Love & Darkness
LOVE & DARKNESS
(The Train.)
“Your eye’s are like the sky in may.” Rachel laughed at what Rafael had just said.
“Do you say that to all the girls?” Rafael looked into Rachel’s eyes.”Only the ones that remind me
of may.” “Why may?” Rafael smiled. “I was born in may.” “That doesn’t explain why your looking
at my eyes the way you are now.” “A gypsy told me I would meet my true love on the day I was
born.” “It’s not may.’ “It’s alright I was reborn the minute I saw you.” “Stop. Or do you want me
to have my father box you behind the ears.” Rafael extended his hand. “I don’t think we have been
properly introduced.” Rafael shook Rachel’s hand. “My name is Rafael Hernberg, and you are?”
‘I am taken, but you can call me Rachel Rothstein anyway.” Rachel began laughing. “What so funny?”
Said Rafael. Rachel patted Rafael on the back. “You just look so bedraggled and hopeless.”
“Sure laugh it up, my dreams are turning to mud.” Rachel began putting an ointment on a cut on her leg.
“Do you have any of that balm for my heart?” “No. You’ll have to suffer a little bit longer.”
Rafael looked at Rachel. “I saw you board the train. I got a smile the minute I saw you.”
Rachel looked at Rafael’s hands. “You have nice hands. You can tell a lot about a man from his hands
you can tell how hard he works, what profession he is in, whether he is a studious person or dumb
as stone. I like a men with nice hands.” Rafael smiles and looks at his hands.” “What can you tell
from my hands?” Rachel takes a hold of Rafael’s hand. “I can see from the clean unblemished nature of
your hands that you are not a laborer, from the cuts on your index finger I’d say you like reading books.
No. You are going to university.” “I am going to university, what else?” “You are gentle and kind and full
of beans.” Rachel closes her eyes. ‘I can fall in love with a man with hands like yours.” “I thought you
were taken?” “I just became available,” Rafael looked into Rachel’s eyes. “Don’t all guys go crazy when
they see you?” “No. None at all, apparently just you. Don’t all girls go crazy over your big brown eyes?”
Rafael smiled. “Just you.” Rachel touched Rafael’s face softly. “The question I have is, do you have any
idea where we are going.” Rafael took Rachel by the hand. “I don’t know where we are actually going but
I’m glad to be going there with you.” Rachel smiled and closed her fingers over his.”You’ve heard the
rumors haven’t you? Its all over the train.” Rafael looked at the light pour through the slats in the train car.
“Yes, I’ve heard we’re going to Auschwitz.” Rachel hugged Rafael. “What does it mean? I’ve only
started to live. It gives me such fear.” Rafael held Rachel close. “No matter what, we will be together.
I just found you I will never let you go. This kiss is my prayer.” “Your going to kiss me?” Looking into
Each others eyes they kiss profoundly. Rachel sighed. “I think we are going to pray a lot from now on.”
(Sergeant Schmidt)
When they arrived at Auschwitz it was a cloudy day. It was dreary and drizzling, while ash from the ovens
intermittently fell like snow. Rachel and Rafael walked into the camp. Guard dogs barked and growled
barley restrained by the german soldiers. Rachel turned to Rafael. “I’m scared!” Rafael held Rachel’s
hand tighter. “Their just dogs, didn’t you have a dog when you were younger?” Rachel grimaced at the
dogs. “I never had a dog.” Rafael kissed her hand. “Every dog was once a puppy, imagine them as
cute little puppies and you’ll be fine.” As they passed a gauntlet of soldiers, one reached out and pawed
at Rachel. Rafael clubbed the man with his fist. A lieutenant turned to Sergeant Schmidt and told him,
“Kill that jew!” Schmidt walked over pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Rafael. Schmidt paused for a
second, then all rafael heard was the explosion of the barrel. Rafael closed his eyes as a person next to
him fell dead. The lieutenant came storming angrily across from where he was. “You shot the wrong jew!”
