Summary

After they recovered from their shock, the women cleaned up the mess the soldiers had made and then tried to sleep. Parvana wondered what prison was like. She watched where she thought the one small window in their apartment was — the one that was unpainted despite the Taliban’s order that all windows be painted so people could not see the women inside — until daybreak. That morning, Parvana’s mother announced that she and Parvana were going to get their father out of jail. Parvana and her sister were both worried about the trip because the jail was such a long way away and their mother could be arrested for being out without a male escort. Even though her mother doesn’t know, Nooria wrote a note telling the Taliban her mother had permission to be out without an escort. She wrote the note...