The Stolen Twins: Based on a true story, an utterly heartbreaking World War Two page-turner by Shari J. Ryan

Author:Shari J. Ryan [Ryan, Shari J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781837901067
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2023-02-13T16:00:00+00:00

Two Years Earlier

Auschwitz, Poland, January 1945

“The Soviets are here,” someone distinctly shouts from the corridor.

“For us?” someone else responds.

The few of us left in the barrack flee out of the room toward the exit of the building. Each door lining the way is already open. There are other prisoners moving from various directions, all toward the hope we have been waiting for.

They have fed no one in days. Even the sight of a guard was rare despite this place swarming with Nazis for the last year. We were wondering what was happening but finding war allies was not something any of us would hope out loud.

Jewish prisoners, wary, weak, skin and bone, are spilling out of surrounding buildings with the same look of question in their eyes. Not a German soldier is in sight. Not one. We, the prisoners, become a crowd, looking at one another, inspecting, trying to recognize faces. I slither through the swarm of bodies, seeking Nora. We’ve been apart for so long that I don’t know her condition, her state of being—if she is still alive.

“Nora,” I shout. The false sense of security I feel running thickly through my veins doesn’t hinder me from raising my voice. I know better than to draw attention to myself. But I don’t care. I need to find her.

The Soviets running by take in the sight of those of us in their way, but they continue one after another, an endless line of men in uniforms that aren’t so different from the ones that we have grown to fear. The sound of their movement reminds me of a flag snapping in the wind. They march with purpose, but I don’t understand why they are all moving through us, past us, not stopping to ask if we’re okay. We’re not okay. Surely, they can see this.

I pull my focus away from the marching troops and continue pushing through the crowd in search of Nora. I will keep walking until someone tells me to stop. She must be here. She has to be. My parents…perhaps they’re here too, just living in different barracks.

The cold, brittle air seeps through my outer layers and sticks to my skin like glue, and the stench of gunpowder filtrates the air like a gas. My lungs burn from overuse and the muscles along the back of my legs stiffen like rods. I will use my jagged nails to drag my body along if I must.

A hand envelops my arm, an unfamiliar sensation. The tension pinches against my bones and I whip my head around to see who has taken a hold of me. A Soviet soldier, sweating, despite the frigid temperatures. Dirt drips down his face like brown tears. “Come along. What is your age? You’re a child, yes?”

Age. We grow and mature with age. Yet I have only degenerated over this past year. “Almost seventeen.” Not that it matters.

“Poor girl. We’ll see about finding your family for you. We are working hard to liberate all of you at once, but first we must organize and note who is who.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.