E-Book, Englisch, 214 Seiten
ISBN: 978-1-5439-4063-3
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet/DL/kein Kopierschutz
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Prolog Mendel Lehman pulled his daughter Nadia close against his body and stooped down just beneath the lip of the culvert far enough to able to see a group of German soldiers questioning Gjon Hassan. The soldier stuck his finger into the chest of the peasant farmer hard enough that Gjon stumbled back a few inches. “What are they doing, Mendel?” “Keep your head down,” Mendel warned his wife! “Mr. Hassan is a good man. He will not tell them about us.” “What about the others, husband?” Mendel frowned. He had warned his friends weeks ago the government was helping the Germans find Jews and relocate them. “If they left when they said they would, I’m afraid they are still on the other side of the river. Nighttime will be here soon. They’ll have to pick a time to cross.” After what seemed an eternity, the Germans finally climbed back into their car and sped off. The farmer watched until the car disappeared from view and the dust from its tires settled before signaling the family it was safe to leave their hiding place. Tomorrow morning, he would lead them to another family he knew would give them safe haven a day’s walk into the interior; far enough away from the border and from search parties. One mile east of the Drin estuary, Jacob Horwitz watched as the morning sun begin to rise from the safety of a irrigation culvert overgrown with bushes. It would provide them cover for hiding while they waited for nightfall. Before him was the field they would have to cross to reach a clump of trees along the river and the Albanian border. They had spent weeks following him through treacherous mountain terrain with the hope of reaching this stand of trees at the end of a farm field and the river that stood between them and their freedom. Jacob had learned years ago from his uncle that Albania’s families held a deeply religious belief (Besa or Code of Honor) provides safe haven for those in need regardless of religion. Some Jews who risked being caught had managed to filter across the Albanian border and into the interior where they found families who welcomed them with places to hide without the fear of being reported to the German authorities. Young and unmarried, Jacob was tall and handsome with a self-assured demeanor which gave a sense of confidence to his followers. Abilene, who was seven developed a little girl crush on Jacob early on and seemed to be never far away from him. The father had been taken away by the Germans leaving Abilene and her mother alone bewildered and afraid. A curly haired youngster, Abilene was a sad yet obedient child; always willing to do more than her mother asked of her, fearful she would lose her mother as well. Jacob established a perimeter and assigned two men as sentries to watch out for any activity which might endanger them. The landscape they would have to cross was barren with only stunted scrub bushes leading to the river and an open farm field in back of them to escape to. Jacob was nervous. He thought surely there would be more cover but there was little choice. They had traveled at night and he felt lucky enough to have skirted the farm safely without having someone seeing them. Search lights from the Germans could be seen combing the river in the distance. Traveling further over an open area during daylight would have been foolhardy. It was the right decision. By watching the light pattern, he estimated the Germans had one truck responsible for covering about 10 kilometers and returning to the same area each hour. They would wait and make a rush for the river the moment the second search ended; 30 minutes to cross the open field to the riverbank and 15 minutes to cross the border to Albania. The stronger men would have to run, carrying a child on their back. Abilene crawled over to where Jacob was sitting. Crossing her legs, she rested her chin in the cup of her hands staring adoringly at him. “What is it little one?” Abilene slid her butt closer. “What are you thinking about” her eyes snapping flirtatiously? Amused, Jacob put his finger over her lips. “Shhh, we have to be very quiet. We’ll play all you want when we get to the other side the river. Do that for me. OK?” Abilene’s mother, Caitlin, motioned her daughter to leave Jacob to his privacy and sit alongside of her. Hiding in the shade all day without feeling the sun was cold and she needed the warmth of Abilene to curl up against. Most had only time to pack a satchel filled with light food supplies and one change of clothing. They had walked night and day for a week through the mountains, avoiding well-traveled routes and sticking to the cover of forests before finding this place a mile from the river crossing and within site of the Village of Kukes. Caitlin was grief stricken at her husband’s abduction by the authorities. She and her family had lived peacefully in their village of Bijelo Polje for three generations as farmers. Pesach had left the cottage that morning to meet with some men in the village to talk about the sighting of German and Italian troops wandering from farm to farm asking questions about seeing Jews living in the area. Pesach’s friend came that evening to Caitlin with Jacob and told her Pesach had been taken away. Jacob did his best to explain that her daughter had to leave with the others that night and escape to safety. Caitlin resisted at first, holding out hope that it was a mistake and Pesach would return to them. Eventually, the men convinced her Pesache would want her to leave; that God would bring him back to them. Jacob got up and walked over to talk with both Sentry’s; repeating what they were to do the moment they saw something that jeopardized the party. He would try and get a couple of hours sleep before nightfall. The last vestiges of daylight brought hues of dusk and the faintness and stars begin to liberate themselves from the daylight. Darkness closed in. Restless, the men and women got up from where they were huddled together and began moving around. Abilene came over with other members of the party to where Jacob was sleeping and gently shook him awake. “It is time Jacob,” she said anxiously. Jacob got up immediately, rubbing his eyes trying to adjust to the dark. “We have to wait until we no longer see the search lights. Prepare yourselves and be ready to follow me when I tell you. “I will alert the sentries. The two men carrying the children will follow me at my pace. The rest will succeed us close together.” He then turned and looked at each adult--”no stragglers!” Jacob held out his hands, inviting them to gather in a circle, bow heads and lock hands. The arc of the search lights along the river began to move south away from where they hoped to cross. In another 15 minutes they would be out of range. Jacob worried, there had been high, billowy storm clouds hanging over the mountains for the last couple of days. If it had rained as he expected, the water draining from the mountains would fill the dry tributaries and swell the river making the crossing even more treacherous. Jacob raised his fist high in the air signaling the party to assemble behind him and follow his lead once he dropped his arm. The search lights continued to move away as they had hoped. The moment had come. Jacob and his party struck out across the open field and the river. Every once in a while he would look up to watch the outline of the trees close their distance. Caitlin was younger than the rest of the women and easily kept pace. She could not help but feel the quilt of leaving her devoted husband behind the further she trudged on. They reached the river sooner than he expected. Jacob assembled the party together along the riverbank. As he feared, the storms had swelled the river and small waves were lapping at it’s banks. Two of the men walked the edge of the river looking for a narrower part of the river that might be safer to cross but were unsuccessful. Jacob sent one of the smaller men into the river trying to gauge its depth. Chest deep in the middle, the first of two women entered the water and were swept away down river by the strong currents. The men and women watching from shore gasped! They looked on in horror. There was little they could do. Within seconds, they began hearing the roar the roar of trucks rushing toward them. A burst of light from the half-tracks blinded the party. In shock and unable to flee, armed German soldiers jumped off the back of the truck and quickly surrounded them. What was left of the party was herded together and marched to a barn at the far end of the field. Once inside, a German officer and his aide stood in front of where the refugees had been told to form a single line. Abilene clung to her mother; terrified and on the verge of tears. Seeing the frightened little girl, the officer walked over and offered her some chocolate candy. Abilene, teary eyed, looked sheepishly at her mother. Petrified, Caitlin nodded her head that she should accept the gift. “What’s your name, little girl?” the colonel asked, offering a disarming smile. Abilene turned, pressing her face away into her mother’s side. “Abilene,” she answered, her voice partially muffled. “Where were your Jewish friends going, Abilene?” “Across the river to a different place.” The colonel bent down and patted the...
