Beths Hope part 2

One day I was coming down to breakfast.   Father had already left for

work.  He worked at a military camp five miles away.  Mother was so

pleased that my father was carrying on his family traditions.  His father and grandfather had both served in the German army.  Well, as I was saying, I came downstairs and could hear “the loud man”, (my name for him,) on the radio.  He was always making promises that he was going to change Germany, and he always yelled.   Mother had started to listen to him in the past couple months.   I didn’t know why, but he would say “we are strong, and we have power to change the world”.  He promised that he would help us.  He would scream at the top of his voice.  Mother said he did that to show power.  His name was Adolf Hitler.

          One day mother was making bread for Mr. Becker.  He was sitting at the table just watching her move busily around the kitchen. Mother put my breakfast in front of me.

  “After you are done, you have to do your chores”, Mother said.   “Then you may go with Mr. Becker to the shop”.

   Mr. Becker said in a low tone, “You better work fast. John is coming over

today.” John was another friend, he had not lived here all that long.  His father’s job was here so they had moved here from America. He had learned the language pretty fast.  I ate so fast I got the hiccups. As I cleaned my room, I could hear the Shetlers getting ready for church. They went to church on Saturdays instead of Sundays.  Mother called them Jews.  Father called all Jews “the devil’s people” (Which I did not understand since they were his friends).  I never called them anything but the Shetlers. Well, once I finished my chores I went over to the shop.

        I could see John on a footstool.  He was short, but older than me.  The bell rang as I opened the door, and I entered the store.  Mr. Becker was winding a clock when I walked in. 

 “Hi” I said.   They looked at me and John smiled.

“BETH!! “, he said with excitement in his voice.  “There was a rat in the grandfather clock.”

Mr. Becker had a hidden smile on his face as he acted as though he heard nothing and only focused on the clock before him as John continued.

 “Mr. Becker went in the back and got an old jar and put the jar over the rat and then scooped it up with the lid and then tossed it into the fire!! It was GREAT!” He was almost too excited I thought

  I felt kind of sorry for that rat.

  Mr. Becker turned to John taking his attention off of the clock and said “Now John, you are quite creative but you and I know it was already dead when I put it in the fire.”

 “Oh well, fine then, but it did happen”.

 I smiled. “Oh John, must you always make up stories? Can’t you just say what really happened?”

 “Okay, okay”, said Mr. Becker chuckling to himself, “That’s quite enough. Now let’s wind up these clocks, shall we?”

“Okay!!” John said excitedly, “but I get the grandfather clock”!

 “Fine”, said Mr. Becker. “What clock would you like to wind Beth?”

 I went over to the one with the baby foxes carved into the wood.   “May I do this one Mr. Becker?”  

“Oh yes, you do like this one, don’t you.”

 “Yes”, I said. The clock had a family of foxes, and they looked so happy. 

 “I wonder if those foxes ever got shot?” John said.

  I gave him a glare, “You just say things like that to annoy me don’t you John Bleacher!”

“I was just wondering”, he said, with a twinkle in his eyes, 

 “Okay you two, get to work.  We have clocks to deliver today”. 

 John and I loved to take the clocks to people’s homes, but that particular day was not the best of days.  It was snowing outside, but we decided to go anyway.  That evening was so cold I could barely feel my toes.            

       When my father came home, he looked very strange.  I had never seen him look that way before.  He took his coat and his vest off.   He kissed

mamma and then came over to me.  It was very dark.  All the lights had shut off because the snowstorm had caused a power failure, so we had a candle on the kitchen table.  He picked me up and hugged me so tightly, I could barely move

Author's Note

tell me if you want more

Reviews

[M Garcia]

Excellent..

[tynamite]

It's the time of the war, and everything seems so happy.

[KATHY SUE SILLS]

Great chapter!

[the_kate]

yes yes yes please write more!!!! this is so much like a great book i recently read! i have to know where this story goes! (sorry i'm using so many exclainamtion points!)

[Geralyn Miller]

Makes me keep reading!

[KAREN]

Really enjoyed this, that ending has got me wondering!

[Calypso]

I liked this.

[Coyote Poetry]

I swear I read this story already. It is a interesting story. Many opportunities to go with the plot. A very strong chapter.
Coyote

[Cynthia]

of course I want more!
That's a amazing story! Why don't continue it?
REALLY, MY CURIOUS IS THERE, IF YOU DON'T CONTINUE IT, i WILL THINK ABOUT IT WHOLE DAY LONG!
Please, make it continuing!