Excerpt
Molly had seen a lot in this diner which had become the center
of the latest news like a dispatch office, a center for controlling
the disease that eats their forest timber and the viscera of men,
she had seen a lot and she had heard a lot, Molly, and her eyes
and ears were always focused and tuned to anything worthy of
retaining in this small city of the British Columbia interior where
the famous Indian Residential School was located.
Anton looked at her. Their eyes said it all. She knew, there
at that moment, she knew of the tempest that was pounding his
mind and heart, but she also knew they had to be smart and
practical if they ever discovered something about the School and
what would be their best approach to the issue on hand: their goal
was to find out detailed info about the ins and outs of the School
and why these children don’t ever behave like children who like
to run around and play and enjoy their days in school.
“Thank you, Molly,” he uttered slowly.
The old man, next to Anton, was sipping his coffee and
enjoying his smoke. He smiled as his glance caught Molly’s hand
playing with Anton’s.
“Youth, the forever youth,” he thought to himself; then
he addressed Anton, “I gather you spent your first day at the
School?”
“Yea.”
“How’s my old pal?”
“He’s good.”
“There were times, back then, when Dylan wouldn’t bother
coming home at night; does he still sleep there sometimes?”
“Yes, even today he said he didn’t feel like going home and
he stayed at the school.”
“Where does he sleep?” Simon asked.
Manolis Aligizakis 