The Boy from Aleppo Who Painted the War Read Online Free PDF Page A

okay. She looks better today; she has spring in her cheeks. I decide to skip to the bathroom, which takes fewer steps than walking, so in four steps I reach the bathroom and go into the shower. The water is really cold today, the boiler light is on but it is not warming up. Why would the light be on if it isn’t giving the right message?
    â€˜Adam! We all need to shower, quick,’ Tariq shouts through the door. I quickly rush my shower in the cold. Goosebumps climb up my body and I shiver. It feels like insects are crawling all over me. I hate cold showers. I rush out and run to my room before anyone sees me. Thank God no one saw me or I would have to run to the bathroom from my room 17 times. I get dressed and brush my hair and put perfume on. I spray it on my right shoulder, then my left shoulder and then the centre of my chest. I can hear Yasmine’s voice. I quickly put my school bag on my shoulder and run to the kitchen where I can hear her voice. Her face is a canvas of spring and winter. Each one is fighting to take over. I hope spring wins.
    â€˜Yasmine, are you going to work today?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    â€˜Why did you take a lot of tablets Yasmine?’
    Yasmine suddenly looks up and it looks like concrete bricks are veiling her eyes. Her face sinks down. In this moment she looks like the dead rabbit I once saw at gran’s farm.
    â€˜It was for my stomach Habibi, don’t worry about what happened,’ she quickly says and turns around to fry the omelette.
    â€˜Yasmine I don’t want to eat, I am going to be late for school. I’m leaving now.’
    â€˜You have to eat Adam, you know the rules.’
    â€˜But I am going to be late for school.’
    â€˜At least take this labna sandwich to eat on the way with tea in a flask.’
    â€˜Thank you,’ I say taking them and leaving in a hurry.
    â€˜Wait for me Adam, I’ll walk you to school.’
    â€˜Why Yasmine? I always walk alone.’
    â€˜It’s not safe out there any more darling, I want to come with you to make sure you get to school okay.’
    â€˜It is safe, I always walk to school.’
    â€˜Just wait for me please Adam, I’ll just get my coat.’
    I open the front door and see rain pouring down. I run back in for my umbrella and before I count to ten I run out again. The rain is pouring down very hard but there is still a bit of sun shining down on me, which makes me smile. I don’t like the rain; it is so hard to walk in without my shoes getting wet or my umbrella slipping down and my body getting wet. I just like the sun. There aren’t as many people on the streets today. The street lamps aren’t working and it looks like a dark morning with nobody and no lights. Thank God the sun is shining, even if it is behind many layers of clouds. I start to imagine what it would be like with no sun on such a rainy day with no street lamps. It would be too dark to walk the streets and insects would crawl onto us without us seeing them, but I would still have to because I have school. The cry of a child upset about going to school disturbs my dark thoughts and I notice many banners on the ground ripped up with red paint on them. The streets still haven’t been cleaned. There is usually somebody who cleans the streets every morning. Nothing is normal today, I can’t wait to go to school and see everything normal. We take the turn onto the high street and it looks like we have entered a different city. The market stalls are on the ground with wooden splinters all around. It looks like Godzilla attacked it. Is this why there isn’t anybody on the streets? There is a guy lying on the ground on his back and he looks like he has been sleeping for ages. His face looks like tree bark: aged, wrinkly and cold.
    â€˜Don’t look at him Adam!’ Yasmine takes my hand and starts running.
    â€˜Do you think we should wake him up? It’s raining on him.’
    â€˜Just