Simone sat quietly as she waited for her father’s return with her new puppy by her side. Growing tired of sitting in front of the door, a thin layer of sleep engulfed her body. Being too persistent to actually fall asleep, Simone blinked every time her head bobbed slowly. Even bobbing her head because too much of an ordeal. Her eyes closed just as the doorbell rang. Simone was suddenly filled with energy. Père1 is home! Her mind repeated as the door opened. As she jumped into the arms of her father she heard a mumble behind him. The mumble was repeated, but this time louder. “Hail Hitler!” her grip on the man released. Once the new pup barked she realized that she had just greeted a German soldier. He pushed his way into the house, pushing Simone aside, as her mother appeared in the kitchen doorway; she was wiping her hands on her apron. There was an awkward silence as Simone watched fear flood over her mother’s face. She clenched her fists and bit her lip as she watched them force her mother back into the kitchen. Young Simone knew there was nothing she could do. After sitting outside the doorway of the kitchen for four long, dreadful hours, she sighed in relief as the German soldiers left and slammed the door behind them. She bounced into the room, with her puppy, once she was sure that they were not to return. That joy soon faded, as Simone comprehended that joy wasn’t to be now. Her father wasn’t going to return; he had been arrested. Jehovah’s Witnesses had always maintained a neutral position when it came to political support. The Nazis did not intend to tolerate to support their idea at being neutral. Simone sat patiently as her mother told her that the German’s had taken away her father’s salary, her mother’s bank account was forcibly closed, and now, without a working card, her mother was without work. Simone’s father was sent to a prison at Schirmeck and was to be placed in Dachau concentration camp. Simone tried to hold back her tears but they wouldn’t stay back. She walked backwards, away from her mother, shaking her head not believing that it was true; let alone happening. She ran to her room and let anger and sadness, as well as fear, out. She threw various tangible items around and thrust her fists into pillows and other stuffed animals. Simone and her mother lived the best that they could for the next few years. Without work there was little that they could do. Friends would come and give them food in exchange for little jobs. Simone soon learned how to knit, wash, and cook. She didn’t know what might happen to either of them, as a whole or as individuals. As the days went by Simone was put under more and more pressure to “Hail Hitler.” Simone persistently refused because in her heart she knew that she could never honor a man that thought that he was God. “Dites-le2 Simone.” Her teacher spat angrily. Young Simone, loyal to only Jehovah and her heart, shook her head. Simone jerked as wooden plank met her flesh. Then the teacher forced again. “You know what to say, so Dites-le!” She glanced around the room at the classmates, her classmates. They’re faces gave no emotion but their eyes gave them away. Their eyes feared for her, they pitied her. Simone’s own eyes shot back a gleam of pride; showing them that they need not pity her. Their pity became anger and most looked away. Young Simone retaliated with a firm, "No.” The plank met Simone’s body once more but this time, she fell unconscious. She was expelled later that day and was taken home. Days later, Simone had lost track of the days after day five. Her mother insisted she had been out of school for eight. All of a sudden she was forced to see two “psychiatrists.” Simone felt uncomfortable in the tight room. She became quickly annoyed with bright light shown in her face. “Are you a Jehovah’s Witness?” they persecuted the girl. But even with that bright light she saw through the scheme. These two “doctor’s” wanted to arrest other Witnesses. These “doctor’s” were just more German soldiers. Simone’s twelfth was not a very happy one. Simone sat looking out the kitchen window and she sighed, “Mère3, is this not suppose to be a happy day?” Her mother looked up from the table only when the doorbell rang. “Je me demande qui c'est4,” she mumbled. The door then opened, too fast to be Simone’s father. The two watched fearfully as the same German soldier, that had told this family their father had been arrested, returned to the house.