Chapter 32 31

They drove along the dusty dirt road.The path turns to the hills towards the north of the village.After leaving the horrible village, Mary's mood gradually improved.Perhaps, she will never forget the scene she saw this morning.However, now that they have motorized equipment, it can be regarded as a great success.As long as they send Peku to a relative's house, they can drive directly to the capital of the country as soon as they put it down, no matter which country it is.They can apply for a new passport at the German embassy and get an air ticket.Then, just find a restaurant and take a comfortable hot shower.

Rafael remained silent, looking very nervous, looking back from time to time, as if worried that someone was chasing them.However, within a few kilometers, there was not a locomotive in sight. What are you afraid of?Mary asked. Auduma's men.I can't believe they gave up on the manhunt.What's more, they also have helicopters. It didn't take long for his fears to be confirmed.The sound of the jeep's engine was overlaid by a low, rattling sound.Although the fuselage is still blocked by a hill and cannot be seen, the sound is not far away. Rafael slammed on the brakes, and the car slanted to a stop on the side of the road.go out!He yelled and jumped out.Lie under the car and cover your skin.do not move!He threw his upper body to the right so that his pursuers could not see his head and arms from the air.Legs tucked into long khaki pants and feet in brown leather shoes dangled outside the car door, as if he had tried to flee before he was shot.

Mary reacted immediately.She had to pretend that the jeep carrying fleeing villagers was intercepted by stragglers.So she quickly jumped down and lay on the ground, her arms retracted under her body, and her bare lower limbs stretched out under the car. At this moment, the helicopter appeared over the hills.It flew low and followed the course of the path.Mary was startled, and it was too late to explain to Peku what to do. It seems that there is no need to explain, the boy already understood what she meant.He jumped out with Mary, and lay on top of her, shaking himself up and down.From the air, it seemed that he was mourning the death of his mother.

The helicopter was so close that Mary's mouth and nose were blocked by dust from the propeller around the car.The helicopter hovered over them for a while, then headed north along the path. Mary dared not move until they could no longer hear the rattling.She held Peku tightly in her arms and kissed his forehead.Good boy, you are awesome! marvelous!Rafael emphasized that the little boy saved their lives!If it weren't for his lifelike performance, the men on the plane would have noticed that the body next to the jeep was a white man.In that case, they will definitely land and come to find out.

They can drive forward again.About an hour or so, they reached the next village.Aunt Kamena is here!Peku shouted excitedly.But as they walked along the village path, only a few frightened chickens ran away.They stopped in front of the thatched hut Peku pointed out, and there was no one inside.The thatched huts here are all unharmed, but the villagers have all fled, apparently out of fear of the stragglers. In a tin shack, Raphael found a whole barrel of gasoline.He immediately dumped it into the gas tank of the Jeep.Continue north. After another hour of driving at excruciatingly slow speed over bumps, they saw two figures on the side of the road in the distance.An old man sat on the ground with his right leg wrapped in a rag.Apparently, his right leg was injured.He had a long stick by his side as a simple crutch.The woman next to him, who must have been his daughter, was bending over to examine him.As the jeep approached, the two looked up, panic in their eyes.But they could no longer escape, they could only watch quietly and resign themselves to fate.

Rafael stopped the car beside them.boarding!He shouted, we are friends!Will not hurt you! The two looked at them incomprehensibly.Peku poked his head out of the car window and said something in the local language.The faces of the two people relaxed.Mary and Rafael helped the old man into the back seat.The woman cried, unable to tell whether it was despair or gratitude. Not long after, they encountered another group of refugees.It appears to be a large family, with a wheelbarrow beside it that is piled high with family clutter.It was obvious at a glance that the axle of the car was broken.

Rafael drove forward slowly.Obviously they couldn't help those people.Mary watched Peku's reaction carefully, but Peku didn't seem to recognize the family next to the cart. Ten minutes later, they encountered a fat woman with three children.She held one in her arms, and the other two followed behind her.The younger of them appeared to be less than three years old.It's incredible how far they've come. Get ready, get comfortable now.Raphael said.It was not long before the two older children sat on Mary's lap.Mother gushed her thanks in vernacular, and kept talking all the way.She didn't seem to mind that Mary didn't understand either.

After a few hours, the jeep could only move forward step by step.On the one hand, there are more and more refugees on the sandy road, and on the other hand, every corner of the jeep is full of old people, sick people and children.Now, there are four children sitting on Mary's lap.Mary could hardly breathe.Even Rafael had two children sitting on his lap.Two more sat on the hood of the front of the car.An old woman sat on the roof.About an hour ago, the jeep had left the main road and turned to the left on a narrow road heading west.Refugees pouring in from the east joined in. Finally, the crowd finally stopped.Several hundred people lined up, waiting to pass the checkpoint marked by the turn of two military vehicles.The military vehicles are painted in bold white letters: UNHCR.Behind is a long line of white tents marked with a red half-moon pattern.The blue helmets of the United Nations peace corps wave people over one by one to fill in their names on forms.They were then handed over to a team of doctors.Doctors took the injured patients away separately.

