Two soldiers marched up the dirt road and stood at Valentina's door. They told her to hand over her life jacket. She stepped forward to obey. Then her father pulled her behind him, grabbed her mother's hand, and they ran into the dark.
Valentina ran barefoot through the cornfield with her family. Cold dew soaked through her socks. A branch snapped behind her, and they broke into a faster run.
The corn pressed close on every side. Night fell thick and heavy. Bare feet slapped against wet earth. Someone was following. She did not look back.
A branch snapped behind her. Her mother squeezed her hand. The corn grew thinner. The river waited.
They reached the riverbank. The man in the green coat stood by the small boat. He lifted her empty hand and smiled. 'Your jacket is safe,' he said.
Valentina watched the man push the boat into the current. It drifted away slowly, turning in the moonlight. Her mother held her close.
A fighter shouted from the far bank. The man waved without looking back. Then he turned and walked into the trees.
On the other side, Valentina stepped onto soft grass. She kept walking toward a cluster of new houses. The man was gone.
She kept walking toward the houses. One by one, the yellow windows filled the dark. The man was already behind her. But she could still taste orange on her tongue.
The houses grew larger. Streetlights flickered on one by one. Valentina took a slow breath of the new air. Somewhere, a man in a green coat walked back through the cornfield alone.