Dear Clara

Last Breaths

Dear Clara,

We have been here for two months now words can not describe how awful it is here. I wake up everyday to dead corpses around me everyone's sick. Mama is the most sick out of the three of us she has to get up though and work until her hands bleed because of the Nazi! The punishment for being late to attendance is death. Marie and I help her get there and we help her work but she is so weak. Anna has been taken from us Marie's boyfriend is keeping her safe. I want you to find Anna after the war when you get this letter if I am dead. That is your promise to me. Marie is sick to but she gets through the day Anna is the only thing keeping us alive Anna is our hope.

Violet.

"Get away from her! Get off my sister you monsters!" I awoke to bickering as always. This time a younger woman was yelling at two older woman. The older woman were hovering over a dead body trying to take her clothes and other things off her.

"Discussing hags." I didn't mean to say those words out loud but they came anyways.

"What did you call us! We are trying to survive!" one of the older woman yelled at me. I rolled my eyes and tried to get more sleep before the guard came to wake us up. Then the whole Barack awoke to the screams of a woman I fell off my bed.

"Cannibal! Evil monster!" the screams continued. Then more screams joined her's. I walked over to the origin of the noise the sight was horrific. A dead old lady laid on the floor among many others but there was another woman hanging over the dead one. This other woman had blood around her mouth and was holding the dead woman's leg. The leg had a chunk missing, the woman had eaten part of her leg. I screamed like many others Marie stood there frozen with a blank look on her face. Hannah then joined us and gasped she closed her eyes I was temped to do the same.

"God forgive me I am sorry, take pity on my damaged soul!" The discussing woman begged at the feet of the woman who was screaming.

"You are repulsive that is my mother it's bad enough that she died last night but this!"

"Francine I have known you since you were a small child. We have all made mistakes like breaking my windows."

"Your windows! You are comparing caniballisum to a little girl breaking one of your cheap windows!" Francine was starting to cry. I felt so bad for her and her mother. Then the guard came in to wake us up everyone was already up though.

"Schnell Jews! Schnell!" she banged her club against the bed frames.

"Please help look what this woman did!" Francine pointed a boney finger at the woman who still had blood on her face.

"Get up and work!" The guard barked in her harsh German accent. Francine made a deadly mistake she grabbed the guard's shoulder and spun her around.

"Please punish that woman." Begged Francine. The guard looked disturbed at the scene and then just laughed at Francine.

"Filthy Jew!" she then shot poor Francine in the head many screamed. Francinelaid deadon the floor like many others the guard stepped on her hand and spit on her face. The canibal gasped she grabbed Francine's corpse and hugged it crying.

"I'm sorry its all my fault!" the older woman laid Francine next to her mother.

"Schnell Jews up!" the guards had no penitence luckily this one had some but it was all maxed out by now. Marie tugged me along and helped Mama out if bed. Marie had become Mama's personal helper I was to young and weak.

Our breakfast was a piece of moldy bread and a small cup of coffee or at least I think it's coffee. I always tried to savor my meal since the next one wasn't until night time. If I could spare anything I give it to Mama. Next we are marched out to work I work by digging holes in the ground for the dead. Marie, Hannah and Mama work in the crematorium I am glad I don't have their job. They burn small children, old people and even some mothers after they come from the gas chambers.

I grabbed my pick axe it was heavy and all day I had to launch it into the ground. Mountains of dead bodies laid everywhere I tried not to look at them but that was impossible the were literally everywhere.

"Guten Morgan Violet!" I turned to see my new found friend Nicole. Nicole's mother and little sister had both been gased as did many of the small children with their parents. The only ones she had left were her dad and older brother if they survived. But even though she might have no one anymore she was so healthy and positive that was very rare in these times.

"Nicole! Did you hear about the canibal in my Barack?"

"Yes that poor girl what was her name?"

"Francine, the guard shot her it was awful I saw the whole thing!" I tried to forget about Francine and her mother since the sight was so terrible. Nicole hugged me when Marie wasn't with me Nicole acted like my big sister.

"You two get to work!" the guards tone and temper sent shivers down my spine. Nicole looked down hiding a smile here we were not supposed to smile she made me laugh.

"Violet do you regret anything in your life?" we had been working for hours and I was growing tired.

"I don't know not telling my sister I love her enough. Not leaving my friend Madison a letter before I hid. Why do you regret anything?"

"No I have lived my life to the fullest I honestly don't mind if I died right here I don't regret anything." I admired Nicole so much. She was older and knew I had lied about my age she had lied too. She said eighteen but really she was fifteen.

"Your mother did the right thing sending Anna with Marie's boyfriend I wish Ava was safe... Well she is safe in a way because no one can hurt her now..." Nicole tried to keep her smile on but it was fading.

"Nicole what was the colour of your hair before they shaved you?" I looked at Nicole her shaved head you couldn't tell what her colour was.

"Blonde you?"

"Brown I wished it would grow in I used to have long brown hair but most people say my eyes are my best feature."

"They are pretty unlike my brown eyes." we laughed I hoped Nicole was joking because I though her eyes were lovely. We worked until dinner I was exhausted as always Nicole joined us like always. Hannah ate her bread then got up to ask if anyone had seen her family she would never lose hope in them. 

"Mama take half of my bread you need it." Marie handed my Mother a piece of bread she refused it.

"Darling you need the food more then I do go on eat your meal." Mama gave the bread back kissed Marie's head then let out a loud hacking cough, I flinched since one of these coughs would be fatal. 

"Nothing! No one has seen them not even the new people." Hannah sat down and let out a sigh Nicole patted her back and told her a joke to lift her spirits. 

"New people! Mama can I?"

"Yes Letty go see the new people." I hugged Mama and started over to where a few new faces were.

"Madison! Where are you?" my heart shot out of my chest that was Mrs. Gallad's voice, Shane and Madisons mom.