¨My Last Song¨

"My Last Song"

They say when you die you feel a sense of relief. A feeling that will bring peace to your mind and body. But it wasn't like that with me.

It was the year of 1942, a smile is painted across my sister's face as she mentions to our mother how her school presentation went well. My mom reacts with a laugh, God she always knew how to brighten the room. It's been us three for almost two years, and I wouldn't change a thing. My father abandoned us, when he decided raping me and mother wasn't enough for his wicked desires. I guess scars tell a story that words can't. A laugh joins me in the conversation and I mention how when I was young, I feared giving presentations so much that I once peed on myself to be saved from the humiliation of standing in front of the classroom. While telling the story, my ears are awakened from a harsh knock on the door.

"Who's that mommy?" My sister asks in a timid voice.

I lock eyes with my mom, and we both know it's time. I grab a hold of my sister and my mother leads us to the attic. A box meets my eyes and we walk closer to it.

"Emma, I need you to get in the box." My mother's voice is demanding but fragile.

Emma does as she is told, and I crawl under a wooden table behind an abandoned couch we neglected for years. Tears are painted across my mother's face as she hides in the closet. We're going to be okay. I keep telling myself that as if it were a broken record on repeat. Footsteps echo throughout the house and I hear them coming.

"Don't say a word Emma." I whisper.

A man walks into the attic with an authority he doesn't deserve. He stands tall and firm. Another Nazi soldier stands behind him but there's something different about this one, he wears the suit of a killer, but his eyes display another thing. In the depth of his eyes I spot fear and uncertainty.

"Sir, do you think they're here?" He says.

"Look for them. Their disgusting scent is near!" The kommandant commands.

They find my mother first. As soon as they dragged her out of closet, Emma broke the silence I had prayed she could control. My mother ran to protect us, but she was beaten to the ground and pulled by her hair to the the train that awaited us.

A few minutes later, my life was in the palms of men who were engraved with the thought of us being the enemy. As the door slid open to the train, my eyes met thousands of other Jewish faces. A hand pushed me further into a the train and I held my sister's hand tighter than ever before.

"What's happening?" Emma cried into my clothes as I held her close.

I didn't have the chance to respond to that question, which no one in the train could answer themselves.The train stopped every so often to pick up innocent jews. My eyes wander around the broken souls to me. What are we being punished for? The music fell silent and the train doors opened. I wasn't prepared to see what was next, I don't think anyone would be prepared for such a thing. Human bodies were scattered all over the ground. You had to step over them, and if you couldn't walk then you fell over them. The guards told us to head straight forward. I formed a tunnel vision in hopes it would take my mind off whose family member I could be stepping on.

"Please, sir I need water, please!" An older woman pleaded as she stopped walking forward to turn. A gunshot echoed throughout my surrounding, and I feel blood splash onto the back of my shirt. I feel hard breathing behind my ear.

"It's in your best to not look back.", says a familiar male voice says.

I notice from the corner of my eye that it is the soldat with fear in his eyes from the attic. I develop tunnel vision, nothing to the left or to the right because I know this is just the beginning.

"Clothing and accessories on the table you little pieces of dirt!" Barked the kommandant . We stand in a line, as if we jews, were his bait and he was the mice, waiting to attack what he wanted. Piece by piece, and there were thousands alongside me. Cries of young girls echoed as we did as we were told. Girls stripped their clothes and along side their happiness was stripped as well. I feel like I need to throw up, as the men make comments on which one of us they want first. The kommandant whispers something in a another soldier's ear and his hand points directly at my sister. Emma's eyes have drawn in the face of helplessness.

"Please don't let them take me." She says.

"They won't, I won't let it happen." I say, but she glances at me once more and notices neither of us is confident in my answer. The kommandant pulls my sister away from my reach. My feet pace forward towards her. The kommandant hand meets my sister's face, and she collapses on the ground. He begins to kick her in the ribs, and even I can hear the sounds of bones fracturing. I try to break free and run towards her, but two soldats are holding me back. My sister's blood travels on the ground. Anger arises throughout my body, I need to save her.

¨Please stop! She hasn't done anything!" I yell.

I lose control, and turn my face to the soldat to my left. It was the same fear eyed male from the attic. He turns to me, and we lock eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Did you just spit on one of my soldat's face? You piece of Scheiße!" said the Kommandant in rage.

"Don't worry Kommandant, I'll handle this one personally." Says the soldat from the attic as he pulls me away from the scene. I kick and scream until my own voice is lost in the air alongside my sisters.

"Anat, I need you to calm down if you still want to live." The soldat says to me.

We are behind a building that has the star of David engraved on the center middle of the building. Why does it have the star of David on it?

"Your mom has been stabbed," he says.

His words form into bullets as they travel into my heart. My mom was innocent. Aren't we all?

"I want to help you escape. I know there is a way." He says.

As he speaks, I drown him out. This must be lie. He is a Nazi, a male who labels me as inhuman. He is the reason for my mother's death and millions of children. I have to get away from him. I need to find my sister. She is all I have. I need to run. My feet pace in into a run, the closer I get, the more I hear my sister.

My eyes meet my sister's. She is now standing in front of another building with the star of David. Blood drips off the side of her face. Bruises are tattooed across her bare skin. Why are they doing this? I run to hold her, to provide a comfort I myself need. I open my arms and she collapses right then and there. I can feel the vibration of her fear throughout her presence. My tears fall into her hair. I have no idea on what's going happen next. My face raises has I hear the Kommandant again.

¨Worthless!¨ and he grabbed each of us by the arm and flung us toward the building.

I felt the cement has we hit the floor of the cold building. I can see the the faces of soldats laughing, as they throw other components inside. The door slams and I hold my sister.

Tears dance down the side of Emma's face and I begin to sing her a song. The gasoline travels throughout the room and covers Emma's face. Screams of pain echo in the air, people begging to help, and I lose myself in a cough. I'm beginning to not be able to breath. I shake Emma, but she doesn't respond.