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Dying by Numbers
Guilt. The heaviest burden.
An old man has for many years borne a weight that runs deeper than survivor’s guilt. He is a survivor, of humanity’s darkest hour, but wouldn’t have lived through it if not for the actions of another.
Now he has the opportunity for which he has long yearned: to meet his saviour’s daughter and tell her about her father’s supreme act of selflessness. And maybe, in the telling, one of them will find release.
An old man has for many years borne a weight that runs deeper than survivor’s guilt. He is a survivor, of humanity’s darkest hour, but wouldn’t have lived through it if not for the actions of another.
Now he has the opportunity for which he has long yearned: to meet his saviour’s daughter and tell her about her father’s supreme act of selflessness. And maybe, in the telling, one of them will find release.
- GenresHolocaustShort Stories
18 pages, ebook
Published January 29, 2018
23 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Sam Kates
17 books86 followersMy name is Sam Kates, at least when it comes to writing fiction. If there’s a photo on this page of a middle-aged bloke with a hair shortage, that’s me.
I live in Wales, a small constituent country of Great Britain and the U.K. Like many of my fellow countrymen, I possess a fondness for rugby union (though these days only as a spectator) and a good pint of beer. Usually the two go hand in hand.
My tastes in reading and film tend toward the darker side of life and the fantastic. Little surprise, then, that the fiction I write is usually science fiction and fantasy with a decidedly dark flavour, or outright horror.
Outside of writing, my main ambition is to see Wales beat the New Zealand All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup. A forlorn hope, I suspect, but if you're going to harbour ambitions, they might as well be lofty, right?
I live in Wales, a small constituent country of Great Britain and the U.K. Like many of my fellow countrymen, I possess a fondness for rugby union (though these days only as a spectator) and a good pint of beer. Usually the two go hand in hand.
My tastes in reading and film tend toward the darker side of life and the fantastic. Little surprise, then, that the fiction I write is usually science fiction and fantasy with a decidedly dark flavour, or outright horror.
Outside of writing, my main ambition is to see Wales beat the New Zealand All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup. A forlorn hope, I suspect, but if you're going to harbour ambitions, they might as well be lofty, right?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 10, 2023
A very short story, that brings to life the horrors for a group of inmates in Auschwitz concentration camp. It tells of the generosity, kindness and courage of one inmate in particular, for his companion. Sad, and powerful, (and for such a short read), it manages to give a good sense of the main protagonist, and the horrors that he and others had to suffer. Stories such as these, are ones that we should never forget.
January 25, 2021
A very short and poignant story about a Holocaust survivor, Samuel, who has been searching for over thirty years for Helena, the daughter of Joseph, his friend and fellow inmate at Birkenau. After the Soviet liberation of the camp, Samuel placed advertisements in newspapers, hired detectives, and searched registers and parish records to find Helena, to unburden himself of guilt and the debt he owes her father. Samuel's daughter, Rachel, eventually locates Helena, introduces the two, and translates her father's story
Samuel and Joseph managed to survive in Birkenau until the last weeks of the WWII. The Soviets were only a few weeks or days away from closing in on the Nazi concentration camp. This was not a time for prisoners’ dreams of rescue, but rather witness to the accelerated Nazi horror of mass murder before fleeing the approaching Soviet troops. The execution squads, gas chambers, and crematoriums could not work fast enough; the corpse cellars were full and Mengele’s “medical center” had no more room for “patients”.
Samuel and Joseph devise a plan by which one of them might be saved in order to search for the other’s family after the war. The numbers in the title refer to the numbers tattooed on the prisoners’ arms or pinned to their clothing. It is a clever, courageous plan, where one of the men will be sacrificed to save the other.
This story is so believable that it feels as though it might actually have occurred, and it is heart-wrenching.
Dying by Numbers is a freely available download from Kindle (does not count against KU loans).
Samuel and Joseph managed to survive in Birkenau until the last weeks of the WWII. The Soviets were only a few weeks or days away from closing in on the Nazi concentration camp. This was not a time for prisoners’ dreams of rescue, but rather witness to the accelerated Nazi horror of mass murder before fleeing the approaching Soviet troops. The execution squads, gas chambers, and crematoriums could not work fast enough; the corpse cellars were full and Mengele’s “medical center” had no more room for “patients”.
