War. Raging fire. Blackened skies. Death lingers among the forsaken earth, where wreckage and blood shed tainted the ground. Hatrid. Violence. Discrimination. A place where naught matters but bringing an end to the beginning of a people. Adolf Hitler, leader, diplomat, member of the Third Reichstag of Nazi Germany. The man who brought the death of millions of people. My people. My name is Nava Onsaut, and I am a Jew. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The night was November 9, 1938. There was nothing particularly spectacular about the evening; the moon was waxing, surrounded by millions of eternal lights. No clouds speculated, no rain lingered, the air, yet, was exceedingly cool. My father was working late downstairs in the parlour- likely doing paper work. Mother had already fallen asleep before the midnight hour had come, and my eldest brother, Rudy, lingered in the kitchen, nibbling on a slice of bread. I was writing at that specific moment, carelessly sitting in my diary about my crush from school, and my upcoming 13th birthday. Nothing unsettled my giddy thoughts, not even Rudy. Or so I thought. A shattering of glass, explicit yelling and the sound of my mother riding from her slumber. Rudy, in a sudden haze of frantic motion, ran to my room- telling me to hide. My parents never revealed to me why we must wear the golden "Jude" star, or why I was shunned in school at times... maybe that's why I never knew to hide when it happened. I hid myself in the lowest, smallest cabinet I could find, believing the intruder was nothing more than a vagabond robbing us... I never expected what was to come. I heard my father screaming angrily, and my mother's passionate tears, Rudy was silent, maybe he had not been found, I thought. My mother's terror could not make me move from the cabinet, more my father's anger; I was a coward. As the screams grew quiet, and the yelling faded to the distance, I stepped from my refuge. Daylight was breaking. My home was silent and as I called shamelessly for Rudy, I got my answer upon looking out into the streets. They were hollow. Broken glass shattered on the ground, everywhere. Kristallnacht- the night of the broken glass, was the night that permanently changed my life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Should I continue??? Feedback is appreciated ! Thank you for reading! -Jenna
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As I stepped out into the new day, I was greeted by desolation, destruction and melancholy. Ruddy fires gleamed on the horizon, matching the golden colors of the breaking day. Perhaps most heartbreaking of all yet, was the sight of the enflamed synagogue, the home of my Jewish religion. The colorful glass windows, now broken, covering the ground in shattered rainbows. Broken glass fell everywhere, covering the ground and spreading its subliminal message: brokenness. Families, homes, lives - shattered. A torn community. A new age breaking the horizon, not only of my small town of Leipzig - but in all of Germany. And so, oblivious to what endangered me, who took my family, and where I was going- I ran towards the solace of the trees, the forest where I would be safe from the men who shattered Germany. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The towing trees clouded my vision, and the cold of late November shivered my bones to the core. I was lost. Daylight had came and passed as I wondered aimlessly through the woods and now the clouds of heaven covered the only light I had. No stars, no moon, no light to guide me. The cold was bearable, at least physically. The emotional ice that crowded my heart was not. My brother, my parents gone. Where, I knew not. Alive, I hoped. My mind was constantly roaming, curious as to how my life has been ripped apart in minutes. I found refuge under a tree, whose roots were long and winding, stretching above the earth. I settled in between two roots, near the hollow of the dying tree, hoping to be well enough hidden from sight. My eyes were closing, yearning for sleep, just as white crystalline flakes of icy snow began to coast the ground. