Thursday, October 7, 2010

New Life's Reality - 55


For days their curiosity had built
as they walked past the pad locked door
at the top of the stairs.
All wondered what the mysterious space held.
Even their father stood staring,
bolt cutters in hand.
The home owners had been taken away
to a Japanese internment camp.
What family treasures had they left behind?
_________________________



This is a Flash Fiction Friday 55

hosted by Mr. Knowitall.

For more 55's pay him a visit -


Mr. Knowitall.
________________________


The mysterious pad locked door was at the top of the stairs in a home my Mother's family rented in Hood River, Oregon. It was the early 1940's and anyone of Japanese descent was a potential spy, so off they went - entire families - to internment camps. Leaving behind homes, possessions and any semblance of a normal life. My mother lived in one of those lives left behind.

43 comments:

Brian Miller said...

wow. a scary reality when that happened...had to be for those that watched as well...nice 55 monkey!

mine is up!

Dianne said...

An event in life worthy of remembering, and stories to explore beyond the home left behind.

Katherine said...

Wow that would have been terrible for those families. How horrible to have all your earthly possessions, memorabilia etc left behind.
I don't really know much about these type of events.. I really should educate myself more. A great 55 Monkey. I will have to do mine later..gotta go to work!! Cheers

Me said...

Wow. Lots going on in these 55 words. Nicely done, MM.
-C

Anonymous said...

You ending is even meaner than the ending on the arch I finished last week.

G-Man said...

MM....
I had a friend whose parents were interned in Kansas. It sucked!
Most excellent 55.
Orange and Black are Harley-Davidsons colors.
Thanks for playing, and have a Kick Ass Week-End...G

Lisa Ursu said...

Impact!
Awesome 55.

Maude Lynn said...

Wow! That's an amazing story!

clean and crazy said...

how very hard for the people who were put out.

lime said...

oh my, this took my breath away. what an unexpected turn of events in this story.

moondustwriter said...

We had several friends who went through it; they were so gracious.
The worst part would have been the memories never made and the stigma of being an enemy when you weren't

Nicely done MM

see ya Sunday

Moon smiles

Jannie Funster said...

One movie I've only seen once but has stayed forever is The Pianist, you know the guy in it won the Oscar for it. They had a bit of warning about leaving, took some stuff. But those pad-locked, I cannot imagine those who had to leave everything suddenly. So sad.

Super-Awesome 55!!

xo

Caty said...

So much said in so few words. What a scary experience that must have been for the family that was taken away.

Anonymous said...

You draw the reader in and make them wonder, and then Wow! What a surprise ending!

Teresa

DaleTheDoll said...

They used to padlock me in all the time. My human isn't too smart. She lets me roam free...

steveroni said...

What an interesting story, and a reminder to us--the POWER of fear, paranoia.

Wonder if anyone EVER researched if there WERE any spies in the many thousands of displaced families?

Thanks for this 'different' '55', well done!

Stranger said...

Fantastic 55.
On the way to my mother's home, we must pass Manzanar, the internment camp nestled under the Sierra Nevada mountain range here in California. Sometimes we stop and stand at the cemetery pillar. So many stories are there behind bolted doors.

Charlene Amsden said...

There were families -- those left behind -- that protected the treasures of those taken away and saw that they were returned to them. An entire village in worked together and preserved on man's farm, working the land, selling the crops, and saving the money for the family on their return.

anthonynorth said...

Excellent words on man's darker side.

Deborah said...

Oh my, I'm intigued and fascinated ... and it's true, I would love to read more!

Tabor said...

Sounds like the first paragraph of a great novel! And, to find it based on something true in your life is even better.

Someone is Special said...

Interesting and scary.. Loved your 55..

--Someone Is Special--

One Prayer Girl said...

A sad piece of history, but then there is lots of that to go around. So well written.

Mine is up.

PG

the walking man said...

Steveroni...No spies were ever found in the Japanese community that were imprisoned but between 5000-6000 Japanese-Americans renounced their US citizenship and returned to Japan. Most of the interned, including them who volunteered for US Military service, lost everything and when they went back to claim their land or property after the war they were not allowed to have it back. Whoever had possession of it at wars end was made legal title holder.

The Germans and Italians on the other hand were simply ordered to move away from the coastlines X number of miles they were never imprisoned unless it was as POW's.

drybottomgirl said...

You evoked both curiosity and dread within me. I wanted to know but didn't. The Japenese internment camps has always been a strange thing for me to understand....I guess, I can see it from both sides......

TALON said...

What a fabulous 55! Drew me in and then sort of broke my heart.

mrsnesbitt said...

Wow! You punched 55 explosives there! Wow!
Awesomely moving!

My 55 is up - be it later than normal.

Claudia said...

this was a scary 55 monkeyman..and very well written..

Anonymous said...

Well written my friend. I was shocked at the ending. Didn't see that coming. Loved this. Have a great weekend :)

Bubba said...

Truth is stranger than fiction, and we're no better today when it comes to prejudice and paranoia.

Interesting 55, MM!

Lulda Casadaga said...

a great historical 55...so many untold stories related to WWII. :(

MorningAJ said...

That's really quite disturbing.

Steve Isaak said...

Politically-charged (without being preachy or screechy), simple imagery revealing larger unsettling, echoic-of-current-events truths. Potent work, my friend. :)

Susan at Stony River said...

Oh my goodness -- what a story for the family and for your mother. People have lived through such terrible things, it certainly makes us look at our own lives with fresh insight, doesn't it?

Great 55 Monkey Man; what a moment before that door.

Marla said...

Wow.....how very sad.

RNSANE said...

Those were very sad times and very shameful ones as well.

RNSANE said...

Those were very sad times and very shameful ones as well.

PattiKen said...

That's a moment in our history we acted shamefully. Powerful 55, MM.

hope said...

And will we discover the treasures left behind during one of America's brain fart periods? :)

Matty said...

You know that curiosity killed the cat.

Claudya Martinez said...

I was in a play that dealt with the subject of internment camps and many people of Japanese decent losing their farmlands when they were taken to the camps. I had the pleasure of meeting people that had been in the camps and I was overwhelmed by their generosity, kindness, strength, and lack of bitterness. I felt truly honored to be able to hear their stories. Having them in the audience was an unbelievable experience. It remains to this day one of the best theater experiences that I have ever had. I learned so much. I find it appalling that I made it through high school and never learned about the internment camps. There are some things that we as a nation should never forget and this is one of them.

Claudya Martinez said...

I linked to you today.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

This was very powerful. I see I've been missing out by not following your blog, so I'm about to remedy that - thanks to Unknown Mami.
Cheers,
xoRobyn