Authors: Annika Thor
The Lily Pond (25 page)
“Bye, then.”
She stands there and watches him walk away. His neck is slim above the collar of his coat.
Sven
, she thinks.
Sven, Sven
.
But she doesn’t find the thought painful.
Soon she’ll go to Hedvig Björk’s and pack her things. She has to walk past the big house behind the stone wall
where Alice lives. But first she’s going to read Papa’s letter. She sits down on the bench by the pond and opens the envelope with her index finger.
Dearest Stephie
,
Mamma and I received your letter about moving and are certain that if this is what you and your foster parents think is best for you, then it is. From here, it is difficult to know exactly what your life is like now. All we hope is that the people who are there for you when we are not are wise and kind, and that your own good sense leads you in the right direction
.
Mamma is still a convalescent, but she is gradually getting better. If only we had good, nutritious food, I am sure she would soon be completely healthy. At least for the moment she does not have to work. The synagogue helps us out with a little money and will continue to do so until she is well. Until recently, there was no way we could think about emigration, but now we are beginning to, and will soon try to arrange it again
.
There are rumors that the Germans plan to evacuate all the Jews from Vienna. Those who have not managed to emigrate to the free parts of the world will, they say, be deported east, to Poland. However, this is all just rumor, and we might actually be better off there than if we stay here
.
Dearest Stephie, I should not have to write this kind of a letter to a child, and indeed you are still a child, even if you have turned thirteen. A girl of your age shouldn’t have to think about anything but her homework, her friends, and having fun. However, in less than three
years, our lives have taken a turn none of us could ever have predicted, and you, our children, have had to grow up early
.
Still, I know that you and Nellie are better off than the—fortunately not too many—children of your age who are still here in Vienna. To us, your letters are proof that there is still somewhere in the world where it is possible to live what you might call a decent life. We—Mamma and I—still hope to be reunited with you, but if it takes time, I am asking you to take care of Nellie and never forget who you are or where you came from
.
All my love
,
Your papa
Stephie looks up from the stationery and across the pond. The yellowed frozen lily pads resemble spots of dirt sticking up from the ice. Still, she knows that under the surface their strong stalks are intertwined and reach down to the bottom, where they are rooted. The plants are alive, although the leaves are dead.
She folds the letter and puts it in her coat pocket. She feels something hard there. It’s the amulet Sven gave her. The amulet for good luck. It has been in her pocket for five weeks, and she hasn’t bothered to get rid of it.
Stephie takes the amulet out of her pocket, threads it back onto the silver chain she has around her neck, and puts it on, pushing it under her coat and her cardigan.
She’s going to need it.
ANNIKA THOR was born and raised in a Jewish family in Göteborg, Sweden. She has been a librarian, has written for both film and theater, and is the author of many books for children, young adults, and adults. She lives in Stockholm.
A Faraway Island
and
The Lily Pond
are the first two novels in a quartet featuring the Steiner sisters, which has been translated into numerous languages and has garnered awards worldwide. Swedish television also adapted the books into a hugely popular eight-part series.
A Faraway Island
received the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a foreign language.