by Pam Berkman
Yusef’s eyes widened.
“Hey,” Tom said to his friend Mac. He talked out of the side of his mouth to hide what he was saying from other people. He jerked his thumb at Yusef. “That kid saw. He’ll tell somebody.”
Mac was questioning someone. He looked over. He saw Yusef. Then he saw Minsha. His lips got thin and his eyes got hard.
“Not if no one is paying attention to him, he won’t,” he said. He pointed at Minsha and shouted, “Who let a filthy dog in here?”
All of a sudden, everyone was looking at Minsha. Someone grabbed her by the collar. It was the inspector who had talked to Yusef’s family.
“Better get this animal to the pound,” he said.
Minsha couldn’t let him put her in animal jail! She’d never see Leila again.
She had to get loose. She shook her whole body the way she would shake a rat she caught back home. The inspector grabbed her around the middle.
“Hey!” Yusef cried. “Leave her alone!”
He ran to the inspector and kicked him in the shin.
“Ouch!” the inspector shouted. He let go of Minsha.
“Yusef!” cried his mother. “What are you doing?!”
Minsha dove between a group of people and hid under a bench. Yusef ran back to his family.
“But, Mama!” Yusef began loudly. “He—”
Then he coughed. But this time he kept coughing and coughing and coughing.
9 Separation
The man who had been holding Minsha hurried up to Yusef. “Someone get one of the doctors,” he called.
Under her bench, Minsha shook.
A woman came up to Yusef. She wore a long dark skirt and a crisp white blouse. Minsha had seen her before, at the stairs. But she hadn’t realized the woman was a doctor. Most of the doctors were men.
“Dr. Rose,” said Tom. “I think this boy has tuberculosis. The other doctors may have missed it.”
He’s trying to get Yusef sent away so no one finds out he stole the necklace! Minsha realized.
Dr. Rose frowned. She was holding one of the gadgets with the tubes and the little metal circle. She put the metal circle against Yusef’s back. Then she took out a piece of chalk and put a big mark on Yusef’s coat.
“No!” cried Mama and Teta together.
“His lungs don’t sound good,” the doctor said in English. As she spoke, an interpreter repeated what she said so Yusef’s family could understand her.
“He might just have asthma, or a cold,” Dr. Rose said. “But we have to make sure it’s not something worse. Your son needs to have a second examination. The lung specialist has already gone home. The boy will have to stay in the hospital tonight. If he’s healthy, you can come back and get him tomorrow. If he’s not, he’ll either have to stay here until he’s better, or go back on the next steamship.”
No! Minsha thought. They couldn’t take Yusef from his family.
The interpreter translated what the doctor had said. “He needs to stay with us!” Teta cried. But two men were already pulling Yusef away.
“Let go of me!” Yusef said. He kicked and struggled.
“Stop that, young man,” Dr. Rose said. “Behave yourself.”
Minsha could tell Yusef didn’t understand. But the firm tone of the doctor’s voice made him stop fighting.
“We’re just taking you over there where sick people stay until we can take them to the hospital,” she told Yusef. The interpreter repeated it. Minsha looked where Dr. Rose pointed. Off to the side there was a section of the room with bars around it. It looked like a big cage. There were already some people in it. People with the chalk marks that meant they were sick. Dr. Rose took Yusef’s shoulder and began to lead him toward it.
“You’ll be able to see him later,” she said to Mama. Mama blinked back tears as she listened to the interpreter.
Some men that Minsha had heard called “attendants” pushed Yusef’s family toward the stairs.
“Yusef!” his mother cried.
Teta called, “We’ll be back soon! We promise!” Teta still clutched her handkerchief, but it was no longer carefully folded. It was all balled up and crushed in her hand. Her knuckles around it were white.
Minsha didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want Yusef to be taken away. But she couldn’t get caught, either.
