What Is Hell?

• Amara Johnstone, Grade 8, Sacred Heart College
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'The Write Track 2015' competition

1939, this is the year I was delivered as an angel...
My name is Buffy Jacoby, I’m a Jew, and I’m in Germany, 6 years ago German’s took away our rights not only as a German citizen but as a human too.
Basically no walking on the sidewalk, no going to a German school, no this, no that.
Today, an army of Nazi’s have surrounded our Little Jewish town, getting people out of their houses, pushing us into vehicles, saying, “Don’t worry everything is going to be fine, you’re just going to work, don’t worry”. They continued to push us in, then someone tried to get away, and I saw something horrible. His eyes turned black, like his soul was showing through his eyes. He looked as though he was possessed, he then changed into a bloody, scaly, terrifying monster. I screamed for him to stop, he looked and pointed his long claws at me, then my father got in the way, he told the demon, “She’s just a little girl.. Have mercy”. He looked away and his long claws faced the man, lightning struck out of his hand, he was incinerated, nothing but ash. The demon screamed to the others, “Quicker, quicker”, faster we were pushed in, cramped up against each other, I felt my fathers ribs against my arm. We were then sent off. I didn’t know where, I didn’t know how long, I didn’t know, that this was just the beginning.
As we approach, the only thing that stood out was the smell.. The smell was unbearable, it was the smell of death. I held in my disgust, knowing that if the demon saw me, he could turn me into ash right on the spot. We drove and drove until we reached the gate. The gate was golden, but it wasn’t a gate to heaven, it was a gate to hell, we entered. I saw my very own kind, working for these demons. There was nothing I could do to help them. I felt hopeless. I just have to survive, for God knows how long.
They shoved us into these buildings, dirt covered the floor, the beds were nothing but wood and brick.
A week felt like forever...
I now know the truth, the real truth, this is not a camp this is my grave, our grave. I gathered everyone I could, my father is gone I couldn’t save him, a few of my friends were saved because they had blond hair and blue eyes, they must have been angels. We left as soon as possible, we ran across the yard, no one watching us we went under the fence and we ran as far as we could. People called me an angel, I wasn’t an angel, I was an idiot for not realising it sooner, this is the end and only us few made it out alive.
The darkness was lived through our eyes and we were left to tell the story. This is Hell.