Refugees Have Dreams Too

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A few years ago, there was a boy named Ahmad. One night, he woke up suddenly. He was having a bad dream, and he had heard loud BANGS and an explosion! Ahmad was scared, and he ran to his parents’ room. In the room, he heard his parents whispering. They were talking about all of the dangerous people and groups in their country. Ahmad’s father said, “We have to take our children and leave as soon as possible. It is too dangerous here.” Ahmad’s mother agreed. She said, “Yes. We have to go to a safe place. We can go to Germany! I have cousins who live there.”

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The next day, Ahmad was playing soccer with his two brothers, Jamal and Kamal. Some of their friends were playing, too. They were laughing and having a good time together, though the field where they played was torn up from explosions. Ahmad was the best player among them. Kamal said to Ahmad, “You’re going to be a big soccer player someday. Everybody knows it.” Suddenly, the children heard a bell ringing. They knew that it would be dark soon, so they had to go home. Jamal went home with their friends. But Kamal ran to get his soccer ball from across the field. Ahmad waited for him.

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As soon as Kamal picked up his soccer ball, two dirty men in dark clothes came from behind a building. Ahmad saw them walking toward Kamal. Ahmad called out, “Run, Kamal! They’re rebels!” But Kamal just stood there with his ball. He was too frightened to move. Then, a truck full of soldiers drove by, and the rebels ran away. Two soldiers jumped out of the truck, then the truck chased after the rebels.

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Kamal was happy because the soldiers had saved him. He began to thank them as they came close to him, but one of them grabbed him and threw him to the ground! Ahmad saw the soldiers yelling at Kamal, and hurting him. Ahmad did not know what to do. Suddenly, Ahmad’s father came running up. He said, “Go home, Ahmad! Go home NOW!” Ahmad began running home. He turned around once. He saw his father with his arms raised and walking slowly toward the soldiers. The soldiers were holding Kamal and pointing their guns at Ahmad’s father.

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Ahmad had been home for a long time. He, his mother, and Jamal were worried. Several times, Jamal said, “I’m going to go find our father and Kamal!” But his mother would not let him go outside. Finally, Jamal could not wait any longer for his father and his brother to return. He ran to the door, and he swung it open. Outside the door, Jamal saw his father and Kamal. They were both badly beaten, and they were staggering home. Kamal and Ahmad rushed out to help them.

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Ahmad’s mother asked, “What happened?” Ahmad’s father sat down on the floor. He said, “The government soldiers beat me and Kamal. They believed that we were rebels.” Jamal was angry. He said, “How can they think that? You are a university professor!” Ahmad’s father said, “It doesn’t matter. The soldiers believe everyone in this neighborhood is a rebel.” Ahmad’s mother said, “But we aren’t rebels. And if the rebels learn about your job, they will kill you! The soldiers should protect us!” Ahmad’s father nodded. He said, “We will soon have enough money to go to Germany. Until then, we have to be very careful. And we have to stay inside the house as much as possible. No more playing outside, children!”

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The next day, many soldiers came, and they surrounded the neighborhood. Ahmad’s father watched as the soldiers came into the area. He said to Ahmad’s mother, “It’s going to be almost impossible to go in or out of now.” It was true. And as the days became weeks, it was hard and harder to get food and water. Ahmad’s father had to go to work at the university every day. It was hard for him because he had to hide from the rebels. Also, the soldiers always asked him many questions when he went through their checkpoints. Sometimes, the soldiers beat him!

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A few weeks later, a white truck drove up to Ahmad’s house. One man got out of the truck. He was not a soldier. The man saw Ahmad and Kamal through the window. He waved, and he asked, “Where is the hospital? We have supplies for the doctors.” Ahmad pointed toward the hospital. He gave some directions. Kamal added, “It isn’t far from here.” The man thanked the boys. Then, he reached into the truck, and he pulled out two bags. He gave the bags to Ahmad and Kamal. Then, the man climbed back into the truck, and it drove quickly away.

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Ahmad and Kamal opened their bags. Inside, there was some flour for making bread, some cooking oil, and some water. Ahmad’s bag also had something long and thin. It was wrapped in aluminum foil. Ahmad opened it, and he saw a chocolate bar! Both of the boys were very happy because they had not had chocolate in a long time. Kamal said, “Let’s find that truck! We can get more chocolate for mom and Jamal!” Kamal then ran out of the house. Ahmad called out, “No! It’s too dangerous! We have to stay home!” Kamal did not stop running, so Ahmad ran after him. He wanted to bring Kamal home.

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Ahmad followed Kamal around a corner. There, he saw the truck. It was stopped, and Kamal was running toward it, waving his arms. Suddenly, the two men jumped out of the truck, and they ran away! That is when Ahmad saw the rebel with the rocket launcher! Ahmad yelled, “Kamal! Come back here!” Ahmad ran faster; he was trying to save his brother. Then, he saw the rocket flying toward the truck. After that, he only heard the beginning of an explosion, and then there was nothing but blackness for Ahmad.

