A tale of two.

A tale of two/one boy/s

Consider that time is not the straight line that we know it, but rather an infinitely complex system of possibilities with it’s own quirks, parts and anomalies. One such anomaly, occurred in a point in time where two boys live, two boys from very different backgrounds run along parallel points of events. Two boys, whose lives are the mirror images of the others, though they themselves are not so radically different?
The anomaly acted like a ball, bouncing on the mirror of these two boys lives, sometimes close, sometimes far away. Each time the ball bounced on the surface of the mirror their lives become more intertwined, when it rose away from the mirror the reflection became smaller and their lives held less similarities. But remember the mirror’s reflection is not true but warped, it makes things vice versa and this is what was happening to these two unknowing boys.

(Author’s note: - The following story is far from conventional. It runs along two parallel timelines, The German boy Hanz is the start of the tale while the Jewish boy Hayn is written in a sort of counterpoint. Each paragraph the perspective switches between these two characters.)

Hanz was a stereotypical German boy, mayhap slightly better off than normal due to his bloodline. Specifically a well-to-do German officer for a father that was recently put in charge of a concentration camp…

To which he had been sent. Young Hayn looked around in despair he knew he was just an average Jewish boy, or rather he thought he knew; all that changed when the soldiers had taken him from his home….

In retrospect, maybe leaving wasn’t such a bad thing? After all, his new home had some attractions; and of course some disadvantages. But who was he to question his father’s decision anyway?

Which is why Hayn kept his mouth shut as a German guard struck his mother, he would have done something, anything to help his mother, but his Dad had put a hand on his shoulder and told him to stay quiet.

So of course he did just that, no one disobeyed his father, not him, not the other German officers especially not the Jews. Hanz didn’t know quite how he felt about the Jews, he knew he was supposed to hate them but….

He just didn’t know if he quite could. After all, he thought could they all be such beasts as the ones he saw? Surely there must be a German boy somewhere who had similarities with himself?

Maybe there’s even one in this camp he thought, but then all thoughts were dashed when he heard the shot. He guessed it came from the other side of the camp but being so new hear he couldn’t quite tell…

He’d never been this close to a gun before let alone heard one being fired, and then he saw a young tall Jewish man brought down by one, his father and mother quickly shielded his eyes but the vision stayed there. His young fragile mind suddenly knew what hate looked like, what despair was to feel.

And it was then that he vowed to never travel that path, not that Hanz had anything against guns or violence but as the reports came back as to why the shot was fired he found it dishonourable. To shoot a man when he was helpless?

Surely that was wrong Hayn thought, he knew that the young man had struggled but to shoot him, to kill him, when he was so obviously unable to really harm his captors. Yet they had killed him anyway, just for fun, just for sport.

Still he thought, it wasn’t his concern, he had other things to worry about. This was a new place and he must learn its quirks and people if he was to enjoy his time here.

Survive, he thought, I must learn how to survive in this place. He didn’t know how long he was going to be here he hoped it wouldn’t be long this place was wrong to him, it corrupted him. He could already feel parts of it seeping into him, becoming an intrinsic factor in his own makeup.

Somehow he knew this place would change him forever, just how he couldn’t imagine, but he felt it.
“Damn it Hanz stop daydreaming and pay attention” His father frowned at him and cuffed him lightly.
“Yes sir, terribly sorry….” Replied Hanz

“Don’t ever let me catch you doing that again!” The German soldier hissed at him, Hayn shuddered in fear as he walked away from the German; he hadn’t meant to bump into him. It was just that he had been thinking his own thoughts and had forgotten his surroundings. Of course he had quickly apologized but that wasn’t enough...

“Listen son, apology’s aren’t enough, you’re a German boy now start acting like one! No more daydreaming you must concentrate!”
Hanz, listened to his father talk, nodded when he needed too and looked properly admonished. Still he thought there was nothing wrong with daydreaming; it was a good escape.

Hayn thought his father was being harsh on him, but then again, perhaps he was right. In this place daydreaming was dangerous, but how else was he to deal with his situation he thought? Surely dreams were all that he had left?

