Behind the Bedroom Wall

by Laura E. Williams

  Korinna shook her head sadly. “Then she went for nothing.”

  “It wasn’t exactly for nothing, Korinna.”

  “Then for what?”

  Herr Rehme shrugged. “For love? I don’t know, Korinna, maybe there’s something even more important than that.”

  Korinna silently agreed that love was important. It was love for the Fatherland that had made her turn in her notes on Fräulein Meiser last week. And she loved her parents, and she knew her parents loved her. What could be more important than love?

  She couldn’t imagine.

  “Why was Fräulein Meiser’s father arrested?” she finally asked.

  “I don’t know, and I think it’s best not to find out,” her father said somberly. Then his face brightened slightly as he smiled at his daughter. “Don’t you have any schoolwork to do?”

  Korinna stood up. “Yes.” She walked over and gave her father a hug. “I’m glad you’re home, Papa.”

  “I am too, Korinna.” He gave her a fierce hug. “Now, go do your homework.”

  Korinna kissed her mother in the kitchen, then went upstairs. Her kitten was sleeping in the middle of her bed. She stroked the silky head once, then picked up her book bag which sat neatly by the side of her bed. For a moment she just stood there. Hadn’t she left her bag next to the Schrank? She always left her bag in the same place, next to the wardrobe, not next to the bed. She shrugged. Her mother must have moved it for some reason. If she thought of it, she’d ask her about it later.

  She took out her books and sat down quietly at her desk, deciding which subject to tackle first. Then she heard it—a soft rhythmic noise that sounded like something trapped behind her wall. Her heart started to race.

  It was the mice in her walls. They weren’t gone after all! She turned to her bed and saw her kitten stretching and washing its paws.

  Korinna’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it was more in the middle of her throat than in her chest somewhere. If only she could find the mouse hole. Her kitten would surely scare the mice away for good!

  She decided the noise seemed to be coming from the middle of her wall. Holding her breath, she pushed away from her desk and tiptoed to her wardrobe. She crouched down. The back panel of the Schrank almost came down to the floor against the wall. Maybe she’d find a concealed mouse hole back there, she thought. Carefully, she pressed her shoulder against the heavy wooden piece of furniture. It wouldn’t budge. She pushed again. Nothing. It couldn’t be that heavy, she thought with despair. She knew if she could just move her wardrobe, she would find the source of her mouse noises.

  Korinna straightened up and faced the front of the Schrank. She placed one trembling hand on either side of it and pulled. Finally it seemed to be moving! She tugged a little harder, and the wardrobe moved silently away from the wall a bit more, but only on the right side.

  The mouse noises stopped. She grabbed her kitten and clutched the squirming animal in her arms. With a thudding heart, she peered around the right backside of the piece of furniture. But there wasn’t a little mouse hole leading into the wall—practically the entire wall behind her wardrobe was missing!

  Korinna thought her heart would explode in her throat. She dropped her kitten. Frantically she slammed her shoulder against her wardrobe to close up the gaping, black void.

  That was no mouse hole—there was something much bigger hiding back there! She had smelled the rank smell of unwashed bodies, and she had seen the pale glow of skin, and the gleam of eyes.

  Chapter Four

  Feet pounded up the narrow stairs, and her parents burst into the room. “Liebling, what is it? Stop screaming!” Her mother wrapped her up in her arms.

  Korinna took a sobbing breath. She hadn’t even realized she was screaming. She pointed a shaky finger. “Back there! Something’s back there!”

  “Hush, hush,” her mother crooned.

  Korinna tried to pull out of her mother’s arms. Her father pulled the thick curtain over the window. The room was dark until he lit a couple candles.

  Korinna scrubbed away the tears on her cheeks, wondering why her father didn’t just turn on the overhead light. “Monsters, Papa! I have monsters behind my wall!” Her stomach churned with fear.

  “It’s not monsters, Liebling,” Herr Rehme said softly. He looked at his wife and his shoulders sagged as though he carried some great weight. “Those are people back there.”

  A fierce dread washed over her, strangling her. Korinna gasped for air.

  “Jews,” her mother said, still holding her daughter’s shoulders. She gave them a little shake. “Did you hear me, Korinna?”

  Korinna nodded mutely. Tears burned her eyes, and her fingers ached from clenching them so tightly.

  With a heavy sigh, Herr Rehme gently pulled the Schrank away from the wall. The candles flickered with the movement. The wardrobe moved silently. Now Korinna could see someone had carefully hinged it to the wall on the left side in such a way that the hinges were invisible from anywhere in her room. Only when someone pulled the wardrobe away from the wall were the hinges visible. Also, the hinges held the wardrobe a millimeter off the floor so its legs wouldn’t rub noisily on the wooden boards.

  When her father completely “opened” up the wardrobe, Korinna once again stared at the gaping hole in her bedroom wall. Even knowing it was not monsters hiding in the blackness did nothing to calm her heartbeat.

  Jews were worse.

  Korinna’s mother crouched down next to the opening, which was half as tall as the shoulder high wardrobe. Korinna and her father stood behind her.

  “Sophie, it’s okay. This is Korinna, my daughter,” Frau Rehme said gently.

  A pale face, creased with lines of worry and fatigue, inched into the candlelight. Sophie’s thin neck ended in a drab green coat collar, which added a green pallor to her skin. Her dark and suspicious eyes stared up at them. “She’s the Nazi?” Her voice came out rough and crumbly, as if she didn’t use it much.

