Lily's work

                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The Hardship of the war

 inspired from the book the Book Thief

by Lily

         My name is Eliana and I'm Jewish. Two years ago I was ten.  I lived in Germany during World War II.

     One morning I woke up my head buzzing, someone shouting, "Take them! All search the house quick".  I knew exactly what to do. I had prepared for this moment. I'd take my brother Adam and run out the trap door that led to the alley way near our backyard that my dad had made by digging through the old crumbling concrete, then covering it with a Nazi flag in the basement. But that was all before they took him. After that it was just my mom and me and my three year old brother. That was a year ago.

     All I could think about was Adam, how he would be watching with wide eyes and understanding, and that he would still be wrapped up in my mom's old withered blanket asleep in the pantry near the fire in the basement. I stumbled down the hall knowing that they should hear me but not caring. I heard the shouting, the crying of my mother, but I left it all behind. I just kept going and going and going. I felt the sting of the salty water on my cheek. I grabbed my brother's hand and pulled him up, up through the trap door and out into the fresh air. When I was out of the house Adam and I ran as fast as we could which was pretty much me pulling him along. He started to cry, but I didn't stop I just kept going. When we finally got deep in the forest we stopped and I held him tight to me and sobbed more than I ever had.  Adam watched me quietly not understanding what I knew.  I felt sorry for him so small and frail like he could break simply by touching him.  Then my brother asked something I would never want to answer. He asked, "What happened to Mom?"

         I cried a little more then said in the most adult voice I could manage, "she's gone." Then I shouted as loud as I could, "I HATE HITLER."

         That night I could hardly sleep, not because of what had happened, but because of what was going to happen tomorrow and the day after that and after that.  The next day I snuck into town to try to find food that had been thrown out or gone bad and I came back with my hands empty.  There was no food to be thrown out that day.  

     When I got back I knew my brother would still be asleep so I went to the pond and washed my clothes .  I knew the place well because I'd walk home through the forest and on my way back I would stop and do my homework at the pond, but now I sat there and just thought, thought about what my life had become about what lay ahead for me and Adam.  But all I saw was a blank sheet of paper.  When I finally went back to Adam I saw him sleeping in the blanket we had found in the woods.  I knew I was being selfish since he had gotten no sleep but I shook him awake any way and told him that we were going to sneak into town after dusk and watch the Nazis burn all the Jewish books, and after we would see if any remained from the fire.

         Then my brother dis his half shrug with his shoulders and stared at me with the milky blue eyes he only had when he was thinking. I searched his eyes.  Maybe I could tell what he was thinking, and asked, "Do you miss Dad?".

         He smiled and said, "Why?"  I smiled and thought that had been a perfect answer.  

     Soon we left to see if any thing remained from the fire.  The only things we ended up taking were a book a piece of half chewed bread and a charred old match box.  That night we felt like kings with the crumbs of bread and the toasty fire.  That night I dreamed that someone had taken my brother away and all I had left was myself to keep me company. 

     The next day I was startled to hear quiet voices and then I felt something poking me.  Suddenly I was wide awake and waved my arms all over hoping that maybe I was imagining it which of course I wasn't. "Ow," someone said.

         Then someone else asked," Who are you? Wait are you that Jew that some lady in the town said she saw in woods. No one believed her though. Hey you must be, that's the only reason you'd be out here.  Don't worry, we won't tell.  We're nice.  I'm Emile and this is Angel my twin sister.  What's your name?"

     "My name is Eliana and this is my brother Adam.  thank you for keeping our secret."

     "No problem It'll be fun to have a little secret don't you think?"

      I thought no it's not fun not one bit but I didn't say anything.

      Then Angel said in her gentle voice, "Nice to meet you."

      Adam thought that was a good time to pipe in his tiny voice, "I'm hungry. Do you think you can check the trash early today?"

      I scowled at him for interrupting me, then quickly plastered a smile on my face.  Emile then said that she would sneak some food and other things to make us comfortable tomorrow. Then they left without another word.  After, I decided we should move to the pond so we would have water to drink and we could swim and wash clothes.

     The next day came at last. I straightened my brother's hair so that he would look presentable and braided my own.  We crept to where we had been before and hid behind some underbrush.  I was worried they would not come, or worse that they would bring others to hunt us down.  But when they finally did come they were alone and I could have sworn, the food they brought smelled like the best thing in the world.  My brother tore out of my arms and ran toward the aroma. I was right behind him.  

     When we reached them they looked sad but I couldn't figure out what was wrong.           I said, "Thank you," and stared at what they had brought us. I saw a whole chicken, an empty tin to fill up with water, a pie which was wrapped in cloth, a comb to brush my hair, a tin of soup, two wool blankets, six sandwiches, a loaf and a bag to hold everything. I asked, "How did you get all this stuff?"

