Greenfield Recorder – My train: A dream of Donald Trump and Anne Frank

I recently had a dream and want to tell you about it. I had read Anne Frank's diary, which I occasionally do. I have a copy of it on my bedside table together with some other books that I have always retired. And lately I have had the need to visit Anne Frank's writing from the “secret appendix” with everything in the news about Donald Trump and his authoritarian ways.

So I lay on my bed and read from her diary when I took for a while. I remember that I got into my car and drove to Washington DC to visit the White House. I brought a book to read while I was waiting in line, and after a while I was led down a long carpet path with the other visitors when I suddenly saw an arrow on the oval office. I don't know if someone else saw it, but I still stepped back from the line and went to where the arrow showed. And after about a minute I came to these two large brown wooden doors with an oval office, which she painted in golden characters. Nobody stood there or protected the room, and since one of the doors was open a little, I put my head in to see what I could see.

Well, I think I have to have felt really curious, because before I knew I had stepped in for a better look. And after I scanned all around, had looked at the large windows and all the chairs around the largest desk I had ever seen, I realized that the president himself, Donald Trump, sat there and looked directly at me. “Who are you? What do I do here, I haven't asked you to come in?” He had a loud and booming voice! And know what, I would have said the same thing if I had been the president, but not with the same booming voice.

I told him my name that I was there on a tour and when I saw a sign that pointed to the Oval Office, I just had to take a look at it. “And besides,” I said: “I have a book that I can give them. Do you want to see what it is?” He somehow looked at me and said: “A book – what do you mean by a book, how what JD vance wrote?” I said that what I brought with me was different, but that he might still want to look at it. “Why should I read your book and who are you at all?” he said. I said that I had voted in the last elections, and although I hadn't written this book, it was really famous for how it was, but for various reasons. And then he got up very big and told me I should give it to him and I did it.

“Anne Frank's diary, what about it and why should I read it anyway?” “Well, Sir, Mr. President, when you saw how you are one of the most important men in the world, I thought that you should know about one of the most important books in the world if you don't know yet.” “Yes, I heard about it,” he said, “but I have a lot to do and no time to read such books.” “I am working on making America great again. So why should I stop doing it to read that?” I said, “I am sorry, Sir, I didn't want to stop her from working. But I thought that millions of people have read this book all over the world for over five and seventy years, you shouldn't miss your chance of knowing what you know. I think I just try to help you, Herr President, Sir, Sir.”

Well, we both were only there without one of us only saying a word for a few seconds when he suddenly said: “In order, I will take the book, but I am busy and you have to get out of here.” And then I said: “Thank you, Mr. President, I will watch her on TV and I will keep my hopes for the best” and left the oval office with him alone, but also with the book.

And that was my dream.

Russell Pirkot lives in Greenfield.