Chapter 5
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
― Emily Dickinson
The next day I woke up again and same feeling was with me. Mother had a worried look on her face, of course that wasn't good. I also couldn't help but worry. I was sitting in the living room reading a book while Emma of course was playing with her teddy bear. Mom was knitting something then Father was walking back and forth over and over again.
It was rather amusing at the same time it had me very worried. Nothing was good when he paced back and forth. The last time he did that was when he told us that Grandmother was dead. Thankfully mom didn’t bring up the talk we had last night and I wondered if she told dad. Maybe that was why he was pacing back and forth throughout the house.
"Father what's a matter?" I question. He went upstairs and brought out three suit cases. Were we moving or something? Was this why he was pacing back and forth? Where would we going to go?
"We are moving" I stated not a question of course but I was scared. He nodded at me not saying anything more.
I took this as go pack look and decided to help Emma with her things. I took Emma up stairs to help pack her things. I was trying to calm myself down so Emma didn't know I was really freaking out. Truth is that I was scared, and that I didn’t know what was going to happen but I knew we had to leave. I wonder where we would go. On both sides our grandparents were dead it was just us sense Mother or Father didn’t have any brothers and sisters. Unless you counted Uncle Johnathan who lived in America. Emma and I never meet him and dad hardly talked about him. I always wondered what happen between them but never asked, not wanting Father to be mad.
After helping Emma pack her things, I headed to my room. I put some my clothes and my books in my suitcase. Not important things because I hoped to be back and I didn’t know where we were going.
"Emma, let's go" I said holding her hand as we went down stairs. Emma had tears in her eyes, it broke my heart to see her like this. I only saw Emma cry once or twice. I didn’t want her to go through something like this, or whatever was going on. I had mission to make it sure, she was okay.
"Emma, Look whatever happens out there, I'm with you ". We sat at the couch waiting for our parents. My parents came down the stairs. My Mother’s eyes were red and I was wondering what was going on. Then we heard a loud sound, as someone broke our door.
Emma and I screamed in terror but Father put his hands on our mouths, to keep us quite but it was too late. A group of young men soldiers, Nazis stood in our house with guns pointed straight as us. They didn’t have any emotions on their faces at all. The symbol on their sleeve, was the symbol that Zoey should me. The symbol I saw many times. The symbol was Swastika, which wasn’t good news at all.
I grabbed Father’s arm as Emma hold on to our Mothers. My Father stood in front of us girls as the soldiers still had guns pointed at us. He was trying to protect us if the soldiers actually used the guns. I didn’t want anyone to die.
One of the soldiers in front, spoke at us in German first. I don’t know why he did that but he did. He could have just said whatever he had to say in English. Even though we were Polish, we did speak some English. I didn’t get why he didn’t use it at first. He said "Sie wird sterben"(you will die). Well that was words of encouragement I thought dryly, starting wide eyed at the soldiers, who didn’t seem to pleasant at all. He pointed the guns at us then motion us to the door.
"Move! Move, now" the solider yelled at us, this time in English. I was glad it wasn’t German at least.
We walked quickly to the door as they followed us, pointing the guns. We couldn’t really run because of the fact they would most likely shot us. They didn’t shot at all but I had feeling if we didn’t obey the order that they will.
I held Emma's hand as we were forced out of our house and moved into the streets. Both parents took our hands as we were force away from our home. We didn’t dare speak against the soldiers knowing that if we did, it would be the end of us
I looked at Zoey’s houses, seeing Window curtain move to show Zoey peering out at us. Her face went from scared to worry. She was still the Zoey I knew which gave me hope. I knew she wouldn’t run out here to stop them. Her parents stood behind her, faces emotionless. One that matched the soldiers leading us to who knows where. I never saw the lock on their faces like that before.
The last time I saw Zoey and her parents. They invited me and Emma over to bake cookies, and maybe see a movie. Now it was like they were robots and Zoey was caught in the middle of it. She had to go whatever her parents said even if she didn’t’ want to know. I didn’t know if Zoey was the one who joined Hitler’s Youth or her parents made her. All I knew was this would be the last time I would ever see my best friend ever again.
While the soldiers weren’t look I softly spoke to Emma, so that she could only hear. My parents keep on looking forward not really paying attraction to what I was doing. I continued walking not stopping but looked at Emma with a neutral expression on my face.
“Emma remember the quite game” I whispered as we marched to who knows where. Emma nodded not talking. The “Quite Game” was basically a game on who can be the quietest for so many hours. Emma was quite good at the game and won many times against me. Which right now I was kind of thankful for that. It was also one of her favorite games so it would hopefully make her feel a tiny bit better with everything going on.
“Emma you can’t talk tell I say so okay, the game starts now” I whispered and she nodded.
Our parents gave approval and Mother gave a look me a sad but proud look knowing that this would help keep Emma busy. Not really know where we were going or if we would survive it, I had to protect my sister, at least make sure that she would get through this, not alone.
The soldiers were dress in green and had guns, were not surrounded by more soldiers. To keep everyone in line at least. All of them had the symbol of the Nazis on their uniforms. They all look so serious, and mostly mad, some not really wanting to be here. Some even seemed bored by the fact of this job. Others seem appalled by us for some reason. None of them looked at us in the eyes, not even once. It seemed that we were animals to them or something else. They weren’t afraid at us at all, it’s just they seem to think of us as less them than. In their eyes we were worth nothing. They shouted at us to keep on moving as more and more people filled the streets. They marched around us, and soon it seem like a whole army leading us to somewhere.
We and probably 20 others families were marched to what now seem to be the local train station. Young and old but we did have one thing in common we all had the Star of David on our clothes. Maybe we were going to safe place? May the soldiers wanted to help us? But on the back of my mind I didn’t think that was the case. Wondered if Zoey knew what was happen but that soon left my mind as we got closer to a huge crowd of people, thousands of them. All of the Jewish, which I thought was weird. All of them young to old, no age limit at all. I mean why was it just us, where was everyone else? The feeling that I had day before came back to me. Something was really wrong here, and I was scared.
As we got closer the Soldiers told us to throw our belongings beside our clothes to pile. They mention that we will seem them soon. I doubted that but want to make them mad, we all through our bags into a pile knowing that it would most likely be the last time we ever see our things again. I was glad I didn’t have most of my important things with me. I wondered if I would see my stuff again but that wasn’t worth it. As long as I had my family I was fine.
What was once just a small group of people came hundreds and hundreds people. All wearing the Star of David in their clothes. Nobody else expect those who were Jewish and Soldiers with guns. Is it just me or this looked really end badly?
We watched as they gathered a group of people and started to load those Train carts or as they were called Cattle Carts. Putting as many people in one as they can, not really caring if there was room or not. Pushing and shoving people in pointing guns if they had too.
My parents seemed outraged by this, and yelled at the soldiers that they weren’t going to stand there and let them treat us like animals. I mean it was great they were standing up for everyone but it wasn’t the time. Also the fact that the soldiers had guns.
I pulled at my Father’s sleeve trying to get him to stop but that didn’t work at all. I told my parents to calm down, that they were going to get in trouble but they couldn’t hear me because of the noise of the crowd, and the soldiers who were heading towards my parents. This was not good, not good at all. I had feeling it wasn’t going to end very well. Then a loud noise feel the air making everyone duck or hide.
BANG! BANG!