     As soon as I said that her smile whipped off her face.  In a hesitant voice she said, "I'm sorry. We could have never gotten all that stuff without asking her.  But I had to make a deal with her.  I promised that I'd make you leave town by nightfall.  I'm so sorry.  Angel is staying I can come, and I know of a lady named Irena- Sendler.  She helps Jews"!

     When she was done talking I saw she was out of breath and upset.  I did my best to smile and said, "You can come but we have to leave at once.  Is that ok?"

    "Thank you.  I'm sorry. My mom said what I had done was wrong and that she wouldn't have me as a kid anymore.  She said I had to leave with the Jews," Emile said, then started sobbing and I knew it had been the right thing to let her come along.

   We packed our things and hugged Angel goodbye and I saw a tear drip down Adam's puffy cheek.  As we walked I realized I didn't know where we were going.  I had just followed Emile.

  After we walked about 10 miles it was getting dark.  We stopped in the woods.  I started up a fire and Emile brushed her hair while my brother watched transfixed by the comb moving through the hair.  I left them to do what ever they were doing, and went exploring.  I found a creek near by and filled up the tin with water then returned to the camp.

   When I came back to the camp I saw Emile, white faced and spooked.  I asked what the problem was and she replied, "I'm so sorry.  I don't know what happened. I was brushing my hair then Adam started coughing and coughing he's lying down right now, but I think he has tuberculosis."  Then I realized that I felt dizzy.  That night when everyone was sleeping I cried and cried and cried.  I didn't know what my life had become. 

     Next morning we started walking again.  My brother kept coughing and coughing, but he was okay, at least we thought.  After about a mile we reached someone's house Emile went right up and knocked.  When the door opened, a nice women stared down at us.  When she saw Adam her brow wrinkled with worry.

   Emile smiled at the lady and said, "Nice to meet you Irena-Sendler.  I'm Emile I would like you to meet Eliana and Adam they're two Jews seeking                       shelter."

    Irena-Sendler said with a warm smile, "Nice to meet you Emile, Adam, and Eliana. I'm Irena-Sendler, but just call me Irena. I'm a nurse and I shelter                           young Jews in my spare time.  I would love to help you and I will give you shelter, but I hardly have any food to feed you.  You will need to find food                          for yourselves but I will take care of you in every way I can."

   "Thank you for the shelter. We have lots of food with us. The only thing I'm worried about is my brother do you think you can help him?" I said.

     Irena replied," I'll try but I don't know if I can."  Then she rushed Adam inside.

Emile and I followed and sat down on the big leather couch to wait and wait. Finally Irena came out alone. 

    "He's gone. He died when he lay down I'm sorry," she said. I asked where we were going to sleep and she showed us a small neat room with two beds and I fell straight asleep.

     Two days later I woke up and saw a bright light. I had slept for two days.  I woke and ran downstairs. I saw Emile sitting down eating breakfast. I sat across from her and ate the left over pie. Then Irena came downstairs. 

     When she saw me she smiled and said, "I'm glad to see you up.  I think after breakfast you two should get  a breath of fresh air then go find some food.  Here is some money to pay for it."  I got up abruptly and went outside. Emile followed. We sat in the garden and talked in hushed voices.  Then we walked to town.  We went to the market and bought half a loaf of bread, eggs, and a quarter pound of turkey.  Then we went back and studied our books for the rest of the afternoon.  Then we had dinner, then we went to bed.

     We did that routine for the next two years.

     Two years later and the war has ended.  I can go where I please without always worrying and worrying about someone trying to take me away or someone hating me all the way to my bones at every turn I make.

     A week after the war ended Irena shouted for me to come downstairs and be ready to smile as wide as a watermelon.  I rushed downstairs. Emile was already there, and so was Irena, but someone else was there too.  I didn't know who it was at the beginning.  But then I saw the brilliantly blue eyes just like my brother's had been, and I knew who it was.  And I threw myself at him without hesitating. 

     I sobbed in his arm and said over and over, " I love you Daddy. I love you so much."  He cried too.  Then I asked win a hesitant voice," Where is                     Mom?"

      He answered in a worn out voice," A week ago the day the war ended I got freed and was told they had killed her."

     After that I sat there and cried some more, but after a minute I had to stop.  I was tired of crying I laughed, the first laugh in two years.  And then Emile started laughing and so did my father.  When we finally stopped we talked and my dad decided to adopt Emile, since her parents still didn't want her back.  And we lived happily ever after and all that.  But really in a way, we kind of did.