Page 82 - Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

was ragged, as if it had been used too much recently.
He had a dark blond mustache and bad teeth.
Hannah felt Gitl's arm tighten on her shoulder, and
the villagers began to murmur among themselves. Han-
nah held her breath. If she held it for long enough, she
thought she might wake up from this awful nightmare
and be back safe at her family Seder. But when she had
to let her breath out at last, she began to cough des-
perately and Gitl pounded her on the back.
" . . . lie down" was all she heard.
"What? Here? On the ground?" someone cried out.
"Of course, Jew," came the officer's voice. "And
then my men will move among you and take your papers
and jewelry for safekeeping."
"You mean for your own keeping," a man called out.
Hannah thought it might have been Shmuel.
"Who said that?' the officer asked. When no one
answered, he narrowed his eyes. "The next one who
speaks I will shoot."
There was silence so profound, Hannah wondered if
she had gone deaf.
"Now—lie down!" the officer commanded at last.
He gestured with his hand and the soldiers behind him
made the same movement with their guns. When still
no one moved, the officer very slowly and deliberately
removed the pistol from his holster and pointed it at
the feet of a man standing near the edge of the crowd.
He fired a single shot. Dirt and pebbles sprayed up and
several women screamed. A little girl cried out, "Mama,
Mama, Mama." Hannah was suddenly so cold she
couldn't move.

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