A Letter From A Garden Gnome
By: The TAG Pest, Nora O. Ridge
I am Polycarp, a garden gnome that has seen and heard all of the goings on in the lives of Friedrich Schneider and Hans Richter.
I remember when Friedrich and Hans were young, so carefree, before this horrible ordeal started. They obviously visited each other often, because I almost never saw one without the other. Soon their lives changed, for the worse.
I heard Herr Resch (the landlord) storming up the stairs one afternoon. He ordered the Schneiders out of their apartment, just because they were Jews. Herr Schneider took Herr Resch to court and evidently won, for they did not move out.
Soon after this, the pogrom, Kristallnacht, started. A mob broke into the Schneiders apartment and destroyed it, all the while ignoring the fact that Frau Schneider was dying. The Schneiders, Richters, and a Jewish doctor all tried to save her, but to no avail.
Things only got worse for Herr Schneider and Friedrich. One day when Friedrich was out, Herr Resch brought the police and arrested Herr Schneider and the Rabbi that the Schneiders were hiding in their apartment. When Friedrich came back, he found Herr Resch stealing from his home. Friedrich turned and ran out of the building.
A few days later, the air raid sirens went off, telling everyone in town to go to the shelter, which was run by Herr Resch. Friedrich tried to get in and the other people in the shelter wanted him to be let in, but one person spoke against it and no one disagreed. After the air raid, the Richters went to their apartment building, and they found Friedrich dead. A very sad end to his life.
I think what the Germans did to the Jews was outrageous. Friedrich and his family were brave to have survived as long as they did and for that I respect their memory. I very much feel this was all a horrible experience. I wish I had never witnessed it.
Sincerely,
Polycarp, the Garden Gnome