jeudi 27 janvier 2011

My daughter, Sarah

He had been walking for three hours and a half, lost in his mind, in his revolt. The picture was running in front of him, he could still feel the sadness in her eyes. Wherever he looked he saw again the desperate light of her hair behind the grey uniforms. How old was she? Six? Seven? How could people leave her alone in this place, desperate in her purple coat? Then he suddenly stopped in the street. It was past midnight, and obviously, he was back to where he started. He had been walking in circles. The weight of guilt was pressing on his shoulders, he couldn't breathe anymore, and he started to walk to the village main square. Slowly, from walking, he was running, faster and faster until he couldn't see his feet moving anymore. At least, he looked around, then his eyes fell on her, she was sitting on the ground. She was crying.



He sat next to her and said:

“What's your name ? What are you doing here ?”

“...”

“Don't worry, I'm going to help you. What's your name ?”

“My name is Sarah.”

“I'm Louis. Are you hungry ?”

“... Where is my Daddy ?”

“I don't know but we're going to look for him.”

He took her hand and began to walk to his house.

In the lane...

“Where am I ? Who are you ? Who are they ?”

After all her questions, Louis could see in her eyes her distress.

“Don't be afraid ! Follow me, I'm going to bring you to a safe place and to take care of you.”

Once arrived in his house, he gave her a piece of dry bread and a blanket to warm her up.

After this, he answered her questions: “ Listen, two months ago, Hitler declared the war to the Jews .These people are trying to take you and all Jews away to kill you. You must hide ! You are in danger ! I am going to find your parents...”

Suddenly, they heard screams, gun shots and foot steps up the stairs.

Afraid, he caught her brutally and he hid her in the hatch which was hidden under the floor.

Just when he closed the hatch, someone noisy knocked on the door. At the first knock, Louis got up. At the second knock, he put the carped back over on the hatch.

“French police ! You have two seconds to open that door, or we'll break it !”

“Calm down, I'm coming !”

He opened the door as fast as possible, and faced a group of four policemen, jewish repression.

“We have the order to search your house from the cellar to attic. Please don't interfere or you'll be arrested.”

“You're welcome...”

And the search began. They turned over the bed, the table, they opened all the cupboards and moved the library. Then, the youngest one lifted the carpet, and his eyes fell on the closed hatch. He looked at Louis, and noticed that he was terrified. The young policeman slowly got up, and put the hand on his bat.

The young policeman took his bat and began to hit Louis. He fell down but the policeman continued to scream “Where is the Jew ??!” and shouted to Sarah “Go out ! Run ! Run !” She went out but she didn't understand anything. She panicked when two hands grabbed her..

Scared, she saw the second policeman who took her and she cried “Let go of me, let go of me !” While she tried to free herself, Louis got out a firearm and killed the four policeman. Panic stricken, he ran to Sarah and he caught her in his arms. Then, he tried to reassure her :

“Stop crying Sarah, it's over... Stand up and go with me to the car please stop crying!”

“Wha wha what's happen? “ she said tear-filled.

“Now SHUT UP!!! and get in the car without talking, our life is in danger!”

When she saw he was very angry and afraid too, she decided to follow him without retort.


Then they went in the direction of Paris. At this moment, they passed near the Velodrome d' hiver and she saw her parents.

She began to shout “STOP! STOP !”

“What's going on with you ?”

“I saw my parents STOP PLEASE !”

He slowed down the car and she came out “MUMMY, DADDY....”

Her parents turned around to this young girl. Her parents' eyes met hers. They recognized their daughter and they ran toward her... Sarah had finally the hope to return with her parents. But at this moment two policeman killed her parents because they came out the crowd. Sarah stopped and remained here for a long time until what Louis came and said : “ Sarah...come with me, let’s return to the car and go away from here...”

“Why ? I want to go nowhere ! Leave me alone I want to see my parents. Look ! they are over there, they are waiting for me!”

“No Sarah, The Nazis killed them... I'm sorry !”

“It's not possible Louis ! Look they are over there I’m telling you! Don’t you see them?”

“I know that it is difficult for you but it is too late...they died.”

“No no NOOOOOOO YOU TALK NONSENSE I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOU !!”

