For somewhere in the midst of the chaos, there was a little girl who was dependent on him.
His little sister.
A child who is too young to understand war.
A child who is too small to survive alone.
And when everything else fell away, Aron made a decision that would determine his entire life.
He would wear it.
It doesn’t matter how far he has to travel.
It doesn’t matter how hungry he may be.
No matter how scared he may be.
He would not let her die.
When their family disappeared.
The precise details of every family affected by the war are often lost to time. Millions of people have lived through experiences that have never been fully recorded. Their stories live on in memories passed down from generation to generation.
But what clearly emerges in Aron’s story is the unimaginable responsibility that rests on the shoulders of a child.
During the final years of the Second World War, Hungary became one of the most dangerous places in Europe. Heavy fighting took place throughout the country. Cities were bombed. Armies advanced and retreated. Civilians became caught in the crossfire.
For many families, the war meant not only the destruction of their homes.
She has destroyed the whole idea of safety.
Aron’s parents were taken away during this terrible time. Suddenly, the two people who had guided him through life were no longer there.
There was no mother left to prepare food.
No longer a father who could tell him that everything would be alright.
There are no longer any adults standing between him and the dangers from the outside.
There was only Aron.
And his little sister.
She was too young to understand what had happened.
She didn’t know why the familiar voices had disappeared.
She didn’t know why the world around her had suddenly become so frightening.
The only thing she knew was that her older brother was the only one who still had her.
And Aron understood something that no ten-year-old should ever have to understand:
If he gave up, she would not survive.
