~{*Snow's Santuary*}~ | Page 1 | Personal Threads | Guild Forums

Snowwhite1105

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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:01 pm

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Beyond the large, boistrus town, across mossy hills, and through the dark forest lays a pond. A peaceful little place where the moon is always full. There is also a little cottage there, just for me. This is Snow's Sanctuary. Enjoy.

Updates:
8/01/07~ 'Tis Open!

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:39 pm

~{*Poems*}~

The Book

Come; Enter the World of the Book.
It’s wonderful – that is if you care to look.
But first, you must understand,
What treasure you hold in your hand.

A book is alive, thriving on words.
I know – you must think this sounds absurd.
But it’s far from it, as each book has a task.
So, why not open it up and ask?

A book’s job is to intrigue, mystify, and capture.
To catch you unaware as it gets faster and faster.
Its job is to strap you in, buckled up tight,
And suddenly start on a marvelous flight.

It must get fast quickly, a ride that is wild.
It must be fashionable, and uniquely styled.
A book must imprison, hold you quite tight.
Until you know that’s what, and who’s right.

A book must fly, soar over the clouds.
Make you cry in pain, or laugh out loud.
It must dive into the dark, deep blue sea,
Or make a commotion at afternoon tea.

A book might make you curl up in fright.
Suddenly, you’re scared of what goes bump in the night.
It must make you think, see, and understand,
What is going on, in its own land.

My message has been sent,
Quite carefully today.
I really hope,
It has gone a long way.

So let it capture you,
And take you within.

Open up a book,
And let the fun begin!

Bright Silver Moon

Bright Silver Moon
Looking down on me
Bright Silver Moon
I can almost touch you
Bright Silver Moon
So many nights we had this conversation
Bright Silver Moon
You keep the most inner secrets of my heart
Bright Silver Moon
Speaking so softly
Bright Silver Moon
Absorbing my tears
Bright Silver Moon
Reflecting off the water
Bright Silver Moon
I wish you could last.....
Forever.

Snowwhite1105

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Snowwhite1105

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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2007 2:46 pm

Silence

December 28, 1942 in Paris, France is where our story begins. Nicole Einhorn, her husband Joseph, and their five-year-old daughter Clara sat around the table, holding hands while Joseph recited a prayer in Hebrew. Next to Nicole lay her baby daughter, Sophie, asleep in a rocker. Joseph finished the prayer and they began to eat.

Later that night Nicole lay in bed, tossing and turning, trying to sleep. With each growing day, falling asleep became harder, as her uneasiness grew. Nicole turned again, facing Joseph. When she saw his eyes flutter open she said, “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“No,” Joseph responded, “I was awake. You look upset, is anything wrong?”

“Not a thing,” lied Nicole.

“Liar.”

Nicole sighed, “I know, it’s just….”

“Just what?” Joseph prodded gently.

“I’m so scared,” She whispered, voice quavering, “I saw Hitler today as I was walking home from the store, surrounded by a group of Nazis and supporters. I’m terrified something’s going to happen to us.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and Joseph pulled her close, stroking her hair, “I know,” he whispered, “I’m scared too.” Nicole’s well-placed mask faltered, the broke and she sobbed into his shirt. Eventually, she fell into a fitful sleep.

Nicole dreamt it was a beautiful spring day. Clara was playing by the lake with Sophie, and attempting to make a boat out of leaves and twigs, while Nicole and Joseph sat together, watching their children. Suddenly, it started to rain. Clara picked Sophie up and ran to Nicole. Thunder boomed and…

Nicole awoke with a start. She looked around for the cause-Joseph was shaking her lightly. She was awake, but the thunder continued, “There’s someone at the door,” he whispered and, attempting to hide his worry, went to open the door.

Nicole quickly donned her bathrobe and followed him. She heard Joseph saying, “My dear men, you must be on a different time zone, do you have any idea what time it is?” Nicole went limp-Nazis, she thought.

“Is this the house of Joseph and Nicole Einhorn?” A cold, hard voice ran out through the apartment hallway, echoing off the bare walls. Nicole reached Joseph and saw three guards, all in uniform with bright red armbands. Joseph put his hand behind his back; Nicole took it and squeezed it.

“Yes, do you require something of us?” replied Joseph, squeezing Nicole’s hand.

“All identity cards and family members out here immediately!” barked a Nazi.

