The First Book of Samuel - SAREJESS (chrysanthemum read aloud TXT) 📗

last dishes had been cleared away. Soon it would be time to make a run for it. he was carrying a plate through to the kitchen when Helmut called him. “Samuel you are wanted in the commander’s office. Clean up and go to the office before you take out the dust bins.” Putting the plate down Samuel straightened his uniform and walked the short distance to the office.

Auschwitz 1944 reflections on walking to the commandant’s office
Samuel crossed the road, the icy wind cutting into his thin work clothes; he wondered what the camp commandant wanted with him. He was prepared for any eventuality. He wondered at the fact that so many of his compatriots had meekly submitted to the terror of death without fighting back. Then again he knew that he had been complacent depending on his special pass to help him in times of trouble and on a number of occasions it had. It had certainly paid to be the truffles chef at the Berlin Hilton. He remembered the day when the fat Interior Minster had come marching into the dining room of the hotel. The word had gone out, no Jew to serve the elite only those of pure Aryan blood held that privilege, but once the fat interior Minster had tasted the truffle, he demanded the chef be brought before him. “Herr rieghs Minster, he is a Jew whispered the chief waiter shocked that the puff pastry chef had been singled out for such a privilege. “I do not care, I want to see the man who created such heavenly truffles” shouted the fat man his large fist smashing down on the table. Shaking with fear, Samuel had come before one of the men who held life and death for so many millions in his hands.

Friedrich the senior waiter said “Here is the man Samuel Ferreira the truffle maker” “You make the truffles?” asked the fat man “Yes Herr Minster I do” Samuel could feel the sweat breaking out on his forehead, a wet sensation of fear running up and down his spine. “Delightful. You will make me two dozen every day until further notice” said Gobbles.

“Herr Minster there is the problem of him been a Jew” said the hotel manager. “That is no problem for me I will have him issued with a special pass. He may come and go as he pleases as long as I get my truffles” said the fat man.

That had been back in the beginning of 1938 now it was 1944 how things had changed. Germany had been powerful back then. It seemed that Samuel had come to Germany in the hope of dying, he unlike every sensible Jew who was fighting to get out of Germany had come to Germany.

The day following Gobbles visit, a Gestapo captain had arrived at the hotel and asked to see him the officer, a tall blond haired blue eyed giant of a man had looked down at Samuel as if he was a piece of filth on his boot a dog’s feces which he had accidentally trodden on. “Here is your pass Jew. Look after it well and keep it with you always.” He had said in an icy cold voice, the hatred dripping off every word. At the time Samuel had thought “This one already imagines that he has me in the interrogation room.” There are many kinds of evil some times when you come into the presence of absolute evil you become aware of it, your body will begin to respond to the presence of it in different ways, sometimes you sweat, other times you stutter and in really bad cases you shake. When taking the pass from the officer Samuel began to shake and sweat. When he tried to thank the man, he found that he was unable to utter more then one letter syllables “III aaa” “Yes Jew I know you are trying to express your thanks and appreciation but really do not it will only embarrass us remember to keep it with you all ways Heil Hitler” said the young man, raising his right hand in the Nazi salute before turning and leaving.

Now as he walked the final few steps towards the office he cleared his head for what must undoubtedly come. He knew that today he would leave this place of terror this hopeless hell on earth... knocking on the door he waited. “Enter” came the reply from within. Stepping into the office Samuel for a moment was taken aback by the fact that the commandant was with another man in the uniform of a Major. When they turned Samuel was shocked to see that the Major was none other then the man who had delivered the pass all those years ago. “Ah the Jew said the camp commander.” “The very man” said the major “Your lucky day Jew” said the Major with a sneer on his face life had obviously not been treating him well only to have risen in war time to the rank of Major. An ugly scar ran down the side of his pale face, a memento of the campaign on the Russian front. “Well Jew if you have got any possessions you can gather them, you have been recalled to Berlin. It seems that the Reghs Minster has need of your special services” said the Major.

