Fiction

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Miriam Goldstein opened the letter from Moshav Ben-Zebulon. She read:

"Dear Miriam: things are fine. It is hard country but no less then was expected. Fishing is
good and life is reasonably happy..." then she read on to the end, "Your big brother is safe, Asher Goldstein"

PS I hope you remember the "Goldstein Transposition which will help with the rest"

Miriam smiled. Her brother had always been fascinated by such things. She spent some time deciphering the rest. Then she read it:

"Dear Miriam. I don't know if you will recieve this. Our security people can be almost Hunlike about reading other people's mail. With my present job I can see why but it is annoying. However I know one or two people who were willing to indulge this.

Then she read more:

I can only tell you once. But it is only fair for you to know. I am a spy. I am fighting to build a new Israel and to save our people overseas threatened by the Germans. I wish I could tell you more. I don't know if dad knows but if he does he cannot talk much about it either. I can say, "I could not have loved you dear so much loved I not honor more" which is an oversweet and unfashionably pompous quote and anyway the original was not for someones sister. Still it expresses things reasonably well. And I always did like poetry.
My job is not always dangerous. Sometimes it is actually quite pleasant. Other times it is quite distasteful though I hope I have done nothing that might make you ashamed of me. There is little I can tell about what I am doing. I know you will worry. But you should at least know what you are worrying about.
I miss you and sometimes wish I could be back. But I have my job to do and I hope I am doing it well.

Your Big Brother
Asher Goldstein

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