"Giddap!" "Giddap!" "Due to the extreme recession of the dam lake and the ensuing drop in local reservoir levels..." "Your cooperation is appreciated." "Come on, Ayse." "Climb on." "Ahmet, are you going to have a go too?" "No." "I will later." " How is it, Ayse?" " Good?" "Aha." "Ahmet..." "Aren't you asleep yet?" "Go to sleep." "Go on!" "I'm not sleepy, Ahmet." "Close your eyes." "Then you will be." " Ahmet..." " What is it, Ayse?" " Is the bogeyman still in the storeroom?" " What bogeyman?" "Dad made him up to scare us." " Aren't you scared of the bogeyman?" " No, I'm not." "Ahmet!" "Come on, Ayse." "Go to sleep now." "Close your eyes." " If he comes, will you chase him away?" " Kids!" "What do you keep whispering about?" "Close your eyes and go to sleep now." "Catch it!" "There you go!" "Come on." "Come on." "Come and sit down." "Sit down." "Go on." "Sit down." " Don't tell Grandpa, OK?" " OK." "Hey you!" "Did you dam this up here?" " I was playing with my sister." " And I was using that water!" "Dam it up again and I'll beat you!" "Stop crying or Grandpa will hear." " It really hurts, Ahmet." " Sure." "You didn't take your trousers off." "If you'd taken them off it wouldn't hurt." "The pain will go soon." "What if it doesn't?" "It will." "This is what Mum did whenever my stomach hurt." "Come and sit down now." "Stand up." "Ayse, where are you going?" "Dad!" "Dad!" "My stomach really hurts." "Of course it does if you wander around in bare feet!" "Grandpa will get angry." "Here, go on." "I'm not going to charge you." "Come and see me if you ever need anything." "OK?" " OK." " You and I are family." "I sent some chewing gum with your dad the other day." "Did you get it?" "Here." "Go on." "Take it to your sister." " Say hello to your Grandpa." " OK." " Have a bite, Ahmet." " I've had some." "Let's hide that." "I'll hide it in the hayloft." "If Grandpa sees it he'll think we stole it." "Take these too." " Ahmet, tell the story of the woodman." " I've told it 100 times, Ayse." " Shall we go and see Dad?" " No." " What relation to us is Dad's wife?" " None." " But Saliha said..." " I told you, she's no relation." " What way is that to play!" " Go and play houses with your sister!" " Hey, cool it." " Abidin, calm down." "Come on." "Let's go, Ayse." "Your dad's going to put you in a home soon." "You'll only be able to dream about this village then." "You know what, Döndü!" "Hatça, the neighbour..." "Her daughter's run off and got married in Kars." " What?" "She ran away?" " Yes." " Why?" "Didn't they want them to marry?" " No." " Why not?" " I don't know." "Lots of people wanted her." "But they refused them all." "And she just ran away." " What are they going to do now?" " What can they do?" "The girl's gone." "The father of those kids doesn't look after them, you know." "How can he?" "Döndü would throw him out." "Fine, but how's their grandfather supposed to look after them?" "Well, he can't, can he?" "He hasn't got much longer to live." "Right, but they're still trying to find a wife for him." "Let's hope they find one." "At least the kids would be better off." "Son..." "Watch your sister." "Don't let her fall off the roof." "OK, Grandpa." "And fill up that water jug, will you?" "I will in a second." "Just a second, Ayse." "Out of the way." "OK." "Ahmet, let's sleep here all the time, OK?" "OK." "Then Grandpa won't get angry when we talk." "Ahmet, will they send you to jail?" "No..." "Why would they?" "You beat up Abidin, right?" " I had every reason to." " So they won't send you then?" "No." " Ahmet, whose home are we going to?" " Nobody's." "But you know what Abidin said..." "Grandpa wouldn't do that to us." "Selam aleykum!" "Aleykum selam!" " Aren't the kids around?" " No." "What do you want with the kids?" "Ahmet's been fighting again." "Fighting." "Who with?" "He beat up my wife's boy." "He's doing it on purpose." "He's turned into a real hooligan." "There's a home in Konya." "I'm going to send them there." "There's a what?" "There's a home in Konya and you're going to send them there." "Now look here!" "Over my dead body are you sending those kids anywhere!" "You cad!" "I can't take them home." "The wife doesn't want them." "What can I do?" "You mean she has a say in you coming here as well?" "God!" "Where's the man in you?" "Huh?" "Where's the man?" "Ahmet, won't Mum get wet?" "No." "Can she hear us?" "Aha." " Shall we tell her then?" " What?" "About Dad." "She