The little old woman and her adventures in Romania true story written and illustrated by Gina Hablanian
	It was the worst of times, called World War II. The little old woman found herself moved out of the comfort of her city home and traveling she did not know to where or for how long.
	Lucky for her, her nieces and their children were with her, so she did not feel as afraid as she would have otherwise.
	At one point during their travels they were put into freight cars and found themselves traveling through a country called Romania.
	One day there was lots of excitement on the train. It was approaching a frail-looking wooden suspension rail. Way below, farm fields looked like puzzle pieces.
	The train slowed down to a crawl. Ever so slowly it proceeded on. The suspension rail strained and sagged under the heavy load. But the little old woman saw the farmer below them and was not afraid. He must have seen many such trains come and go.
	Shortly the train pulled into a little country town and all got quickly out to stretch their legs, grateful to have survived such a dangerous crossing and such uncertain travel.
	This happened to be a special day. It was Easter Sunday, and the farm folks came down to the station to sell their goods. They sold bread. They sold vegetables. And the smell of smoked ham filled the air.
	A group of young country girls in their colorful traditional costumes with trailing fringes appeared suddenly as if by magic. They had laughter written on their faces, and strung onion necklaces decorating their blouses. "What a pretty sight," thought the little old woman.
	As they were all hungry, the boys began to gather firewood and make bonfires, and her nieces started to boil water in order to make soup for their dinner.
	Soon the nieces colored some eggs with boiled onion skins to give them a rich terracotta color, and the family sat down as best they could by the side of the train to feast on bread, ham, eggs, and soup.
	The little old woman sat a bit apart from the rest. "In my old age, I live like a gypsy," she said to herself. But the sun was bright and the air was warm, and there was joy in the breeze. True is the saying that it is the best of times and the worst of times, she thought.
	Today was a good day, a hopeful day. The family was all with her and happy. So what if tomorrow is a big question mark, she thought. Isn't it always?