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Aalina- Short Story
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Aalina- Short Story |
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Cari Member Posts 411 Englnand |
Aalina Dohm woke with a start as the train rattled over the points, she readjusted the heavy scarf which had slipped while she slept and cleared a small patch of condensation from the window glass. The drizzle of misty rain in the short November twilight restricted her view, but not long now surely, the odd American soldier on the passing stations told her she was in the American zone of her stolen country. She shivered and drew her coat closer around her, moved her body on the wooden slat seat for more comfort. She had chosen the seat with care, in the semi darkness of a missing light bulb she felt safe. Aalina allowed her eyes to close again, Bayreuth so beautiful in that spring of 36.The linden trees on the Konigsallee were dressed in baby green leaves, Wagner at the Festspielhaus, fever eyed and lost in the towering finale of the Parsifal, so proud, so very proud in her uniform of the Jungmadelbund. Now it was over, lost in the towering acres of rubble that had once been the cities of her homeland. But she would not join the ranks of the deluded with their dreams of a fourth Reich. The train was slowing; she looked again out the window at the sign. Banhnhof Bayreuth. She stood up and reached for the suitcase on the rack above her, steadied herself as the final brakes were applied, made her way down the centre aisle and out to the platform. Following the memorised instructions she found the small hotel a short distance from the Banhnhof. She booked in for a single night, refused the evening meal and climbed the stairs to her room and locked the door. Aalina Dohm rose early, washed in the tiny sink, packed her night clothes and carried her suitcase down to the dinning room and ordered coffee and rolls. Later at the reception desk she had to wait while a travelling salesman argued loudly with an unimpressed clerk, when he left Aalina paid the bill and went out to the pale sunshine of the Tuesday morning. The large house lay in a side street off the Fursetzer Strasser, its faded barouche facia was in keeping with the rest of the houses in the small street which by some miracle had entirely escaped the carpet bombing of the final months of the war. She climbed the three steps and rang the bell. "Aalina Dohm, I believe I'm expected” she told the uniformed maid, who nodded and held the door open for her. She was shown into a large study where a tall man rose to meet her from behind a walnut desk "Fraulein Dohm?” he held out his hand in welcome. Aalina judged him to be in his middle forties, a handsome man whose features seemed to be those that improved with age. He ushered her to a chair in front of the imposing desk "Please” He resumed his seat opened a drawer and took out a folder. "A few questions, but first may I have your papers.” Aalina reached in her bag and handed them to him. "Ah yes their very good, excellent in fact, the work of our Willie in Mannheim I think. Well now Aalina, or would you prefer Gerta?” "Aalina.” "As you wish, Aalina Dohm or Gerta Hienz, just a name.” She didn’t answer. "You were born in Berlin on March the third 1921.” "March the sixth” Aalina corrected him. "Of course.” he smiled. "I see you were trained at Ravensbruck with Irma Grese.” "No, I had left before Irma arrived. She is---was, two years younger than me.” "But you knew her at Auschwitz Birkenau? Aalina nodded. "You helped her with the selection process? "No, my duties were confined to the medical compound. Is all this really necessary”? she asked. "We have to be convinced you are who you claim to be.” "And if I’m not”? "Then you will never leave here Aalina, but don’t let that worry you, I am reasonably sure that you are Gerta Hienz. Just a few more questions; what was your relationship with Dr. Josef Mengele? "I was his medical assistant” she answered. "You assisted him in the medical experiments”? "Yes.” "Many were carried out without anaesthetic I understand.” "They were only Jews.” "Quite; well Aalina everything is ready for you, I must say it seems a pity to change such a beautiful face.” Aalina smiled at the compliment. "If I am to survive, it is necessary.” In the upstairs room she undressed and put on the gown provided for her. A young woman wearing a nurse’s uniform entered carrying a steel kidney bowl. "If you will lie down please, I will give you your pre-med.” The injection was fast acting; she felt heaviness in her limbs after only a few minutes. Lifted onto a stretcher trolley, she was wheeled through the white swing doors at the end of the corridor. Aalina lay on the operating table under the intense overhead lighting, a small man with his back to her, busied himself at a small table. He turned and lent over her, his lower face was masked but the eyes were smiling. She read the name tag on the white coat, Dr. Joshua Aaron Cohen. "You’re are a Jew’” the words were uttered in a shocked slur "Yes Aalina we are all Jews here, we took over the house from your comrades three weeks ago and you are our first patient, welcome” Aalina tried to move her arms and failed. "There now, no need to be afraid, I am here to give you what you came for, to change your features and with the benefit of anaesthetic something that you denied to the children, but then they of course were only Jews. Let me see.” His gloved finger traced the line of her lips. "A little wider here I think, the ears and nose will have to go of course and we originally intended to remove the eyes but then that would have denied you the pleasure of gazing at your new face in the mirror.” He turned, picked up the hypodermic tapping the glass. He lifted her arm. "Now sleep my liebling, tomorrow you will be a new woman.” ________ * * This story, although pretty short, took a bit of research; I like to be as accurate as I can when writing of the past. Irma Grese, referred to in the text, was a real person, a camp guard in Belsen concentration camp. Captured and executed by the British. Dr. Josef Mengele escaped to South America and was never brought to justice. Google their names if you want to know more. Aalina Dohm is of course fictitious. [This message has been edited by Cari (04-18-2016 10:53 AM).] |
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| © Copyright 2016 Cari - All Rights Reserved | |||
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JamesMichael Member Empyrean
since 1999-11-16
Posts 33336Kapolei, Hawaii, USA |
nice writing...I believe forgiving is a necessary part...james |
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Cari Member Posts 411 Englnand |
Thanks for reading, as for forgiving I’m afraid that was in short supply in the aftermath of Germany’s defeat in WW2. At Belsen Concentration camp where Ann Frank died, the guards where caught by a quick advance by British troops. The bodies, men, women and children were piled so high that Bulldozers were needed to push them into the mass graves. A group of German guards tried to escape by running into the woods surrounding the camp, chased by British troops. The young officer in charge ran back to the sergeant major. ‘They had surrendered sergeant with their arms up but the men just mowed them down’. The sergeant major put his hand on the officer’s shoulder. ‘Don’t you worry yourself about that sir; it will save us the trouble of hanging the Bastxxxxx’ A small group of Jews planned to poison a whole cities water supply which would have killed thousands. It didn’t happen but the intent was there. We can and do have the luxury of passing judgement in retrospect, but then we have never stumbled on the horror of the camps or had by some miracle survived being a prisoner in them. Oh, by the way, I’m not a Jew. Cari |
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JamesMichael Member Empyrean
since 1999-11-16
Posts 33336Kapolei, Hawaii, USA |
I'm not trying to be a wise guy here...I am only making a true statement...no matter how cruely another treats us or how much we suffer the Lord calls us to forgiveness...perhaps it takes time but it is for our benefit...you can help some of these Holocaust Survivors if you go to Jerusalem prayer Team...if you go there click on Outreaches...love your short story...nice job...james |
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miscellanea Member Elite
since 2004-06-24
Posts 4060OH |
riveting; the ending caught me totally by surprise! Nice job! I love your writing! miscellanea |
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