Salman jumped on the tram just before the doors closed. Melbourne was still a mystery to him. He knew he should be happy to be free, but there was still much sadness in him.
He felt Melbourne didn't welcome him. It seemed always to sulk under clouds. Only occasionally the sun showed its face, promising something but never delivering: just like his life. He was confused and often afraid.
His family had sacrificed much to send him here. His mother and aunt had sold jewellery and furnishings that had been passed down for generations. His father had sold his share of a partnership, then had borrowed more. His grandparents gave what they could spare. They had all wanted to buy freedom for him in a country of safety.
His parents had told him they were sending him to a place where there would be many opportunities. But those opportunities had been slow to materialise. He felt he had let them down.
The tram rattled down a hill and jerked to a stop.
Salman had left his home two days before his 17th birthday. He had not wanted to leave his family, his friends, his country. He put on a brave face when his mother and sisters cried over him and kissed him goodbye. He didn't want to go, but his father told him he must. He obeyed.
The trip had not been easy. The scale of the ocean amazed him; he couldn't imagine how a man could travel on top of so much water. When he first saw the boat he was afraid. It was tiny and crowded, so low in the water that each ripple splashed close to the deck. He remembered stories he had heard of storms and great waves that smashed boats. He didn't want to go on board, but it was what his father wanted. He trusted his father's love.
Salman sat on the deck, his knees touching his chin as there was little room to stretch his legs. Soon they were floating over the ocean. Time lost all meaning.
*****
The men and women who came with the dawn were young and assured. They wore smart uniforms, and when they shouted orders the crew obeyed. The boat was towed to an island. Someone shouted 'Christmas Island'.
Salman had been told the country they were going to was an island, but he had not expected to be able to see from one side of the island