Run, Boy, Run(13)

"My sister lives near the forest. You can always come back here," the forester added.

"All right," Srulik agreed.

He followed the forester. Although a patch of light shining through the trees made him think they were nearly out of the forest, it turned out to come from a large clearing in which the forester's house stood. A dog came to greet them, wagging its tail. Behind it came a woman with a baby.

"Who do you have there?" she asked.

"A boy to work for my sister."

"Like the one who worked for us?"

"Something like that."

"Come, boy," the woman said. "I'll give you something to eat."

She left him alone with a bowl of potatoes mashed with lard and fried onions. He gobbled it up. A half-eaten loaf of bread was on the table. Though he didn't know if it was meant for him, Srulik kept eating chunks from it even after he was bursting. When he couldn't stuff himself any more, he cut a last piece of bread and hid it in his pocket. Meanwhile, the forester led a horse from the stable, saddled it, and sat Srulik on the saddle in front of him.

They rode as far as a small farmhouse next to a field of potatoes. The village beyond it was indeed close to the forest. Two barking dogs ran toward them, then calmed down and wagged their tails. A woman stepped out of the house. The forester dismounted and gave her a hug. Whispering something to her, he lowered Srulik from the horse. The dogs sniffed at him. He was frightened.

"Don't be scared," the woman said. "They're friendly dogs."

A few auxiliary buildings stood around the farmhouse. There was a barn, a sheep shed, and a storeroom. In front of the house were some fruit trees and rows of vegetables. Chickens ran in the yard. A sow lay on the ground, nursing her litter.

"Wait for me here," the woman said, stepping into the house with her brother. Srulik stayed in the yard with the dogs. He took the bread from his pocket and chewed it slowly. The dogs approached him to see what he was eating. He rolled a ball of dough between his fingers and offered it to one of them. The dog lunged for it. Scared, he dropped it and the dog caught it in midair. Then the second dog came for his share. This time Srulik held on to the dough until the dog took it from him gently. He went on eating while feeding the dogs between one bite and the next. They're friendly, he thought, repeating the woman's words. He reached out to pet one. The other came to be petted, too.

The forester and his sister emerged from the house. The man slung his rifle on his shoulder, mounted the horse, and nodded to Srulik. "Be a good boy," he told him.

His sister waved. Then she told Srulik to come to the barn. The dogs followed them. Inside were three cows and two small calves lying in some straw. The woman showed Srulik how to fill their feed stalls with hay and how to lock the barn door when he left.

"Now repeat what I told you," she said.

He passed the test with flying colors.

She took a bucket and sat down to milk the cows. Srulik watched.

"Bring me that cup hanging on the wall," she said, pointing with her chin.

He took a tin cup from its rusty nail and brought it to her. She filled it with milk and handed it back.

"Drink, son. What's your name?"

"Jurek," Srulik said.

He gulped the warm milk eagerly. When he had finished, the woman told him to rinse the cup beneath a spigot and hang it on its nail.

"Why don't you milk her, too?" he asked, pointing to the third cow.

"Don't you see how fat she is? She's about to give birth. When she does, she'll have milk."

Next she brought him to the sheep shed. The four sheep bleated when they saw her. She showed Srulik how to feed them, took him to the well, and showed him how to draw water. The well was round and deep with a white brick enclosure and a little roof that rested on two columns. Beneath the roof was a log with a rope, attached to a crank. The other end of the rope dangled into the well. The woman leaned over the well and called down into it. Her voice echoed back. Srulik stood on tiptoe to clear the brick wall and called, "Aho-o-o-o-oyyy!"

His call echoed too. The woman smiled at him and he smiled back. She showed him how to draw water by turning the log with the crank, but the crank was too high for him to reach. He looked around the yard, saw an empty crate, brought it to stand on, and cranked up a bucket of water. The woman praised him for using his head. She took the bucket and filled the cows' drinking trough. It took three buckets to be full. Then she showed Srulik how to fill the sheep's trough.

"All right," she said. "Now go to sleep. In the morning I'll teach you to take the cows and the sheep to pasture."

He looked around the shed. "Sleep where?"

"Make yourself a bed with some straw."