How I got back home? The Adventures of Julia Gray

2

My mum looked at the man with fear in her eyes. He says, "Ma'am please don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you. Deary, is she okay?"

 "No I'm afraid not. She has been acting this way ever since they burned down our library." I told him.  He was still there. I was wondering why a Jew was at our front door, so I asked him. 

"What is your name." I asked. 

 "James. I am running away from the German's clutches. I was wondering if you were ever so kind to let me stay for the evening?" James asked.

I looked at my mum . She was in that same position doing the exact same thing when I got home. I don't think she is going to make a valid answer at a time like this. "Um, I suppose so. I mean I just cooked a dinner of corn meal and steamed carrots. It's not much, but I'm guessing you are quite hungry. Please, come in." I told him. I gave him a bowl of dinner and sat him down. I went outside to the well to get water. It was awfully chilly.

When I got inside, mum looked the exact same way, still stress-knitting. He looked at her studying her stillness and awe. I am sure he is about 25 years old. I sat down at the table. While eating, he said, "Thank you very much for letting me stay and eat. I never thought someone would actually take me in. A lot of people slammed the door in my face, but for some reason I thought this house was different, like something inside me was saying, this is the one. "

 God probably told him this. My mum prayed about it. If she has a problem with him staying, that's her fault, and her prayer.

"You are very welcome. Say, is it okay if I hid you in the attic? I don't want them to know that you are here. Plus,  you don't want to go to the basement, the room next to it was father's old library, and it got burned. " I explained.  "Tell me more about yourself." I said. 

"Well my father was a Jew and my mother was a Dutch. They moved to Ireland, but when I turned 17 I wanted to go to college to get my education. I moved to London on a scholarship as a foreign exchange student.  I became an English and History major. My parents owned a lot of books, so I love to read. When I was about to marry about a year ago I decided to go back to Ireland. I was only there for about six months or so. Then the war started, so famine spread throughout the area , and killings were on the regular. My mother soon died about a month ago from measles. I was not safe with my father. He eventually got shot and killed on the spot when the Germans came around. They captured me to take me to a concentration camp, but on their way southeast they were forced to pass England, so I escaped. I was running away from Lancaster, so in about four days of walking I ended up coming back to London. I was knocking door to door to hide for the evening . London isn't really a whole lot better, but I figured it was safer to stay for an evening than to run away in London at night. Everyone I knocked a door on knew I was a Jew, so I got slammed doors in my faces. You let me in, so here I am now."

I looked at him in awe. My mum got up and retired in her quarters. " Wow, I guess we have some things in common. London here isn't  a bowl of heaven either. Poverty is everywhere. I only had enough shillings to buy some porridge and corn meal. After the library got burned I managed to salvage one book." I told him. 

"What book?" "Adventures of Tom Sawyer." I responded.

"Ooh that's a classic." He told me. "Oh don't I know it. I can't stop reading it." I told him.

At around 9 p.m. I took him to the attic to get him settled in. In his knapsack he had not one  book. Not two, or three. Not even four, but five books.  I was shocked, and I gasped. No wonder they want this guy. He's too smart. This 22 year old is smarter than most 34 year olds in London.

I was about to say something , but the sirens of Nazi aviators were over all sounds just then