Lying half-asleep in his embrace, I looked up and saw on his face the same expression I saw on countless lonely faces every day. It was the homesick look of the children who were lost in the chaos of warfare, witnessing death and disaster, longing for a meaningful touch.

I don't have anything to give you, except to show you a way to better yourself.

In the sallow afternoon, I watched her get dressed.

Instead of relishing life, people merely existed. Such was the case with my family.

Each time we stopped in front of a group of people to ask for information, the reaction we received was the same: they all looked at us dumbly at first, then smiled with courteous sincerity. If they knew of an escape, their knowledge would remain hidden behind their smiles before they, too, disappeared into the crowd.

I was scarcely aware of the angry hands scratching and pulling at me from all directions. Instead, I closed my eyes and wished silently for death to free me.

Never had I beheld such despair.

In all of my years doing this job, I have never given the drug to anyone over three months pregnant; not once, because everybody listens to me, except you.