"Move, now!" A man in a sleek uniform shouts, pushing men, women, and children dressed in what seems to be all the clothing one can fit on their body and carry suitcases full of belongings. Their coats, shirts, and dresses decorated with the Judenstern*. Among them, the Eldrich family saunters along the cobblestone road. A man, and his wife, a daughter, and a son. If anyone slowed or stopped, the got shoved back into motion, often falling to the ground and getting beaten by the soldiers first. People kept their heads down, no one spoke, only the soft wispy sound of shuffling feet could be heard.
After dragging sore feet for an hour, we finally arrive at our destination. A small town behind concrete walls lined with barbed wire and glass shards. A town extremely overpopulated.
People took rest where they could find it. Two, three, and commonly four families packed tightly into a single room with nothing but a small cot, a rickety wooden chair, a tiny window, and a card table. A family walks into a room that housed two other families. A man and his wife, and a man, his pregnant wife, and a young child.
"Eli, please help guide us through this." Kanan Eldrich whispers under her breath and settles in one corner of the room, Mary, Daliah, and Filip follow after. Daliah holds Filip's delicate little hand, softly singing a lullaby*** to calm him down.
Ach, śpij, kochanie
Jesli gwiazdke z nieba chcesz - dostaniesz
Wszystkie dzieci, nawet źle
Pogrążone są we śnie
A ty jedna tylko nie
She crouches down to his level and envelops the child in an embrace. Looking down upon the world, there just might be a few lights that shine through the shadows.
* Judensternmeans David's Star or the Star of David. It's worn as a patch sew on Jew's clothing or a band worn on their arm.
** A traditional polish lullaby called Aaa Kotki Dwa
*** The lyrics mean: Oh sleep my darling, If you'd like a star from the sky I'll give you one, All children even the bad ones, are already asleep, only you are not
YOU ARE READING
Warsaw (On Hold)
General Fiction"Eli Eli Lema Sabachtani!" I cry out, crystal tears washing the grime from my pale cheeks. My eyes ache and my throat is raw from crying and screaming. My head lulls to my bare shoulder as it gets harder to keep my eyes open. ~~~~~ This book is...
