706
1944
Sugar tried keeping the children’s attention on the makeshift classroom’s wood-planked wall, on which she had crudely scratched another vocabulary word to teach the three dozen children of varying ages.
It had been three years since they’d all been confined to the Chinese internment camp in Anqing and the malnourished children were again not concentrating.
“Tell us again what the Americans will bring when they rescue us?” a student pleaded, prompting others to look up with sudden excitement.
“They’ll break down the camp walls and the Americans will bring you all sweets to eat.”
“Sweets, sweets!” the children all shouted.