The Toys They Carried: Syrian Children Under Siege<br />"When I asked her to keep them in the house, she refused<br />and asked me to bring them with us to the basement." Last week when Ms. Hotary grabbed her children and supplies, Maya, mimicking her mom, collected her toys.<br />Maram, who asked that her last name not be published<br />because of safety concerns, said she had not thought to bring the cars at first: With 150 people sharing the windowless space, she assumed there would be no time or space for toys.<br />"I’m so happy she found a way to defy the weakness<br />and fear and adapt to the situation." In a basement across town, Ahmad cried and pleaded with his mother to bring him his toy cars from home.<br />"She’s determined to protect her children, too." "But I can’t tell her<br />that her toys will stay safe." Maya was born two years into the war, her days defined by the conflict unfolding around her.<br />Marwan Habaq and his infant daughter, Yasmina, would spend hours at home watching their fish swimming in circles in a tank at home.<br />When the airstrikes intensified, Mr. Habaq and his wife grabbed their daughter<br />and fled into the basement, leaving the aquarium and stuffed bumblebee upstairs.<br />" he said. that Me and Yasmina loved the fish, but my wife used to get jealous, because we were paying more attention to the fish than her,