“We’ll take good care of him,” Dr. Rose said to Mama and Teta. “Our hospital is the best…” She stopped talking. Her sharp eyes had found Minsha under the bench.
“Is that a dog?” she said.
“Yes, doctor,” Tom the inspector said. “We were trying to catch it when that sick boy started coughing. Gotta get it to the pound.”
They were making it all up! Minsha was furious.
“You’re just trying to get Yusef and me in trouble to get away with stealing!” Minsha barked.
“We can’t have an animal in the Registry Room,” Dr. Rose said. “Come, dog.”
She sounded just like the dogs who led the village packs back home. Minsha felt herself wanting to follow Dr. Rose’s orders. She barely stopped herself from going to her.
Dr. Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Dog,” she said. “Behave. Attendants! Please handle this. Surely you can catch one dog.”
Minsha saw three sets of boots racing toward her, then three sets of hands reaching for her.
She slid further under the bench and out from under the back of it.
Then she ran.
Behind her she heard Yusef shouting, “I thought things were fair in America!” But no one seemed to understand him.
10 The Island
Minsha bolted to the stairs and ran down them. She ended up in another room full of people.
They were pushing money across a counter and getting little pieces of paper in return. Then they took those pieces of paper, picked up their luggage, and walked out a door.
A ferryboat was waiting outside, just as Esmeralda had said. It was Minsha’s way to New York City.
But will Yusef ever be able to get off the island? she thought.
Three attendants hurried down the stairs after her. They stared down at people’s feet. Right at terrier level. “Find that dog,” one of them said.
Minsha couldn’t see anywhere to hide.
“Psst! Minsha!” a voice squeaked.
Peeking out from between two heavy trunks was Esmeralda.
Minsha scootched between the trunks.
Esmeralda’s nose twitched at Minsha. “What are you doing in the railway office?” asked the rat. “I thought you had to get out of here.”
Minsha told her what had happened in the Registry Room.
“Who were those men?” Minsha asked. “The ones who took Mr. Khoury’s necklace?”
“Must have been Mac and Tom,” the rat answered. “Stay away from those two. Most of the inspectors and doctors are good people, but those scoundrels steal from immigrants. And if they think sending you to the pound will stop them from getting caught, they’ll do it. Better stay out of sight.”
If Minsha got sent to the pound, she’d never see Leila again. She had to get off the island. And fast.
Yusef is probably wondering where I am, a little voice in her head said. She folded her ears against her head to block out the little voice. She had to get to Leila.
“Oh, Esmeralda!” she said. “They’re looking for me! If they catch me they’ll send me to the pound! What am I going to do?”
Esmeralda fixed her jewellike eyes on Minsha.
“Well… can you swim?” she asked.
* * *
Minsha looked out over the water under the setting sun. Beside her, Esmeralda sniffed the air.
The two of them had hidden between the trunks until they could sneak out of the railway office unnoticed.
Now they stood on a thin strip of land that connected the two halves of Ellis Island. The water in front of Minsha wasn’t wide like the ocean. It wasn’t as narrow as a stream, either, but she could see land on the other side. “That’s New Jers
ey,” Esmeralda said. “It’s not too far and it’s not too deep. You can get off the island that way.”
“Oh,” said Minsha. She wasn’t as excited to hear this as she thought she would be. She couldn’t stop wondering if Yusef was all right. She shook herself. Leila needed her, and Leila was in New York. “So how do I get to Little Syria from there?” she asked Esmeralda.
“Don’t worry about it,” said the rat. “I’ve got some friends who can help you out.”
A flock of sparrows circled above. Esmeralda chittered up to them. They began to spiral down to land.
“Hello!” Minsha barked.
The sparrows took one look at her and scattered up into the sky.
“She’s not going to eat you!” called Esmeralda. “She just wants directions!”
Minsha did the best she could to look like a dog who would never think of eating a sparrow.
The biggest sparrow flew back down and landed with his flock. Minsha recognized him. He was the sparrow who had told her the ferry was going to Ellis Island.
