Christmas in Ashes

In the early morning hours, before day breaks, Emily and her family are rushing to beat yet another air raid from the Germans. As the smoke clears, they are all reminded that it is Christmas day.

Emily woke up to her parents yelling to each other down the hall. “Natalie, grab the kids! We must get them to the cellar before the planes get here! I’ve got Leo and the bags. Go!” Outside her window, she heard the alarms ringing through their small neighborhood. Within seconds, her older brother, Richard, was coming through her door and grabbing her from her bed. She struggled to reach for her teddy and clung to it as Richard ran out the door. The twins followed on his heels with their mother shortly behind, and little Clary in her arms.

Emily looked towards the sky and saw the planes over head. She knew that the parcels they dropped would make everything shake and fall apart. They had drills at school a lot, but the alarms became a daily part of life. Her father talked of the evil Nazi’s coming to destroy their home because they didn’t like “their kind”. Emily was still only eight and didn’t understand why people didn’t like them. She listened to her father as he told his stories as if they were a wonderful fairy tale. This didn’t seem like a fairy tale anymore.

They reached the cellar doors right as the first bomb hit. The shock rippled through the land around it’s impact. Emily’s family was able to close just in time and held each other close as the ground above them shook. Dust fell from the ceiling with every bump. Leo, their little collie, whined at the door. Even after the sound of planes left, the alarms rang out for what seemed like hours. Eventually, the all clear sounded and Emily’s father was the first to leave their shelter.

As they climbed to the top of the stairs, their house laid in shambles at their feet. Although no bomb hit them directly, the waves of movement from nearby had been more than their poor brick house could withstand. Around them, several neighbors crawled from their underground safe harbor to find the same demise.  Ash fell around them and drifted to the ground, turning the once white blanket of snow to a dirty grey. The playground, where Emily spent her time off with friends, now lay in pieces in the dirt. Tree boughs hung from the trunks like a doll’s arms, swaying slightly with the breeze. Everywhere she looked lay the sad signs of destruction.

Tears swelled in her eyes as she saw only one thing standing where her house once was. Their beautiful green Christmas tree stood there with its long branches snapped and dangling like ornaments. The tinsel glittered through the ash and somehow it still looks as beautiful as ever.

As the men and older boys began to clear the ruble, the women and younger children gathered together. Everyone began to make plans for salvaging pantry items, clothing, and sentimental items, but also where people could sleep. There were a few homes in their row with little damage. One of the mothers brought up carrying on Christmas in her home. It was only then that everyone was reminded of what the day had brought. Somber whispers of “Merry Christmas” crept through the crowd as day light broke through the trees. It was indeed Christmas, but whether it was merry or not could be debated.