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an excerpt from East Prussian Princess
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| This excerpt is set in 1931 in a train station in Koenigsberg, East Prussia. Twelve year old Olga has just arrived from the Soviet Union. "Who is she, Papi?" whines the same high voice I'd noticed before. "Why are you talking to that funny looking foreigner?" The voice belongs to a girl who has long, golden braids, with pale blue bows at the ends matching her pale blue dress and the blue family eyes. Her leather boots aren’t big and clunky like mine, but tightly laced and dainty. She wears white stockings with no visible mending. "Anni," says Uncle Reinhold. "Come closer." She keeps her distance. "This is your cousin, Olga. Olga, meet Anni." Uncle Reinhold beams. He takes one of Anni’s hands and pulls her towards me. "You’re almost the same age." His eyes squish into narrow slits - just like Papa’s did when he was smiling. "Olga, you're a year older. But you're just a tiny bit shorter. Don’t worry, though, we’ll feed you lots and you’ll catch up soon enough." Anni’s pale blue eyes stare at me. They're sharp, critical eyes. I'm conscious of my dirty, rumpled clothes that never fit properly, of my lack of hair hidden under my babushka, and of my ugly new boots. "Ooh. She’s my relative? But she’s wearing a babushka." Anni’s voice is full of disdain. Uncle Reinhold says, "Anni, Olga is from Russia. I mean, the Soviet Union. They wear babushkas over there all the time, don’t they?" He smiles a kind smile at me. Again, it’s Papa’s eyes and I feel so confused. "Take if off," demands Anni. "I ... I don’t want to," I mumble, my hands reaching up to hold onto my head scarf. Shame crawls over me like a bed bug. "Anni, give Olga some time. It hasn’t been easy for her. I mentioned what was happening over in Russia, remember?" |
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| The Kulak's Daughter will be published in the spring of 2009, by Blooming Tree Press. | |||
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gabrielegoldstone@yahoo.ca |
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