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When Ahmad opened his eyes, he was confused. He was not on the road anymore. He was in a room with white and blue walls. He was in a bed. He felt very heavy and sleepy, and he was in a lot of pain. He called out to his brother. “Kamal! Kamal! Where are you?” Ahmad felt hands on his wrists and shoulders. He heard his mother crying. He heard his father’s voice. His father said, “You are going to be all right, Ahmad. Just rest, now. You should sleep.” Then, Ahmad went to sleep again.

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Ahmad woke up the next day. This time, his mother and Jamal were there. A doctor was with them. The doctor was holding a small pair of crutches. He gently explained to Ahmad that he had lost one of his legs in the explosion. Ahmad had to learn how to walk with crutches. Ahmad then asked, “Where is Kamal?” Ahmad’s mother looked away, and she covered her face with her hands. Jamal stood up, and he walked to a window. The doctor said to Ahmad, “Kamal died in the explosion.”

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Two weeks later, Ahmad had learned how to walk with the crutches. His father and Jamal came to the hospital, and they took him home. When Ahmad went inside, he was surprised. The house was almost empty. There was no furniture. There were no curtains. Almost everything was gone. Ahmad’s mother and father had sold everything they could sell. Even their computer and cell phones had been sold. Ahmad’s father said, “Tomorrow, I will sell the car. It’s in bad shape, and it can’t take us far. But when I sell it, we will have enough money to leave this terrible place!”

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The next morning, a man came to buy the car. He did not give as much money as he had promised, but it was enough. Ahmad’s father gave Ahmad and Jamal one small bag each. He said, “Pack only the things that you need. We cannot take much with us.” Then, when everyone had packed their bags, Ahmad’s family left their house. They knew that they would never return.

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Ahmad’s father had a friend who had a good car. The friend took Ahmad’s family to a town near the border of Turkey. There, Ahmad’s father said goodbye to his friend. Then, the family paid a man to drive them to the border. The man had an old truck, but it was good enough. Ahmad’s family reached the border, and that night, they slept in a camp with a lot of tents. Ahmad’s father said to his family, “Tomorrow, we will cross the border.”

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The next morning, Ahmad mother woke up Ahmad and Jamal. It was early. She said to them, “Pack your bags. We are going to walk to the gate this morning.” The gate was the entrance to Turkey. At the gate, a Turkish man in a uniform asked Ahmad’s father a lot of questions. Ahmad’s father showed the man everyone’s passports, he showed the man other papers, and he answered all of the questions. Soon, the man let them pass. With their next steps, they were in Turkey.

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In Turkey, Ahmad saw an amazing sight. The place where all of the refugees went was called a container camp. All of the buildings looked like things that you would see on trains, or on the backs of big trucks. But in these containers were shops and schools and people’s homes! Ahmad and all of his family stared in wonder at the camp. All of the refugees seemed happy and friendly. There were parks where children could play. Ahmad’s mother said, “This place is better than our neighborhood ever was!”

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Near the entrance of the camp, there was a container with many people standing in line. This was where Ahmad’s family needed to sign up to get a home, and to get other things they needed. The line was long. Ahmad and Jamal saw some children playing in a park. Ahmad really wanted to go over there. Ahmad’s mother must have seen him looking at the other children. She said to Ahmad’s father, “I will take the children to that park. We will wait there for you.”

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In the park, Ahmad and Jamal saw some children playing soccer. Ahmad wanted to play, but he could not. He only had one leg, now, and he had to use crutches to walk. Ahmad’s mother sat on a bench, and Ahmad sat next to her. Jamal watched the soccer players for a few more seconds, then he sat down, too. Ahmad said to Jamal, “Go play with them.” But Jamal said that he just wanted to sit on the bench. Then, Ahmad said, “Don’t lie to me, Jamal. I know that you want to play soccer. Go and play. When you come back, I will tell you how clumsily you played.” Jamal smiled at his brother. He said, “Ha! If you watch, you’ll see me score five goals!” Then, Jamal ran over to where the children were playing.

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Ahmad and his mother walked around in the park. There were some things that Ahmad could do. He played on a swing for a while. Then, he played on a slide, and he did other activities. After about an hour, Ahmad’s father came to the park. He said, “We have a place to stay, but we have to share with another family. There are 10 people in that family!” Ahmad’s mother smiled. She said, “If they are like the people we’ve met already, I’m sure they are very nice.” Ahmad’s father smiled, but his eyes still looked worried. Ahmad’s mother asked, “How long can we stay here?” His father said, “We should go soon. We don’t have much money, and we might spend too much if we stay here too long. I will find out about buses and trains tomorrow. But tonight, we can relax.”

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Ahmad and his family stayed in the camp while Ahmad’s father looked for the cheapest way to travel across Turkey. Ahmad and Jamal spent a lot of time in the parks. Jamal played soccer a lot. Ahmad wanted to play, but he could not because he had lost his leg. Instead, Ahmad helped the younger kids. One time, Jamal said to Ahmad, “I wish that you could play soccer with us.” Ahmad said, “Yeah. Me too. But don’t worry. I have a good time teaching other kids how to play better.”

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One evening, Ahmad’s father came home. He was smiling. He said, “I met a man who has a bus. He will take us to Bodrum. He also speaks our language and Turkish, so he can translate for us. From Bodrum, he will help us find a ship that will take us to Greece.” Ahmad’s mother asked, “When will we go?” Ahmad’s father said, “He can take us out of here tomorrow.” When Ahmad’s father said that, he saw that his family looked disappointed. Then, he thought about them. Jamal and Ahmad had made some new friends, and they were going to school. And Ahmad’s mother was working as a volunteer in a grocery store. After thinking about these things, Ahmad’s father said, “Well, the man comes here every two weeks. So, we can take our time to get ready to leave.”

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For two weeks, Ahmad’s family got ready to leave the camp. Ahmad’s parents talked to the teachers at the school. Ahmad’s mother told the manager at the grocery story that she would be leaving soon. In the park, Ahmad said to his friends, “We’re going to travel across Turkey. We’re going to go all the way to Germany!” That night, when Ahmad’s father saw that everyone was ready to go, he spoke to the house manager. He said that he and his family would be leaving soon.

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A few days later, the bus driver returned to the camp. All of the people who planned to travel on the bus, including Ahmad’s family, were there. The bus driver helped them load all of their suitcases and bags into the luggage compartment. Then, he said, “It will cost 200 euros to ride the bus.” All of the adults were surprised and angry. Ahmad’s father said, “You promised to take us for 100 euros!” The driver said, “I’m sorry. I was not clear. You must pay 100 euros now, and another 100 euros when we reach the city of Bodrum.” Three people angrily took their things out of the luggage compartment, and they went back to the refugee camp. Ahmad’s father showed the driver 300 euros. He said, “I will pay this much for my family.” The driver frowned, but he took the money. Ahmad’s family and eight other people got onto the bus, and they began their journey to Bodrum.

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The bus was old, dirty, and loud. And there was no air conditioner, so it was very hot. Ahmad said to his mother, “I miss my old friends from home. And I miss my new friends from the camp.” Ahmad’s mother said, “You have to write letters to them to keep in touch.” During the long trip, Ahmad spent his time writing letters, reading his school books, and looking at the scenery. Although the bus was not comfortable, the fields, the hills, and the cotton farms were very pretty. Now and then, Ahmad saw people playing soccer, and he wished he could join them. In some places, Ahmad could see the beautiful blue Aegean Sea, and sometimes he saw buildings from ancient times. He was very excited to have these new experiences, and he asked his parents a lot of questions to learn everything that he could learn.

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Two days later, the driver stopped the bus at a gas station. He said, “We are 30 kilometers from Bodrum. You must pay me 100 euros for each person, and 20 euros more for gasoline. All of the adults got angry again because the driver had tricked them. First, he made them pay two times what they thought they had to pay. And now, he was making them pay even more! One man said that he would not pay. He said, “I will walk to Bodrum! Give me my suitcase!” But the driver would not unlock the luggage compartment. He said, “You can get your suitcase when you get to Bodrum, or you can pay me now.” The man angrily threw 120 euros at the driver, and he got back onto the bus. Ahmad’s father tried to give the driver 340 euros, but the man said, “It’s not enough. You have to pay 460 euros, or you will have to walk to Bodrum.” Ahmad’s father had no choice; it was too far for his family to walk. He had to pay the 460 euros.

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After the driver took money from all of the passengers, he drove them the rest of the way to Bodrum. The bus stopped at a dock with an old boat tied to it. The driver got off of the bus, and he met a man who had gotten off of the boat. The two men spoke to each other for a few minutes. They were smiling. While the men talked, the passengers got off of the bus. The driver soon came back. He said to the passengers, “This man will take you to Greece. The cost for each person is 800 euros.” All of the passengers were shocked and angry. That was very expensive, and they did not have much money. But because they could not speak Turkish, most of them depended on the bus driver even though he was dishonest. But Ahmad’s family and two other passengers refused to pay. Ahmad’s father said, “We will find a better boat. Give us our bags.” At first, the driver refused to open the luggage compartment. But then, Ahmad’s father said, “I will call the police!” After that, the driver angrily opened the compartment, and all of the passengers took out their luggage.

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Ahmad’s father did not want to hire a boat from that dirty dock. He talked to the two other passengers who did not go with the driver to the old boat. He said, “Let’s go to a mosque. I’m sure that someone there will help us.” As they got ready to go, they saw the the passengers getting onto the dirty old boat. The last people they saw were a mother and her young child. While Ahmad's family was looking for shelter, the old boat slowly took off but like many other it sank not so far away from the shore. A day later the whole world was shocked to see the dead body of a little boy washed ashore. Ahmad's family was never going to know that it was the same boy who sat next to them and played with them on the bus...

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Ahmad’s family and the two other passengers soon found a mosque. The imam there was very friendly and helpful. And he could speak their language! He gave them some food, and he asked them about their plans. Ahmad’s father said, “We want to take a ship to Greece. From there, we want to go to Germany.” The two other passengers also wanted to stay in Europe. One was going to travel to France, and the other hoped to live in Austria. That night, the imam let Ahmad’s family and the two other passengers sleep in the mosque.