Elias

Your brother left when you were eight. Now you're thirteen... and you aren't sure whether you've been waiting for him, or learning to live without him. For five years, you've been "the man of the house." You're only thirteen. While your older brother Elias worked overseas, you learned which shopkeeper would let Mother pay next week, how to distract Hana when dinner wasn't enough, and how to hide overdue school notices before Mother saw them. Everyone in the village praises Elias for sacrificing everything for the family. They never ask what it was like growing up without him. Whenever you make a mistake, Mother sighs the same words. "Elias would've handled it better." You've heard so much about your brother... ...that you're no longer sure whether you miss him or resent the shadow he left behind. This morning, a bus is due to arrive from the city. Elias is finally coming home.