Full of sadness ant pity for Sarah, Louis carried her and went toward the car : “We are going far very far , don't worry !”

Sarah, with her eyes full of sorrow and horror, said nothing for a very long time and after that she said “Ok I’m going with you”.

At this moment, Louis promised to himself that he would never leave her and that he would consider her like his own daughter.


Sexism


“Merry Christmas!” said to me Santa Claus with a friendly smile at the exit of the beauty shop. I enjoy this time of the year thanks to its lively atmosphere, its decorations and the happiness of people. I bought ticket take care of me and my friend, but above all for Diana. She is my best friend; we live nearby in Mallow City. I think spending a little time with her will be inevitably beneficial. She is lovely and totally devoted to her husband but she takes he housewife’s role too much at heart, which obviously pleases Steven, her husband perfectly. He is a lawyer in the Bingum Company and he refuses to imagine a woman apart from her home. But how can Diana accept to obey him without complaining? She never leaves her home, except for going to the supermarket; she hasn’t go any free time because of their two babies, their big house that she has to clean but how could she do otherwise with a such a demanding husband? I hope that she will react, or I will for her sake!

When Diana opened her present, she was very surprised to discover a ticket for a week-end in a beauty salon.

Immediately she hastened to give her husband the good news. .

'Darling !' she said 'Look at that !'

'What's that ?'

'My best friend Suzie offered to me a week-end with her in a beauty salon.'

Steven didn't answer ... and after some seconds he snapped.

'You're crazy! You have family ! Who will look after the house ? Who will look after the cooking?'

He screamed at her 'That is trying to divert you from your duties as a married woman.

Besides you are too old for that !'

Diana lowered her eyes and she made for the kitchen...

The day after, Diana called Suzie while her husband was in his office. She told her what had happened the day before...

Tuesday, after along talk, Suzie and Diana decided to disobey Diana’s husband. They made a plans to escape.

Friday afternoon, Diana packed her stuff while her husband was at work, Suzie came to take it at 5 o’clock.

Saturday morning, Steven always went jogging, he ran for about 2 hours. During this time, Lisa, a baby-sitter came to Diana’s home to look after her children. So, Diana was able to out and Suzie had to take her to the supermarket to go on their week end in a beauty salon.

They had planned to come back home Sunday evening.

The two friends smiled, they were happy to spend a week end together and they absolutely didn’t worry about Steven’s reaction, but they should…

The week went by quickly and the girls executed the plan…

But, when I came to pick her, I found her baking a cake. I was desperate… So I decided to force her to go, and I called friends Samantha, Alexandra and Clover. They came, put her in the car as such, with her apron and the cake in her hands. They launched baggage and dragged a letter in the slippers she used to bring him when he arrived :

Mister big lazy,

It is time to let Diana breathe, you think being a housewife is a cakewalk?

We shall see! Right now!

Do not worry she will come back!

PS: We let the children with the baby-sitter.

So, good luck, have a nice weekend! ;)

When Steven came back, he called Diana several times as usual. But she didn’t answer… he decided to go upstairs in his room and he found a letter in his slippers. Steven read this letter and he was dumbstruck. After he calmed down, he pulled himself together and said to Lisa: “ Thanks for the children , but now I’ll look after them.”

During the week-end Steven did the housework, the cooking, and had a good time with his children…

Sunday evening, Diana came back with apprehension…

But in fact, her husband didn’t have an unpleasant reaction. They had a long discussion. He realised that being a housewife was as difficult as an outside job. Besides he understood that she needed free time. Steven changed his opinion and promised to her: “ I’ll let you be more independent, and I would say that you are very beautiful!”

Homophobia

First, let me introduce myself. My name is James; I am American nineteen years old boy. I am studying biology at Colorado State University.
I started my first year two weeks ago. I didn’t choose this major. My father wanted me to take over his laboratory, but science is not for me… So my mother decided to hire a teacher to give me private lessons.
Today, after school, I met my private teacher for the first time.

