Under The Radar

Grandpa leaned back on our worn brown couch. He stared up at the ceiling, simply to think about his lost wife. He then saw his daughter, growing older day by day, she was only a child at the time of the holocaust. He remembered the joy on her face as they heard the news of the finally ended war.

"Gramp?! Are you listening?" Mom shouted, "I said me and Dad are going out shopping." Grandpa nodded as if he had understood and was listening actively, when in reality he was busy getting lost in his own thoughts.

Dad added, "No stories! I mean it this time!" The parents walked out the front door, seemingly enveloped by the rays of the sun. The moment they heard the front door slam, Ilana, Pablo and Calista came bolting out of their rooms.

Calista jumped up and down, as the youngest sister traditionally does, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Can you tell us a story? Just like last time Mama and Dad went out?" Ilana laughed at her little sister, and crossed her arms, as she was supposed to be the goodie-goodie.

Grandpa shook his head, "You know I'm not supposed to..." Calista pouted, both Ilana and Pablo knew that after one of Calista's pouts, Grandpa was certain to give in. He laughed softly, "Okay... fine" Pablo and Calista both smiled at him.

"Mom and Dad said you weren't supposed to tell any more stories!" Ilana said, emotionlessly.

"Who cares!? Lay off and let Grandpa talk!" Pablo shouted back at his older sister, feeling like the boss of her, rather than the usual vice-versa. "We all know you want to hear the story too!" Ilana sighed and sat down to listen, on her usual pink bean-bag, as Pablo and Calista shared an orange bean-bag chair.

"Okay... What story haven't I told you already? Hmm... Maybe the one about the first camp?" Grandpa leaned back on the couch.

Calista frowned, "You've told us that one, already."

"Oh. How about... One I've been thinking about a lot lately? I haven't told this story to anyone! So pay close attention." Grandpa smiled, seeing the children nod. "A long, long time ago, in a town called Auschwitz, my wife, Becky and I were working on the concentration camp."

Ilana nodded, "We learned about Auschwitz in school. It was the largest of Nazi concentration and death cam-"Pablo silenced his sister with a glare, and she muttered, "...Continue"

Grandpa began to set the scene, "All around us was hate, sweaty soldiers. The air reeked of flesh and blood. In certain places, it smelled like medications. There was this man who hid in his tent most of the time, preforming terrible tests on the prisoners, and they often came out deformed, and pale. My wife were forced to stay separate, as she was a woman, and I a man. I was about 26 then, she was 24. We lived in fear and agony. Soldiers were constantly threatening us. We worked, doing hard labor with little food." Grandpa sniffled and continued. "Often times we would see bodies, just lying there flat on the ground, and the soldiers would snap at us to 'get rid of the darn thing!' We knew that every day there was a risk that we would be the next body, splattered over the rocks."

Grandpa looked up at the terror on the children's faces, but chose to ignore it. "So, one day we were walking, and it smelled far worse than usual. Behind us, we heard a loud, scruff voice. '37926. Turn around.' I looked at the number imprinted on my arm, it wasn't me. I look to the side and see Becky turn. The soldier took her hand and said that she had been chosen for a few special tests, that she should say goodbye. He was a kind soldier, seemingly, not many soldiers would tell anyone what was happening. She hugged me, and walked away with the soldier. And I never saw her a-"

The front door opened loudly, "We're home!" Dad called out, when he saw them listening to the Grandfather's story, he lost his mind, "You are ruining my children! Ripping their childhood from them! You need to leave them alone or get out of this house!" Mom looked over and nodded.

"I'm not allowed to talk about your mother?" Grandpa whispers to Mom, she looked at the ground to think for a moment.

Mom's head rose, "Yes, he can. Understood?" Dad and all of the children nodded, understanding, and reuniting the family as one.