by J. R. Sharp
As the bus got smaller and eventually went out of sight of the farm Pietro spoke to everyone. “Let’s all go inside and get something to eat.”
Anna nodded her head in agreement as she helped with all the children. Just as all the remaining members of the Zucchet family entered the farmhouse, Pietro stopped just short of going into the house. He shut the door from the cold outside. Pietro walked towards the barn and looked towards the northern mountain range for some sign of activity. There was none. Pietro stood there staring and hoping that he would see the familiar light of hope. Nothing.
As the sun started its descent, the wind picked up, making it very cold for Pietro, who wasn’t wearing his usual winter coat. He started to make his way back to the main house, but before he finished his usual walk, he turned to see if there was any light. Pietro began to shake as the cold was really starting to bother him, but just as he was turning, the light of hope came into his view. The signal meant that he would have visitors in his barn tonight.
The word must be out that the Fascists are arresting women, Pietro thought. I wonder if Gino knows?
***
After their evening meal, Pietro helped get the children ready for bed and then proceeded to the kitchen for his usual evening wine. Pietro kept looking out of the door of the kitchen to see if the barn door was left open, which was the signal that visitors had secretly arrived and were waiting for him.
“Is anyone here yet?” Anna asked.
Pietro nodded, finished his wine, and headed towards the door. “Keep everyone inside,” he told his wife. “I have no idea who is there and whether it’s more than one person. All I received was a signal that someone would be coming tonight.”
Pietro could hear Anna start to cry. The war is tearing this family apart. Three of our children are imprisoned by these ruthless Germans and Italian Fascists, he thought. Pietro was going to make sure that his eldest daughter did not disappear without trying everything in his power to stop them from sending her to her certain death.
Pietro heard a noise from the back of the farm and knew it was his visitors that had finally arrived. He grabbed a couple bottles of wine before exiting the kitchen towards the open door barn.
Pietro entered the barn with hast, knowing that timing was of great importance. As he entered, Gino was standing there by himself with a look of desperation.
“Gino! I’m so glad you’re here. I was hoping you would be. I have terrible news.”
“Is it true? Did they take Catherina?” asked Gino.
“Yes, they did, and she is at the old auction house with about twenty other women from this area. Francisco arrested all of them for allegedly hiding all the railroad detail individuals but none of us has seen them since they left last year. What is going on?” asked Pietro as he handed the wine to his son-in-law.
“The Germans and Mussolini are in need of more laborers and are rounding up everybody they can to repair all the destruction of their countries, but it is too late. You don’t have to worry about Catherina getting on a train, the tracks entering and leaving Cimpello and Pordenone are destroyed. I will make sure she is getting food, but it won’t be long before this war is over.”
Gino started to leave the barn. Pietro followed him out of the barn before they were seen by anyone. Gino made his way back to the mountains and Pietro returned back to the main house for some needed sleep.
Chapter 22
FEEDING THE HORSE
THE BUS HAD MADE two more stops after it left Pietro’s. Both of the farms it inspected had been abandoned. Catherina was happy to see that no one else was arrested. The bus was about half full of all women, except for the bus driver and one guard. She knew about half the passengers on the bus and almost all were about her age. Catherina sat with her friend Julia, who she hadn’t seen in over a year.
“What are you doing here, Julia?” asked Catherina to her childhood friend.
“I wish I knew. I was working in the fields when Francisco pulled up in his sedan and arrested me for hiding my brother. We haven’t seen him since he left with Bruno over a year ago for the railroad work. What I am wearing is all I have. They didn’t even take me home to get any clothes. My father and mother don’t even know I am here, but I gave your mother a note for them.”
“I packed some extra clothes, so we will be fine,” Catherina said. “But we need to escape before we get on the train, Julia.”
“How are we going to do that, Catherina?” Julia whispered.
“I don’t know yet, but we both need to be strong and not show any weakness so you need to stop crying before they get mad at you,” answered Catherina. Julia nodded, dabbing tears.
As the bus rolled into the town, Catherina could see that the streets were empty. She figured most people were either scared or there just wasn’t anybody left to arrest and send to the labor camps. As Catherina looked out the window of the bus, she noticed that the bus stopped in front of the large gate on the side entrance of the old auction house. There were two Italian men with machine guns guarding the gate; neither of them had uniforms on but opened the gate when they saw the bus pull up. As the bus entered the converted way station, Catherina noticed that it was still the auction house but they had enclosed some of the open animal stalls into make-shift living quarters. There was still the open field with horses running around eating what grass was left, but there was no livestock.
The walls around the way station had been extended higher and broken glass was put in the cement on top to prevent people from escaping. The bus stopped just short of the entrance of the main building.
“Hold my hand and don’t let go unless they force us to stop holding hands. Show no emotion, do what they tell us, and say nothing,” said Catherina to Julia who looked terrified.
