Dachau

The guard just laughed, you Jews are full of lice, but worry not, we'll use the stuff that kills them fast. A thousand have gone before you, come out clean and smelling nice, impressing family and friends alike. Thus re-assured they dropped their things outside the metal doors and stripped down to the naked skin, the shy were young they huddled in the shade of rabbi beards, until the signal came, the chimney spoke belching brown smoke into the frozen sky. It was a signal and the giant doors swung wide, in silence of Teutonic precision gear, well oiled the hinges were and so the clever plan commenced to giggles of embarrassment and words, they would be clean, the children sang, and danced forgetting in their rush of joy the nakedness, some boys did stare, of course, they'd never seen breasts in the flesh and photos weren't the same. It was a happy lot that crowded in the hall, though heavy shadows of concern sprung from the walls, was all this really true a mother asked, some cried it was part fear and lack of certainty, they would be, so the teacher, who was fat and well regarded, said. And then the steam began to fall from overhead, the soothing waters though, they never ever came.