REFLECTIONS OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

he day started early in this house. The people of the house were too early to wait for the sun gliding through their curtains. The doors of the rooms were opening one by one with sleepy eyes. Their eyes were sleepy, yet their smiles were still on their faces. Opening the eyes with the smell of leavened dough gave them peace. Her brothers had already risen through their white, lavender scented sheets. Zarife was still in her bed. She wasn't sleeping, but she didn't want to get up, either. Even thinking her beloved made her happy. The time she saw him yesterday was still in her mind. They met while she was picking two baskets of grapes from the vineyard and making her way home. Surprised what to do out of excitement, she felt as if her feet were not on the ground and her heart was disobedient. She was awakened from her dreams by the voice of her mother:

_Zarife! Zarife!

Dilek Akay Team
Amasya Social Sciences High School

Sure mother, I'm getting up and coming.
- Get dressed, go to the barn, and milk the cow.
-OK mum.
Her mind was very confused these days. Oh Nikola. How would all these things be welcomed by their families? She didn't know. All she knew was how much she loved Nikola.
When she reached the stable, she thought how much she loved these lands during milking. Her friends, the Macedonian food of her neighbor Marija, everything… Meanwhile, all of the milk was spilled.
She returned home, and when her mother asked for milk, she stumbled.
- I poured breast milk,- Anyway, we'll have milk in the evening.
So, her days passed with love, she couldn't get him out of her mind. She went to work in the garden with Elena, the daughter of the race, hoping to see her one day.

Elena, who saw Zarife’s pensive mood in the garden, was curious. She had never seen her like this before. When they played games as a child, they would sometimes fight and be offended to each other. Zarife used to sulk and get calm back then, but this time was different. She was kind of weird and Elena was sure about that. Because anyone who knew Zarife was used to seeing her cheerful.

Elena asked what was wrong with her that kept her so quiet.

Zarife knew that she could not hide anything from her. She was also counting on her so much. She told her about Nikola. How they met… She explained that they met again a few days ago on the way home from the vineyard, and she hadn't been able to get him out of her mind since then.

Elena was listening to her with all her ears, but she couldn't understand why she was so concerned about this situation. There must have been another reason behind this sadness. And finally she asked:

-So what really bothers you, Zarife?

Zarife,started to tell Elena about the issue that bothered her so much.Elena, what really hurts me is how our families will accept this situation. This situation worries me a lot. Elena now understood the real problem of her friend and was uncomfortable seeing Zarife with this. When Zarife and Elena got home, the voices of her parents were coming from the backyard.
Zarife's father to her mother:
- You know I'm very worried these days.
When Zarife heard this word from her father, she hesitated for a moment. But her mother closed the subject because she noticed Elena and herself. After having her dinner, Elena left for her home. Zarife wanted to sleep, but the thoughts in her head kept her from sleeping. Why was her father worried. Was he worried that her father had learned about Nikola, but how could he learn? Zarife woke up to her father's voice. Her father was telling her mother something about yesterday's problem.