Page 135 - Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

straight to the far end of the compound. The door banged
behind them ominously.
Rivka let out a ragged breath, and turned to Hannah.
"Anyone who cannot get out of bed today will be cho-
sen," she said. Her voice was soft but matter-of-fact.
"Chosen for what?" Hannah asked, though she'd al-
ready guessed.
"Chosen for processing."
"You mean chosen for death," Hannah said. Then
suddenly she added, "Hansel, let out your finger, that
I may see if you are fat or lean."
"Do not use that word aloud," Rivka cautioned.
"Which word?" asked Hannah. "Finger? Fat?
Lean?"
Rivka sighed. "Death," she said.
"But why?" asked Shifre, her pale face taking color
from the question. "Why will some be chosen?"
"Because they cannot work," said Rivka. "And
work . . " Her voice became very quiet and, for the
.
first time, Hannah heard a bitterness in it. "Because
work macht frei."
"And because he enjoys it!" added Leye, coming
over to see why they were not working.
"But do not let them hear you use the word death.
Do not let them hear you use the word corpse. Not
even if one lies at'your feet," Rivka warned. "A person
is not killed here, but chosen. They are not cremated
in the ovens, they are processed. There are no corpses,
only pieces of drek, only shmattes, rags."
. "But why?" asked Hannah.
"Why?" Leye said. "Because what is not recorded

128