.

CRACK.

Lev turned and ran into the forest. As fast as he knew how. Tears stung his face and fear powered his muscles.

For as long as he could, he ran. Even after the sun came up, he ran.

Even after the last gunshot echoed across the Babi Yar ravine, he ran.