Never again

Note to the judges: It is set in WWII, so it contains nazisme but in harmful daylight.

It was one of those sunny September days when summer waved its last goodbyes. The large black train locomotives huffed and puffed, billowing out white steam simultaneously. The large clacking sounds indicated the wagons being locked into each other. On the platforms were long lines of suitcases ready to be processed. Soldiers in their pristine uniforms were talking to each other in high-spirited moods. Some smoked while others showed pictures of their latest conquest. Civilians were queueing up to show their papers to a soldier seated behind a foldable table.

A young boy, no older than eight years, was looking annoyed at his mother. She was anxiously arguing with one of the officers. The kid just wanted to start his holiday and board the train. His father already left on vacation a few weeks ago. Now it was their turn, even while he was supposed to be in school. His little hands moved into his pockets to find out if he had brought any candy. “Drat”: his lips murmured. In a lightbulb moment, a great idea popped into his head. 

Quickly he pulled his jacket off, turned it inside out, and put it back on. Instead of wearing a black cotton coat, he wore a grey one. His mother was still focused on the officer. After looking to his left and right, the boy used the suitcases as a line of cover. None of the tall adults noticed him sneaking away. Now came the most challenging part. The black metal stairs led down into a dimly lit tunnel. More soldiers would be there with nothing to hide behind. As fast as his little feet could carry him, he ran down the stairs before tripping up on the last steps. With a slight thud, he landed on the concrete floor. Would this mean the end of his adventure?

This was his lucky day. The tunnel was empty, which was bizarre. Usually, soldiers would check everybody passing through. Their tables were empty. They must have gone to the bathroom or had a lunch break. Quickly he followed the exit signs toward the end of the tunnel. It led to the great hall with what seemed an infinite number of stairs. They all led to different platforms. There was so much light coming through the glass roof. The walls had a soft tone of yellow amber. People were rushing to catch their train. A crackling, almost inaudible voice gave updates through old speakers. Words and numbers on the giant black board changed with loud clicks to announce new arriving and departing trains. The biggest attraction was an enormous art deco clock to indicate the right time to the passengers.

There was all kind of different little stores and shops. There was a small café with a few tables and chairs. In another place, you could buy magazines and newspapers. Finally, he found the small candy store in a corner, almost invisible to most adults but not children. That sickly sweet smell of sugar just teased his senses. Then to his great dismay, he remembered that he had no money in his pockets. The only way that he could get some was by stealing it. That idea would go against the very core of his upbringing. His parents always taught him to be honest. But that candy in bright yellow, green and red colors was hypnotizing. There were candy bars, jawbreakers, bubblegum, caramels, chocolates, and his favorite, lollipops. These had a sour center with a sugar coating.

The candy devil tempted him to the greatest sin. His crime would have to be timed just right. He sauntered into the store to look at all the different jars. The shopkeeper addressed an old lady with what he presumed were her two grandchildren. She placed such a large order that the shopkeeper ignored the small boy. His little fingers wrapped around the stick of a small lollipop to pull it from the bucket. A sudden female voice startled him: ‘’Hello there, young man. Are you also buying some candy?” His heart skipped a beat when he turned slowly around. ‘’No, Miss, I…I…was just browsing.’’: he replied gently. The lady brought a gloved hand to her lips as she giggled: ‘’Miss? What a sweet young man you are. Please, address me as madam.” She turned around to give the man a few extra coins. “For being such a gentleman, I will buy that lollipop for you.”: she smiled.

This day turned out to be the perfect day for the little boy. He whispered shyly: ‘Thank you, madam. That is kind of you.’’ ‘’Nonsense,”: she replied: ‘’An act of kindness for the poor. Now run along back to your mother. Don’t keep her waiting.” He nodded, tucked the candy in his pants pocket, and skipped out of the store. He was near the tunnel when two strong hands grabbed him roughly. ‘’I caught a little rat, didn’t I?”: a stern male voice barked in his ears. The kid could see the officer in his black uniform when he turned around. Der Totenkopf was dead center on his military hat. Several medals adorned the left breast of his coat. The red armband with the black swastika on his left sleeve cast no doubt on what he was. The officer turned the left side of the child’s coat open to reveal the yellow David star. ‘’Jew,”: he snarled while holding the boy in a vice grip. The old lady looked disgusted towards the little boy, huffed if I had known that, and turned her back on him.

Any struggle or resistance was futile. The man pulled the boy like a rag doll with him. ‘’Let me show you something before I hand you back to your rat mother,”: he grinned. The little boy held a hand in his pocket to ensure the lollipop wouldn’t fall out. He looked up seeing a portrait of Adolf Hitler hanging on the wall. The man held the boy with his left hand. His boots clicked together while making the putrid salute with his stretched-out right arm. ‘’Do you see this man? Do you know who this is, jew?’’: he asked softly. The kid shook his head, looking scared at the portrait of the evilest man in history. “No, I thought you wouldn’t know. This is our leader, the Fuhrer. This man brings back glory to our great Germanic empire. Do you know how he will achieve this?”: he kept asking. The boy shook his head some more. ‘’I figured that much. You are the descendant of Jewish immigrants. Your race is a cancerous swell in what is our beautiful country. That man…”: he kept whispering:’’ … is a surgeon that will cut out the tumor to make Germany great again.’’ 

The little boy swallowed when he realized what was going on. A shrieking female voice made him turn his head. The SS officer let him go, and they both saw the boy’s mother at the end of the tunnel. A soldier was escorting her all the way. The kid felt the tears well in the corners of his eyes. ‘’Mommy!”: he shouted as he ran towards her. She lifted him in a hug before walking back towards the platform. The neat line of suitcases was gone. They were all opened and turned over. Soldiers were looking greedy for any hidden valuables. Piles of watches, necklaces, rings, and other jewelry were collected on the white tables. Every single detail was noted in the documents. The young boy hugged his mother and cried: ‘’I want to go home, mommy.’’ The woman hid her sadness when she carried him into the cattle wagon. “We can’t, honey. We have to go away. It will be ok, I promise.”: she smiled half-heartedly. The door was closed and locked, blocking out all sunlight to the child. The train started to carry them away.

After the war, the documents revealed that mother and son were separated as soon as they arrived in the concentration camp. His father had already been dead for several months. A soldier shot him in the back of his head while doing labor. The kid was sent to the chambers as soon as he arrived. His mother followed a few months later when she got too ill to work. The SS officer was caught and trialed. He repeated long and loud enough that he was a small cog in a big machine. He was just a clerk following orders. The death camps were unknown to him. He married, got children, and got to live happily ever after.