When You Could Only See Red

Kristallnacht

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." -Psalms 23:4

Everything seemed to be moving at the speed of light for Margeit. She, much like the rest of her family, was feeling weary. Nothing seemed right anymore. There was no good news on the radio- which didn't help the already depressed moods of her family. It was decided while Felix was away that she and Avi would stop going to school; because of the ridicule and cruelty towards Jews. Her father was pushed out of the University, meaning that she had to put things into her own hands. The other day, she and her mother went through all of their old jewelry, trying to find anything that could be worth any value. 

She found several old diamond necklaces that were her great-grandmother's and could be worth a few gilders, as well as a butterfly necklace that could form into the Star of David if put together. During the Spanish Reconquista, Jewish women created these butterfly necklaces out of little sapphires in order to hide the Star. They would wear them as a sign that they were Jewish, and show other Jews that they were not alone. 

But right now, it seemed like everyone was alone. 

Margeit grew up learning Christian values rather than Jewish, due to the fact that her mother was of the Christian Orthodox. Margeit honored Jewish traditions but never seemed to understand them. Avi, being the only boy, was Jewish in order to carry on the family name. But Margeit never understood why she and her mother were being attacked. 

Of course, she wanted to stand by her family and believed everyone was human, but Jewish accosting was not a new trend. Anti-Semestism had been around for centuries, even in biblical times. Margeit didn't understand why these people were under the crossfire again. It made things hard when she was segregated from school, where she couldn't go with Felix or any of her friends anymore. And now that she wasn't going to school with the Jews either, she felt even more isolated. Felix had to go for four months, meaning that he missed her mother's birthday- which he didn't want to miss. 

But he was coming home tonight, which meant that hopefully, her life would go somewhat back to normal. She loved her family, but she also found herself going crazy while feeling confined in the small, snuffy house all day. The only she had been leaving lately was to go to the market, where she used ration cards to gain the little amount of food her family was presented. However, she sold some of the old jewelry in order for more food, especially for formula for Sully.

The only fortunate thing was that she didn't have to give up any of her books quite yet. While sitting on the sofa, she picked another book, The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka. It was about a man who felt so stepped on his whole life, that he wanted to become a bug, so he could fly away. It was intriguing because before now, she would absolutely disagree with that notion. But now, she felt like she could become the bug too. 

When he left, the snow was still briskfully falling from the sky, and while he was gone, the sun shone bright over Amsterdam. But now, as he was returning, the snow was coming back again. November used to be one of Margeit's favorite times of the year- being that the snow as perfect to play in. However, the older she got, the more she hated the snow, because it was just a reminder of the life she was living. Cold. Deslate. Quiet. Lonely. Nothing was same for Margeit and her family amymore, she had a feeling it was never going to be the same again. 

Back in the kitchen, she heard her mother shout, "Margeit! The train will be here in an hour!" Margeit shot up, stretching her aching bones and placing the book on the coffee table. She stepped into the warm kitchen, where her mother was cooking supper. Their food selection was only getting smaller, being that many of the shops her and her mother used to go to were shut down.