American Shoes by Rosemarie Lengsfeld Turke & Garrett Turke

Author:Rosemarie Lengsfeld Turke & Garrett Turke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beyond Words
Published: 2022-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

FRIDAY NIGHT, JULY 12, 1946 250 Miles East of St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada

Falling asleep peacefully no longer seemed possible. Fearing the return of the dream demons every time I closed my eyes now, I knew they would invade again tonight. I could already feel their presence on the edge of my consciousness, waiting. As I slipped from a world of color into brown and bronze shadows, fear and helplessness found me once again.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

Howling. Bone-chilling. The air raid sirens were going off.

Perhaps the most familiar sound of the war, it terrified all who heard it. Germans, Poles, British, Dutch, French, and Russians. Jews, Catholics, and Protestants. Children and adults. We were all held in its menacing grip.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

The dark sky lit up all over the city. Like a ferocious lightning storm, the unpredictable flashes cast long, eerie shadows across Frau Meier’s living room floor. I knew what the flashes were and what was coming next. Vivid and bright, magnesium flares were being dropped by the hundreds, lighting up targets for the bombers trailing them. The Germans dubbed them die Weihnachtsbäume, or “the Christmas trees.” God knows why.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

It wouldn’t be long now. Although we had practiced bombing drills regularly in school, there could be no practice for this hellfire coming from the sky.

For an instant, Frau Meier’s living room and kitchen were entirely illuminated, like it was daylight.

I screamed out. “Mutti, you said we were safe here!”

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

Frau Meier shouted instructions before my mother or anyone else could respond. “Children! Hilde! Bette! Get up, right now! Put on your coats and shoes. Schnell!”

I started to ask Mutti where she put my clothes, but Frau Meier cut me off. “Damn it, Rosel, listen to me! Sei schnell! There is no time to get dressed. Just put on your coats. We must get to the bomb shelter across the street. No time for talking, children. Move!”

With my heart racing with adrenalin, I suddenly could think only of getting Eleonore to safety. “Hurry, my sister. Hurry now. There’s no time for us to put on our day clothes, just our coats and shoes.”

Unlocking and opening the front door, Frau Meier herded everyone into the staircase, already crowded with the building’s residents. I nearly collided with Eleonore, who stopped short in front of me. Quiet and orderly, the people around us acted as if this was some sort of exercise. What? Why aren’t they hurrying? Despite the sirens and the lights in the sky, for an instant I relaxed. Could this be just a drill? Everyone is so calm; no one seems that alarmed.

Eleonore rubbed her tired eyes as we made our way to the stairs. “What is happening, Rosel?”

Mutti answered before I could tell my sister anything. “There is no time for questions, girls. Move on down the stairs. Mach schnell! Let’s go. There is not even a second to waste.”

The crowd moved more quickly now. I could hear the drone of planes in the distance, approaching fast, followed by whistling sounds. What came next told me with certainty that this was no drill.

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