Chapter 22 Section 22

For what seemed like a century, I stood there frozen, unable to believe what I saw: my brother ran across the square, screaming, and ran into the hideous officer, clutching his uniform Without letting go, he hit the opponent with his young fist. I seemed to be in a trance, thinking about protecting Nicholas, but actually I just watched in a daze.All around me, people in the station looked at the young child in shock. Just as I was struggling to understand what was happening in front of my eyes, the Nazi reached out and grabbed my brother's arm. Fear came to my heart for a moment, and I felt that Nicholas' life was threatened.When I came back to my senses, I found that I had broken free from the hand on my shoulder and was rushing towards the station, screaming Nikolai's name.I never imagined that I could run so fast.

The officer held the defiant child aloft, and Nikolay's thin limbs flailed wildly, trying in vain to free himself from his grip.I stopped a few meters away from them, not knowing what to do for a while. Not sure what I can do. There was no sound, everyone was watching us, waiting.Even Nikolai's screaming stopped, his throat was dry, and he couldn't utter another syllable.And he also realized his situation, and his fear gradually overwhelmed his previous anger. The mother who was blocked at the other end of the station suddenly found her voice and screamed for the officer to put her son down.The moment I turned to her, I witnessed an Iron Guard officer slam her across the head with a musket.I was horrified to see blood spurting from her forehead, and her body fell to the ground.I was too far away to see her injuries clearly, but I didn't dare to take action, for fear that Nikolay would be the next to be violent.

The crowd remained silent, and no one dared to act rashly. The Gestapo holding the Nikolai burst out laughing, a cold, cruel laugh, as if he thought it was hilarious that he was being attacked by a six-year-old.The other Gestapo also laughed, and the laughter echoed in the originally silent station, and the atmosphere changed suddenly.The members of the Iron Guard hesitantly laughed along with them. The civilians watched silently and nervously, fearing for their own safety and the safety of our family. My eyes met Nikolai's, filled with fear and apprehension, neither of us daring to move, not knowing what was going to happen next.

The Nazi spoke to his accomplices in bellowing German, and they laughed even more wildly, obviously making fun of us.Then he turned abruptly and threw the young Nikolai into the livestock wagon with no effort. I screamed my brother's name, and in the next second I pushed past Ilo and Golda and climbed up to the carriage, only thinking about getting to Nicholas. Nikolay was lying dazed on the floor of the car, and I was trying to tend to him, when more Jews were forced into the car, and I found myself being pushed into the depths of the car. I desperately got up from the ground, holding Nicholas carefully, for fear that he would be crushed.I struggled to look over the crowd to see where my mother was. She was being helped to stand up again, and I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.I saw blood oozing from the wound on my mother's head and flowing across her face, and that was the last image that remained in my eyes.Immediately afterwards, the compartment door was closed, and we were plunged into darkness.

The bodies of adults crowded around almost crushed the twelve-year-old me.I hugged Nikolai as tightly as I could, unable to raise my hand to comfort him, unable to see his face in the dark, unable to be sure that he was okay.I desperately asked the people around me for help, but none of them spoke Romanian, or they did, and just refused to heed my pleas.I called for Golda and Ilo, but there was no answer, and I wondered if they were also in this carriage. Finally, I heard the sound of the train engine starting and knew we were about to hit the road.I pray it's just a short journey. The carriage suddenly shook, the train moved, and the long body jolted.I felt people around me trying to keep their balance, and I heard the screams of someone falling.A hand grabbed my leg, but I didn't dare to let go of Nikolai. I freed my hand to push it away. After a few seconds, the hand slowly let go of me.What happened to those who fell, I can only guess from imagination.I tried my best to block out their cries, and concentrated on holding my younger brother in my arms.Nothing else, nobody else matters.

Finally, the train entered into a smooth movement and accelerated away from Bucharest with us.Despite being in the dark, surrounded by the heat of the human body and the musty air, I could not relax because I knew that whoever fell, Nikolay and I, would never get up again. Hours passed and I felt thirst and the urge to go to the bathroom increased because the dire conditions in the car made it impossible for us to drink water or pee.As the fatigue gradually increased, my eyelids became heavier and heavier.I really wanted to sleep, which might provide a temporary relief from the pain, but I was afraid that I and Nikolai would fall, so I didn't dare to risk it.

Every time I close my eyelids, the scene of Yiluo and my mother being beaten will appear in my mind, so I sob uncontrollably.My spirit is in a state of stimulation, and if I fall asleep, I will definitely have nightmares. In fact, I will soon know that the nightmare has only just begun.