knows." "If Mum was here, would Dad come to the house?" "Ahmet, are you going to eat your wafer?" "OK." "I'll let you have it when we get home." "Will the bogeyman come, Ahmet?" "The bogeyman wouldn't come here." "There are marshmallows, right?" "What are marshmallows?" "Orphan flowers..." "There, see?" "Oh!" "You mean hollyhocks." "Are we orphans, Ahmet?" "Yes." "Mum used to say marshmallows grow wherever there are orphans." "They talk to us actually." "But we can't hear them." "Is that really true, Ahmet?" "Yes." "I told you." "Mum said so." "Ahmet, come here!" "Where shall I take you tomorrow?" "How about the swing?" "Shall I tell you the story of the woodman?" "I'll get you a wafer from the Istanbul grocer." "All right then." "I'll..." "I'll..." "I'll go to boarding school." "I was only joking." "I'd never leave you." "Dad's going to send us to a home soon, Hollyhock." "What are we going to do?" "Rub the soap into your hair properly." "Ahmet, you were going to give me a picture of Mum." "Right." "I will." "Look, Ayse." "I told you there's no bogeyman." "They're marrying the other girl off." "That's why they want her." "Come here, kids." "Where have you been?" "Nowhere." "Just out for a walk." "Hadji Aga, if you'll excuse me..." "Think about it..." "Keep well now." "Off you go then." "You keep well too." "What was she doing here, Grandpa?" "Son, a a letter's arrived." "Read it out to us, will you?" "Let's hear what it says." "It's from Aunt Fatma!" "Dearest Dad, first of all I send you my love and respects." "You're on my mind day and night." "Every time I eat, I lose my appetite." "You were always on my mind." "But now there's the kids too." "Halil went to the municipality to arrange bringing them over here." "But they ruled it out because the kids aren't ours." "There's a lawyer at the municipality." "A Turk." "He's helping us out." "He says he'll get it sorted." "Bless him, Halil." "He's really trying." "Because there are so many Turks at the factory I work at they've split the holidays into two groups." "This year, we'll come for the Feast of the Sacrifice." "Don't get upset about Kazým marrying again, Dad." "He was a burden on you for years." "At least you're spared that now." "Love and kisses to Ahmet and Ayse." "And my love and respects to you." "Remember us to everyone who asks." "Your daughter, Fatma" "Grandpa!" "Are you coming to Germany too?" "No, dear." "I'm going somewhere else." "Where are you going?" "God knows." "You hit your own hand!" "That's not fair!" "It was my turn." "Ooph!" "I hit my own hand." "Hit you!" "Ahmet!" " There's a match on tomorrow." " I can't come." "There you go." "Give that to me." "Well done." "You too." " How are they?" "Good?" " Yes." "Enjoy them." "Why do people call you the Istanbul grocer?" "I left the village and spent 10 years working in Istanbul." "That's why." "Did you have a grocery store in Istanbul too?" "No, Ahmet." "I wish!" "If I had a grocery store there do you think I'd have come back?" "Just look." "Everyone's gone from the village." "No one who makes a living comes back here these days." "Yes now, little Ayse." "Look." "There are pictures inside here." "Put your eye against this bit." "And change the picture here." "Press on the knob, like this." "Now go over to the light." "Hold it." "Off you go." "Have a look." "And let's see if you like it." "Ahmet, it's really pretty." "You have a look too." "No, it's OK." "You look." "Do you have a picture of Mum?" "A picture of her?" "I should have." "I used to have a picture at home that was taken at school." "Will you let me have it?" "Why?" "Don't you have one?" "No." "Grandpa burned them all." "He said it was sinful having them around." " Shall I start from the beginning again?" " No." "Carry on." "Well done!" "Very good!" "Now dear, where have you got to?" "You were there the other day!" "Haven't you got any further?" "Son, get your sister reading a bit." "And don't fight with other children." "I didn't say anything" "What do you want?" " Isn't my dad here?" " No." "What do you want with him?" "A letter just came from my aunt." "She's going to take us to Germany." "That aunt of yours should look after her father first." "Tell that brother of yours I'll break his hands if I see him." "Ahmet!" "Where have you been?" "When did you go out?" "Come here, will you?" "How many times do I have to tell you not to be afraid of that hole?" "Where did you go?" " You mustn't be angry