------ It was the dead of winter, on a cold windy night. A gentle frost coated everything in a almost glassy beauty. The Soviets were coming all the closer, but the Stern family avoided keeping on the radio, to save from stress. Issac and myself were sitting by the fire, as his mother boiled a pot of beef and cabbage soup. The house was still, like the eerie still before a storm hits... There was no warning.. The screams became instant, as Issac pulled himself over me, shielding me from falling objects. "Issac! Listen. Take Kira to the cellar and hide under the floor boards. I'm going to find your father!" "Mother, no! The house will cave!" "ISSAC! GO!" His mother screamed as a bomb hit too close to the home.. "I love you mom." Issac whispered, as his mother disapeared outside. "We've gotta leave Kira. Now!!" "Your Mother!?" I screamed as I tore away from him, running out the back door. Issac grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder, and ran towards the forest. "STOP PLEASE ISSAC!!!" I beat his back with my fists and watched our small village, become engulfed in flames.. There were soldiers pulling women by their hair, and men being shoved along at gunpoint. "JUDE! JUDE!" I heard screams of Nazi soldiers as they waved their firearms frantically. "I HATE YOU!!! LET ME GO!!" I persisted, but Issac held me tighter, as we ran further, letting the Jewish Ghettos and our small town, dissapear behind our frantic footsteps. --------------- "How could you leave her!??!" I yelled at him, as he put me down onto a damp pile of leaves. "I had to Kira!!! She'll be okay!!! I couldnt let us die!!!! Do you understand that!!!!" He retorted, holding back his own tears. At the pain in his voice, I winced, and ran to him. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and he burrowed his face into my long, brown hair. He squeezed me tight, as he sunk to the ground in tears. "Im so sorry." "Its going to be okay.. I promise.." I whispered into his ear, and let him cry into my shoulder, as I did the same. -------- "Issac..." I whispered as I woke from my sleep on the forest floor. He was beside me last night, his arms around me, telling me to rest.. Now he was gone. "ISSAC!!?? ISSAC!!!" I screamed, bursting through the trees in search of him. I sunk to my knees, in fear. It was as if I knew he was dead. "I'M A JEW!!! GET ME I'M HERE!!!" I yelled running towards my town. I knew I'd be caught, and I knew without Issac, life was worthless. "HEY!!!" The yells were growing closer. I had hoped the Nazis heard me. "KIRA ARE YOU CRAZY!? YOU'LL GET US KILLED!!" Suddenly he was upon me, holding me close. "Issac? Where were you!!! I thought you were gone!!" I weeped. His thumb wiped away my tears, as his hand cupped my face. He looked deeply into my eyes and said, "I'm here, Kira.. I promise, I'll always be here." ----------
------ It was the dead of winter, on a cold windy night. A gentle frost coated everything in a almost glassy beauty. The Soviets were coming all the closer, but the Stern family avoided keeping on the radio, to save from stress. Issac and myself were sitting by the fire, as his mother boiled a pot of beef and cabbage soup. The house was still, like the eerie still before a storm hits... There was no warning.. The screams became instant, as Issac pulled himself over me, shielding me from falling objects. "Issac! Listen. Take Kira to the cellar and hide under the floor boards. I'm going to find your father!" "Mother, no! The house will cave!" "ISSAC! GO!" His mother screamed as a bomb hit too close to the home.. "I love you mom." Issac whispered, as his mother disapeared outside. "We've gotta leave Kira. Now!!" "Your Mother!?" I screamed as I tore away from him, running out the back door. Issac grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder, and ran towards the forest. "STOP PLEASE ISSAC!!!" I beat his back with my fists and watched our small village, become engulfed in flames.. There were soldiers pulling women by their hair, and men being shoved along at gunpoint. "JUDE! JUDE!" I heard screams of Nazi soldiers as they waved their firearms frantically. "I HATE YOU!!! LET ME GO!!" I persisted, but Issac held me tighter, as we ran further, letting the Jewish Ghettos and our small town, dissapear behind our frantic footsteps. --------------- "How could you leave her!??!" I yelled at him, as he put me down onto a damp pile of leaves. "I had to Kira!!! She'll be okay!!! I couldnt let us die!!!! Do you understand that!!!!" He retorted, holding back his own tears. At the pain in his voice, I winced, and ran to him. His arms wrapped tightly around me, and he burrowed his face into my long, brown hair. He squeezed me tight, as he sunk to the ground in tears. "Im so sorry." "Its going to be okay.. I promise.." I whispered into his ear, and let him cry into my shoulder, as I did the same. -------- "Issac..." I whispered as I woke from my sleep on the forest floor. He was beside me last night, his arms around me, telling me to rest.. Now he was gone. "ISSAC!!?? ISSAC!!!" I screamed, bursting through the trees in search of him. I sunk to my knees, in fear. It was as if I knew he was dead. "I'M A JEW!!! GET ME I'M HERE!!!" I yelled running towards my town. I knew I'd be caught, and I knew without Issac, life was worthless. "HEY!!!" The yells were growing closer. I had hoped the Nazis heard me. "KIRA ARE YOU CRAZY!? YOU'LL GET US KILLED!!" Suddenly he was upon me, holding me close. "Issac? Oh, Issac!! I thought you were gone!!" I weeped. His thumb wiped away my tears, as his hand cupped my face. He looked deeply into my eyes and said, "I'm here, Kira.. I promise, I'll always be here." ----------