The ball finished it’s first bounce and rose away from the surface, Hayn and Hanz stopped mirroring each other as the ball rose.
Then the ball would bounce again and it would begin again. Initially the bounces were large and the boys had periods of uncorrupted time that lasted for weeks. But the ball like any other was losing momentum and the bounces were getting smaller and more frequent and their lives were becoming ever increasingly joined.

Bounce

Hanz could barely control himself, he was nearly shaking with conflicting emotions as the girl holding his hand leading him onward got closer and closer to the storage shed.

As they finally reached the door the girl opened it slowly and went in first motioning for Hayn to follow, he was not sure if he wanted to. He knew what must lie on the other side of it and the thought terrified him. With a sinking heart he followed her inside.

He could barely believe what he saw she was so beautiful so lovely. He stepped further into the room his eyes huge all emotions seemed to have left him, now he just felt a strange peace. He leaned forward closed his eyes and kissed the beautiful face in front of him.

As Hayn opened his eyes he saw his mothers beautiful face and he felt dead inside. He had just kissed his mother for the last time, she was lying before him, and she would never get up. He heard his father come into the room, felt his father’s hands pick him up and hug him tight. Heard his father tell him it was all right to cry, heard the sobbing. He just looked at the wall with dry, unblinking eyes.

He had never felt like this before, he felt so alive, so excited. As Hanz and his new found girlfriend walked back to the school building together Hanz considered how wonderful it was to be alive and be German. The pair slowly linked hands as they walked and he reflected how beautiful it was to hold another persons hand.

How strange it felt to have his father hold his hand Hayn thought, true it felt good but there was no comforting him now, he had never felt so non, so apathetic. His father talked to the other leaders of the Jewish community in their dorms. His father was very angry, he said this was the last straw he could no longer take this it was just too much and something must be done.

Hanz’s father was very angry; he had seen Hanz going to class late and was not impressed. He had told Hanz that he had used up his last chance and ordered him to go sit in the empty classroom and stay there till he came and got him later in the day. Hanz had never seen his father so angry.

It was contagious, his anger that is. Too many of the Jewish leaders had lost loved ones too many of them had lost too much. In the end they all agreed, something must be done and so it would be. At dusk they would escape as one they would head for the gates and tear them down. They knew not all would make it but in the end they agreed that death was preferable to life here. They would try to escape.

Rise

Hanz had been inside the empty classroom for the better part of the day now. It was getting near dusk as he stared out the window overlooking the main gates, he was bored and restless and just wanted to get out of there.

Leave; run it was all he could think about now. Everyone in the camp had been told, the moment was near and Hayn wanted nothing more than to be free again. He wanted to escape this accursed place. The time was near the signal had been received and he started running towards the gate.

The ball has started falling again and has almost hits the mirrors surface.

The gates! He look towards them in amazement, it looked like the Jews were trying to escape. He watched as they leapt at the gates. Shaking them trying to tear them down, he saw the guards open fire on them. People were been thrown to the ground by the force of the bullets.

The ball hits the mirrors surface.

Hayn saw the woman in front of him knocked down by a bullet, looked up in time to see the German guard aim his rifle at him.

Somehow through all the confusion, Hanz noticed a boy that looked to be about his age trying to pull the gate down, the boy was standing directly in front of him.

Hayn didn’t experience pain from the bullet that killed him- it was fired from such close range that it passed straight thru his body. Leaving him only precious few second’s more of life.

Hanz couldn’t even feel it all he could feel was shock as he looked down and saw the spreading blood stain his shirt. It was then that he realised that he was dead.

Hayn’s father held him and cried oblivious to the escape attempt. Not caring about his surroundings. He held his son and screamed at the world

Hanz’s father had come running as soon as he heard the first shot, and he was just in time to see his only son shot by what must have been a stray bullet. He rushed inside but no sound of greeting passed from his son’s lips, no sound not even breathing.

The ball shatters the mirror.