“One report told of a mother who lay dying beside her children, already dead for several days. She had tried to keep them alive until the end, but there was nothing left to give them. When officials finally entered the hut, no food of any kind was found.”
***
“In some villages, whole families died one after another, the smallest children first. Neighbours were often too weak or frightened to help. Houses stood locked with the dead inside, or else the doors were left open when no one remained alive to close them.”
***
“In one home, a small boy lay with his head against his mother’s arm, as if sleeping. Days had passed since either had taken a breath. Those who found them said it looked as though he had tried, until the very end, to stay close enough to feel her warmth.”
***
“A neighbour recalled opening the door to a silent house and finding a father sitting upright, as if awake, his hands resting on the table. Only when she stepped closer did she see that his children were lying at his feet, their small bodies curled together. He had stayed seated until the last moment, guarding them even when he no longer had the strength to stand.”
* Based on scenes and testimonies described in Anne Applebaum’s Red Famine, paraphrased for fair use.
Ukrainian in Philly 