Unlocking the Escape

Author's note: This is a retelling of the book Sarah's Key.  I really liked this book and would suggest it to anyone looking for a sad book.

This book is about the little girl's journey through the holocaust, with only one thing in mind; she held the key that unlocked the cupboard her brother was hidden in.  She had promised him that she would come back soon to get him, but she did not understand what was happening.  She wouldn't be able to come back.  As she attempts to escape from the Velodrome d'Hiver, to go and save her younger brother, she realizes that she will be leaving her parents behind.  

Flames of the Future

The flames, they burned in  the back of my mind, I could still see them as if it were yesterday, I could still feel them as if I was still there.  The flames, they ruined the trees, they ruined the sky, they ruined the animals. The flames, they destroyed me. 

It was a regular Saturday morning as we hiked through that park.  My brother, Jonah, and I were always fighting about something and my mom, being the peacemaker of the family, would always try to resolve everything so that everyone would be happy “and enjoy the beauty of nature” she always said.  We continued through the woods until we made it to our picnic area on the other side of the park. I was about to take a bite out of my sandwich when out of the corner of my eye, I saw something.  I turned to see a red leaf floating to the ground. I turned back around and began to eat my sandwich. After a while, something caught my eye again.  This time, when I turned, I saw a growing flame in the distance. It was getting bigger and bigger until there was a wall of flames approaching me.

I stood up and began to run, with my family trailing behind me.  It felt like I was in an action movie, except, it wasn’t.  I wasn’t  acting, I was living, and I was running for my life.  As I ran, the flames got closer and closer.  I watched as my family was devoured, one by one.  First was Jonah.  I watched helplessly as he disappeared into the flames.  I felt a tear roll down my sweaty face.   Jonah was gone.  The next one to go was my mom.  She was terrified by Jonah’s disappearance.  She began to sob and it slowed her down a lot. The flames surrounded her.  Now they were both gone. The tears were pouring down my face now.  It was just me and my dad left and we were almost to the exit, when I heard a terrifying scream.  I was on my own.

The flames, they  burned a hole in my heart.  The flames, they left me on my own.  The flames, they are my past.  The flames, they are my future.

The Love of Life

"Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." -Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin asks "Dost thou love life?" He means to ask do you love life?  Almost anyone would answer yes.  Then he continues "Then do not squander time," By this he is saying don't waste time,  Finally he ends with "for that is the stuff life is made of." He is entirely right with that statement.  Life is made of time.  If there was no time there would be no life.  All in all, Benjamin Franklin is saying if you love life, don't waste the time that it is made of, and I completely agree with him.