“Hail Hitler.” He mumbled in the same tired tone as the first time. However, this time, Simone was too angry to do anything right anymore. She completely outburst,“Non5! You’ve ruined our lives. You took Père away! Just because we don’t want to get caught up in political support?! C'est foiré6!” We are not with nor are we against you!” The German soldier just stood there. Emotionless, Simone thought at first; but it soon became obvious he had recoiled. He wasn’t standing straight up anymore. “I didn’t want to have to do this but…” he exhaled noisily. Keeping a comfortable gate he simply pushed her head down and forced her arms behind her back. Struggling was not an option. Every time she moved the large hands of the German soldier squeezed her wristed tighter. When the pain became unbearable she cried out and relaxed her arms. “Are you done now?” The soldier questioned impatiently. Remembering the pain Simone leisurely nodded. “W-what are you going to do with her?” he mother piped up quietly. The German soldier only snorted. “She will be brought to Konstanz, Germany. She needs to be re-educated.” Knowing there was nothing she could do, her mother nodded. She walked over to Simone, knelt down, kissed her forehead and murmured, “Always be polite, kind, and gentle; even when suffering injustice. Never be obstinate. Never talk back or answer insolently. Remember, being steadfast has nothing to do with being stubborn.” Simone nodded as she was pushed out if the house. She was picked up and dropped into the “German’s Armored Box” as she like to call it. It felt like forever but Simone did manage to get some sleep. She was jerked awake as someone pushed her over. She groaned as she soldier stared at her. “Welcome to this penitentiary school!” he smirked sarcastically. Simone responded by sticking her tongue out. The German soldier just rolled his eyes and dragged her out of the box. Simone coughed and shut her eyes together as dirt blew into her face. The solder then suddenly stopped pulling her along. She looked up and saw three giant gray cylinders with black/gray smoke coming out of the top. Young Simone’s lower jaw dropped. Oh Mon Dieu7, was all Simone thought. Simone broke out in a cold sweat and began to panic as they drew nearer to the cylinders. She tried to dig her heels into dry ground or try and run but the attempts were anything but fruitful. There were five other men standing in front of the cylinders. “Ahren, you have brought us another!” greeted one of the men. Simone bit her lip, holding back laughter. Another man noticed Simone and hissed,“What’s so funny, etwas verpassen8?” Simone just laughed harder. She finally managed to stammer, “Th-that’s y-your n-n-name?! I-it’s so f-funny!” Other than Simone’s uncontrollable laugher there was no noise. Once Simone had calmed down the solider, called Ahren, scoffed, “Yes, it is my name. What is so funny about it?” Simone just shook her head. The six men escorted her to a rectangular building a few paces from the cylinders. After minutes of walking, in what seemed like circles, they reached a room. It said C/19419 on a small wooden plank on the top of the door. The door opened with a spine-tingling squeeek. Inside the gray room there was a window with black bars running verticals as well as horizontally. In the far right corner there was what seemed like a stretcher on four cement blocks keeping it just off of the floor. “This is your room, etwas verpassen.” Ahren smirked. Simone sat locked up in this gray room for about four days before Ahren returned. He banged on the door and Simone broke out in another cold sweat. "S’il vous plaît entrez en jeu10.” She greeted out of force of habit. The door pushed open and Ahren started talking, “You will work in cleaning until you are need in experiments.” There was a moment of silence and Ahren walked out, slamming the door behind him. Simone let out a shaky whine. “What am I going to do?” Pacing around the room didn’t help. It normally did but this time it made her even more nervous. “What am I going to do? What am I going to do? What am I going to do?” She fell to her knees and rubbed her face with her palms. Heart beating out of her chest and hyperventilating she looked nervously around the gray room. She amazed herself that she was able to sleep that night. Ahren woke her the next morning with the sharp, cruel blow of a whistle made her jumped out of her “bed” and looked around, bewildered. Trying to catch her breath Ahren pulled her off the floor and out of the room. It seemed like hours of being dragged along by this German soldier before they reached a large brown building. “Inside you will be assigned a room and a teacher. The teacher will show you want to do and everyday you will have to and when.” Young Simone nodded and pushed through the gray screen doors. “Are ya duh new kid?” a scratchy voice came out from the back of the dark room. Simone stepped closer to get a better look but her face only met a puff of light gray smoke. Simone blinked but it only made her eyes burn. “I-I’m here to get assigned a room and a teacher.” Simone tried to sound more confident than she really was. “Well hun, you’re in da right place den.” Something moved and Simone jumped back. “Hun, ya have no need ta be scared… yet.” The ‘yet’ was mumbled but Simone was able to make it out. Simone never saw the woman that was leading her she only followed the scent of the smoke. It had a putrid smell that Simone hated once it had entered her nose. “MADDALYN!” The woman shrieked hammering the door. “MADDALYN!” she repeated. Entspannen Sie sich, komme ich11.” The door easily slid open and the same putrid smell poured out of the room. Simone winced as the woman spoke with the same shrill tone as the first. “Ah you are the little miss that the soldiers were telling me about. Ain’t ya the cutest little dahling, truly?” The first lady walked away and Maddalyn seized Simone’s wrist