Esfir Lupyan - December 17, 2007
Life in the Ghetto
And one time, I saw, I saw a man way down on the ground and he ask me, "Come here girl. Come here." And I come to him. And he asked me, "Could you bring me a piece of bread?" And I, "Okay, I will ask my mom." Yet, I run... That was a little far from, from kitchen. So, I came to mom. She was uh, washing floor, moping floor. And I, "Mom, give me piece of bread." She didn't ask me why. She go somewhere, she take it, and give me and, "Go, go, go, go away." I go to him, to this, to this man and give him and he gave me toy. You know, it's like chicken, chicken, small chicken... Eat, you know.
A, a doll of some sort.
A chicken uh, wood. Wood toy.
I see.
He make it. He, he make it himself as they do to survive, but I did not know that German watch me where I run and he come... he follow me and he saw that I gave piece of bread to him. He took me like that and he bring to mom in kitchen. He put on metal table, he put ground to my, to my forehead. Forehead? It's cold... I even now feel. And three womans saw that and they say, they come to, to this place and they stand near, said, "Don't kill her please, she so small. She doesn't know what she's doing, please. You have children also," that I remember. He took down from, with my help, dropped me on floor. "Last time, if I will see you, I will kill you without question." But he killed this man and that I remember, you know, I can't forget. That was between five and six years. Child have good memory for that. And that stay and stay in my mind.
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