The memories

It feels like it was just yesterday, my mother, father, and my brothers sat around the table. We devoured the chocolate cake while my brothers and I watched as our presents glistened under the sparkling Christmas tree. This was my tenth Christmas, our tradition was to eat chocolate cake before we opened our presents. My mother’s smiling face glistened by the faint candle light. The cake was devoured within minute. Our family of five never gotten such a treat like chocolate cake, with war on the horizon, money was tight.

After we ate the cake we gathered around the small tree. Our parents pushed a small box to each of us. I slowly opened mine to reveal a necklace with a small charm. The charm was shaped like a slice of cake, my favorite part of the holiday. Stanly, my younger brother got a similar necklace, but his had a candy cane shaped charm, his favorite candy. My youngest brother was only an infant but he got a charm of a candle, since he was mesmerized by the flame. We where frolicking around until the drop of a letter fell through the hole. Little did I know, that letter would ruin my life.

Two years later, I was the only one left. My father was drafted and killed, fighting against the nazis. My mom shortly died after giving us her food rations. My youngest brother died of starvation, and my other brother froze. This Christmas was dull here at the orphanage. I watched the news with my “siblings“ as I fiddled with my necklace, now with three charms. I daydream about chocolate cake until the sunsets. I was sad, lonely and lost. I guess not all stories have a happy ending, do they?