though." " OK." "Over to Dad's." "Ayse, why don't you listen to me?" "Didn't I tell you not to go over to Dad's?" "Did you see him at least?" "No." " Here, Grandpa." " Thanks, son." "I'll be going to town tomorrow." "To draw my pension." "I'll get you some bakery bread while I'm there." " Halva?" " I'll get some halva too, dear." "Why did you tell Grandpa I'd been in a fight?" "I didn't." "I promise I didn't." "So they came to complain then." "Are they all stars up there, Ahmet?" "Yes." "They all have names." "Do you know them?" "A few of them." "Can you go there?" "No, you can't." "It's really far away." "Like where Mum is?" "Come on." "Let's go to sleep." "You're out!" "Go on, Ayse." "You play too." "Come and play too." " Ayse, you play." " I'll be back in a bit." "OK." "It's your turn." "My brother and I are leaving the village." "Where are you going?" "To a home?" " My aunt's taking us to Germany." " So you're becoming an infidel?" "Ayse's becoming an infidel!" "Ayse's becoming an infidel!" "Right then, Ahmet." "This is at primary school, just before fifth grade." "Have a look." "See if you can find her." "This one!" "She's the same as Ayse." "Ayse's the spitting image of your mum." "Grandpa will be back any minute." "Come on." "Let's go." " Did Aunt Fatma become an infidel?" " No." "What does 'infidel' mean?" "Umm..." "Uncircumcised." "What, Aunt Fatma?" " Wait, dear." "Later." "After dinner." " OK, Grandpa." "Keep back!" "It'll spit at you." "When are we going to eat it?" "Slow down!" "It's cooked." "Let's eat it then." "The other side has to cook too." "I wish Grandpa went to town every day..." "Grandpa, how did you know how to make köfte?" "When I was young, dear, I worked in a house in Istanbul." "In a neighbourhood called Niþantaþý." "It's where all the rich used to live." "I used to help out the cook too." "It's him who taught me to make köfte." " Did they eat köfte every day?" " Not every day, dear." "Köfte one day, chops another, beef the next." "Something like that." "If I was them, I'd have eaten köfte every day." "Grandpa, will you ever get married?" "There was a boy in the family." "He was a bit soft in the head." "He never spoke." "He was 20 years old and he wet his underpants." " Grandpa, will you ever get married?" " What would I do with money like that?" "Grandpa, will you ever get married?" "Grandpa, where will we go if you get married?" "Ayse!" "What are you doing there?" "If Dad goes past..." "Don't go so close to the edge again." "But he can't see us here!" "Sit down." "Dad's here!" "Dad!" "Dad, I came to see you." "But you weren't there." "They told me, dear." "So Fatma's going to take the kids." "It's not certain yet." " I'll tell Aunt Fatma you're coming too." " Quiet, girl!" "Stop talking rot!" " I know what her intentions are." " What?" "She wants to take the kids and put them to work there." "So?" " She's not getting them for free!" " So what will happen then?" " I'm not giving her my kids!" "Fine." " Then take your kids!" " Go on!" " Let's talk about this." "Off you go." "Go on!" "Hadji Aga!" "Hadji Aga!" "Ahmet!" "Open the storeroom door!" "I've got your wheat." "Let's put it away." "This is a personal announcement." "Mehmet Bircan, son of Mustafa, and Elif Kocaman, daughter of Ýbrahim are getting married at 8.00 tonight in the municipal gardens." "Everyone in the town is invited to the ceremony." "Ahmet!" " I'm dumping the sacks to the side here." " OK!" "Dad!" "I'm going to win the game this round." "You dare win and I'll never play with you again!" " Jammy guy!" " You're so jammy, Kazým Aga!" "The tea's on me!" "Whoever wants any." "Well, Kazým!" "What's this?" "You won the lottery?" "What's it to you?" "If I won, I won." "Instead of buying everyone tea how about giving your kids a home?" "I'm getting that sorted, Ýbrahim Abi." "Thanks, dear." "Bless you!" " Yes, son." "What did we say?" " What did we say, Grandpa?" "Dear Fatma, I got your letter." "We're fine." "The kids are fine too." "I send you all my love." "Kazým isn't happy about you taking the kids." "He says you'll put them to work for free." "I gave him some money." "He seems OK about it now." "I leased the fields to Hüseyin again." "That's where we got to." "I leased the fields to Hüseyin again." "I've saved 80 kg of grain for you." "I've saved 80 kg of grain for you." "You can mill the flour when you come." " I've saved 80 kg..." " ...of grain for you." "You can mill the flour