So Many Questions
Child: Why is there war, Mamma?
Mamma: Hush child, be still, everything is okay.
Child: Where is Papa going, Mamma?
Mamma: It’s okay, don’t you worry.
Child: Why are there so many people living in our house, Mamma?
Mamma: Well, because we are at war. They will only stay for a little while.
Child: Why is there no water to mandi (bathe), Mamma?
Mamma: There is not enough water for all the people here. We have to share.
Child: Mamma, when you come from the kitchen, why do you smell so bad?
Mamma: My job all day long is to clean pig guts so we can make soup from them.
Child: Where are we going, Mamma? Why do we have to go to the “square”? Why do I have to hide my head in Tante’s skirt? Why do the soldiers hurt people, Mamma?
Mamma: Why do you ask so many questions?
Child: I am scared, Mamma. I am so hot. Where are we going? Am I heavy for you, Mamma? I am so hot.
Mamma: It’s okay. Go to sleep. Kiss Papa’s photo good night.
Child: Are we going home now, Mamma?
Mamma: Yes, the war is finally over.
Child: Are we all going to see Oma and Opa in Holland, Mamma?
Mamma: Yes, we are all going to Holland but Oma and Opa are not there anymore.
They went to camps in Germany, but they did not come back.
Child: Was there a war in Holland too, Mamma?
Mamma: Yes, there was.
Child: Why are there wars, Mamma?
Excerpt by Leny Mulder Laven,published earlier in Four Years till Tomorrow
Listen to the sounds of Japanese soldiers marching into town, the droning sounds of enemy aircraft, the Bomb on Nagasaki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01k6q9MvSpM&feature=youtu.be
As always, I welcome your comments.
Until next time
Ronny