Surviving the War by Adiva Geffen

Author:Adiva Geffen [Geffen, Adiva]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473580947
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2020-02-25T00:00:00+00:00

16

They left the ghetto in the middle of the night. It was dark outside. Although it was still summer, the sky was covered by heavy clouds as though a heavy rain might fall at any moment. Only the lights of houses in the village glittered in the distance and dotted the mountains with pale points of light.

The world was still asleep.

The little children slept too.

They wrapped Irena in a big wool blanket, rolling her as though she were a package. She wore a black knitted hat that covered her face and her shoes were tied with a rope so that they would not fall off. One could not live in the forest without shoes.

Shurka sat in the wagon, holding little Yitzhak tightly in her arms. Avraham covered the three of them with a big blanket.

Devorah, whose pregnancy was not yet showing, walked alongside the men who pulled the wagon after them. They had built it by hand throughout the previous month from scraps they had found – pieces of wood and rickety wheels. They loaded it with the equipment they had managed to acquire and that was absolutely necessary. Blankets, coats, clothes, food for a few days and cooking utensils – everything that Avraham instructed them to bring.

Click-clack, the wooden wheels thumped as they bounced over the stones of the ghetto street.

Click-clack, answered the sounds of their steps.

The wind whistled in their ears and sometimes they heard the cry of a raven or dogs barking. Sometimes shots rang out in the quiet night but they kept moving and did not stop.

Another moment and they stood by the eastern gate. Nobody spoke. They knew just one thing – they had to manage to get to the meeting point at the edge of the forest before sunrise.

Quietly they passed by the Polish guard sleeping in his little hut, his eyes closed and head slumped on the back of the chair. An empty bottle of vodka stood beside him. Maybe, Shurka would consider later, her husband and father had wisely paid him with that bottle of vodka in advance. In any case, he was so drunk that he did not notice the handful of people leaving under the cover of darkness.

They passed through the first gate, then the second. One more moment – their hearts were pounding. And then they were outside. They hurried on and a moment later the city disappeared.

They headed east towards the big forest.

They walked for four hours, dragging the cart which carried Shurka and the children. Every now and then she would set Irena and Yitzhak down on a pillow, cover them and get out to help pull.

Avraham, who knew the way well, headed the procession.

Shurka was proud of her husband. Taller than everyone, with his eyes burning, he led them to freedom.

After the night, the pale first rays of light caressed their cheeks like a promise of better days to come. The ghetto slipped further behind in the distance, along with its strong smells and harsh sights.

When morning came and the sun drove the clouds away, Irena awoke.

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