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PHOTO PROMPT © Rowena Curtin
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A reminder that the Holocaust did happen. Dare we forget? This is a shortened version of a story I posted almost 4 years ago for What Pegman Saw. (Thank you, Josh and Karen). I feel it’s one that bears repeating.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 100
PERCHANCE TO DREAM
Bedtime was Eva’s chance to escape. Tonight, she flew close to the dazzling sun. Below water cavorted over glittering shells. A mermaid with gleaming fins sat on a crystal throne in the midst of the waves. Her eyes glowed like candles, beckoning Eva. Sea spray veiled her shining violet hair that cascaded over her shoulders like a silken cape.
She sang an enticing melody. “Eva, sweet Eva, come swim with me.”
***
“Eva, wake up!”
Shira grasped her sister’s narrow shoulders. Grey light through the barrack’s filthy window illuminated Eva’s skeletal face and serene smile.
Weeping, Shira whispered, “Arbeit macht frei.”
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Sad tale,m’lady, and a despicable slogan
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Dear CE,
A sad tale indeed. One that needs to be told and retold. Than you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Our imagination is a wonderful thing, though we are also capable of imagining quite terrible things
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Dear Neil,
Imagination can be an escape. Thanks for stopping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love how you painted the dream. Well told.
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Thank you for such a lovely comment, Peter.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The description of the mermaid is quite magical. The reality of the situation is painful beyond belief. Beautifully done.
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Dear Sandra,
A person would have to detach just to survive such horror. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
PS Thank you for saving me a lot of grief this morning. 😉
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Her imagination set her free, at least for a moment. The despair in the final lines was heartbreaking.
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Dear Iain,
Detaching and dreaming can be great survival tools, can’t they? Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This reminded of a man who was incarcerated for 37 years for a crime he did not commit. He said: they could imprison my body but not my mind (or words to that effect).
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Dear Susan,
Great comparison. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A very sad story. When the dream becomes an escape instead of a hope, perhaps that would persuade one to shuffle off this mortal coil. A story that does need to be retold.
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Dear Trent,
Sadly dreams and death were her only escapes from the horror. Thank you for your affirming words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sometimes sleep is our only escape. Relief from the reality of life.
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That’s the truth, Tanille. Thank you for reading.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Every time I see a photo of that hateful slogan, I think of John 8:32.”Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” The Nazis twisted that scripture in such a despicable way!
Anyway. Your story takes an ugly and awful reality into a beautiful and yearned for release. I love it.
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Dear Linda,
The Nazis were despicable in every which way. Thank you for your kind comments on my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Often, for many, sleep and dreams are the only escape one has for those imprisoned physically. What a sad story and reminder of the horrible treatment the Holocaust inflicted on humanity.
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Dear Jan,
What a horrid place to be. How people can be so cruel is beyond me.
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Wrenching story, Rochelle. I was rereading Spiegelman’s Maus and was again struck by the systemized brutality of the camps. What’s appalling is that this is still going on in many places around the world.
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Dear Josh,
Yes it is still going on in many other places to many people. North Korea is the first that come to my mind. Another Hitler there. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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China has more than a million people in concentration camps right now. The United States does too, along the southern border
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What a horrific reality to come back to, too horrific to be reality.
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No arguments there, Nobbin. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A heart-breaking tale, a lovely dream and a terrible slogan!
You’ve written it so well, Rochelle 💕
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Dear Priya,
The phrase ‘Arbeit macht frei’ always sends a nauseating chill through me. Thank you for your affirming words re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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My pleasure!
I’m really astound when I read that some people can even deny the sufferings this community went through. It’s so unbelievable that they deliberately choose to ignore such tragedy.
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Rochelle, your story made me shudder. Only last night, I was watching a documentary about Corrie Ten Boom and her sister Betsy who were sent to a concentration camp for hiding Jewish people in Amsterdam. Her sisters died in Ravensbruck I think it was. It is hard to conceive how such evil spread and murdered so many people and it’s critical to remember the Holocaust and humanity’s worst moments to ensure they don’t repeat.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Dear Rowena,
I remember reading The Hiding Place and another book Miss Ten Boom wrote called In My Father’s House. She had amazing story. Also she has a tree at Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum) in Jerusalem. The trees were planted in honor of Righteous Gentiles. In 2006 when I was there, hers was a very young tree. The one originally planted for her died when she did.
That being said, it is hard to believe that humans can be so cruel.
Thank you for the loan of the photo.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks for filling me in, Rochelle. I’ve never been to Jerusalem and it’s good to know about those trees. I just try and do my bit. With my kids as teenagers, my focus is heading that direction and getting our son and his friends through the last year of school next year. It’s a year where anything can happen and I’m trying to make myself available like my parents did for me.
I agree with what you say about humans being so cruel to each other and and it literally makes me feel sick. I don’t know how it happens. However, it’s very important that such actions aren’t buried by history or that people decided they don’t want to know because it’s too difficult to deal with.
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Dear Rochelle,
How this touched my heart! Thank you for giving voice to those whose voices have been silenced by horrific brutality. May we never forget. I wonder if “Work Sets You Free” is written over Chinese concentration camps. That we have tech giants, academics, politicians, CEO’s and media/sports moguls who bend over backwards to appease and accommodate the Chinese Communist Party makes my blood run cold. If it happened in ancient “enlightened” Alexandria, in “modern” 20th c. Europe, if it’s happening even now in China, it can happen here and now.
Shalom,
Dora
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Dear Dora,
It’s disheartening to know that it’s happening. And once more the world turns a blind eye. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dreams are a lovely way to escape – the trouble is, we have to wake up.
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True that, Liz.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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At least she has dreams not nightmares and a chance to escape for a few hours even if it’s only in her mind.
