Holocaust - Khurram Bukhari

Holocaust 202The children flew to the Christmas tree and began to tear their boxesapart, ripping paper, strewing ribbons on the floor. There was a pair oflive white mice for Peter, in a huge wooden cage, something he hadasked for, since he was very much interested in biology. Laura gotsome special gifts I had found in Russia—a Ukrainian rag doll, andone of those clever “Petrushka” dolls, a series of wooden figures eachsmaller than the one before, so they stack into a single form. Theywere both delighted.For Marta, I purchased a magnificent silk robe edged with lace, fromthe special purchasing agent for the SS, who handles such things.“Oh, Erik, it is so beautiful,” she said. She put it over her shoulders. Itis the palest blue, almost as pale as her eyes. “Where did you ever getit? No shop in Berlin has anything like this!”I kissed her cheek. “You won’t believe this, but they do this kind ofelegant work in the camps.”“The camps?” she asked.“Yes. The detention centers. It’s a kind of therapy for offenders.Many of them are expert craftsmen, and it’s a shame to let their skillsgo to waste.”Peter was playing with his mice. He had one in each hand. “I’ll namethem Siegfried and Wotan,” he said.“You’d better not,” I said. “One’s a female, the pet-store ownerassured me. You’d better count on a Brunhilde.”“Boy and girl?” Peter asked. “And they’ll have babies?”“That’s right,” Marta said. “And you’d better keep your mouse familynice and clean, and inside the cage.”Laura wailed. “My dolls can’t have babies! It’s not fair!”I patted Laura’s silken hair. “Peter is a man, and older than you,Laura, and mother and I want him to learn about these things.”“That’s right, darling,” Marta said. “The miracle of life. The goodness inall living things. We must respect it, even in a mouse, for they areGod’s creatures.”Kurt stoked his pipe, and through a haze of smoke looked at all of us,from some distance. An aging bachelor, he was somewhat out of it.“What a lovely concept, Marta,” Kurt said. “The miracle of life. What abeautiful thing to teach children.”