Alicia DuBois - A Night of Infamy

On that desolate eve in November, the boom of thunder clashed in the distance, interrupting what had been the eerily calm silence of a perfectly still fall evening. All was still; nothing was the least bit out of place for Eden Abelson and her small family of three. There, in the upstairs bedroom of a rather opulent mansion, lay dear, sweet Eden,   undisturbed in her quiet slumber. At fourteen years of age, she resembled her mother’s fair features more than her father’s dark ones, with light ringlets of spun gold and dazzling cornflower blue eyes. A sight to behold, she was, her outer beauty a mere reflection of her character within. Her life was a charmed one; in the early years, filled with ponies and dolls and adoring parents, and in the later years, filled with books and parties and a prestigious boarding school, at which she was taught myriad useful things, including instruction in the Torah (standard for a Jewish girl such as      herself). But unbeknownst to her, this lovely, sheltered existence was about to end abruptly — for masked by the rumble of the thunder was the sound of broken glass, and the heartrending cries of those in utter despair.

The violence wasn’t entirely unexpected; the Abelson household had been watching the events with growing apprehension and fear, ever aware of the drastic changes that could uproot them from their serene little world. Several small attacks had been occurring ever since Germany’s annexation of Austria, and preparations had even been made by the Nazis for the Aryanization of Jewish property. Aryanization affected the way of living for Jews everywhere, involving many Jaws and decrees that increased segregation. Massive arrests of Jews were common, and though the supposed ‘reason’ for these was various infractions of said laws, everyone knew that the underlying cause was deep-seated hatred and prejudice towards the Jews. Not long after, concentration camps such as Buchenwald and Dachau were formed as a place for the prisoners to go. The Nazis encouraged    assaults on the Jews, particularly on their businesses and synagogues. Jews were advised to relocate out of German territory, even though that was a difficult task given the challenging nature of the country’s emigration policies. On October 28, 1938, 17,000 Polish Jews were driven out of Germany. These were events that were viewed with disbelief by some, ignorance by others, and fear by perhaps the wisest of them. The Abelson family fell into the latter of the categories, watching and waiting should the time come for them to evacuates and leave behind all that they loved. Alas, they were too late — and this was the thought that filled Yaniv Abelson’s head as he was suddenly aroused by the increasingly raucous sounds of destruction.

His panicked mind grasped for a sane thought, but there was none to be found. Terror seized him as he thought of the several ghastly possibilities of what might be going on. Of one thing he was   absolutely certain: there would be no escaping tonight and the horrors it would contain. Stifling all depressing thoughts as well as he could, he silently aroused his wife, whose eyes immediately grew wide with fear and comprehension upon first opening. With a heavy heart, be then proceeded to his daughter’s room, pausing for a brief moment to savor the look of peacefulness that graced her features, knowing that it was the last time her face would hold such a look of youthful innocence.

"Eden, Eden, wake up darling."

She stretched blearily, saying in a groggy manner, "What is it, father?"

"It is time."

Fear immediately entered her face, etched in the lines of her forehead as she frowned in comprehension. "I’ll get ready."

"Hurry!" And he left her room, rushing about the house in a frenzy, preparing everything for their immediate departure. The screams and sounds of violence drew closer with each moment, igniting fear in the hearts of all those present on that evening. Eden also dashed about, quickly gathering all of her valuables together before going down stairs to assist her mother, who was trembling so hard she couldn’t even use her hands properly. Taliah Abelson was a delicate creature worn down over the ages by an incurable disease. Kindness and purity radiated from her soul, making her one of the most loved women of their town, and a wonderful mother. Alas, those traits that she prided herself on could not help her here, but rather hindered her in their rush against time.  

But it was in vain. There was no hope of escape; they all knew it, even if they refused to admit it to themselves. And so it was with a resigned air that Yaniv gathered up his few precious belongings and left his beautiful home with his family, making his way cautiously to the back door where they would wait for the troops to come and take them away.

"Papa, no! We cannot resign ourselves! Please, let us run away!" Eden cried, determination   filling her petite frame.

"Darling, there is no use." And indeed there wasn’t, for, all at once, came the sound of their own home being destroyed, windows broken and fine Persian rugs torched. Taliah began to wail, crying out in despair at this recent turn of events. Eden comforted her as best as she could, trying valiantly to stifle tears of her own. Only Yaniv had the appearance of being calm and collected, and even this was a façade, for when one looked into the depths of his eyes, one could see the true extent of his silent agony.

 A young man ran around their house, carrying a torch and a sort of makeshift club. Upon seeing them, he grinned a diabolical grin and advanced towards the helpless party with a malevolent look about his eyes. He raised his club, and attacked fiercely. Yaniv leapt into the fight, gallantly trying to save his family. But with the coming of another, he was easily overpowered and fell limply to the ground. The men turned their attention upon Taliah and Eden, the former of which bad completely surrendered to her overpowering emotions, sobs racking her frame as she rushed over to the spot where her husband lay, as though trying to revive him with the sheer power of her will. More men came, seemingly out of no where, raising their clubs and crying their own sounds of battle, taunting the two helpless women with no sense of shame. Eventually they grew tired of that too, and with one single blow, rendered the two of them unconscious.

When Eden awoke, it was with a massive headache and a sinking feeling. Dazed, she stared about. The scene that met her was a decidedly dreary one; gray and misty, the brown countryside was enveloped in a cloud of fog, giving It the overall impression of a long deserted land, too austere for anyone to be living in contentedly. The drab landscape was passing by quickly in a blur, each scene indistinguishable from the next. She found herself to be on a railroad car, and a grimy, despicable one at that. Overflowing with people and unsanitary to the extreme, it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Her life had been one of abundance, and her past experiences on railroad cars had been in posh apartments furnished with the highest quality of fittings; the complete reverse of the scene that now lay before her eyes. She tried to make sense of it all, but the gap in her memory proved this to be impossible. Scanning the cramped space, she noticed with trepidation that she didn’t recognize anyone. Where was her mother? Her father? Turning to the girl next to her in desperation, she cried:

"What is happening to us?"

"We’re on a train, but to where, no one knows."

"Oh." She tried desperately to make sense of it all, and to not give in to her growing feeling of anguish. "Will everything be alright?"

"No."