As they exited the bus, Catherina could see Francisco coming their way with the two henchmen on either side of him. There were guards everywhere and from the looks of them they were not friendly. Francisco stopped just short of the prisoners. He looked at Catherina with that smug look that turned her stomach.
“You will be housed here before you will be sent to your final destinations working in the labor camps. Each of you was arrested for hiding or being married to the Alpine freedom fighters who are enemies of our leader Mussolini,” remarked Francisco.
“Where are you sending us,” yelled one of the girls in the back. Francisco looked in her direction and waved at one of the guards. The guard grabbed the girl and took her to another section of the way station.
“Any more questions?” asked Francisco with the same smug look. After a minute of silence the guards started to lead the woman into the main building. Catherina and Julia continued to hold hands as they were led into the building.
The women were led into the main hall, which was converted into a large bunk room. There were bunks three high with most of them empty, which meant they must have just sent the last group on a train headed to Germany.
“Come on,” whispered Catherina to Julia. Catherina led Julia to the back of the room, right next to one of the windows in the building. They set up right under the window in the bunks. If they could get through the window, they could escape through the horse field without being spotted. It’s the only way, Catherina thought. Catherina took the top bunk so she could see outside.
***
Gino could see the auction house walls from the ridge that he was standing on just on the outskirts of Cimpello. He needed to get into town without being seen. He had a sack of food with him and some extra clothes provided by Pietro and Anna. If he could rescue Catherina they would need to go into hiding. Gino started his descent into town.
As Catherina laid her head down for the evening she heard the horses running, which was unusual late in the evening. She looked out the window and could see that someone was throwing food over the wall. The horses were running towards the wall to eat the food; they were just as hungry as everyone else. Catherina started to laugh a little knowing that someone was throwing
food for the prisoners, but feeding the horses instead.
Chapter 23
FRANCISCO ARRESTED
IT WAS THE END of March 1945 with no end in sight of Catherina’s captivity. It had been over two months since she had arrived at the way station with little word about their departure time. There were rumors that the railroad tracks were destroyed on both sides of Cimpello and Pordenone, which made it impossible to leave by train. But the prisoners could be hauled by truck, bus, or, even worse, made to walk. The comforting news was rumors that the Allies were defeating Germany’s and Italy’s Fascists from all sides. Some speculated the war could end in weeks.
Catherina and Julia stayed close during this period and were able to get on the same work detail every day. They thought about ways to escape through the window, but they had no way to remove the bars.
Most of the work was conducted in the basement, which was also sealed off. There they did laundry services for the Fascists. Some of the women were sent to clean their barracks or government buildings that the Fascists took over from the Germans. But those work details were heavily guarded. There were other women who had left the encampment and were never seen again, like the boisterous girl who asked where they were being sent on the first day they arrived. Others sent away didn’t do what they were told or tried to escape.
Catherina and Julia were being closely watched by Francisco, which made it even more difficult to escape. Francisco assumed Gino was still alive and might try and rescue his wife. Pietro was also a clever old man who might try and orchestrate an escape. Catherina decided to play it safe and simply wait out the war.
Catherina and Julia would look out of their window at dusk to see if the food would be thrown over the wall. To their surprise, it would happen just about every day at the same time. Even the horses had started to walk over to the wall knowing the food would be coming. It started to be their only type of entertainment and a source of comfort knowing that someone cared so much that they would risk their lives to throw food for their loved ones.
Catherina and Julia were sitting next to their bunks having dinner and wondering when the bombings were going to start. Their dinners usually consisted of some bread and cheese that was given to them as they returned to their bunks after working all day.
“I wonder if we are going to see some flying food tonight?” asked Julia to Catherina who started to smile.
“I don’t know, but I think the horses are heading in that direction,” replied Catherina who started to get to her bunk to watch their evening entertainment.
As the evening came and went, there was no food thrown over the wall and even the horses seemed to be disappointed. As Catherina settled in for the evening, she laid her head down to go to sleep when she heard the familiar sounds of Ally bombing. Catherina got down from her bunk and took cover with Julia underneath the bunks until the bombings stop.
“Why is it that they only bomb just before we go to bed or when we are in the basement?” said Julia to Catherina as they both started to laugh. After about ten minutes the bombing stopped and they returned to their bunks for some well-needed sleep.
The next day started just like any other. Catherina and Julia headed to the basement to complete their tasks. But there were no guards in the basement, nor was there any laundry to be washed. It was just empty with the exception of the normal washing and cleaning gear lying around. Not even the head cleaning lady was available to give them orders.
“What should we do?” asked Julia to Catherina who was looking around the rest of the basement. “Let’s head back up to see what the rest of the folks are doing,” replied Catherina.
As they made their way to the main hallway, Catherina could see that all the rest of the women were gathered next to the windows looking through the bars. As they approached the crowd, Catherina asked the nearest girl, “What is going on?”
“We are locked up in here like cattle and they won’t let us out to go home. We can see the guards, but they refuse to let us out of here. We heard that the Allies have defeated the Germans and Fascists and are headed this way.”