when you come." " In the orchards this year..." " Slow down, Grandpa!" " ...the fruit rotted on the trees." " Grandpa, I can't keep up." "OK." "We'll leave out the orchards then." " I've saved 80 kg of grain for you." " You can mill the flour when you come." " We're leaving out the orchards." " OK." " My love to Halil..." " Wait." "Hold on!" "The kids and you." "My love to Halil, the kids and you." "My love to..." "Halil, the kids and you." " Dad." " Dad." "I've done it, Grandpa." "Good." "Fold it up and give it to me." "What are you waiting for?" "Fold it up and give it here, son!" " Umm..." "I wanted to write something too." " What did you want to write?" "I wanted to ask Aunt Fatma if I could take Ali's bike." "Son, you can't ride everyone's bike." "For goodness sake!" "Come on now!" "Fold the letter." "My foot!" "Mum-my!" "Mum-my!" "It hurts so much!" "It really hurts!" "Little bastard!" "God damn you!" "When I was your age I worked for a living!" "Ahmet, tell the story of the woodman." "Don't ever suggest going to Dad's again!" "Bring me a towel, dear!" "Come here." "Let me say my prayers, then we'll give you a shave." " Can't we wait till school starts?" " It'll grow back again by then, son." "We'll have to give you another shave." "Here, dear." "Thanks." "There we go." "Thanks, son." "I'm packing it in." "Good day to you!" " Yes?" "What do you want?" " A pack of Maltepe." "You haven't sent presents to the kids for a while." "What's the difference if I do?" "You know what?" "You don't even deserve to be spoken to!" "Now look here!" "Watch what you're saying!" "Don't go and spoil things because I gave away two wafers." "First figure out what I'm angry about." "Fuck off!" "Get out of here before I lay my hands on you!" "And you're supposed to be family!" "That's the only reason I come here!" "Get out!" "I don't need your money." "Go buy your cigarettes somewhere else!" "For God's sake!" "That's enough." " Can I help you, Grandpa?" " No, dear." "Thanks." "Don't touch." "Don't touch, dear." "Stop that." "Keep your hands out!" " Ahmet!" " Yes, Grandpa?" " Did you lock the yard door?" " Yes, Grandpa." "God forbid anyone comes by and sees me reduced to making bread!" "Are you glad about Abidin?" " You?" " Yes." "I'm glad." "Me too." "God's punished him." "He had a sling in his hand." " Did you see?" " Aha." "We're going to Germany, aren't we?" "Yes..." "We are." "Look." "That's Mum." "Should I keep it, Ahmet?" "Yes." "Hadji Aga, they're very rich." "They'll send the child to school too." "They took one girl on, raised her, educated her and now they're marrying her." "If you ask me, it's a golden opportunity." "Besides, there's no telling what will become of a girl here." "Fatma's trying to get them over there." "If that works out, it's better." "Well, it's up to you." "They want to find someone fast." "I'm going to town tomorrow." "They're waiting to hear." "It's out of the question until the Germany thing is clear." "Why do they want the girl anyway?" "To do a few small jobs." "But they look after them well." "It's up to you." "How about we go ahead and get her back if Germany works out." "Not." "Out of the question, dear." "You're out of flour, I expect." "My husband's going to the mill." "He can mill some flour for you too." "No, dear." "We have flour in the storeroom." "Ahmet came round last night." "He said you were out of flour." " He came asking for flour?" " Yes." "He said you were making bread." "Good heavens!" "No, dear." "Thanks." "We have flour in the storeroom." "Shall I draw some trees next to the house, Ayse?" "Sure." "Did you ask Gülseren for some flour?" "Gülseren came by today." "Yes, Grandpa." "But we have flour, son." "Why did you ask for more?" "I don't know." "I thought there was none left." "There's still two more sacks in the storeroom." "You also told her I was making bread." "You shouldn't tell the world about your cicumstances, son." "Come on now." "Get on with that picture." "God give me strength!" "Mum, Ahmet and me are going to Germany." "Come on, Ayse!" "But we'll come here every day." " Were you asleep, Abi?" " No, just having a lie-down." "I was waiting for prayer time." " I was at the municipality." " Aha?" "The postman saw me." "He had a letter for you." "So it seemed a good chance for me to see you." " Good for you." "Welcome." " Thanks." "That fiend said he's sorting things out with the kids." "What's he doing?" "You know we're sending