Nicole hurried off to get Clara and Sophie as Joseph asked, “What is the need for that?” Stupid, stupid, stupid Joseph! You don’t question those kinds of people! Nicole thought as she woke Clara.

“Clara, sweetie, get up,” she whispered urgently, shaking her slightly.

Clara stirred. “Why?” she whined.

“I need you for a minute by the front door. Take your identity card with you.” Clara, too tired to complain, did as she was told while her mother got Sophie.

Joseph handed the cards to a soldier who put rubber gloves on before taking them, as though he could not abide the touch of a Jew. Then, the Nazi carefully examined the cards.

“Since you are alien Jews living in Paris, you are required to come with us immediately,” one guard said, ignoring Nicole’s gasp of horror “Each of you may take one change of clothes, one sweater, one blanket, and ration cars. You have ten minutes.”

Nicole and Joseph had everything ready just in case something like this happened. The Einhorn family dressed warmly and, within five minutes, they were ready by the front door. Without a word, the Nazis lead them onto the street where they were forced to walk miles despite the foot of snow that had fallen last night. After about an hour or so, Clara fell. Joseph picked up the frozen child and put her on his back. Sophie was asleep in Nicole’s arms, snug in one of Nicole’s sweaters.

Finally, they reached a station where a large crowd of Jews were waiting in line for their identity cards to be checked and luggage taken. The line moved fairly quickly, but not quick enough for Nicole. She was tired, anxious, and cold, but knew better than to complain.

“Mama?” whined Clara, “Where are we?”

Nicole hesitated. The truth was too appalling for a five year old, but lying to her daughter would be much worse. “Clara, these people...”Nicole halted again, unsure of how to explain this horror to a child.

Joseph came to her rescue, “These people are confused in the mind.” Clara looked bewildered, “Sick in the mind, as if they have a…bad cold…they think Jews are bad because of what we believe. We aren’t the bad ones, though, they are.”

Clara looked no less baffled. “What will they do to us?”

“I don’t know, sweet.” Nicole jumped in, knowing that Joseph, who never lied, knew what would happen. Nicole had been too terrified, so she had forbid Joseph to tell her what he knew.

“Ok,” Clara accepted that and returned to sleep.

Not long after, the Einhorn’s arrived at the front of the line. A man behind a desk took their cards and luggage, and then told them to step outside the building.

Once in the brittle winter air, the Einhorn’s trudged through two feet of snow, walking slowly. Nicole looked up and saw a Nazi standing still. As she walked by, he stuck out his foot at last minute, and Nicole tripped. Seeming to move in slow motion, she twisted her body so she wouldn’t crush Sophie, and landed in the snow. Grimacing, she stood and hushed her startled and crying child, clothes soaked. The man that they were following acted as though nothing happened and directed them to a railroad station, where they were rudely pushed onto an already mobbed cattle boxcar. There was barely room to stand, let alone sit. Not even a toilet was provided, only a small, overflowing bucket. Thus, the boxcar smelled like urine. The doors were slammed shut, leaving very little light, and the train jolted to a start.

~*~

About a week or so later - Nicole had lost track of time - the train stopped abruptly and the doors slid open as Nazis came aboard. Every time they did this, people would scream in fear. They had been doing this for a while now, and it was the same every time: the Nazis started selecting people to come off, as more were left on, and the train started again. As they started selecting, Nicole reflected on the past week.

It had been horrible. There was lice-infected straw on the ground, and nearly everyone itched.

They hadn’t been given much food in days, and the very little food Nicole and Joseph received was given to Clara and Sophie. Everyone was weak, Sophie the weakest of all. She hadn’t enough strength the cry anymore, and was slowly dying. Cara had a horrible hacking cough and a fever that refused to go away. Every time Nicole looked at her children, her heart broke; it was all she could do not to cry in front of them, which would really scare Clara. In addition, the temperature was below freezing. Some people were going mad; one hysterical father tried to kill his son because he didn’t want him “living in hell.” Stronger men pulled the man off the son and took him to a different part of the carriage to calm down. On the bright side though, there was room to sit since more people were being taken off and less put on.

Clara coughed as the train jolted horribly again and the doors slid open. “Mama?” she whined, her voice hoarse, “Why do they keep on starting and stopping the train?”

“To let people on and off. Try to sleep; it will help your cough.”

However, Clara didn’t have the opportunity to sleep as two Nazis came up to Nicole and her family and examined their identity cards. “You and your family, off the train.” They clambered off the train into a big building where they had their arms tattooed with numbers and their heads shaved. Then they were shoved outside and divided into two lines, men, and women.