“James! Your teacher is here. Come on!”
When I arrived in living room I recognized him Rick…
Rick was the perfect man: a charming smile, magnificent green eyes and athlete's body. I met him on the Janice’s party one month ago. At this moment, I knew that I wanted him to be mine. But he seemed interested by girls. I was very disappointed…
When I saw him, my heart rate has accelerated, a shiver went through my body, he, anyone, I am an effect that I can not explain. Until then my attraction to men caused some disgust. I could not believe it, the eyes of others was too hard to bear ... There was indeed taken this girl when I was 15, she was called Lara, it certainly was sublime, but it was not me, I was not happy.
And then Rick came into my life, at least in my head and my heart, not an hour filed past without me thinking of him, I was for the first time in my life in love with a man, aware of the being, and even ready to shout from the rooftops. It was clear to me. I'm gay.

Day after day, I couldn't stop thinking about him. The more the time passed, the closer we were and the happier I was.
I wanted him to invite me to go out. One day, he did.
It was a party in a villa of a residential area in Denver. It was a beautiful house with a swimming pool. I didn't know a lot of people, I was feeling a bit lost but when I saw him I was no longer feeling that way. He smiled to me and came toward me. But I realized that he wasn't alone. A beautiful, tall, blond and blue-eyed girl was holding his hand. The type of girl that everyone likes.
He was talking to me but I wasn't listening to him. The only thing which concerned me was him holding her hand. I was so disappointed, I just left. I wanted to go home but something was holding me back. So I stayed. All this party I hid in the garden. At the end Rick came to me, I didn't say a word, I was so ashamed of my behaviour.
'She is not my girlfriend, you know.', he said.
We looked at each other for a while and he kissed me.



Time passed and everything was fine. But we didn’t expect something bad to happen...
We were kissing and my mother surprised us... We argued with my mother because I didn’t want my father to know. Once calmed, anger down, she realized that it was meaningless. We finally discuss and laugh.
She would love to meet and get to know him. She even offer a brunch for a business trip with my father.
A student's high school .... surprised the couple on the porch.
The rumours began in high school, first they looked at me one weird, then they began to laugh, a laugh at me, insult me and now some are waiting for me at the output classes to hit me. I remember once, when he covered my head, tied his hands and beat me. They leave me alone on a beach with my pain..

I was lying on the sand and I was wondering why they did this to me. I was hurt, my leg was bleeding, I had a headache, I was breathless… I felt I was dying. And in the distance I heard Rick’s voice “James! James! Oh God! What happened to you!…” he shouted. He untied me and he embraced me in his arm. I felt his tear on my shoulders. “It’s okay, I’m here now … Everything is going to be alright” he cried, and he took me in his car to drive me home. “These guys shouted at me, and they told me that my girlfriend was waiting for me on the beach.”
We arrived in front of my house, I didn’t want to come in, I was so afraid of my mother’s reaction … I felt my heartbeat pounding, but he was here to calm me down. He was whispering at my ear : “ Don’t worry, your father is not at home, and I think your mother is sleeping. We are going to enter by the back door, nobody is going to see us.”
But the back door was in the garden, and we saw my father drinking and smoking.
We were both surprised. We said at the same time: “What are you doing here?”
“My business trip was cancelled, I came home earlier”, my father said. “And you? Why are you in such a pitiful state?!” …. I was speechless, he looked at me and he asked me what happened. I didn’t answer his question, so he asked Rick.
“I can’t tell you anything sir, I’m sorry.”
My father came in my direction, he shook me, and he looked in my eyes, and said calmly : “You are my son, you can tell me anything, I will always be there for you.”
“Some guys hit me”
“Why?” he asked.
I had no choice, I had to tell him: - “Because I am gay … I’m in love with him. I’m sorry, dad. It’s my choice” … And suddenly he slapped me.

Now, I am living at Rick’s house. Since then I haven’t seen my father nor my mother. My father doesn’t let her see me. We plan to get married in a few months, but it’s not allowed here, so we will marry in the State of Michigan.

mardi 16 novembre 2010

Welcome!

You're part of a collaborative writing project between Lycée La Plaine de Neauphle and Lycée Marie Laurencin.
Your task is to write a short story about the different forms of discrimination (sexism, racism, homophobia and religious discrimination).
Let your imagination work!