Over the Mountains and over the Sea
by Dirk Reinhardt
Every year in spring, the nomads stop by Soraya's village on their way to their summer home in the Afghan mountains. Accompanying them is Tarek, who knows sheep better than anyone else and is a wonderful storyteller. But this year Soraya waits for him in vain. According to an old tradition, as the seventh daughter in her family, she was raised as a boy and was able to move freely and attend school. But as a 14-year-old, she has reached the age where she should be living as a girl again in the quiet of her home. In fact the Taliban has, in no uncertain terms, mandated that she do so. They have also threatened Tarek and expect him to put his excellent animal tracking abilities to work for them. The nomads' plight worsens dramatically. Tarek and Soraya can see no other way and each journey out into the world, without knowing where the other is or what they're doing. Unexpectedly, they cross paths in the mountains.