Sergeant Schmidt smiled at the lieutenant. “The jew I killed was old and worthless, this jew is young and
strong. We need workers, this is not just a death camp but a work camp.” The lieutenant nodded and
walked away. Shmidt walked over to the pale Rafael and sobbing Rachel. “Young man, you must keep
Your temper here if you are to survive at all Your actions will only win you death. Someone else would
Have killed you, but I’m a romantic for me the only victor here was Virgil. The last line of the Aeneid says
‘Love conquer’s All.’ Love brings us into the world and it is love that keep us from death.” Suddenly light
peered through the cloak of clouds and a rainbow arced the sky behind the death camp. Schmidt looks
at the rainbow then at Rafael and Rachel. “There is beauty even in this darkness, everyone has stopped to
look at the rainbow, its god’s way of reminding us we are all human. This is a terrible place, young lovers
should not be here, nobody should be here. May your love will be enough to get you through, maybe it will
maybe it won’t. I will do what I can for you. I do not agree with what they are doing here. But I will fight
against it my way. May god bless you and keep you safe.” Rachel fell sobbing into Rafael’s arms.
“What will become of us.?”
(The Rose)
It was many months since they had arrived. Rachel’s parents had died and so had Rafael’s sister, aunt and
mother and father. They were now the only family each other had. They were both gaunt from the
depravation of the camp. In the evening’s after their work day was over they would find an empty spot
not to attract attention and hold hands.
Sergeant Schmidt had been a constant angel to those he was sent to kill. He had bought medicines and
smuggled them in, even shared his own food with as many as he could.
However this day would be the most memorable of all.
This day Schmidt brought a beautiful, velvety, red rose.
“I stole it from the Commandant’s house, they had so many they will never miss it.
I see you hold hands and I know you have lost everything but your love. This rose is a symbol for
all love as you your self’s represent. Love flourishes in the darkest of places, I want the two
of you to have this on this the first day of your Hanukah. It is your love that is hope not just
for other’s in your same circumstance but for all the world. This rose is a symbol of love’s
resilience, love’s adaptability and love’s ultimate conquest.” Rachel smiled. “Can I share this with others?”
“Share it with whoever you like.”
On this the first night of Hanukah Rachel brought the rose to the women’s quarters.
The love from that rose seemed to beam like the Hanukah candlelight, how the women danced and began
to sing hebrew songs. The rose had meaning, in all the death of Auschwitz,it was something alive and
vouluptous.
The second night of Hanukah Rafael brought the rose to the men’s quarters. The men passed it between
one another and sang the dreidel song. It was as if Schmidt’s rose had put new life and color into their
monochrome world. This year Hanukah was not filled by the doom of the place they inhabited but
by the joy of hebrew tradition.
The rose was a miracle like the oil of Hanukah that made the lamp last. This was a miracle in their
darkest hour, each person that held the rose could wish for the gift they most desired.
In the land of certain death to dream was a luxury none could afford, but one simple rose was
a dream of hope that seemed to fade in the horizon but at least for this moment hope was very real
as real as a rose given to lovers, hope they could hold in their hands and know for once that
it might be possible.
(Deliverance)
At last came the day for deliverance. All the guards were gone. The ovens were cold, only
Sergeant Schmidt remained. Then it happened, the Americans arrived. They entered cautiously,
seeing Sergeant Schmidt they pointed their rifles. Schmidt immediately raised his hands and put them on
his head. Then suddenly five weak emaciated hebrews, their skulls and ribcages framing their
hanging clothes, walked in front of Schmidt to protect him. Rafael was the leader and he spoke.
“You have to kill us to kill him!” An american officer that spoke german walked forward.
“He is a german soldier, we have our protocols.” Rafael crossed his weak and bone thin arms.
“You have your protocols, we have ours. He is one of us.” The american’s relented and put down
their rifles. Suddenly Rafael started feeling dizzy and he fainted in Schmidt’s arms who cradled
him carefully. It all went black.
Rafael could hear Rachel calling. “Rafael, Rafael, wake up!”
Rafael slowly woke up to see Rachel standing before him, she was so beautiful.
“I was having a nightmare, but I don’t know if it is real now.
Was I dreaming or is you here beautiful and safe the dream?”
Rachel rolled up her sleeve to reveal a number tattoo. “It is the past.”
Rafael sat up. “Schmidt was right, Virgil won.”
Rachel handed Rafael a letter, it was from Schmidt.
“He corresponds every year, remember.”
“Yes I remember. Come here I want to pray.”
“Just one small prayer, dinner is ready.”
They kiss.
When you have passed the shadow of death, god is there to remind you that beauty still
exists and that the hope of all people are other people.
By JF Anstead