A Long Walk To Water

Salva’s father was a successful man. He owned many head of cattle and worked as their village’s judge-an honored, respected position. Salva had three brothers and two sisters. As each boy reached the age of about ten years, he was sent off to school. Salva’s older brothers, Ariik and Ring, had gone to school before him; last year, it had been Salva’s turn. His two sisters, Akit and Agnath, did not go to school. Like the other girls in the village, they stayed home and learned from their mother how to keep house.
Most of the time, Salva was glad to be able to go to school. But some days he wished he were still back at home herding cattle.
He and his brothers, along with the sons of his father’s other wives, would walk with the herds to the water holes, where there was good grazing. Their responsibilities depended on how old they were. Salva’s younger brother, Kuol, was taking care of just one cow; like his brothers before him, he would be in charge of more cows every year. Before Salva had begun going to school, he had helped look after the entire herd, and his younger brother as well.
The boys had to keep an eye on the cows, but the cows did not really need much care. That left plenty of time to play.