My father was sent to one of the death camps , Auschwitz ; they said it was in Poland . I later found out that he was murdered in one of the gas chambers . I remember that day clearly : banging on the door , shouts , screams , soldiers . And they dragged my father away . For my mother , it hit her like a bullet in the heart , a knife in the stomach . My mother howled that night . I found her weeping on the living room floor . But she lived on for me while all she wanted to do was escape our home , so we ran away to Shanghai . I only remember my mother screaming and crying as I watched in silence , screaming inside . I wish this whole war never happened . I wish my father never died and my mother never screamed . But wishes like those are no longer possible .
I wake up screaming . My mother rushes in . I ask her where my father went , she says he went out . I ’ m concerned , but then my mind travels to Lisa . She escaped from a war much worse than mine . I ’ m lucky to be in a clean house with a bed while she is in a ghetto full of diseases and probably a tattered blanket . I drift off to sleep . “ BANG !” I wake up and check my watch , 5:30am . One hour until I need to wake up for school . I quickly look out my window . I scream in horror . A Japanese soldier is standing over my father with a gun . My father on my doorstep , dead . The soldier runs away . My mother is standing outside the door silently screaming , falling to her knees , tears streaming down her cheeks . I quickly get dressed and run to the ghetto . I need to tell Lisa .
I am at school . I always leave early because the Japanese patrol the streets at 7:00am and they might catch me and take me to the Nazis and reveal my biggest secret , that I am Jewish . I am scared since I found out the Japanese have a connection with the Nazis . I try to stay as far away as possible from the Japanese .
I am at school now . I look around for Lisa and I see her blonde hair hiding behind one of the benches . I walk over . She walks away . I try to run to her but she runs away . I go home and I see my mother knitting on a purple armchair in the living room . After this morning , horrific pictures come into my head , my father on the doorstep , the Japanese soldier grinning like he just won a prize , my father ’ s watch glistening with blood . There are still bloodstains on the step . My grief slowly turned to anger and I decide to contact my father ’ s two good friends , Fa and Chen . I know they helped my father with the war . As I am walking on the street I think about what they will say : “ You are too young ,” “ It is too dangerous ,” “ Young Chinese girls like you should be at home and not fighting in the war .”. Discouraged by my thoughts I turn back and head home .
I rush home to the ghetto . My mother is on her bed , shivering . When she speaks her voice is raspy and quiet and she coughs continuously . I know that she is sick but I don ’ t know what to do . She becomes weaker and weaker and dies 12 days later . I don ’ t go to school in those 12 horrific days , I just watch my mother slowly go , slipping away to my father .
I figured that if Fa and Chen wouldn ’ t listen then I would take matters into my own hands . I took some paint and started making signs . I thought that if I do these small things , it will encourage people to speak out . I hide my signs under my mattress . Soon enough they were done . I decided that I should deliver them to Fa and Chen under an anonymous name .