Santa Claus on an Overcrowded Train
by Henrik Eger
In 1946, Martin, his 28 year old mother, and his 2 year old sister, with everything they own in two suitcases, move north to Cologne. During the train journey, Martin witnesses death and experiences deception at the hands of a “good Samaritan."
Summary
“Santa Claus in an Overcrowded Train” is based on the experiences of Martin, a little boy who, with his mother and younger sister, left a small village in Bavaria where they had taken refuge during WW II.
This journey in 1946, on a northbound train to the Rhineland, shows the desperation and poverty of the post-war period, when people were frantically hunting for food, clothing, and anything they could lay their hands on.
The shocking experience at the beginning of the train journey is magnified upon the arrival of the little family in bombed-out Cologne, when Martin is confronted by a grandfatherly man who changes the little boy's perception of Good Samaritans. However, the story ends with a moving surprise.
This journey in 1946, on a northbound train to the Rhineland, shows the desperation and poverty of the post-war period, when people were frantically hunting for food, clothing, and anything they could lay their hands on.
The shocking experience at the beginning of the train journey is magnified upon the arrival of the little family in bombed-out Cologne, when Martin is confronted by a grandfatherly man who changes the little boy's perception of Good Samaritans. However, the story ends with a moving surprise.
Excerpt
And suddenly it got dark. They heard terrible screams coming from the roof of their wagon, and Martin thought he heard something crashing down. It was like suitcases falling from the roof, but he had not seen any suitcases or trunks, just men crouching on top of the overcrowded train in München.
He didn’t know what had happened to them in the tunnel. All he could hear were muffled cries from the people around him, “Oh, mein Gott, oh, mein Gott.”
And then it became quiet again, except for the metal wheels of the train hitting the rails in the long tunnel.
He didn’t know what had happened to them in the tunnel. All he could hear were muffled cries from the people around him, “Oh, mein Gott, oh, mein Gott.”
And then it became quiet again, except for the metal wheels of the train hitting the rails in the long tunnel.
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