Boy with a White Flag by Strick Karl Heinz & Strick & Frances L

Author:Strick, Karl Heinz & Strick & Frances L. [Strick, Karl Heinz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biographies
Publisher: Karl Heinz Strick
Published: 2011-08-20T22:00:00+00:00

Dear Anne & Andreas,

We are leaving to be with Christine; so, two less people for you to worry about.

Best of luck, Gretchen

We slipped out the front gate unnoticed, and walked down the hill on the road toward Overath. The air was dry and chilly; a full moon provided ample light. The stream of refugees traveling toward us had slowed to a trickle, and most of these tired people were too self-absorbed to pay much attention to us. In any case, this was not the time to take up with strangers; however, the occasional weary traveler we met told us we were going in the wrong direction, and that the Americans were right behind them. Mutter simply replied, "Thank you—we know."

At first I kept my right hand in my pocket, clutching my pocketknife to give me courage, but after a while I decided it was silly to think that a pocket knife would provide effective protection against soldiers with guns. I stopped and cut a switch from a roadside bush, then made it into a pole by trimming off the twigs. I attached my white handkerchief to the top. Hoisting the little white flag over my shoulder, I ran to catch up with Mutter. We laughed at this ridiculous symbol of capitulation, but it made both of us feel a little more secure.

We traveled very light—the rucksack on my back contained only a few items of clothing. Mutter explained we would not stay long at Christine's place. The whole idea was to get away temporarily from the explosive situation created by the presence of soldiers near Onkel Andreas' house.

At Fischermühle, we left the main road, and Mutter started to worry about getting lost in the dark. Sure enough, the moon was barely able to penetrate the thick canopy of trees over the path, but once my eyes adjusted to the sparse light, I managed to see enough to keep us on the right track. As expected, we did not meet a single soul on our way up the hill. The climb seemed shorter than on the first trip because this time we knew where we were going. As we got closer, I cautioned Mutter to be quiet.

"This path runs directly through the ravine where the bunker is. They can't see us unless they're outside, but they can hear our voices."

"That's all right," she said. "If they hear us, they'll know we're here and then they can help us find them."

"What if they don't want us to find them?" I retorted.

"You clever fox—how could I be so stupid as to not think of that? But how can we find them?" she worried.

"Five people make more noise than the two of us. If we're quiet, we'll hear them," was all I could suggest.

The possibility of not finding the bunker was now our biggest worry. I scanned every ridge above us, regretting not having memorized a cluster of trees or bushes near the bunker. Mutter was already working up to a peak of anxiety, so I kept my concerns to myself.

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