No one left and no one came on the bare platform. Many years ago, it was a sad and dangerous place to stand. No one wanted to be there, everyone squashed together watching helplessly as the children were wrestled from their parents and grandparents were shoved in another direction.
The feeble and sick were immediately pushed into a separate platform. All had heard the rumors and the uniforms in charge were proving them to be true. Everyone was holding each other as belongings were ripped away and thrown into bins to be collected and sorted later. Anything of value was confiscated.
It seemed hell had opened up and the faithful and faithless were all together, some murmuring prayers to their gods. It seemed they weren’t looking down on them in those days, keeping them safe, answering prayers lifted for help, compassion. Not those days.
***
144 words
https://dversepoets.com/2020/04/13/prosery-edward-thomas/#like-19706
The Bag Lady 
The truth of those terrible times is difficult to comprehend, even for those of us who know some who’d endured it first hand.
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An aching ending here. Struggling yet to understand how such things came to pass.
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Thanks for reading.
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Terrible times. You tell the story so simply – its enough, doesn’t need embellishment. The ending is so good. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you!
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