jerking her in. “M’kay pumpkin. I need you to wash the windows and sweep the floor every other day. Also you have to clean the springs under ma bed every, single day.” Maddalyn’s tone was now foul and stipulating. Simone nodded as the lady continued, “The broom is in the far right closet; towels in the near left closet.” Simone quickly got to work. The next five or six days dragged on. Until one day Ahren woke the young girl up again. “You’re needed for testing.” He dictated. “T-testing?” Simone asked uneasily. “Yes, testing. One of our experiments died yesterday.” Simone followed Ahren out of her room and to The Cylinders. Inside Simone was stripped of her clothes and given a plastic white coat. For the next hours she was poked, prodded, and stabbed. Unable to walk to her room, she spent the night in the lab. She was woken up with one of the doctor’s jamming a needle in her back. The liquid burned her flesh. Simone managed a curse before forcing the needle from the doctor’s grip. The glass syringe fell and shattered. The crooked wooden doors gaped open. Both girl and doctor looked up curiously. “Werde von hier!” shouted the solider, Simone recognized him. He was Ahren. “The French are coming!” A diminutive smile settled on Simone’s face. The French! She thought in undying gratitude, I will finally get to see Mère happy and safe at home! But what Simone did not know was that her mother had been arrested and placed in Shirmeck, the same prison as her father. Then her mother was later transferred to Gaggenau; and suddenly while being mover to Revanbruck she fell ill. So she was neither happy nor at home. But at least she was free. The Germans with her mother fled so now the prisoners going to Revanbruck were suddenly free. Simone was pushed into the corner as the doctor and Ahren took off. Burying her head in her knees and gingerly laying her side on the ground with her face toward the wall she fell asleep. She never knew how long she slept but she was suddenly awakened by a warm hand on her shoulder. She lifted her gaze and meeting her gaze was a French soldier. “Êtes-vous d'accord13?” he asked. Simone looked at him perplexed for a moment before replying with, “Oui14” and a vast toothy grin. He smiled back and helped her off of the floor. Simone sat willingly, and with much enthusiasm, in the French armored truck as she waited to finally see her home again. As she approached her house it seemed empty and died. The flowers that her mother took care of were dry and brown and the windows were dark and dirty. Simone bit her lip. The door creaked as she opened it making her jump back in surprise. “Mère!?” she called. But there was no answer. She closed the door and tried again, “Mère!?” She ran through the house but her search was unsuccessful. She walked back outside and told the French solider what she found, “She’s not there…” Simone’s voice trailed off. The soldier looked around, thought for a moment then nodded. “Come with me.” He talked softly but Simone could tell he was exhausted. He did his job. It wasn’t to help some young girl find her mother but to set her free. Simone spent the few months waiting for her mother to return. However, once Simone was about to lose hope and move on, a thin woman held out her arms. Her face was cut and bruised. Simone could not comprehend who it was, and she was sure this old thin woman was not her own mother. Her mother was not this mal-nourished; her mother was young and pretty. A French soldier placed his hand on the woman’s should and she turned around. He muttered something and she followed him. Simone sat there; why would she follow a woman that was not her mother? The thin woman and the soldier came back and the solider said, “Cette femme, c'est votre mère15.” Simone snorted it reply, “Non. This woman could never be my mother.” Even so, the woman took Simone by the hand and she took off to get Simone’s release papers. The judge was not in but this thin woman went from office to office insisting on the papers to secure Simone’s release. Finally, when Simone was watching this lady fight for her freedom did she realize it was, in fact, her own mother. Simone held her tight and cried. As Simone cried it seemed that all the feeling that she held back for the past years seemed to just flood out. The two went back to their house. Both daughter and mother cleaned up the house, restored it life, made the flowers bright and lively again, the windows light and clean. Then one day Simone’s mother learned that her husband, Simone’s father, had been listed dead. That day sent tragedy to the small family. But one day when Simone was sitting in front of the door, with her loving dog by her side, like she always did in memory of her father, the doorbell rang. Fifteen-year-old Simone groaned and opened the door and there, battered, bruised, and thin was her father. “Mère, Père is home! He is alive!” Her mother rushed to her beloved’s side and greeted him. He could hardly walk and had lost his hearing. The next few years were hard but, with time, Simone and her family’s physical and emotional condition improved; they were a family once again.
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