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Do you think she's okay, Ma?" "Issac, darling be quiet. She's resting." I heard the voices in my half conscious state, beseeching then to subside. "She's pale, Ona. I don't know if she'll live. " A deep man's voice, stern and deep, filed the room. "Ezra, I must at least take care of her now. Isaac, go get a warm rag," one angry sigh and several foot steps later, she spoke again. "She can't be older than thirteen. We can't put her out in the cold." "We must. She doesn't have any papers. She could be a Jew. She's a danger to us, Ona." At this, I stirred and opened my eyes. Who were these people, and why did they question my religion? "She's stirring... Miss, are you okay?" the woman before me, was petite, with dirty blonde hair and huge blue eyes. A very beautiful woman. Nevertheless, I was frightened. "Who are you?" I asked, somewhat curt. "Oh! I'm Ona and this is Ezra." She replied sweetly, almost sympathetically. "Where am I then?" A ghastly chill raked through my body. I shivered. "Honey, Issac was outside getting wood and he found you in the snow. We feared you could have hypothermia. . . You've been here almost a week-" Ezra interjected, "Why were you outside, child?" "My town was invaded. I didn't know what to do. My parents were gone when I left. I ran to escape the town. . . " "Are you a Jew?" Ezra asked, quickly. "I am, yes." As soon as the words left my lips, Ona was jerked from the room by an angry Ezra. I sat in silence for what seemed like an hour, sniveling my runny nose and picking at my fingers. Finally, the quiet was broken. "Hey, you're awake... How do you feel, sunshine?" A tall, masculine boy towered over my bed, looking at me expectantly. "Uhmm.." "I'm Isaac.. I, uhh, found you outside.. Are you okay?" His sky blue eyes looked down on my small frame. His yellow lemon hair was cut short, but not to short. He was very attractive, and didn't seem older then maybe 16. "I'm fine.. " I said, skeptical. "Why did you bring me in here?" "You were out in the cold, asleep. So pale you looked dead. And I just had to help you." He smiled. "I've been here a week?" I asked in awe. "Yeah.. I was just trying to keep you alive why would you be out in the snow like that?" "I was running.." "From where?" "Liepzig.. we were under attack." "I see.. You must be... Well. It's almost night. I should go. Mom will bring you some cabbage soup. Goodnight Sunshine." Befuddled, my eyes followed his retreating figure, as his lemon yellow hair disappeared out the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A knock sounded at the door, but no pause ensued as a lemon haired boy peered around the door. "You're awake? Good morning, Sunshine! " His smile lit up the room, and perhaps my mood. He was tall, a young man. Maybe about 17 or 18, with this lemon hair-presumably his mother's gene- and Indigo blue eyes. It was as if a storm were brewing in his eyes. Lightening flashes of curiosity struck in the blue abyss, while another emotion I was unsure of thundered in the midst. "Uhmm . I brought you lunch? " He spoke, sitting down beside me on my bed. He was quite lean, like his father yet his muscle tone wasn't as evident, but still there. "Hello???" "Oh uhm. Thank you, Sir." He laughed joyously and loudly. I flinched . After his giggling subsided, he answered: "Call me Issac. . . " He looked at me expectantly. "Nava," I weakly stated. "Nava. . .Can I call you Sunshine? Because I have started to and I like it." "Um. Why? " I smiled slightly. "She smiles!" He paused, "When I found you the ground was covered in snow, and saw this dim ray of sunlight shining down on you and you looked dead." He smirked. "Interesting." I answered, sipping on soup. "It is. You had purple lips. And upon a heroic whim, I picked you up and carried you here." He puffed out his chest comically. "What does it take to get you to laugh?" "I'm sleepy. Thank you so very much though. I'm indebted to you and your family." I set the soup bowl aside and tried to roll on my side. A dramatic pain struck my abdomen yet again. I winced, holding back a scream. "Whoa! Whoa! Stop moving," He took my waist between his sturdy hands and cautiously moved me. "Are you okay?" I reveled at his gentleness, nodding my head. "Thank you." He looked at me then, for a long time . "I guess I should go, let you rest and all. Call me in if you need me. Goodnight, Sunshine." He smiled at me once more before leaving. I wanted to tell the sweet boy goodnight but I stopped myself. I didn't want to feel joy without my parents and Rudy. I thought about him endlessly that night, though, and I feel into a deep sleep, dreaming of the boy with the lemon yellow hair.