“Oh,” he chirped. “It’s the big-eared dog.”
“Twitch!” Esmeralda squeaked. “This dog needs to get to her family. What’s the quickest way from Jersey to Little Syria?”
“She needs to get to her flock?” twittered Twitch. “No problem. First you cross here, then—”
“Wait,” said Minsha.
Twitch and all the other sparrows stopped chirping.
“Esmeralda. Would they really send Yusef back?” Minsha asked.
“They might,” Esmeralda said. “And if he’s too young to go back by himself, someone in his family will have to go with him.”
Minsha’s chest felt tight. Just like it did when Leila’s father dragged Leila away to the boat.
She looked out across the water. She knew she could swim across and go on to find Leila. But Yusef and Teta had worked so hard to get to America. Now Yusef might be sent back. Because of her.
“I can’t do it, Esmeralda,” Minsha said. “Yusef helped me. I need to help him. He needs to get back to his family too. You know Ellis Island so well. Can you get me into the hospital?”
Esmeralda showed her long front teeth in a grin. “Sure thing.”
11 Into the Hospital
All of a sudden the sparrows took flight.
Two attendants came around the corner of the building.
“There it is!” one of them said. “Get it! I’m not spending all night chasing a darn dog!” They charged toward Minsha and Esmeralda. One of them reached for Minsha.
Then he shouted.
“Hey! Yech! What the—?” he said.
The attendant’s hands were covered with slimy white stuff. So was his friend’s head. Minsha heard the laughs of the sparrows. They had pooped all over both men.
Esmeralda jumped on Minsha’s shoulder.
“Go, go!” she squeaked.
Minsha went.
“Good luck!” Twitch called. The sparrows dipped their wings and flew toward New Jersey.
* * *
Minsha and Esmeralda were standing in front of a maze of buildings on the half of the island across from the Registry Room.
“Can we get in?” Minsha barked.
“Leave it to me,” said Esmeralda.
She scurried around to the side of the closest building. It was made of stone with a big wooden door. The door was shut. Minsha heard a lot of whirring and clanking sounds coming through it. Right outside the door was a huge canvas bin on wheels.
Minsha could see something white and fluffy poufing over the top of it, swirling up like clouds.
“Onto the laundry bin, Minsha,” chittered Esmeralda. The rat jumped onto one of the wheels underneath the bin.
Minsha tried to climb onto the metal frame under the bin. She wriggled and squeezed. But she didn’t fit.
“You’ll have to jump inside,” squeaked Esmeralda. “Hurry.”
Two voices came from behind the building, talking and laughing. They were getting closer. Was it the men who had been chasing Minsha? No, these smelled different. Like strong soap and heat.
Minsha backed up. She took a running leap. Her back legs pushed against the earth with every bit of strength she had. She brushed the edge of the bin as she went over. She landed with a whoosh in a pile of whipped-up sheets. This time she made sure to tuck in her tail.
The voices reached them. Minsha held her breath.
“Gonna do a little work now, Sully? It’s getting late,” said one of the voices. “Or am I gonna push this laundry bin all by myself?”
“Aw, shut yer trap, Tony,” said the other voice. “You couldn’t push a laundry bin by yourself if it was made of feathers.”
Even though their words didn’t seem to say it, it sounded to Minsha like Sully and Tony liked each other very much.
She heard the click of a door opening, and felt the bin being wheeled through it.
12 The Laundry Room
The room was very warm. Minsha poked her head above the sheets just enough to peer over the edge of the bin.
Huge machines churned and whirred. Young men were pulling sheets in and out of the machines. One machine made the sheets wet. Another made them dry. A dozen young men bustled around, loading and unloading and folding things.
Sully moved toward the cart. Minsha ducked down. Sully climbed up onto the railing under the bin. He started pulling out the sheets in big armfuls. Minsha dove further down into the swirl of sheets. But more and more of them disappeared from on top of her. The last one came off. The young man’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw a dog looking up at him. Minsha wagged her tail.
