Jews

Long ago  nobody believed in miracles here. The bodies start piling up in the driveway and no one dared to open the windows, hiding under the ignorance of what really happenned to their neighbors.

A mass of uniforms with their rifles pointed at anyone who pretended to snoop through the windows' cracks. Along the streets, blankly, showing a bravery that disappearedevery night in the arms of their disappointed mothers.

A woman kisses her pendant while praying, in silence, to see the days back when the laughter bounced off the gray walls.

-I’m hungry...

- Hush my son, and stop peeking.

Pushing the tiny head under the rough blanket, drowns out the broken crying that comes from his throat, hiding the shaking of her hands, while pressing her child’s hand with as much force as she can, when in fact, aware of the latest news, she feels the fear as well as with watery eyes looking up under a thick mantle wrinkle. Despite knowing that it is impossible to suffer a long time in this rotten cloth that covers them. Swallowing  rejection, evidence of a smile bathed in dry tears, insisting on putting him back to take a look again through the crack in the door.

"When will she return?", the nervousness of the wait begins to cause her despair, she does not know how much time she can endure hiding there. Every noise from outside makes her  jump and run to both the darkest corner.
Breaking out quickly under the stairwell, with the child, on their backs, waiting in silence.

-If you keep quiet when we get out, I'll buy you  some chocolate - promises awaken the boy's naive joy.

She silences herself, knowing that she might never get to fulfill it.
The boy closed his mouth with such force that  his lips draw a thin and tight line, the idea of melting the sweet taste on his tongue makes  the seconds run faster. Sure that his sister would died of envy when she heard it.

-When will Anna return?- he asks thinking about how long ago his sister had left to do a few errands.
But his question was never answered. His mother looked, without seeing, at the back of the room, speechless, controlling her tears  she does not want to reveal, yet.
The little boy soon returns to his thoughts, to the sugary tones of the chocolate, enjoying the pleasure of not knowing.

A shiny rifle appearsentering into the room, unannounced. Mother and son are thrown against the wall, taking shelter in the gloom they naively believe will offer them a false safety.
The man from the frame waits for any sign of response. Goes deep into the room, slowly, listening to the calm, wise. Turning on his  heels a sharp sound from the greasy leather boots rubbing against each otheris produced. Mother and son hold their breath, having tested for this many times, the child complies faithfully with what his mother has asked. But she knows that the clumsiness of the boy is not really to beas expected.

The gray shadow approaches firmly and decidedly, with the barrel opening the way to the mass that is frightened huddled shivering on the floor.
The child tries to look up and see the impassive demeanor of who ispointing in their direction, but his mother pushes his cheek hard against her chest, stretching the ingenuity of her child to what se knows will happen.
The man smiles with icy coldness, supporting strongly the gun against the left shoulder pronounces a word in another language.
A strangled shout from outside stops the man just when his finger touches the edge of the trigger. Anna’s dark, wavy hair blows with the wind, which makes  the door close behind her, locking her  up without giving an opportunity to turn back. Their minds are filled with the smell of gunpowder.

After the crash, the child's eyes are still closed, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. When he opens them, he observes his mother's body lying on the floor between the man and his sister, who is still standing, collapsed to such a scene.
The yellow star of the bloody jacket stained crimson, forming a groove in the ground. He runs to her side to embrace her, still warm, he can almost feel the last heartbeat, until he says goodbye forever.