The Experiments...

What is your name?

The girl squirms, turns toward a ragged boy
standing on her left.
We call her Eva.

Eva. May I call you Eva?

A nod, hint of a smile.

And where are you from?
Silence.
Where were you born?
Confused glance at the boy.
He picks up his cap, rubs his head like an old man.
We're pretty sure she's not from Poland, no way
of knowing, though.

Her parents?
Probably dead, a shrug.

Eva, how did you survive here without
your mother?

She was a twin.

Twin?

Yes, they...keep twins alive here. For a while.

And you, Abram, are you a twin?
For now. My brother's dying over there,
waves toward the infirmary.

Your parents?

Dead. Shot. Wouldn't let us go.
He could be talking about an exam at school.

We need to see my brother
before he dies.
They turn away, hand in hand.

Wait.
I have nothing,
nothing to offer them.
Nothing I can do
to restore their homes, families.
Make them children again.

I dig in my pocket,
find two chocolates.
Shiny gold foil
flashing in the sun.

These are for you.

They accept
with small polite
smiles,
turning back
to the land of the dead.

I watch
as Abram guides Eva
gently around a puddle.

My heart aches.

I turn away.

-Julie Blackwell, "The Twins"