“Hello,” she woofed. It didn’t help.
“Hey!” he yelled. “There’s a dog in here!”
Minsha sprang from the bin onto the floor. She looked for a way out.
Sully’s hands were too full to do anything about her. Some of his friends laughed.
“Friend of yours, Sully?” one of them said.
“Maybe we can keep it,” another said.
But Sully shouted, “Get that dog out of here! We’ll have to wash every scrap in this whole laundry again if Dr. Rose sees it! You know how she is about keeping everything clean!”
Dr. Rose! The woman who had sent Yusef to the hospital and told the men to catch Minsha. Minsha didn’t want to be caught by her! She was probably one of those people who thought dogs carried germs. Dr. Rose would get her sent to the pound for sure.
Minsha saw a door opening onto a hallway. Could she get to it?
Four young men advanced on her. There were too many to dodge and they looked fast. Minsha backed away.
Esmeralda jumped out onto the floor.
“I’ll take care of this!” she said. She stood tall on her back legs. “Ahem… Squeaaaaaaaaak,” she said.
“A rat!” shouted Tony. None of them paid any attention to Minsha now!
“Find Yusef! Get him out of here and back to his family!” Esmeralda squeaked to Minsha. “Don’t worry about me.” She winked. “I’ve got some tricks tucked under my ears.” Esmeralda leaped straight at Sully. He jumped back. Minsha ran for the door.
The rat was off like a shot through the door too. Half the men in the laundry room raced after her.
“The hospital wards are that way! Look for rooms with lots of beds in them!” she called. She skittered in the opposite direction from Minsha. Minsha saw a long, long hallway. She headed down it at top speed.
The hallway ended. Minsha stopped running. Twilight spilled in through big glass windows. The hallway was lit with lamps, but between the lamps were patches of darkness. She could hide if anyone came after her.
She felt a pang. Where was Esmeralda? She hoped the rat was all right.
To her left was an even longer hallway. Minsha turned down it. On either side of her were doors closed tight. About halfway down the hallway, one of them was open. Through it, she saw a big kitchen that still smelled like dinner.
She probably could have found
some scraps, but she kept going. She spied another open door. She peeked around it. There were beds lined up against both walls and there were people in them. Minsha’s heart raced. Maybe Yusef was there! But all the people in the room were grown-ups.
Click, clack, click. Minsha froze. Metal rattled against metal. The sound got closer and closer. Clack, click, clack. Minsha began to back slowly up the corridor. She sniffed the air. What kind of monster was headed straight for her? She backed up faster and faster.
Then she smelled a familiar scent. It was as steady as a breeze on Mount Lebanon in the spring. Yusef! His scent was mixed with the scent of the metal monster. Minsha stopped backing up and ran toward the sound. Whatever the thing was, she couldn’t let it get Yusef.
CLICK, CLACK, CLICK!
A metal cart came careening around the corner. That was what was making the noise! It wasn’t a monster! Riding inside the cart were a girl and two boys. One of them was Yusef!
Yusef was smiling, but his smile was sad. The other two children shook with silent laughter. It looked like they were having so much fun! Minsha ran with all her might and jumped into the cart.
“Minsha!” Yusef whispered loudly. The cart sailed down the hallway. Minsha let her tongue hang out as her ears flapped behind her. The cart went faster and faster, straight toward a wall. Yusef burst out, “Oh no!”
The cart crashed into the wall.
The kids spilled out. Books spilled out too. Minsha tumbled tail over paws. “Minsha!” Yusef whispered, “I can’t believe you’re here!”
She had found Yusef! Minsha jumped up and down. She ran to him and snuffled her nose in his hand. “It’s you! It’s you!” she barked. Now she could help him get back to his family. She could keep him from being sent back to Syria. Then she would find Leila. She woofed again happily.