----- "Where were you? I-I thought you were gone.." My voice broke in pain. "I was looking at the town.. It's all gone... Nazis are still rounding up Jews, so we need to go now.." Issac's face smiled, but his eyes said something totally different. "Your parents? Are they okay?" I held his face between my hands. "We need to go Kira." He avoided my question, so I thought the worst. We trudged along the snowy ground far away from our small town.. Warsaw wasn't too far away, and Issac believed we could catch a train along the railroad tracks. We walked until dusk, and the pale, creamy clouds signified more snow, so we stopped, to make shelter. "Kira, could you go gather a few sticks? I need to start us a fire.." "Mhm." I nodded and ran among the towering trees, picking up twigs and small branches. I turned to find camp, and saw that I could no longer see Issac or his small makeshift shelter.. "Issac?" I yelled, somewhat paniced. I began running on one direction, with my sticks in my arms.I didn't want to scare him, so I stopped yelling. I looked left and right and couldn't see him. I ran faster, hoping camp was close.. I couldn't even see the railroad tracks. "Issac?" I called. No answer, just the silence as the snow hit the ground. Suddenly, a twig snapped, and my nerves launched into a new state of panic. I jumped over fallen trees, gliding through the forest, fearing to look behind me. I remember loosing my footing, and falling down, as my head slammed into a rock. Everything was spinning, and I weeped, "Im sorry Issac." My eyes finally shut, and my last thoughts were of him. --------- "Mom? Mom!!!!" I screamed as she ran towards me. Her face was bright and her hair was healthy and wavy. She embraced me in a warm hug, and I cried in joy. She pulled away, and was no longer beautiful, but her hair was shaved and she was naked. Her scalp had disgusting lasions and sores, and her skin clung to her bones in starvation. Her skin burst into flames, and snow began to fall. But this snow wasn't clod, it was hot and flaky, and left an awful smell lingering in the air.. Ashes.. I looked to my left and saw hundreds of people, walking into a building if fire, and their skin flames into white ashes. I screamed, as Nazis ran toward me and threw my body into the raging flames.. -------- "Kira!! Kira!!! It's okay!!! It's Okay!!!! Wake up!!!!" "NO!! Get off me!!! Please!!!" I screamed as Nazis threw me into the fire. "Kira!! Please wake up!" I began weeping and my eyes slowly opened up. Issac sat over me, my head in his lap, looking at me with worried eyes. "Sunshine, it's ok. I'm here." He soothed me, as a pain surged through my head. "You got hurt pretty bad.. Do you feel alright?" "Hmmm.." Is all I could muster up. "The bleeding stopped.." "Im bleeding?" I felt my head, and crusty, dried blood ran under my fingers. "No no no! It's okay! It's okay!" he pulled my hand into his, knowing I was going to cry. "Its just a tiny cut, it's just alot of blood." "Promise?" I whispered. "I promise Sunshine." He smiled that gentle smile, and I knew everything was okay. "Do you think we need to get going?" I asked. "I think so.. Common Sunshine." He picked me up from the ground and carried me out towards the railroad tracks. "How did you find me?" I questioned. "I followed you out.. I couldn't take a chance at loosing you.. I snapped one twig and I was scared to death I'd lost you when you ran. But I kept up with you.. When you fell I almost went crazy.. You were bleeding awfully bad. Please don't scare me like that again..Promise you'll be more careful Kira." He frowned at me, and Nuzzled his nose into my cheek,and continued walking. "I promise I'll be careful Issac. Just for you." I smiled, and his eyes lit up at the sweetness in my voice. "Maybe I'll stay with you, just in case." "How long Issac?" "As long as you want me here, Kira." I mouthed a small 'forever', and I thought he couldn't hear me, but by the way he held me a bit tighter, I knew he agreed. -----------
------ "Go back that way Kira!!" Issac yelled, as we approached the town of Warsaw. "What!?" I protested, but obeyed. "Nazis." He whispered. I took his hand in mine and pleaded, "Lets go please!! I don't want us to be in danger." "Kira. I'll keep you safe. Please go." "Issac, I'm scared.." I frowned. "We need food. Please. Go." He was growing angrier. "Fine!!!" I ripped my hand from his and ran towards the trees. Issac grimaced at me and ran to a Nazi officer. "Sir!!! Jews are hoarding in the local church!! Under the stairs and in the raftors!!! Please capture them!!!" He frantically yelled, as the officer blew a whistle, and called all of his soldiers away from the city square. Suddenly, I saw Issac run into a Bakery, and disappear. I waited patiently, as he was gone for several minutes. "RUN!!" I heard a man scream ahead of me. I looked just as he was captured. The Nazi soldiers got him down on his knees, and made him bow his head. The man mumbled Jewish prayers that I knew and I found myself saying a prayer for him, in my Hebrew language. "A'ni ma amin, be'a mu nu she le moch, Vi af al pi, sha yit ma mey ah, im kol zeh an ni mah amin. Oymen." BOOM. A small red river trickled from below him, as Nazis spat on him and joyfully laughed. I began weeping, laying down further behind the bush. "Please miss, take this to my home in Poland. To my family." I looked up to see a young girl beside me, holding a small envelope. "Get down they'll see you!!" I pulled her lower, just as several troops passed. "Im going to die.. Please miss.." She pleaded. "Wait!!!" I yelled as she ran towards the Nazis, flinging herself to them, recieving a bullet, directly to her stomach. She gasped and gagged. Then, click, clack, boom. Dead. I held the small envelope in my hands. I opened it, but couldn't bare to read. Just then, Issac walked into the square, and gave the Nazi salute. It was disgusting. I felt a deep hatrid for him then, and I suddenly got up to run. I heard him running behind me then, trying to catch my arm. Once he did, he asked, "Whats wrong?" Silence. "Kira. Please." He pleaded. Silence. He lifted my chin with his fingers and begged me with his eyes. I fell into him crying. "Why do they have to die?" --------