The Trunk

by Tony Talbot

Holocaust short story about a young boy who hides in a trunk.

11 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2010

About the author

Tony Talbot started writing short stories in 2008, after a dream he had and couldn't shake; Finally his wife told him to write it down or stop talking about it.

He wrote his first Young Adult novel, Over the Mountain, in 2008, and has completed several others and a growing raft of short stories since.

He lives in a village in Leicestershire UK, with an American wife he met online and a cat called Boo. As well as writing, he enjoys reading, playing on the Wii-U and not getting enough exercise.

Over the Mountain - 2008
Taken - 2009
American Girl - 2011
Eight Mile Island - 2012
Medusa - 2014

Reviews

[Sitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The view of some days through the eyes of a five year old Jewish boy in a concentration camp. Children go with an innocence through the world, they trust people with a kind look not knowing that behind this friendly mask hides someone with cruel intentions.

[Mollydee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say about this short story. It is about a mother during WWII trying to hide her child because they are Jewish and the armies are getting closer. She tells her little boy who is charming and funny and has a lot of questions but is a good boy, a big boy at five years old according to him, and listens to his mommy.

Once he is in the trunk he recognizes somethings as his mother moves the trunk around. Until one day the "greycoats" come in and the trunk goes somewhere else. I do not want to tell you where that would spoil it.

I write drabbles so I know how hard it is to convey deep emotion in 100 words and there is no difference here. The writer conveyed many emotions in few words and got the job done. I was so upset at the end and filled with hate too. This was my experience.

I suggest you take five minutes and read this story. It will move you.

[Lynxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Trunk gives us a quick glimpse inside the world of a five year old boy who is hidden inside a trunk. His mother tells him to be like a mouse, quiet and hidden.

He's a very good little boy. But it did make me imagine Moody's Trunk...



The story leaves us at a point that gives us a little hope, but also a little dread. What will happen to him?

The short story does manage to elicit emotion in just a few pages. A testament to Tony's great writing style.

[Di P.]

disturbing. deeply disturbing, though could have been much more so if fleshed out. too short-- for the end to be even remotely believable and not produce a detached response, the final character introduced IMHO needed *some* amount of development and/or explanation. As was, it produces a response somewhere between "huh?" and "seriously??"

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downloaded by accident!

Thought this was a full novel and was surprised to have gotten a short story. Nevertheless, it was a good one.