The Charm

The blades of their skates cut alternating white curves on the smooth ice of the Danube. Georgia fell. Her grandfather turned to help. “You can do it, Georgia.” he said softly. He lifted her to her feet, brushed snow from her knees, and encouraged her to try again. Georgia looked back. Her tracks were staggered. She’d stumbled many times. His symmetrical strokes were broken only by the many times he’d turned to help her. They continued skating. She grew steady. Her small strides began to match his.

The sound of distant tank fire echoed over the ice. They stopped. Smoke bellowed from an area close their home. “Georgia, we best go home.”

“Grandpa?”

“Things are happening here. You may have to leave soon. The Russians are going to take over. You may not understand this, but soon you may have to leave me.” Georgia wrapped her tiny arms around her grandfather’s strong legs and pressed her face to his stomach. “Grandfather, I will never leave you.”

“Georgia, listen to me.” He held her at arms length. “Look at me.” He commanded.

“Grandfather?”

“You don’t understand this, but it is not safe here.”

“I don’t want to leave. I want to be here.”

“Georgia, I love you! Look at our marks on the ice. See how you improved. You have many marks to make on the ice, but they can’t be made here.”

“Grandpa, will mother and father come with me too? Do I have to go alone?” A tear trickled down her cheek.

“No, child, you won’t leave alone.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bronze disk. The outer ring was red. Two stripes intersected it. One stripe was blue, the other was green. “Child, this has been handed down through generations. We were once Gypsies. Our family traveled the land and lived where we found life. The blue stripe means the heavens, not only the sky, but also seeking God. The green stripe means earth, covered with grass, because the earth under our feet is our motherland.”