Your Jesus! My Buddha!─
Written by: Sense Chen
Translated by: Justin Huang
Time: Winter 1940
Place: Strasbourg France
In 1940, World War II was carrying on. German forces invaded France. Because Strasbourg was located near the boundary between France and Germany, it became the main target and was badly attacked by German troops. The sounds of artilleries and explosions were heard here and there. Many tall buildings were bombarded and lay in ruins. When the explosions came to a short stop, several youngsters in Khaki clothes went back and forth in the ruins with “first aid”, with their arms fastened the sign of “Red Cross”.
“There are people here!” shouted someone in the group. The other young people hurried to the spot. A weak sound “Help” was heard beneath the rubbles. The young people moved the stones away and a baby buried in the stones was rescued. They shouted with ecstasy!
“Mum! Today I rescued a kid!” Albert went home in a hurry to tell his family the good news. Not until he opened the door did he find his parents kneeling on the ground in the kitchen. They were looking at Albert in panic. Out came from behind the door a rifle aiming at his head. A soldier shouted to order him to come into the kitchen in German. Oh, my God! His house was unfortunately occupied by German troops!
It was funny to tell! Several German soldiers aimed their guns at a teenager! It seemed that weapons and high tones justified their actions! Albert went mad. His father wanted him to give up resistance for fear of danger. His kid brother burst out crying in the arms of his mother.
Albert moved slowly toward the table in the kitchen with his hands on the head. All the family used to sit around the table for meals. The seat beside his father was left unseated for their customers! His father told him: “We must learn from others!” As the boss of coal mines, he often invited friends of all walks of life to his home such as neighbors, friends, workers, and poor people. They were never lacking in fresh topics. Their dinning room was always full of laughter! To their unexpectedness, there came some intruders! Their house was conscripted for the camp of the German soldiers. All the three floors were distributed to the German soldiers. All the families were forced to live in the basement. The landlords became their servants. They were allowed to use the kitchen only after the soldiers. They could hear noisy footsteps upstairs in the basement. Every time he went upstairs, he found their belongings were getting fewer and fewer! Oh! It was the German soldiers who stole the valuables and packed them and sent them to their respective homes in Germany.
Albert’s mother just gave birth to a baby. She was weak and she had to do the serving for the German soldiers. She ate less and undernourished. She had no milk to feed his kid brother. He found that his kid brother got worse and worse. His strong-minded mother couldn’t help crying.
“Run away from here!” His father wanted Albert to get away with his kid brother to his relatives in southern France. Under the moonshine, Albert ran away with his brother on his back when the German soldiers were in sound sleep. He ran all the way to the railway station and got on the train. Only at that time did he dare to take a deep breath. The train set out in the early morning. The railway carriages were crowded with passengers. Everyone carried a package. They all looked exhausted. The thin and short Albert was pushed to the corner and he unloaded his heavy package and took out the feeding bottle. But he found the eyes of his kid brother closed tightly, with his face looking pale. He was already dead for a long time!
“Wake up! Wake up!” Albert broke out crying. He kept calling his kid brother. The train was traveling and shaking. In tears he innocently wished his kid brother might open his eyes anytime. Morning was breaking. The winter sunshine shone the train carriages bright. The face of his kid brother looked vivid in the warm sunshine.
“Wake up!” went on praying to God. The naughty boy had never been so devout. He prayed that God might forgive his wrongdoings. He also made promise for the future. He only wished that his kid brother might revive!
Suddenly his kid brother opened his eyes, clear and bright. He uttered something. “It is time to wake up! Albert! Don’t you have an appointment this morning?” His tone was gentle.
Albert woke up with a start.
The whole room was spotless and sparkling. Fr. Albert was still lying on the ground. Not until “now” did he recognize he was lying in the dormitory of Tien Education Center, Taipei. It seemed that all his missing consciousness came back to him. He struggled to try to stand up. Though he was still dizzy, his dream was clear and vivid. Especially his kid brother’s tone sounded familiar. He must have heard it somewhere. He should have been familiar with it. But how come he couldn’t remember. But he was sure that his kid brother did not revive!
What happened after that? In no way could he think it up! His head ached. The back of his head hurt badly too. “Sure! Do I not have an appointment with a Buddhist this morning? What time is it? I was not supposed to be late!”
Fr. Albert hurriedly washed his face and changed his clothes. The moment he opened the door, he strode out of his house.
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