A Long Walk to Water

to pay back his American friends

twenty-four years after he left his village

because of his Unlce

as part of a parole agreement

It was his summer vacation

He had to stay home and baby-sit

He lived too far away

He was too busy fetching water

another thorn

a knife

a needle

her teeth

once a day

twice a day

three times a week

every other day

Uncle sold the meat to the others

he and Salva at it all

bandits stole the meat from them

Salva was sick from eating too much

seventeen months

six years

seventeen years

six months

all his brothers had survived

his mother was in a hospital

his father was alive

he was being sent back to Sudan

he met Nya

he became sick with malaria

Nuer warriors killed Uncle

Uncle died from poisoned stork meat

over a year

two months

two years

over a month

bumping into it

checking a map

following a bee

listening to a bird