– Grandma, will you read us a story about a little reindeer? – asked the younger grandson.
“Grandson…” She was amused by the word at all, for Louise was only 40 years old. Her daughter married early and had two sons.
– But when you hear it, you immediately start to cry. Wouldn’t you rather have some other one?
– No, Grandma, we won’t do it anymore!
– You already have tears in your eyes!
The woman read the children a story and went to her daughter in the kitchen. She just sat there crying silently.
– My eldest one needs to go to school, and I don’t have enough money for anything. I don’t know what to do.
They lived pretty hard. Louise was always looking for a part-time job, because her daughter Maria always had to be with the child. He had a terrible illness. She had to do gymnastics, give him massages, take him to the swimming pool and buy him medicines.
– Don’t worry daughter, we will think of something!
Louise was awakened by her eldest grandson. His eyes were frightened.
– Grandma, there is something wrong with mom. She is all pale and cold, and her lips turned blue…
A lot of people came to see Maria off. All of them cried and mourned, because they knew what a wonderful person she was. They all brought money and flowers. Even her ex-husband came.
– Maria! Look how many of these pieces of paper they brought! Now we have enough to rehabilitate the little one, and to take the eldest to school. Who did you leave us for, daughter!
Louisa managed to come to her senses a little in the evening, when people began to go home. Here her ex-son-in-law came up to her and said:
– Gather my things.
– What things, there is nothing of yours! – The woman said menacingly.
– My boys’ things. I am taking them away.
– Yours?! When did they become yours? Where were you when we needed your help? So Maria couldn’t take it anymore. Her heart’s not made of stone! If you’d helped, maybe things would have been different. Now, get out of my house!
Louise was held by four men to keep her from attacking her son-in-law with her fists.
The next day, the woman decided to find out how she could get her children back. It turned out that Maria’s ex-husband was the only legal guardian. Louise will only be able to give the children back to her if her husband himself renounces them, or if he is deprived of his parental rights.
A few days later, the boys were taken to an unknown house where Grandma Ella lived. She constantly yelled at them and forbade them to touch her things. The boys often cried at night and had to do all the woman’s whims during the day.
Their father came to visit them no more than once a month.
– Why did it have to be like this? I want to go home,” cried the younger boy.
– Don’t worry, we’re just two lonely little deer who are lost in the woods. We’ll definitely find our way home,” said the older one.
The boys grew up and went back to Grandma Louise’s house, but they could never get their lost childhood back.
