The Death's Head Chess Club A Novel by John Donoghue

Author:John Donoghue [Donoghue, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atlantic Books Ltd
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Still, for some days he has been unhappy. When Yves was discharged from the K-B and assigned to the kitchens, he knew immediately that Emil had not been true to his word. Angrily, he accused Emil of betraying his trust. It was a strange form of betrayal, Emil told him, that saved the life of a friend, but Yves would not listen.

There is a rift between them and Yves has moved his bunk. Emil now shares with an Italian, a tall, taciturn man who does not respect Emil’s space.

The companionship that Emil shared with Yves is gone. Emil prays that his friend will soon forgive him. The news coming from France buoys him and he decides that when he gets back from the factory this evening, he will seek Yves out and ask again for his pardon.

On their return from the Buna complex the prisoners sense a change. The camp is fearful. Dread and foreboding stalk its pathways as the inmates are made to wait on the parade ground after evening roll call.

At the head of the Appelplatz is a gallows. Three empty nooses hang from its cross-beam. Several SS officers stand watching. The Watchmaker recognizes the tall form of Hauptsturmführer Meissner, leaning on his walking stick and looking distinctly like one who wishes he were somewhere else.

The roll call is completed unusually quickly. The Rapportführer tallies the count. It is three short. Instead of ordering a re-count, he reports to the Lagerführer who responds with a curt nod. With a flourish, the camp orchestra strikes up Mozart’s ‘Rondo alla Turca’. They play well, and some of the officers standing around the platform smile appreciatively.

There is a stirring among the men massed there, as three bruised and bloody inmates are led out, their hands tied behind them. They have ropes around their necks and they are pulled along by SS troops like dogs. The Lagerführer gives a sign that the orchestra should cease playing and mounts the steps to the scaffold. He shouts at the assembled thousands. Though only the front ranks can hear him, he knows that before the parade ground has emptied his words will have been repeated a thousand times.

‘These men are thieves,’ he yells. ‘They have been caught stealing food. This is a crime against the generosity of the German Reich, which sees fit to provide you with your daily bread. It is also a crime against you. The food they took was your food. By filling their bellies there is less for you. Such a monstrous crime calls for exemplary punishment.’

Emil is frantic. Yves was not present at the roll call. The SS men force the prisoners to lift their heads. Emil thinks he is going to be sick. The prisoner on the right is Yves.

The Rapportführer reads aloud the names and numbers of the three men. The nooses are put in place and pulled tight. The orchestra resumes its obscene parody of jollity. Stools are kicked out from underneath the condemned men and the camp watches helplessly as they kick and writhe, choking in their death throes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.