When the Moon Is Low(111)

It was a good dream for a mother to have and I woke with a buoyancy I’ve not felt in a long time. Thank God for the water, for water is roshanee, water is light.





CHAPTER 56


Saleem


“HOW MANY DID THEY CATCH? WERE THEY BEATEN?”

“I don’t know. Maybe fifty . . . sixty. I’ve no idea what happened on the other end of the tunnel either.”

It was morning and Saleem was telling Ajmal about what he had seen for the second time. Although he had recounted everything last night, Ajmal wanted to hear it again in the light of day.

“I knew it was a bad idea.” Ajmal shook his head. “I would have been caught. I have no luck when it comes to the police.”

“But we’re not in much better shape. Look at us. How long do you think we can live here? People are getting sick. The town wants the Jungle gone. Even the Red Cross workers say trouble is coming soon.”

“Where else can we go, Saleem? We have no documents. We have no money.” Ajmal sat on the floor, his knees to his chest. His forehead touched his folded arms. “If I’d known how things were here, I don’t know if I would have left Afghanistan. Maybe it would be better to die on our own soil than to be chased out of everywhere we go like stray dogs.”

The same thought had crossed Saleem’s mind, but now he quickly dismissed it.

“You’re talking like the old and gray haired. We had to leave. If we don’t plan for tomorrow, there won’t be one.”

Ajmal looked up. His ears tingled at the conviction in Saleem’s voice.

THE COMMOTION BEGAN NOT AN HOUR LATER. AJMAL AND Saleem went outside to find out what was going on. A crowd of young French protesters had gathered in front of the camps. Some chanted. Some waved their fists in the air. Some carried signs.

BAN BORDERS

NO PRISON FOR IMMIGRANTS

HUMAN RIGHTS NOW

“Look at them all!” Ajmal exclaimed.

There had to be hundreds of people out there. Men and women. There were also at least thirty police officers with stern black uniforms and half-shell helmets, scrambling to surround the group and control the chaos. The situation was odd. The police were here because of the protesters. And the protesters were here for the Jungle.

“Their own people shouting for us!”

But Saleem saw more when he looked at the mass. They must know something. Maybe they had gotten word about that something. Saleem watched as more activists began to join the group, two or three at a time.

“Ajmal, this is not good. We should get out of here.”

“Now? When we’ve just found hundreds of friends? I bet things will get better. We just have to wait and see.”

“I don’t want to see. We’ll be caught in the middle of whatever this is. Just like in Afghanistan.”

Ajmal sighed.

“Maybe we should set up camp somewhere else in town, like the other boys did.”

“No,” Saleem said. “I think we should make a run for the tunnel.”

“The tunnel? Have you lost your mind?”

“I know . . . but look at where all the police are now. They are here! This might just be the perfect distraction.”

Ajmal was as desperate as Saleem. His silence said as much.

“Listen, Ajmal. I’ve been thinking about it. There are two entrances to the tunnel. The men all went through the entrance for cars and trucks. But there is the other entrance.”

“You mean the train tracks?”

“Yes, the train tracks.”

“That’s a death wish. People have tried jumping onto the trains as they pass through. They’ve been electrocuted by the cables. And do you know how fast they roll through there? If you get hit by one of those trains—even your mother wouldn’t recognize your body.”

“I think it’s worth a try. The fence is still cut open and we can go look. I don’t see any other way. The lorries are nearly impossible to jump onto. And the ferries are so guarded. It’s not like the other ports. I’m going to try to walk through the tunnel, along the tracks.”

Ajmal took a deep breath.

“When are you going to go through with it?”

“This evening, once the sun has started to set. The dark will help.”

Ajmal considered Saleem’s reasoning. He nodded in agreement.

“Let’s pray to God that this works.”

Saleem ignored the hypocrisy of praying only when he was most desperate and hoped that God would too.

WHEN EVENING CAME UPON THEM, SALEEM AND AJMAL SAID nothing to the others in the camp. They gathered whatever food they had stored in the hut and stuffed it into their pockets. With fifty kilometers of track to cross, they would need every last bit of sustenance. They made their way down the dirt path and out of the Jungle. Protesters came and went with their poster board signs. Saleem could not make out what they were chanting and averted his eyes. It was a strange thing to be running from, but the air was charged.

They arrived at the tunnel entrance, and Saleem led Ajmal to the opening in the security fence. The authorities either hadn’t found the spot yet or hadn’t had time to repair it. They crouched behind some trees and watched for guards. No one was in the vicinity, but there was a regular stream of cars. It wasn’t completely dark so they decided to wait. No use in rushing the plan.