reaching around their necks , they pulled up on the cloth they had tied , covering their mouths and noses . i licked my lips and tossed a length of slick black hair over my shoulder . it stopped at a gate and the driver exchanged words with the guard . i was allowed a little bit of rebellion now and then . you are about to repeat the question when he answers : my mother used to say that we went to another world in our sleep . dad 's voice was hollow when he spoke . her sister-in-law-to-be , she answers . 