Grommas

When Mamma started to scream we had to stop. She sat down in the snow and we got blankets to put under her. The others went on without us.

When the morning came I found out that we had lost the baby my mother had carried inside her. Then Momma was gone too.

We put my little sister on top of my mother's stomach and set small rocks down gently on top of them both.

Papa and I kneeled side by side and prayed to Mosha with our eyes closed.

When we stood up we were all alone, Papa and me. The others had left us far behind. Papa said we needed to get going. It was a long way to our new home where Papa said we would be safe from the Grommas.

He said we were going to the biggest and grandest fortress in the whole world and that not even Grommas could bring it down. He said we'd be safe there. That Mosha would protect us.

We walked and walked through the snow and didn't see one Gromma the whole way. I asked Papa why they hated us. He told me they hated Mosha. He told me they hated us because we loved Him.

When we came to a final ridge we were able to see the fortress below. The setting sun was low and we had to shield our eyes with our hands. We stood for a long time looking down. We didn't speak.

The fortress was charred black. One of its walls had fallen inward and most of the doors were cracked open and broken. We could see that torches were lit so someone must have been inside, but Papa said he didn't think we should go there now.

I was very tired and very sad, but I was too angry and cold to cry.

I hated the Grommas with all my might, which was confusing because right then I hated Mosha even more than they did. I realized I was the biggest Gromma of them all and either Papa didn't understand that about me, or he didn't have the heart to come out and say it to my face.

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