Page 92 - Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

A bucket of filthy trough water was passed around,
and everyone grabbed for it eagerly. Hannah managed
a mouthful before it was taken from her. There was
hay in that mouthful, but she didn't care. She'd never
tasted anything so sweet.
A feeble pounding came from the other boxcar.
"For God's sake," Shmuel cried out, "open the doors
for them." But the soldiers ignored him, hurrying the
bucket along.
At the second stop, they heard the grateful cries of
their neighbors as they were led from the other boxcar.
But pound as they might on the slats, their own door
remained shut.
"Monsters!" Gitl said, her voice a croak. "Mon-
sters!"
It was the last thing any of them said on the moving
train.

On the fourth day, the train slowed, the noise of its
wheels a terrifying shriek. Hannah felt hope, like a small
bubble, rise from her empty stomach. Her mouth was
so dry, she could feel her tongue as big as a sausage
between her teeth. Letting out a deep, sighing breath,
she heard echoes of that sigh all around her.
The train jerked to a stop and the silence was like a
prayer. Into that silence, the raw scraping of the doors
being pulled open was as loud as thunder. Air, fresh
air, rushed in. Hannah tried to suck in as much as she
could. .
" 'Raits, 'raus, schneller!" came the harsh command.
"Out, out, faster!"

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