Samuel and Joseph devise a plan by which one of them might be saved in order to search for the other’s family after the war. The numbers in the title refer to the numbers tattooed on the prisoners’ arms or pinned to their clothing. It is a clever, courageous plan, where one of the men will be sacrificed to save the other.
This story is so believable that it feels as though it might actually have occurred, and it is heart-wrenching.
Dying by Numbers is a freely available download from Kindle (does not count against KU loans).
July 19, 2018
A short but poignant story about world war two and the horrors of the prisoner of war camps.
Very well written and I could feel the fear as the prisoners where lined up in front of the trenches waiting to die.
The many people who died in the gas chambers,the starvation and the fear that they all endured.
Everyone should read stories like this in the hope that history does not repeat itself.
This book was free on Kobo but if you read it you will probably need tissues as I certainly did.
Very well written and I could feel the fear as the prisoners where lined up in front of the trenches waiting to die.
The many people who died in the gas chambers,the starvation and the fear that they all endured.
Everyone should read stories like this in the hope that history does not repeat itself.
This book was free on Kobo but if you read it you will probably need tissues as I certainly did.
February 25, 2018
This is a short story but it is definitely well written. This story sucks you in and you can feel the emotions of the characters. It like you are right there with the main character going through what he was feeling. Definitely can’t wait to read more from this author.
February 9, 2018
From the title, this sounded like a murder mystery, but the cover conveys the truth. It’s short, maybe eighteen pages, but it packs so much in. A survivor of one of the death camps, with the help of his daughter, has found the daughter of one of his companions in the camp. One who didn’t survive.
For such a short story, this is complex and poignant. It packs so much into the present and the memories of the time in the camps. Things are never simple. Really well worth the short time it will take you to read. It’s free and gives you a real flavour of the author’s writing.
For such a short story, this is complex and poignant. It packs so much into the present and the memories of the time in the camps. Things are never simple. Really well worth the short time it will take you to read. It’s free and gives you a real flavour of the author’s writing.
December 31, 2019
Short but very good.
September 2, 2024
This is a 4.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 5 🌟
Absolutely heart-wrenching ...... but we must NEVER forget.
Absolutely heart-wrenching ...... but we must NEVER forget.
November 12, 2020
Very short
A very short story. There was no background on any of the characters but felt too fast and short. I like short stories but it felt like it had skipped to the middle of the story to an abrupt end. It felt less like a story and more like reading a conversation between two people. Three stars for effort to include real events. I am glad it was free as I would never have brought a story this short.
A very short story. There was no background on any of the characters but felt too fast and short. I like short stories but it felt like it had skipped to the middle of the story to an abrupt end. It felt less like a story and more like reading a conversation between two people. Three stars for effort to include real events. I am glad it was free as I would never have brought a story this short.
April 6, 2023
Harrowing but a good story
I’ve always been interested in stories about the prisoners of Auschwitz and this one is no different.
Although it is only a short story, it drew me in and I needed to know what the secret was. Although I don’t think that it particularly needed the two timelines with it being such a short story, but it didn’t detract too much from the flow of the story although at the start it wasn’t particularly clear which timeline we were on.
I’ve always been interested in stories about the prisoners of Auschwitz and this one is no different.
Although it is only a short story, it drew me in and I needed to know what the secret was. Although I don’t think that it particularly needed the two timelines with it being such a short story, but it didn’t detract too much from the flow of the story although at the start it wasn’t particularly clear which timeline we were on.
March 15, 2020
This story shows the courage people had when faced with little hope and the sacrifices they are prepared to make for their fellow man even in the face of terrible odds,It also shows the bravery and the need to survive to let others know the truth.It also shows the terrible burden and demons of survivors!
July 7, 2020
NEVER AGAIN!!
This story was hauntingly well written. The writer did a good job of writing a story like this. People and nations tend to forget the evil that was done. We cannot allow what was done here to ever be forgotten. If we fail to learn from history it will most certainly repeat itself. A big THANK YOU to the author for helping us to NEVER FORGET.