A car was waiting which would take them from the camp in Poland to the capital of Germany. A driver sat behind the wheel. Samuel stepped out of the office followed by the two officers “Give my regards to the Minster said the camp commandant to the Major. It has been a while since his last visit.” “I will convey your regards to Herr Gobbles” said the Major. Opening the door and climbing in Samuel looked around once more at the death camp the black & grey smoke belched continuously day and night from those smoke stacks. On the spur of the moment Samuel asked “Pardon me Major but is that a Lugar pistol you have there?” “Yes what of it?” asked the blond giant “I am some what of a gun collector. May I see it? It looks so well made.” “Only if you promise not to shoot yourself with it” replied the giant, half in jest, half seriously. He was already in a world of trouble for having had the Minster of interiors Truffles chef deported to Auschwitz. “Oh I promise that I won’t do that right away” said Samuel the German unclipped his holster and handed the weapon to the truffles chef. Samuel admired the weapon, the loving curve the cold hard metal so well made. One day a weapon like this would be worth its weight in gold, but today Samuel had other plans quickly cocking the gun he turned it on the surprised major, firing twice hitting the major in the heart and the head the camp commandant ran seeking shelter. Calmly Samuel turned the gun in his hand sat down on the stairs and contemplated his cowardice. “No more” he thought. In the distance he could see camp guards running towards him he lifted the gun to his left temple and pulled the trigger.

When the commandant reached him he was shaking like a leaf. God in Hemmel how am I going to explain this to the Minster he said to himself. He had lost of his aid de camp and his truffle chef both on the same day. The Minster was going to be extremely angry with someone the camp commander hoped it would not be him.

The death of a Christian Martyr Germany 1945
The prisoner was praying again. Samuel stood smoking a cigarette in the passage outside the cell door.
Samuel was only half listening but as the prisoner prayed he became interested in what the man was saying. “Heavenly Father I pray that thy mercies be this day with those who are on the battle fields. Enlighten their minds to your salvation. Oh Lord cause the scales to fall from the eyes of those who lead. Convict oh Lord the sinful men of their wrong and bring them to the realization that they can yet be saved. I ask no favors for myself oh Lord but I beg you to bring these men who commit these terrible crimes to the full knowledge of thy love and salvation through your son Jesus. Grant oh Lord peace to this war torn world in Jesus name Amen”

Samuel wondered at the man’s fortitude. The prisoner was among a number of political prisoners held in this part of the concentration camp away from the general population, because of the extreme nature of their crimes, treason against the Nazi state. The Pastor had first been arrested when funds that had been used to help Jews escape from Germany had been traced back to him. Later when the Abwher plot to assassinate Hitler had been revealed, it was found that the pastor had also been part of it thus he had been shifted from one prison to another. Now in early 1945 he had ended up here at Flossenbürg under the care of the Gestapo.

When Samuel had first awoke after his last death he had thought himself free to join one of the Allied armies to fight for the freedom of those who still suffered in the concentration camps, but the hand of providence had decided otherwise. He had woken in the barracks of the Flossenbürg concentration camp dressed in a German army corporal’s uniform guards division. He had immediately thought that he would have to do away with himself but then he realized that he might be able to do much more damage to the Nazi operation if he worked from within. Thus he had been committing acts of sabotage which, although not devastating, did help to slow down the Nazi’s smoothly running machine. Things were not going well for Germany right now. The Allies were making inroads from both the east and the west.

He had been guarding about ten prisoners for the last few months. Now on an early spring morning his long night watch outside the cells was coming to an end. Soon the Gestapo, a number of officers would be arriving shortly to supervise the execution. Samuel had been told that he would be one of those needed to witness the execution of these dangerous criminals. The pastor, his brother Klaus, brother in law Hans von Dohnanyi and a friend Rüdiger Schleicher had all been earmarked for execution this morning. From the cells the sound of these men praying in unison, yet apart could be heard. Through the last few months he had come to know the pastor well, his soft spoken voice echoing in Samuel’s ears as he prepared himself to step off this mortal coil.
Samuel stubbed out the cigarette. From within the cell the pastor asked, “Guard, is it time yet?” “No pastor it is not yet five. There are still a few minutes left.” said Samuel. “Thank you Samuel” said the pastor, “it was a small thing to ask but it meant the world to the condemned man as he returned to the bedside and began to pray, this time his voice rose and fell in a prayer of rejoicing.

Samuel began to wonder if the man had gone mad. He had been severely beaten the previous day, now faced with the prospect of death the man seemed to be happy that he was going to die this day.

In the distance the sound of a prison door being opened could be heard. The sound of footsteps echoed loudly within the confined space of the prison. Samuel could see a number of Gestapo troopers coming towards him. How he despised them. The men in the cells