Freedom

• Jessica Cho, Grade 6, Old Orchard Primary School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'The Write Track 2015' competition

“God, help us…she whispered quietly to herself. She was crouching in the dirty corner of the tiny basement beneath the surface where many of the Jews were falling. She feared that she and her family would be discovered by the Nazis and separated, awaiting their horrifying fate. Death. It was all she could think of during the times of war. There was no mercy with them. She knew it. Her father had already been killed. She knew that the Nazis wouldn't be any more merciful to them. She promised her mother and younger sisters never to let anything like that to happen again.

She looked out the small crack on the dirt covered wall. It was all she had left of the outside world. She strained to see past the storm of dust. Her once shimmering hopeful blue eyes were now nothing but weak pale dots of fear stuck on her face. Her matted dirty blonde hair once flew down her pale back like a river of shimmering gold. Her small white dress was now covered with dirt and small splats of blood here and there. It was all she had left of her dead father.

Suddenly a giant army of feet started marching in unison continually above their little hide out. The giant echo bounced off the walls creating a deafening sound. Her small delicate ears hadn't heard any sound for continuous months. They were in deep agony. She wished that the marching would disappear. Suddenly, the deafening sounds stopped so abruptly that she was surprised. The marches seemed to make up for the silence they had for the past 8 months.

Then unexpectedly, a large sound which appeared to come from an object was banging rapidly at the hidden trapdoor above us. The hideout had been discovered. Her sisters were shivering next to her mother who had the same fear as the fear in her father’s eyes before he was shot. We only came here to survive the war.

The banging continued on forever. Speckles of dust were falling down recklessly. The small wooden door fell speedily down towards the ground. That’s when she saw what she hadn't seen for 8 months. Daylight. It was so bright and beautiful. She stared at the beautiful beams of light when a giant hand reached down and grabbed her by her arm.

His penetrating dark brown eyes glared right into her own pale blue eyes. He pushed her into a nearby car. She was speechless. She knew the man was German. Her heart was burning with fear like a raging fire. She knew that she would be murdered. When they arrived, she saw many people out on the streets. They were all German. Had they won the war? We've been trapped in our hideout for months with no news of the war. They might of won.

She was pushed into a spectacular giant glass building and shoved down a series of rooms and hallways. They continued going until they reached a cold metal door. The man opened the door and pushed her inside.

She was scared. She could make out a dark figure in the corner. He had blonde hair and blue pale eyes. Just like her. She suddenly felt her heart explode with emotion. Memories came flooding back to her like a rapid river. She whispered faintly. "Father?"