A Trip of Light: The Narrative of Martha Agnes

Stepping off her small bed and pulling a bulky cardigan over her nightgown, Lena headed towards the top of the narrow, steep staircase that led from the attic bedroom to the kitchen below. She listened intently, trying to make out the quiet voices coming from the lower level.

"What are you trying to say? Why do you say this? Her mother's voice began as a soft whisper and gradually became a controlled whimper.

Gently, Uncle Peter chastised her, saying, "Marta, calm down! We'll be heard by Lena!

Glancing downward, Lena noticed three shadowy figures seated around the small kitchen table. The stranger, dressed in all-black, sat across from her mother and uncle, twiddling a woolen cap nervously in his hands.

"In Warsaw, they're gathering up the Jews!"

Lena felt a flood of dread sweep over her, making her spin and sick to her stomach. Her mother sobbed, burying her face in her hands. Uncle Peter gave her mother a tender back rub. "What should we do?" he inquired of the outsider. "Is there a safe place?"

Lena went to her bed and curled up under the covers, taking comfort in their comforting warmth. The voices downstairs continued to murmur while she lay there, heart racing, until the sound of light footfall and the front door softly closing finally shattered the stillness.

Lena was awakened in the morning by the smell of food, strong coffee brewing and oatmeal boiling on the stove. She scooted down the steps, just like she always did, and embraced her mother, her cheeks discreetly moistened with tears, before jumping off onto the kitchen tiles. "Mama, it will be alright! Keep your tears to yourself! Then, still smelling strongly of Uncle Peter's smoke, she ran from the dining room into the living room and up the short staircase to the upper small corridor. Three doors led off from this area to other rooms; she went to the one that led to the bathroom, a small room with dull tiles covering it and a cold water tank suspended over the toilet with a pull chain hanging from it.

She then entered her mother's room to carry out her daily ritual of looking for clothes for school. She didn't have a dresser of her own because her attic bedroom was too small; her bed was just a floor mattress. The only place to stand was by the dormer window that provided a view of the street. She used the ledge by the window as a study throughout the winter.

She went back to the kitchen with her brushes in hand, where her mother helped style her messy hair and tied a ribbon through it before saying, "Today, I'll secure papers for you to go to your uncle in England," staring straight at Lena. It's now too risky to stay here. If it's feasible, I'll go with you.

She gave Lena a quick kiss and a firm hug before telling her to be ready to prepare for school when she got home. When Lena returned, the neighbors had taken over and the house was locked. As nightfall approached, Uncle Peter showed there, taking her father with him.

Lena's father had moved out after becoming weary of the ongoing arguments between her and her mother. Still, he came every week to feed them. Lena would run to welcome him, but her mother would not even speak to him; you could feel the bitterness in her.

"Where is Mama now?" "I'll stay with you now," was her father's straightforward but forceful response to Lena's quivering voice. He scraped together a meagre meal of boiled veggies. He took over making breakfast and teasing Lena's hair the next day.

Lena told her father about her anxieties on the second morning she was alone without her mother, tears running down her cheeks. With a reassuring assurance, he replied, "Be brave, my dear." There is a God who exists outside of this chaotic universe. Everything will work out OK.

Later that day, a sudden ruckus disturbed the normality of school. With their brutal orders, the German soldiers swept in, upending the routine. Children were bundled onto trucks like livestock and books were thrown out. The horrific events of the day ended in a claustrophobic, dimly illuminated ride that appeared to be a release into the night air. However, when they arrived at their destination—a work camp—they were met with an even more horrifying reality.

Lena underwent a dramatic shift in the moments that followed, going from the lowest point of hopelessness to a spiritual experience. She saw herself as a bright, pure-light creature who comforted and understood her and reassured her that her spirit would never die. This vision offered insight into the human spirit's tenacity and its limitless potential for rebirth and optimism, even in the most dire circumstances.

Lena, now known as Emily Jane, was reborn into a new world and ready to start a new chapter in the land of freedom. She landed in New York in March 1942, her prior experiences ingrained in her being.