This story was hauntingly well written. The writer did a good job of writing a story like this. People and nations tend to forget the evil that was done. We cannot allow what was done here to ever be forgotten. If we fail to learn from history it will most certainly repeat itself. A big THANK YOU to the author for helping us to NEVER FORGET.
December 31, 2022
A great piece of writing
To be honest, I chose this because it is short and I needed to get my numbers up for the Goodreads reading challenge. It is marketed as fiction, although the contents of the story could have been real. It took less than half an hour to read, but this story will stay with me for a very long time.
To be honest, I chose this because it is short and I needed to get my numbers up for the Goodreads reading challenge. It is marketed as fiction, although the contents of the story could have been real. It took less than half an hour to read, but this story will stay with me for a very long time.
April 23, 2023
Having previously met survivors of Auschwitz its a topic that invokes a lot of feelings for me. This is a story of bravery but of a life then lived with regret. I think there are lots of things we will never know of the working of this awful place and that we need to learn as a group how not to let this happen again.
April 9, 2019
Powerful and heartbreaking to see the survivors guilt it’s hard to believe it’s only a few pages long you get a sense of the protagonist quickly and feel like you know him intimately in so short a time
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2020
Very moving
An excellent short story by Sam kates.. I have read and re-read the earth haven trilogy and loved the. This is a new story for me. I loved it. It made me think and saddened me at the same time.
An excellent short story by Sam kates.. I have read and re-read the earth haven trilogy and loved the. This is a new story for me. I loved it. It made me think and saddened me at the same time.
February 12, 2018
Short
Decent little book. Could have made into a full book. I enjoyed but probulary wont read again
Too short i suppose
Decent little book. Could have made into a full book. I enjoyed but probulary wont read again
Too short i suppose
August 2, 2019
A very well written short story. I enjoyed reading it but it was also very emotional. Not alot to say due to the length but I would recommend it
October 23, 2019
AMAZING
This book has an amazing story i can early day it is worth reading .I'm defiantly going to be reading more of her books
This book has an amazing story i can early day it is worth reading .I'm defiantly going to be reading more of her books
November 7, 2019
Sad
Sad...short and sweet...you never think about the after life of Auschwitz. People lost, some found but some are not. Read!
Sad...short and sweet...you never think about the after life of Auschwitz. People lost, some found but some are not. Read!
January 4, 2020
A very short story but extremely well written about WW2 camp, would definitely recommend
February 13, 2020
Very short ten minute read. Worth a go.
March 12, 2020
Numbers up
Very descriptive account of what it must have been like and the tremendous hardships that were rushed out to the unfortunate souls
Very descriptive account of what it must have been like and the tremendous hardships that were rushed out to the unfortunate souls
May 17, 2020
Sad but true
Wonderful story ,so we'll written, so sad , heart breaking , so glad I read it ,you should read it to
Wonderful story ,so we'll written, so sad , heart breaking , so glad I read it ,you should read it to
July 28, 2020
Regrets
A compelling short story that is emotive. Covering over several decades, it makes every word count, with no waste at all.
A compelling short story that is emotive. Covering over several decades, it makes every word count, with no waste at all.
October 8, 2020
What an amazing short story! Superb
A must read
A must read
March 11, 2022
My full review can be found here: https://thereadingwife.com/dying-by-n...
September 29, 2024
For as short as this was, wow I did NOT see that twist coming! Hard to get into who’s who in the beginning, but by the end it was a very moving piece.
February 11, 2025
In just 18 pages, Sam Kates managed to suck me into the story and make me cry.
December 31, 2020
Hauntingly beautiful.
A tale that I believe all should read at least once. A short story that really brings to life the horror and atrocities that were performed during WW2. The tale is one of grief, blame and determination. Have a tissue handy as you will need it.
A tale that I believe all should read at least once. A short story that really brings to life the horror and atrocities that were performed during WW2. The tale is one of grief, blame and determination. Have a tissue handy as you will need it.
May 16, 2025
Very short! Only 18 pages. Two timelines then and now. Has the potential to be good but it was just far too short. I wish it had more detail about Samuel and Joseph. Fictional but based loosely on true events (Auschwitz)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews