Cricket201902

Outsidethefirstfewstarsarebeginning

toappear.Daduclimbsonhisbicycleand

chucklesasmyfriendAslamandIjogalong

besidehim.“Comeon,boys,can’tyoukeep

up with an old man?”

Theairfeelsasheavyasablanket.The

monsoonislatethisyear,andtheearthis dry

and cracked underfoot. A sweet smell wafts

from Mr. Ahmed’s prized mango trees as we

pass.Aslamslowshisjog,reachestopick a few

mangoes,andcramsthemintohispockets—

justlikethat,asifMr.Ahmedcouldn’trun

outthedooratanyminute,wavinghismassive

arms.IwishIwereasluckyasAslamwith his

“TONIGHT,” DADU CLAPS me on the

back,“wework,Rahim.Weworklikemen.”

movie-star hair, always into mischief, never get-

ting caught. I wish I were at home, studying

for that exam tomorrow... I wish. But Dadu

is counting on me. We need the money. He

works hard so I can stay in school.

By the time we reach the outskirts of

Lawachara National Park, the moon has risen

midway into the sky. As we cross the train

tracks, two women, heads draped in saris,

lower their eyes as we pass. They carry big

loads of firewood. Not far away, a train wails,

deep and mournful.

We melt silently into the shadows of the

forest. Graceful fig trees with spreading leaves

give way to dense evergreens that arch over us

like the silent domes of a palace.

RAHIM

,

S

PANGOLIN

by Kimberly Long Cockroft

Illustrated by Lucia Sforza

text © 2019 by Kimberly Long Cockroft, art © 2019 by Lucia Sforza

LAWACHARA NATIONAL PARK IS A MAJOR
NATURE RESERVE IN BANGLADESH, A
12 COUNTRY THAT BORDERS INDIA.