them to Germany?" "He wants money for that, the cad." "Abi, didn't I tell you he'd be no good as a groom?" "What's the good of talking about this now?" " It's 10 years in the past." " But you ignored my advice!" "You just didn't listen." "I told you we should throw the kids out." "I said the cad would come and get them, that we should give him a fright." "And you didn't." "Read this." "Go on." "Who's it from?" " Fatma." "Fatma Kara." " Ah!" "My daughter." "Dearest Dad..." "I send you my fondest love and respects." "How are you?" "Are you still going to the mosque?" "For goodness sake, Dad, don't just sit around at home." "The doctors say the more you walk the better it is for you." "Yesterday Halil went to the municipality." "He spoke to the lawyer." "It seems the laws have changed here." "They've made things much more difficult now." "I'm not despairing but..." "He said the kids' business could take two years." "I'm not despairing but..." "He said the kids' business could take two years." "Still, even if it's two years I'll keep trying." "For the future of those kids." "By the way, you have the key to our house there." "Open it up." "You'll find Ali's bike there." "Take it." "Let the kids ride it." "When I come over for the holiday we'll get a new one." "My fondest love and respects to you my love to Ayse and Ahmet and remember me to whoever asks, your daughter Fatma." "Hey, where did they get that bike?" " Ahmet!" "Is the bike new?" " It's my aunt's." "Let's not put it here." "They'll steal it." "Let's put it upstairs." "I'll go first, Ayse." "You push from behind." "Let me just find some rope." "We'll tie it up there." "Ahmet..." "The pump's missing." "What are we going to tell Grandpa now?" "Let me go and look for it." "Found it!" "Ahmet!" "Ahmet!" "Where are you, Ahmet?" "Are you asleep, Ahmet?" " I ache all over." " I don't ache at all." "Of course you don't." "You weren't riding the bike." "Ahmet, you know what I dreamt about?" " What?" " Mum." "Really?" "We were in Germany." "Well?" "Mum came out there." "Dad was with her too." "You don't even let him be in your dreams!" "There was this hole in the middle of the house." "It was so huge..." "I fell in." "I fell and fell and fell." "But Mum couldn't catch me." "The hole was so big..." "It kept getting bigger and bigger." "But she couldn't catch me." "I was really scared." "So?" "I can't remember the other half." "You throw off the covers at night." "That's why." "Did you say about the bike in the letter?" "Grandpa wouldn't let me, right?" " How did Aunt Fatma know then?" " I don't know." "Aunt Fatma likes us the most, doesn't she?" "Yes." "And the Istanbul grocer." "Ahmet!" "Ahmet!" "Ahmet, I'm scared." "Don't be." "You won't fall off." "Anyway, if you learn too then you can take me for rides." "OK." "Come on." "Get off now." "Climb on the back." "Go on!" "Climb on the back." "Are you thirsty?" "Come here." "I'll give you some water." "Don't sleep on the roof tonight." "Sleep in here." "It's cold out." " It's not cold, Grandpa." " You'll make the girl catch cold." "Son..." "After breakfast fetch 8 kg of poppy seed from the storeroom take it to Ali the oilman and have him press some oil." " We've got oil, Grandpa." " Do as I say." "And when you get there, Ali will tell you to go away." "Well, don't." "Wait with him so he doesn't cheat you." " OK, Grandpa." " All right, son." "Where am I supposed to sit?" "You stay here." "I'll be right back." "Don't go out either." "They want her hair cut so she's free of fleas and lice." "They're a bit fussy, that's all." "Hadji Aga, I'm awfully sorry but they don't want her clothes either." "They say they'll fix her up with everything she needs." "Don't send us to a home, Dad." "It's a good place." "I want to stay in the village." "What's so great about the village?" "I stayed and look what good it did me." "Dad!" "Don't send us away!" "These were your mother's earrings." "I was going to give them to you when you got married but..." "Grandpa, can't I stay?" "Don't worry, dear." "We'll come and visit a lot." "I'm going, Hollyhock." "What about my brother?" "He'll be coming later, dear." "Go on, son." "Grab a container." "Grab a container now." "Quick!" "Quick!" "Quick!" "Ahmet, where have you come from?" "I'm getting some oil pressed." "Have you got an empty bottle?" "Hold on." "We'll sort something out." "Ahmet!" "Ahmet!" "Ahmet!" "What's wrong, Ahmet?" "Ahmet!" "Ahmet!" "Ahmet!"