Page 9 of The Berlin Sisters
‘We lost everything, Ava. Our home, our business, our friends.’ Eliana’s mother began to cry as she listened to her daughter speak, but Eliana only lifted her chin. ‘Everything we once loved and cherished, it’s gone. It was all taken from us, as if our lives never existed in the first place.’
Silence wove deeply between each and every one of them as they sat with Eliana’s words ringing in their ears. Ava shuddered as she digested what she’d just heard, as she acknowledged how little she truly knew about what had been going on around her. She’d believed the Jews were being relocated, she’d thought it was peaceful. How wrong she’d been.
‘Tell Ava aboutKristallnacht,’ Hanna murmured. ‘About the night of broken glass, and what it was like for you. Tell her what happened.’
Eliana’s gaze was fixed on Hanna. ‘You want me to tell her the truth of what happened that night?’
Hanna nodded. ‘I think it’s time she understood everything, don’t you?’
Chapter Five
ELIANA
10 NOVEMBER1938
BERLIN, GERMANY
There was so much glass. Everywhere Eliana looked, there was glass. Every step she took, glass crunched beneath her shoes. It littered the pavement and the floor inside the shop; it stretched like a glittering blanket in every direction. There was nowhere that it hadn’t spread.
Her father had told her what had happened, had tried to prepare them all for the worst, but nothing could have prepared her for seeing the glass shattered from so many windows, the devastation lining the streets, the cries of humans who’d lost everything in one endless, evil night.
Eliana had seen the headlines as she’d passed, the stalls selling papers with big black letters screaming ‘Reich Night of Broken Glass’. But even then, she hadn’t truly begun to understand the scene that would confront her, hadn’t comprehended how quickly their lives had changed.
‘It’s not just here.’ Her mother’s hand fell heavily to her shoulder. She was standing so close Eliana could feel her breath againsther cheek. ‘They’re saying our synagogue is gone too, burned to the ground along with all the others.’
Who would burn a place of worship? What evil could permeate the city she loved, to the point that they would burn a synagogue to the ground?
‘Why are they doing this to us?’ Eliana asked, wiping at her cheeks as tears streamed down them. ‘Why do they hate us so? How can anyone be allowed to behave in such a way?’
Of course, she understood some of what was being said about them, the lies that were being told, but still; she couldn’t comprehend such hate. She’d been spat on at school – boys had taunted the few remaining Jews, blaming them for their fathers losing their jobs among other things – but even then, she hadn’t truly understood.
‘Everything of value has been taken,’ Eliana’s father said, emerging from the mess, a broom in his hand as he tried in vain to brush a path through the thick layer of glass. ‘Looters have taken it all. It’s all gone.’
Eliana stood by as her mother went to her father, as they embraced each other, not even trying to disguise their tears. She decided to walk past her parents, not wanting to stand on the street, feeling the angry eyes that followed her. Some crowds had gathered, mostly young men who were jeering and laughing, but there were others who seemed sympathetic, their eyes downcast, their expressions sorrowful. But still, they did nothing to help. Eliana didn’t want to be seen by any of them – she wanted to help her father find anything of value, help him put his shop back together. But as she searched through what had once been his beautiful store, filled with antiques and rare paintings, she knew that it was unlikely he’d ever be opening again. Almost everything was either gone or damaged beyond repair; there was nothing here for them any longer.
‘Eliana?’
She turned when she heard her brother’s call, his eyes wide as he stepped over the mess to find her.
‘Can you believe it?’ she asked. ‘Everything is gone, David. Everything is ruined.’
‘We need to hide Papa, we need to do something to keep him safe.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Georg’s father was just taken. They stormed his house, smashed everything to pieces, and then dragged him out,’ David told her, grabbing hold of her hand. ‘There are men disappearing all over Berlin. No one knows where they are taking them.’
An unfamiliar voice made them both turn, and Eliana kept hold of David’s hand as they picked their way back to the door. A policeman was standing there, talking to their parents.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said, his hat in his hands, holding it to his chest. ‘May I see what they’ve done?’
Her father stepped aside, so she and David did the same. The policeman took a few steps inside, muttering under his breath as he surveyed the damage.
‘This is a disgrace,’ he said, turning around slowly in their once-beautiful store. ‘An absolute disgrace.’
‘What will be done about it?’ her mother asked. ‘What are we supposed to do?’
Eliana saw tears fill the policeman’s eyes, knew in that moment that there was nothing he or anyone else was going to do to help them. And if he couldn’t help them, then no one could.