While waiting in a line so long Nicole couldn’t see the beginning, Nicole looked around. On the outside of both lines were large fenced in dirt areas, barbed wire surrounding the top. In each area was a brick building at one of the far corners. People were in the these areas and Nicole got a good look at them. Their eyes were huge, the rest of them skinny. All of them were also shaved, naked, and tattooed. The biggest part of their legs were their kneecaps.

“Nicole!” Someone yelled Nicole’s name. Nicole looked for the caller and saw her best friend, Paige. They had grown up together, had known each other since they were four. Paige’s eyes were filled with sadness, despair, and something else Nicole couldn’t place. Then she realized-hunger. No hope. None. Nicole was pushed forward and she looked-there was a huge gap in the line where she’d stopped. Nicole waved and Paige shouted, “Be healthy! Go to the right!” Not knowing what this meant, Nicole waved again and hurried forward.

Now she could see what was happening. Nazi guards jerked their heads left or right. More women then men went to the left, and more men than women went to the right. Joseph’s turn came-left. Soon after, Clara-right.

Nicole hugged Clara. “Go to the right, Clara. God willing, I’ll meet you there. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mama.” Clara went right and waited for her mother by the fence.

Next was Nicole, holding Sophie. The guard looked down in disdain at Nicole’s pale, sickly face and the nearly dead baby. Then, the Nazi jerked his head left.

Paige’s warning flared in Nicole’s mind, and her uneasiness grew. As she went in the assigned direction, Nicole glanced at Clara. She was screaming for her mother. A guard laughed and said, “You want to go to her? Go, then.”

Clara ran to her mother and hugged her, “I have to go now Clara. Say goodbye to Sophie and me. If you’re good, very good, then maybe one day we will return home together. Do whatever the men say and don’t cry or complain. Understand?” Clara nodded solemnly. “Good. Now give me a hug goodbye.” Clara gave her mother a hug. Nicole gripped her children tightly, trying not to cry. If she leaked a tear or two, Clara didn’t notice. Finally, she let go of Clara and took a good look at her, trying to implant her face in her mind forever. Giving Clara one last kiss and a quick hug, she sent Clara back to the direction in which she belonged.

Nicole went left down a long, winding path that led to a big brick building, but didn’t see Joseph, only women. Another guard was telling everyone to take off their clothes. “You are about to have a shower and be cleaned! Take your clothes off and leave them in a pile for later!” barked a guard. Nicole and other women shed their clothes and walked into an underground room with a dozen showerheads and faucets. More people were coming into the room, men too. It was getting crowded: how could all of these people be cleaned at once? Nicole saw Joseph and pushed her way through the crowd to reach him.

“Clara…” She began but Joseph cut her off.
“I know, I saw.” He whispered, crying and stroking Nicole’s head as she cried into his shoulder. Together, they held Sophie and talked quietly as they waited, holding on to each other, and to memories. Suddenly, the heavy iron doors clanged shut, and dim lights turned on. Something that sounded like marbles fell to the floor. People howled in fear and pushed away, coughing wildly. Nicole and Joseph were forced against the back wall, bewildered. Then Nicole understood.

People started to tear at their throats, choking. Sophie went limp in Nicole and Joseph’s arms. “She’s dead!” gasped Nicole, tears streaming down her face. Nicole and Joseph coughed too, not able to breath in enough air. One by one people started falling. Then, some people started chanting-no praying. Soon, almost everyone alive joined in. Nicole hugged Joseph and Sophie and prayed, terrified.

“Yevarekhekha Hashem Ve’yishmerekha. May Hashem bless you and guard you. Ya’er Hashem Panav Elekha Ve’yekhuneka. May Hashem illuminate His countenance towards you and be gracious to you. Yisa Hashem Panav Elekha Ve’yasem Lekha Shalom. May Hashem turn His countenance to you and establish peace for you." Blackness began to swirl in Nicole’s mind and she couldn’t think straight. Why was she here again? “I love you, Joseph.” she whispered as she fell to her knees, the blackness controlling her.

Then, there was only silence.

~*~

This story was written in August 2006. It was edited in April 2007, with the help of a History, English, and Religion teacher. The prayer used in Silence is called Aaron’s Blessing, which can be found in Numbers 6:23-27. The word “Hashem” is the Hebrew equivalent to Lord or God.