Fighting Inocence
Kristen Lecerf

I saw. Peering out of the wood-paneled window of my comfortable and quaint apartment, I witnessed a heart-wrenching scene. Clasping tightly to his father’s hand, the small boy’s sweet face exhibited a petrified expression as he walked hurriedly past the stoic, rigid man clad in black and red. Although safely peering from behind the delicate curtain, the erratic thumping in my chest gained increasing strength and audibility.

I heard. Muffled cries passed through the thin walls between the rooms of the apartment building like secrets in need of a lending ear. Sobs of desperation became more frequent as word of the planned Nazi activity spread. The weeping of the young boy’s mother was perceptible as she began to fear the degrading intrusion of her home and the unfair snatching of her husband and only son by cruel and unforgiving strangers.

I felt. Sheltered from the apathetic intentions of the German soldiers, as the days progressed I intuitively sensed the irresistible urge to aid my neighbors. The nagging feeling took a permanent residence in the pit of my stomach and prodded me to dig out previous unneeded household materials for three long-term guests.

I prayed. The subject of my entreaties to God for the next two and a half years concerned the well-being of the man, woman, and boy of Jewish descent cautiously abiding in my small home. The consequence of being caught was certain death for all involved.

They lived. The golden star that had once been worn in shame and had once stripped the family of its identity and innocence had slowly shone through as a beacon of light, a ray of hope in the decrepit darkness and despair that had proven to be a blessing in disguise.

I understood. Despite the dire risks involved in helping those who were being summoned, an inclination, dealt to me by human nature, to believe that all are worthy of dignity and acceptance, prohibited me from merely behaving as a bystander. I never thought of my actions as heroic; I only hoped that, if the situation were reversed, at least one brave soul would decide to stand up and fight the contagious demon of ignorance that is at fault for our false scapegoats and misconceptions.