Berlin Broken

• Phebe Mills, Grade 8, Merrimac State High School
• Short Story
• 2013

Excellence Award in the 'Dream Big 2013' competition

In the dead of night, on August 13th 1961, it all happened. Trucks with daring soldiers destroyed and ruined the city of Berlin, Germany. Telephone lines were slashed between the East and West, no communication was allowed, between the two separate cities, ever again. Then I was built. Berliners were stunned, when they woke up that morning. No longer could West Berliners cross the border for well-paying jobs, nor could the East pass into the West to see their loved ones. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on during the night of August 13th, they were trapped on that side for decades.
Children screamed and cried but the damage done could not be erased; friends and family were ripped apart for what seemed like forever. I was too tall to climb, too far to run around and too strong to knock down. Fists banged against me and trucks slammed into me, but I wasn't going down. As the day went by, people started to realise how much their lives were going to change. I felt so guilty and ashamed, I didn't want to see families torn apart and forced to live in misery, but what could I do, I’m just a brick wall. Days, weeks, months, soon years went by, for them I bet it felt like living in a cage. One by one people risked their lives by jumping off tall buildings and slamming into my rock, solid wall. Blood crept down me like water running down a water fall; bodies cut and bruised falling off me. I couldn’t take it.
As time passed by, children had turned into adults and life was completely forgotten. Everything was sad, gloomy and depressing on both sides of me. I have been forced to live a life full of shame, guilt and torture. I'd rather die right now than watch tens of thousands of people suffer and live a life without friendship and love. The choice had been made, on November 9th 1989 I was finally coming down.
People gathered on each side of me, cheering and crying with joy, they were going to be released. I always thought to myself, am I the one who caused all this grief, pain and horror. I will never know. I took one last glance around, then it was over … for me. I came crashing down to the ground. Berlin was finally reunited. I closed my eyes and went to sleep forever, wait … I can't close my eyes; I'm just a brick wall.