Train Kyiv-L'viv. An evacuation route.

We, two girls with a dog, are going from Kyiv to Poland. Next to us, two elderly women — very elegant — are heading to their relatives in France. Also next to us are Sasha and Katya — two sisters, Sasha is only ten years old, and Katya, even though she is older, is so young. They were going to Germany. Also, we had a boy called Danya with us, who was also ten years old.

«Yesterday, right by our house, something boomed so much that we packed our things and are now heading to my relatives in Prague,» says Danya. «It was roaring where we lived too!» joins in the ten-year-old Sasha.
The kids quickly find some common ground, and that ground is war.

We adults listened as ten-year-olds discussed where it boomed and roared the loudest, how to make Molotov cocktails, and where to hide. We listened and tried to hide the tears in our eyes. The kids talked about war as if it was something mundane.

«This is the best moment of my day,» says Danya, when he started to pet Eddie [the dog]. «Our train car is the happiest, because we’ve got Eddie.» Everyone smiled. Eddie, as always, went around and licked each of our neighbors' faces.

«Halya, who else will kiss you now if not the dog!» a woman tells her friend and laughs. We all laughed as if none of us were leaving our homes, as if we were all just out traveling.

In L’viv we all went our own ways, but before we parted, Danya told me: «We will definitely win and will be traveling all of Ukraine again! I have been almost everywhere in Ukraine, we have a beautiful country.»

And who are we not to believe the words of children.

We will definitely win! And we will once again ride the train, but this time — going home. We will talk, but about our happy future. We will cry, but we will not hide our tears, because they will be those of happiness. And we will even make cocktails! Watermelon cocktails, from our Ukrainian Kherson watermelons!

Masha, Kyiv