"Give it back! Give it back!"

     "N'yet! You disobeyed and this is your punishment! You are lucky
that I don't lock you in the basement again!," Comrade Phlemenkoff
screamed into 12-year-old Anya's face. The mean headmistress of the
Children's Orphanage held Anya's precious gold necklace high about her
head so Anya couldn't grab it. Anya practically tried to fly and grab it.
Phlemenkoff headed for office, slammed the door and locked it. Anya beat
on the door.

     After about five minutes, Anya gave up. She went back to her
assignment, passing out breakfast. Her good friend Ariana was helping
her. "Well, kid, you shouldn't have done it. You know what's expected,"
said Mary.

     Anya replied, "I get in trouble for giving out a little something
extra to the little kids?"

     "Well, you shouldn't done it. I tried that once and I got to shovel
snow without a coat. She'll give your necklace back, you'll see."

     Anya said nothing. She had just been trying to help! She spooned a
bit of mush onto another plate. Anya hated Comrade Phlemenkoff. She was
so mean to everyone!

     "Anya, let's get out share," said Ariana, "So sense in letting
ourselves go hungry." She and Anya grabbed their own bowls and ate their
bit of mush. They sat down in the back of the kitchen.

     Anya barely noticed the little bit of food, for she was lost in her
thoughts. She thought about the many times Phlemenkoff had been cruel,
but never mean enough to take the one thing that Anya loved most, her
TOGETHER IN PARIS necklace. Phlemenkoff sure knew how to get her mad, but
then again, Anya knew how to get HER mad.

     "What was that?," said Ariana, pulling back her blonde hair, "I
heard a knock. Come on." Anya followed the eighteen-year-old to the front
door. Ariana opened it.

     "Can we help you?," said Ariana to the three big burly men who stood
on the porch. They wore red arm bands.

     "Yes, I am Sergei Fadnov. Is Comrade Phlemenkoff in?." said the
biggest of the men.

     "Da, sir," said Ariana, "I'll get her." The man called Fadov nodded.
Anya wondered what the men wanted. She noticed that the other men held
tools and paint. What ever for?

     Ariana soon returned with Comrade Phlemenkoff. The headmistress
ignored Anya after pushing her out of the door. "Da, gentlemen?," said
Phlemenkoff in her sweetest voice.

     "You are Phlemenkoff of the Children's Orphanage?" She nodded.
"Good. I am Sergei Fadnov of the Petrograd Soviet. We are here to change
the name of this orphanage. Our glorious Soviet state is starting to
reform our country."

     Phlemenkoff said, "What will be the name?"

     "The People's Orphanage. We will get started right away."

     Phlemenkoff nodded sweetly and said to go right ahead. Then she
closed the door and slapped Ariana across her face. "Why didn't you tell
me it was those Communists?! Stupid brat," she said. She stalked off to
her office. Ariana looked back and stuck her tongue out at the rewriting
figure.

     "Lousy, butt-ugly witch," mumbled Ariana. She and Anya went silently
up to the second floor. No work for it was Sunday. They sat on the floor.
The rest of the girls who slept there flowed in.

     Anya said, "Why in the world do they want to change the name of the
orphanage for?"

     "Don't you know?," said Ariana, "The Soviets have finally taken
complete control of Russia. They want to rewrite everything, change
everything, make it look as if Imperial Russia never existed. And if they
want to bother changing the name of one dinky little orphanage, so be it.
Doesn't make a difference to me."

     Anya thought about that. Then a movement outside caught her eye. She
got up and walked over to the window. Phlemenkoff was outside with the
Soviet goons. Outside huh? Anya smiled.

     She ran over to the door. "Ariana, come on."

     "What?"

     "Now's my chance to get my necklace back! Phlemenkoff's outside.
Let's go!"

    "And risk getting in trouble?," said Ariana, "Well.....I am only
gonna be here for a couple more weeks....let's do it!" Anya and Ariana
crept down the stairs. They went down the hall toward Phlemenkoff's
office. Anya tried the door and found it open. Ariana said she would
watch out in the hall. Anya slipped through the door into the office.

     The place was a mess. Papers were all over the place. Anya couldn't
help but giggle when she saw a bottle of vodka on the desk. No wonder
Phlemenkoff got really mad sometimes! The 12-year-old passed the desk.
She crept slowly across the office.

     "Find it?," called Ariana in a cautious voice.

     "No." Anya looked around. Where was it? Aha! There it was, hanging
on a nail on the wall. Anya quickly seized her precious necklace and put
it on. Now to get out of there.

     "Anya get down! She's coming!"

     Oh no!
 

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