The dozen or so passengers in Rafael's jeep had to struggle a lot to climb out or out of the car.They were overwhelmed with gratitude and kept thanking Rafael and Mary.A soldier smiled and said to Mary, thank you! Mary didn't even have the strength to smile back.During this day, she saw too much misery and pain, and her mind was full of crying children, wounded, old people and sick people on the road. What is your name?the soldier asked. Mary.ashe.She spelled it in English. In which country do you live? Berlin, Germany. The soldier wrote it down on a clipboard.Can we call someone and get you out?

Mary thought about it.Should she ask the soldier to call her father?No, I'd better call my father myself.Before that, she had to report on Olduma and the pheromone.I must speak to the commander of this camp! The soldier gave her a special look, then nodded, and pointed to a large tent not far from the entrance.The big tent on the left is the one with the United Nations written on it. Mary pointed to Peku and asked the soldier if the child's parents had come to this refugee camp.The soldier told her that there was a department dedicated to finding lost relatives, which also took in orphans.

Rafael parked his car next to several vehicles marked with a red half-moon, the emblem of the Red Cross relief organization in Islamic countries.As the two entered, they had a few words with a young doctor.The doctor's white robe was covered with brown spots, and the plaque pinned to the chest identified him as Marcus.Doctor Behrens.Are you sick?he asks. without thanks!we are doing well.It would be nice to have some food.Before we do that, though, we hope to find the boy's parents.Can you tell us, where is the department for finding lost loved ones? Behrens smiled.You are German!Come with me, I will take you there.The camp is so big it's easy to get lost. They followed him through rows of white tents.The faces of the people walking back and forth showed deep despair.They lost everything: their homes, possessions, even loved ones.Only the children seem to adapt quickly to the situation here, playing football or playing hide-and-seek among the tents. Where are we?Mary asked the young doctor. Behrens gave her a curious look.United Nations refugee relief agency. I am not referring to this.What country are we in now? Do you not know which country you are in now? We are lost.He was later attacked and forced to flee.Raphael interjected. In southern Sudan, north of the city of Aweil.It was peaceful here, but the Darfur crisis (Annotation: In early 2003, while the Sudanese government was negotiating with the south, rebel groups in western Sudan launched a secession movement. ) gradually expanded southward. Mary had seen a report on the Darfur crisis on television.What is the motive for this dispute? There has long been tension between the Arab tribes in the north and the black African tribes in the south.Arab tribes considered themselves masters of the land.Although black Africans who believe in Christianity in southern Sudan have great autonomy, in recent times, in the border area, militias composed of Arab nomads have often invaded the southern region.These Arab nomadic militias are supported by the government in the capital, Khartoum.Now, you understand what's going on.So far, only a small number of people have escaped and come to us. Our papers are lost.Raphael said. Khartoum has a German embassy.Still, Behrens said, it was nearly a thousand kilometers from here. They came to a large tent.Dozens of people are forming a long queue.This is the headquarters.I think you have to line up.I'm off to take care of the sick.If you need me, you can find me in the field hospital tent near the entrance. Thank you very much, Dr. Behrens. You are welcome.There are so few people who reach out like you.I wish you all the best! you too!Mary pulled Peku towards the end of the long line.Suddenly, the boy shouted excitedly and pointed his finger at the crowd.He said something in the local language, and ran away. Peku!etc!Mary ran after him.Immediately afterwards, she saw an African woman also rush out of the long line and run towards the boy.She picked up the boy and held him tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her face. I didn't expect to find it so soon.Rafael said happily. Peku excitedly told his mother, pointing at Mary and Rafael. The African woman put Peku down, took his hand, and walked towards Mary and the others.I am Jin Jia.Cuomo.She choked up and said, you, she was speechless for a while.You saved my son!I thought I'd never see him again!She speaks in English.Then let go of Peku, and hugged Mary tightly, thank you!Thank you so much!she sobbed. You're welcome.Mary said, while telling the woman what a brave and wise son she had.He also saved their lives! The woman was overjoyed.She wanted to take Mary and Raphael to the tent where her family was, and have the whole family thank them.Mary declined.Let's talk about it later, now she has urgent matters and must find the camp commander immediately.Peku's mother nodded and gave her a tent number.Mary and Raphael promised to come back later.They bid farewell to Peku, who smiled broadly.Afterwards, the two quickly walked towards the entrance. The lines waiting outside the checkpoints grew longer.The camp was already overcrowded and it seemed impossible to let everyone in.But the soldiers of the UN Peace Corps turned no one away.Mary waved to Dr. Behrens.He was talking to an old man and only glanced briefly in her direction.Mary was about to turn right, toward the big tent the soldiers had directed her to, when her eyes stopped on a man in the waiting refugee line.He is wearing a gray robe and a turban around his head.At this moment, the man also looked at her. She froze.He recognized her expression and told her: She was right, this person was Kadin.