Okay lovelies, so three votes was good enough for me as I have all the patience of a frenzied bull and don't want to leave you hanging any longer. So, without further or do, here are the first of the rewritten chapters of the original Cuckoo Bird. This is a very sneaky cheeky preview of what will eventually be published. When my hiatus is over, I will be taking them down, so read while you can!
I will also give you a couple of random.. shall we say... amped up scenes from the original trilogy. One will be a redo of a scene you already know. The next will be a brand new change to the original plot.
Happyish reading my loves!
Chapter One
The monotonous thrum of the train did nothing to soothe Anna. It had been her constant companion for days now, the persistent whirr forever embedded in even the furthest corners of her mind. She counted herself lucky that her family had a spot by the one small window of the cattle cart. At least there was a little fresh air as they sped through cityscapes and fields alike. She barely felt the pain in her legs and feet now; so long had she been stood in her spot that they had grown forever numb. The tightly packed bodies of her cargo companions kept her upright anyway.
A small cough drew Anna's gaze downwards.
Elli was cuddled into her older sister, her deep brown eyes hooded with sleep and fixed on the flashes of greenery from the barred window. Anna buried her nose in Elli's tangle of black curls, her hand absentmindedly rubbing her back in circular motions. Elli gave a sleepy grumble and nestled further into Anna' chest. Usually so brilliant and bright, the dank circumstances they found themselves in made Elli seem far younger than nine.
Anna didn't want to focus on that. Instead, she glanced up at her mother opposite her.
Her stomach dropped.
Rachel was leant against the wall, her face screwed up as tears dribbled down her cheeks. She had her arms wrapped tight around herself as her fingers dug into the star of David crudely sewn onto her coat sleeve. Her mother had always been so private, even in the ghetto. Clearly, this final train journey had worn her resolve too thin.
Reaching out, Anna's fingertips brushed lightly against her mother's arm. She was startled back to their cruel reality, her watery eyes focused on her eldest daughter's. Rachel and Elli looked so alike; same hair, same gaze, same slightly kinked nose. Even now, Anna felt a pang of jealousy. It made sense that she looked nothing like her family, but sometimes the obvious reminders felt as if they were being shoved down her throat.
What foundling wants to remember that they shouldn't belong?
As if reading Anna's thoughts, Rachel tucked her hand in hers and drew it to her lips. Her damp cheeks pressed against Anna's hand as she held it for a long kiss. Anna tried her best not to tell her mother of these intrusive thoughts. It would do no good.
'I miss Papa,' croaked Elli's voice.
Anna felt her mother's sharp intake of breath against the back of her hand, her own breathing uneven and strangled.
'Me too, sweet girl,' Anna managed. Of course she missed her father; he was the sunshine that nourished them all. Yet, it would be a lie to say there was not some small part of her that was glad of his absence. It meant he was not here, in a cramped, dark cattle cart of a train that could only be taking them to a place of no return. If anything, she envied him a little.
'Mama?' said Elli. 'Don't you miss Papa?'
'Every moment of every day,' said Rachel, the words stunted and pained.
Elli turned as best she could and cuddled into their mother, Rachel nearly knocked backward by the force of her embrace. Rachel's gaze locked on Anna's.
YOU ARE READING
The Cuckoo Bird: Say The War Had Never Happened...
Historical Fiction'Keller gripped the back of her head tightly, watching her eyes fill with angry tears. "Do you think that there was ever a chance of a normal life for us?" Anna was so taken aback, her breathing hastened. "When I arrived here?" she asked slowly. "Or...