Catherina made her way to the nearest window that looked out towards Francisco’s main office. She looked for him in hopes that he would let them out. She could see a couple of Italians standing next to the office smoking cigarettes and holding machine guns, looking very nervous.
“Where is Francisco!” yelled Catherina. The guards looked in her direction but said nothing. “We are mothers, sisters, and daughters; don’t let us die here. Unlock the doors and let us go!” yelled Catherina. The guards continued to ignore the women, not even giving a threatening glance.
“Please, let us out!” yelled another woman who was crying very loudly and pulling on the bars at the window in hopes for them to give way, but she was wasting her time. The inmates knew that the compound had been fortified by the Germans and would not be very easy to get out of without the doors being opened.
Catherina kept looking out of the window hoping to see someone approaching to free the prisoners, but the only people they saw were the two guards. She decided to look around the windows to see what was going on in the other parts of the compound. As she made her way to the other windows, she noticed that there was nobody to yell at and if there was a window in sight it was too far for them to hear her. She finally made her way back to her bunk to look out of the window, but just like the others, it was a waste of time. The area around the compound looked deserted. Even the horses were gone. That meant everyone was gone and they took the horses to get out of there. Catherina went back to the main doors in hopes of convincing Francisco to open them.
Francisco got up from his desk and headed towards the door. Just as he opened the door, he could hear all the prisoners yelling for his attention to let them go. He looked over in their direction for just a second before talking with his security detail.
“I just got a hold of the captain and he is sending us some more guards. The other ones were dispatched this morning to another part of the city. I am going to go see him and will be back this afternoon. Do not let anybody out of the building,” ordered Francisco as he headed for his sedan. As one of the guards opened the main gate for Francisco, the women yelled for anyone’s attention but there was nobody to hear their cries.
After Francisco drove off, the two guards started to yell at each other. Catherina couldn’t hear what they were saying because of the noise the other prisoners were making, but she could tell from their body language that the exchange between the guards was heated. She watched as both guards headed to the main gate and left the compound. Just as they closed the gates, the prisoners heard gunfire. Now everyone was gone and there was no one to let the women out of the compound.
Catherina grabbed Julia by her arm and whispered, “Come with me back to the bunk room. We need to stay away from the main gate compound entrance in case they bomb this place.”
Julia nodded and followed Catherina. Just as Catherina and Julia made their way towards the bunk room they could hear the planes approaching, but this time there was a lot of gunfire as well as the usual bombing noise.
Francisco could hear the bombing and gunfire too as he headed towards his apartment. This time it was closer than normal. He needed to get Betty and make his way up north. As he opened the door, Betty was standing there with two suitcases, waiting for him to get her.
“We need to move quickly and get out of here. I need to change my clothes before we go and then we will go out the side door,” said Francisco as he started to take his uniform off for the last time. “The Allies are close. Most of our soldiers have fled.”
“How are we going to get out of here?” asked Betty.
“I have another car parked in the back of the building that we are going to take,” responded Francisco as he finished getting dressed. As he grabbed the suitcase he heard gunfire that was very close and decided to look out the window. Just as he looked outside, he could see unfamiliar uniforms rushing the main road heading
towards the middle of town.
“We need to go now!” yelled Francisco as he grabbed Betty and headed out the door. As he headed down the stairs, he made the turn towards the side door just in time. He could hear the rush of troops coming down the road towards his apartment building. Francisco and Betty got inside the car and sped away in the opposite direction of their apartment building and the troops rushing his street. Francisco looked in his rearview mirror and saw nothing but old buildings of his past as he headed out of the town.
Francisco and Betty were just about to the next northern town thinking that they had escaped the Allies. Instead, he could see the roadblock ahead. Francisco slowed the car down so that they didn’t look like they were trying to escape. As Francisco approached the roadblock, which also included a couple of tanks, he could tell that it was full of Ally and anti-Fascist Italian soldiers who were looking for anybody to arrest.
“Get out of the car!” yelled one of the soldiers. Francisco and Betty exited the car as ordered. “Where are your papers?” ordered the same soldier who was holding a machine gun. Francisco grabbed the forged papers from the breast pocket of his jacket that he had made long ago just in case something like this would happen. He handed the papers to the soldiers.
“Nice boots!” one of the soldiers said. “You don’t look like a farmer to me.” Then the soldier grabbed the bottom of his right pant leg and pulled it up to reveal his shinny boots. Betty looked down and noticed that Francisco didn’t change his shoes when he changed his clothes. Francisco smiled at him and then noticed some villagers coming from behind the tank.
Chapter 24
CATHERINA RETURNS
THERE WAS SHOOTING ON the outside walls of the way station that lasted for about forty-five minutes. Catherina and Julia were still in the bunk room when the shooting stopped and then they heard troops moving away from the compound. Catherina was looking out of the window when Julia asked, “What do you see?”