Dear Stranger,
It's been exactly three months since we went into hiding. Today is also Sukkot. We didn't do much because of rations but it was good all the same.
I like Sukkot. At home we would decorate our little apartment ceiling with palm leaves and I would pick some maple leaves from our tree outside.There was always a big buffet with fresh cooked vegetables and grape leaves and a lot of challah, which is a kind of braided bread. Then we would give thanks and dig in.
Of course we couldn't celebrate Sukkot like we normally could, since the Steiners are non-believers themselves. Nevertheless, Frau Steiner tried to make challah, but it got burnt at the end. We all still ate it in good fun.
In fact, it was the best thing I had in months. Maybe even years. The bread was so warm and crackly, even Johanna came to marvel.
Afterwards, we all played a game of slap jack, including Benyamin, who even smiled. Can you believe that?
For once, nobody complained, and I think it was the closest to home I felt in a long time.
I wish all my days were spent in here like this, celebrating. But we can't all have our wishes.
I suppose I'll see you soon,
—Your Esther
YOU ARE READING
The Sound of Silence
Historyczne"God had given us a miracle, and I wasn't sure there would be one next." Winter 1942, one of the coldest years in history. Hans Steiner, a man of his late thirties, looks through the iron fence, through the hollow eyes that follow him, and to the as...