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Dear Keith,
I don’t imagine those few hours of sleep could block out the horror.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wow, Rochelle. What a bittersweet take on the slogan. Our dreamwork frees us.
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Thank you, Paula Sue.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We should never forget… and it feels strange that it can even be denied, but it seems to be more and more acceptable.
A friend of mine came to Sweden as a child from Poland when Jews were persecuted during the sixties, I didn’t know that but now she has written a book capturing this story. Capturing the stories those who came at the same time was very much needed as she has very few memories herself.
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Dear Björn,
I’m doing my best not to let anyone forget. 😉 Best wishes to your friend’s book.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Few words can give a taste of what the German concentration camps where like. But try one should, least we should forget that such evil is possible
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Dear Mike,
As more time separates us from the atrocities in Germany less is remembered. Sad. Very sad. We should never forget. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you, again, for telling the stories that so many did not have a chance to tell and that too many – even today – wish to silence still.
Na’ama
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Na’ama Y’karah,
I promise to shout out these stories whenever and wherever possible. Thank you.
Shalom v’chag sameach,
Rochelle
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Amen. I’ll hold the amplifier … 😉
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We must never forget. Thank you Rochelle.
Shalom,
Anne
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Amen, Anne. Doing my best to keep the memory alive. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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This story is really powerful. The contrast between the imagery of the dream and the grim reality is very strong.
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Dear Joshua,
Exactly what I where i wanted to go. Thank you so much.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, I just went to wiki to get more info on the sign. A horrific reality that it is hard to fathom. The depths of the depravity in every respect 😦 That poor little girl. My uncle and my father both fought against the Nazis in WWII. If they were to see what’s going on in America right now they would turn over in their graves.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Dear Lisa,
I’m sure many of “the greatest generation” are spinning. My father included. Thank you for your affirming words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, you are very welcome.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Imagination can often be a temporary escape from the terrible reality of life, and no life was more terrible than that for these poor people.
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Dear Ali,
I can only write from my imagination. And that falls short. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You connected the photo with the light to the darkness that we must not forget. Stunning story.
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Thank you so much, Subroto.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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i’d visited said barracks and the gas chamber and could only imagine the horror that they had to endure. never again.
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Dear Plaridel,
That had to be a sobering experience. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Our dreams allow us to escape from the horrors of reality. A heart wrenching tale. We must never forget.
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Dear Sue,
Thank you for your affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Querida Rochelle,
Yes, we must never forget that these atrocities happened.
Sad story that bears repeating, for sure. Bravo, mi amiga.
Abrazos y carino,
Isadora 😎 💜 💜
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Querida Isadora,
You know me, I’ll repeat as long as there’s breath in my body, dexterity in my fingers and presence of mind. Gracias me amiga.
Shalom y cariño,
Rochelle
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May we always be on our guard against such evil. I hope at least one inmate had dreams as delightful as the one you have imagined.
Shalom
Penny
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Dear Penny,
Thank you for such a lovely and thoughtful comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I confess having to look up the translation before realizing that I already knew it. That led to a time reading about its meaning and interpretations, as did other readers.
This is why I take sides. This is one example of why I’ll never accept pacifism nor the appeasement of what I believe to be the face of humanity’s evil side.
Much Peace,
Bill
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Dear Bill,
Humanity does have an evil side and, sadly, we’re seeing more and more of it these days. Thank you for taking the time.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Of course, Rochelle.
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Her dreams, a tool of survival in such a horrific place. The contrast was jolting but excellent. Your story certainly bears repeating. We must never forget!
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Thank you for your affirming words, Brenda. It means a lot.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a chilling story, Rochelle. You did a great job highlighting the stark differences. I would recede into fantasy in a place like that too.
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Dear David,
As a mistress at detachment, I can attest that fantasy is often most comforting. Thank you for your affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Beautiful story, Rochelle. I’m not sure what’s up with FB, but I’m not there anymore. won’t let me into my page… even the new one. Lately my experience with FB has been too too paralleled to this.
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Dear Bear,
I’m so sorry for your FB woes. I don’t understand. At any rate, thank you for your kind words re my story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The only thing I’ll miss is being able to go to church. Our church is still online through FB. Sigh. I won’t miss all the politics, though. Gives me the boot I needed to learn this new WP format. 🙂 ❤
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Heartbreaking. No child… No person should ever suffer through such injustice and cruelty. I’m glad she escapes the horror of her existence. That poor child left to face the ghastly conditions alone though. My heartbreaks.
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Dear Laurie,
It was horrible. And still injustice and cruelty crop up everywhere, don’t they? Thank you for your affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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These stories you re-tell are heartbreaking. How the sufferers did bear is unimaginable for us. Dreaming and detachment are really helpful tools. But one learns after great suffering.
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Dear Indira,
If I can help keep their memories alive, I’ll continue to tell and re-tell their stories, whether fiction or fact. Thank you for your sweet words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Poignant and sad for sure, and we must always remember.
Shalom,
Ronda
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Dear Ronda,
You know my thoughts on the subject. 😉 Thank you, my friend.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The description of the dream is so beautiful for such a tragic situation. I hope there were many dreams to relieve the horror and sadness.
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Dear Sascha,
I’m afraid her dreams end in permanent escape. Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
What a heartbreaking story. I’m happy she was able to find an escape from reality, albeit brief. Thanks for this story. This is a horrible chapter in History which must never be forgotten.
Shalom,
Adele
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Dear Adele,
Humans can be the most vicious animals on the planet. Thank you re my story. I’ll do my best to keep the memory alive.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’re welcome, Rochelle. Yes, we can be and we are supposed to be advanced. We should all do our best to keep the memory alive.
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