The Child Who Came in From the Cold

   The Child Who Came in From the Cold

Suzanne Marsh

“It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was

falling fast.” The district of Kapotnya, nineteen kilometers form the center of Moscow, lived Anna and her mother Misa. Misa, was more concerned with her next fix, than with the life of her daughter Anna. They had been living under oil pipes for the summer but now fall had come and gone, the snow, and wind took Misa from her child. Anna was seven, with no one to give her help or to take care of. Ivan Dubrinsky, watched Anna, closely, when he realized she was an orphan, he knew he could sell her to a friend of his in the Russian Mafia, she had two worth something. Later that night, Ivan, grabbed the screaming child, beat her into submission, then took her to his friend Vasley Kosmakov.

“Ah, Ivan, this is the child?”

“Da, Vasley, she is orphan.”

“Da, good, I will pay 7511.00000 Rubles, that is one hundred dollars in United States money.”

“Deal, take her before she comes to.”

The deal was sealed, Anna, age ten awoke to find herself stuffed into a box with other women and girls like herself. The container was put on a ship, from there it was headed to Mexico. From Mexico, the girls and women would be smuggled into the United States. The precious cargo was worth almost one million dollars in human flesh. Anna wept silently, fearing her fate. She had no idea where she was going and no food or water. Several women began to move slightly, one found a roach and devoured it. She warned the others that there would be no food until they arrived, worse no water either. Anna, was ready to give up, but a small ray of hope still existed, perhaps a nice American would purchase her. She could work for that person, buy her freedom. She would never have to return to Russia. The woman had been wrong, sailors brought the women and girls scraps of food and horrible tasting water.

Finally, after what seemed months, the container was suddenly opened. The girls and women were taken to a small, confined area in the heart of Mexico City. Here, they were made to wash and change their filthy clothes. Later that same day, they were herded into two pickup trucks. They found themselves standing on tables, men looking up their skirts, touching them in forbidden places. Fear, gripped them, Anna, as young as she was knew she was being sold as a slave to some wealthy person or persons.

The dull gray of early morning found Anna, being pulled out of her bed:

“You are coming with me, do no make a sound. Do you understand?”

Anna nodded her head yes, she did understand. The voice continued:

“You are going to New York, to a very wealthy family. You will be their servant, do as

you are told and no harm will come to do.”

Anna shrugged, what choice did she have, she was ten years old with no one in the world to care for her. She was smuggled across the Mexican/Texas border in a small camper. It was small, concealed area in the bottom of the camper. She heard foot steps overhead but knew if she made a commotion and was discovered, they would kill her. She had decided when her ordeal began she wanted to live.

The trip seemed to go on forever from this Texas to New York, she would be glad when they got there. Finally, they pulled into an area of Brooklyn that smelled of traffic and dirty streets. The large brownstone was not hospitable looking. It seemed cold to Anna. The door was opened by a woman with bright blond hair, a tiny red dress that did not cover very much of her body. Anna stood transfixed. The woman, gave her a half smile:

“Hello, my dear, I am your “Auntie” Sophia. I am going to teach you how to pleasure men.

Come along, my dear, there is much we must do before you are presentable.”

Anna was terrified of the words she was hearing in Russian. Who was this woman? Why was she going to make Anna, presentable?” Anna did not have to wait long. The woman led the way up a winding staircase to a small set of rooms.

“This is your suite, as we refer to the rooms. First, my dear you must have a bath and have

your hair washed and styled. Then we must find a dress that will be attractive to the

opposite sex.”

Anna wondered what this Russian woman was talking about. She began to learn as beautiful blond hair was styled, she was given a very short black skirt, black stocking, and a loose fitting top. The black spike heels looked ridiculous even to the woman who was doing these things to her. She looked Anna, in the eye:

“Just how old are you honey?”

“I am ten years of age.” Anna promptly answered.

“You are too young for this house. I know someone who needs a servant girl; I will send you

there. I cannot guarantee it will be any better life for you but I will try.”

Once again, Anna was shuffled into a car, driven to the Bronx, where she was hired to be a servant to an ugly Russian woman with warts on her nose. The woman, reached out her shaky hand:

“Yes, this one will do nicely. I will teach her all she needs to know and make a profit at

the same time.”

Anna was fearful of her future, but she would do whatever it took to gain her freedom. The old Russian woman showed her how to slip her hand into a pocket and remove the contents. Anna was now ready to commit her first crime. She slowly approached a tall blond-haired man, while he was looking down to see what she wanted, Anna’s small hand moved quickly, into the depths of his pocket.

She did not look at the money or what felt like a ring, she merely put them in her pocket and smiled sweetly at the man. Afterward, she looked at the contents, the money she was sure about but the ring would bring her money or so she hoped. The old Russian woman took the money as her hand shook:

“You have done well child. Now go out and bring more of this back with you; do no return

without it.:

Anna, smiled: “I won’t, I will bring you all that I can.:

Two years and one hundred thousand dollars later, eleven-year-old Anna Rubanoff was arrested by the police. She was placed in foster care; for the first time in her young life, she felt safe. She would no longer have to lie and steal; she had found a better world.