The Silence of the Night

The Silence of the Night

Suzanne Marsh

“It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, and it was almost dark.” Laura Giovanni crept slowly back to the tenement where she lived. Fear welled within her; her Da would want the money she earned working in a sweatshop. She opened the door, praying he was passed out on the floor. Her Da opened his eyes:

“Where is your money, girl?” As he said that, he began to pull off his belt, folding it into a strap. She knew he meant to beat her again. She hated him; he was not her real Da, he was someone her drunken ma had brought home several months ago. He lumbered toward her, and she ran out the door, running to get away from this evil man. She ran toward an old red brick building, went inside, and removed the money she was hoarding. She had to leave tonight, Christmas Eve.

Hiding in plain sight in “Little Italy” was simple or so Laura thought. She paused to take one last look at the shabby apartment she shared with her ma and Da. The smell alone was terrible, but mixed with booze and some kind of white powder that her Da used. There were only two things she could count on, herself and her dead grandma. She decided living on the streets with other children would be better than having to give up all her wages to Da.

Sarah Masserati, Laura’s friend, told her about the children who lived on the street and slept in alleys on Mulberry Street. She found the alley that Sarah described to her, and she prayed she would be safe here. The alley was home to several of the Masserati children: Sarah’s two older brothers and one younger brother. Laura did not question Sarah as to why the four of them were living in the alley, but somehow she felt safer here. Sarah warned her that the police checked the alleys but never bothered the children. She wanted to tell Sarah why she wanted to be out on the street, but decided against that for the moment.

Laura’s Da, when he realized she was missing, began asking questions: had anyone seen Laura, the little thief who ran away? Word on Mulberry Street was that Laura Giovanni had run away; people had no idea who she was or why the lumbering fool of a man was attempting to find her. Huddled in a corner of the alley, Laura shook with fear that Da would continue looking for her. Scraps of food were hard to come by, but the “street Arabs’ were very proficient at stealing food from carts. They stole fruit, anything they could quickly hide in their pockets. Laura was ten years of age, as were her constituents here in the alley they called home.

Snow began to fall in early December; Laura shivered as she began to cry. Her hands were blue and red; all she had was the light shawl she took from the squalid apartment she had lived in with Ma and Da. Sarah found an old wool jacket and gave it to Laura. Laura knew she had to work to survive, so she found employment in a sweatshop in a living room. The dank room smelled of booze; the women there sewed and shivered, and there was never a fire in the fireplace. Laura asked one of the women why there was never a fire: “Because the man who runs this shop has treasure hidden behind the fireplace.” She cackled. Laura hoped to find Sarah to tell her about the “treasure”.

Sarah listened as Laura began:

“The sweat shop I work for there is some sort of treasure hidden behind the fireplace.”

Sarah called her brothers over to her:

“Laura, repeat what you just told me.”

“There is some sort of treasure hidden behind the fireplace.”

The brothers inquired if she could let them in providing everyone else was gone. Laura thought about that for several moments:

“Yes, I think there is a way to get the three of you in there. Take a job there, see if we can

determine where the treasure is. Then, when everyone has gone for the day, the treasure will

be ours for the taking.”

Laura went to sleep that night dreaming of being rich. She could picture herself rich beyond even her wildest expectations. Gowns of pure gold, furs to keep her warm as she strolled up Fifth Avenue, to her brownstone mansion. Oh, how lovely it would be. She would not have to sleep on the hard, cold cement, in a nice, warm bed; how wonderful that thought was.

The next morning, the brothers went with Laura to the sweatshop where she worked. The women were sewing scraps of material into different items. The brothers glanced at each other. Neither of them knew how to sew. They sat down as close to Laura as space would allow. Laura quietly picked up several scraps of material and began sewing. The brothers watched in fascination as Laura threaded several extra needles, then gave each brother several scraps to sew. They followed what Laura showed, promptly sticking fingers with needles.

Five o’clock came quickly, and everyone scrambled out of the shop except for the brothers and Laura. Sarah promised to meet them there, and she would stand guard outside. The brothers produced small hammers and chisels. They found a loose brick removing it. There was a lever, and one of the brothers pulled it. The fireplace moved slowly, creaking and groaning as if it had not been moved in years.

The treasure was not just gold pieces but furs and dresses, warm jackets. The brothers and Laura walked slowly into the large room. Strange, the clothing was not the fashion of their day; it appeared to be very old. Laura hoped they would just grab anything worth money and leave.

Laura, remember that it was Christmas Eve, a few gold coins would purchase them clean beds and baths. Laura knew they were stealing, that it was wrong. She decided she would just take what was n necessary for her to survive. The brothers began to take the gold coins when Sarah whistled. The brothers grabbed as much as their pockets would allow, as did Laura.

On Christmas day, the brothers, Sarah, and Laura sat down to a meal fit for a wealthy merchant. The group went their separate ways. Laura, who used to gold coins to live a better life, also thought she should be very thankful no one had called the police. She distributed food to the women there each Christmas for the rest of her life. During her lifetime, Laura changed her name from Giovanni to Johns. She kept her promise she made when they stole the gold coins; she returned to the sweat shop with food for the ladies who worked there. Laura found peace that Christmas.