  Ignoring the question, Frau Rehme said to Korinna, “This is Sophie Krugmann, and this is her daughter Rachel, who’s five.”

  Rachel had a mass of curly hair that tumbled to her shoulders. Her wide eyes roamed the room and finally fell on Korinna. She smiled. Korinna glared at her until the little girl pulled back into the shadows, her smile gone, lips trembling.

  Sophie hugged her daughter close and kissed the top of her head. When she looked up again, her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Are we safe with her knowing we’re here?”

  Herr Rehme said, “It’s too dangerous to move you right now. Maybe in a week or two, but right now ...” His voice trailed off as he placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Right now we have no choice.”

  Sophie turned to her young daughter and said, “I told you to wait until later.” Then she looked at Korinna’s mother. “I told Rachel to wait, but she gets so restless with nothing to do and no one to play with. She likes to walk back and forth, back and forth.”

  So that’s what she had heard, Korinna thought, staring into the shadows. It had sounded like a trapped animal.

  Frau Rehme smiled with understanding. “It’s all right, Sophie.”

  “But now she knows,” Sophie said, nodding toward Korinna, her voice weary and tinged with fear.

  “She was bound to find out sooner or later,” Herr Rehme said.

  Sophie took a deep breath and looked up at Korinna. “Do you love your parents?” she demanded.

  Startled by the direct question, Korinna could only nod her head.

  “Then don’t report them. I know you hate us—you’ve learned to hate Jews in school and at your meetings. But don’t take it out on your parents. They’ll be shot as traitors,” Sophie said bluntly, her dark eyes drilling into Korinna’s light blue ones.

  “That’s enough, Sophie,” Korinna’s mother said firmly. “Do you need more blankets?”

  Sophie shook her head and moved back into the darkness, to join her daughter.

  “Gut
e Nacht,” Korinna’s father said as he pushed the wardrobe back into place.

  “Good night,” Sophie replied softly before the hole was completely covered up.

  Korinna sat stiffly on the side of her bed. Her mother sat next to her, and her father leaned back against the Schrank. The candles burned behind him, leaving his face in shadow.

  “Make them leave!” Korinna cried, a tight ball of anger and fear constricting her throat. “Get rid of them!”

  Herr Rehme shook his head. “You heard what I said, Korinna. It’s too dangerous right now. The Gestapo has been searching houses and making many arrests lately. The man who owns the next hiding place the Krugmanns are going to thinks it’s too risky right now to move them. The Krugmanns have to stay.”

  Korinna crossed her arms to ward off a chill that left her trembling. “How long have they been here?”

  “Only a few days.”

  “So they were the mouse noises I heard,” Korinna said through tight lips.

  Korinna stiffened as her mother reached out and patted her back. “We felt it was best not to say anything to you. We know how involved you are in your Jungmädel. We thought you might ...,” her mother paused and looked at her husband. “We thought you might not like the idea.”

  But Korinna knew what her mother had been about to say. They had thought she might report them for the good of the Fatherland. And she should. She had to. For the Fatherland. For the Führer!

  “Sophie’s husband and another daughter, Ruth—she’s fourteen—are staying somewhere else,” her father said, leaning forward to brush his fingers across her cheek.

  Korinna ducked her father’s hand and moved stiffly to sit closer to the head of her bed. “Why couldn’t they all stay in the same place? Someplace else,” she added vehemently.

  Her mother sighed. “There’s barely enough room back there for the two of them. Luckily Rachel is small. Like our place, most hiding places aren’t big enough.”

  “And are too dangerous,” her father added.

  Her parents moved toward the door. Her father turned around and said, “Korinna, you mustn’t say anything about this to anyone. Many lives are at stake. Do you understand?”

  Korinna looked at her hands tightly clasped in her lap. It was her duty as a loyal German to say something —didn’t her parents realize that? Her parents were traitors! Why couldn’t it have been Rita’s parents, or Eva’s parents?

  “Korinna?” her mother prodded.

  Korinna closed her eyes, trying to ignore them. How could she promise anything? She was so confused. Her parents were harboring Jews right here, right behind her own bedroom wall! If she didn’t report them she’d be a traitor, too!

  Korinna heard her door close with a quiet click as her parents left her room. Lying down on her stomach, she nestled her head in her arms.

  Her parents were traitors.

  Traitors were shot.

  Chapter Five

  For a long time, Korinna tossed and turned as the candles burned lower and lower. She was afraid to be without the light, knowing the enemy was so close. She could hardly believe she had been sleeping peacefully these last few nights with hated Jews so near. Now that she knew what was on the other side of her wall, she’d never be able to sleep easily again.

  When the candles finally burned out, Korinna’s eyes were still open. She slipped out from under her warm blankets and tiptoed over to the window. Pushing open the curtain, she hoped there would be some moonlight to light up her room, but the sky was black. Even the snow on the ground looked black. Korinna shivered in the cold air and got back into bed, leaving the curtain open.

  When a pale glow filled the room as the morning sun inched over the eastern edge of the city, Korinna finally fell asleep.

  When she awoke, the curtain once again covered the window, blocking out most of the sunlight. She heard footsteps come up the stairs and someone knock on her door.

  Her mother quietly pushed the door open and peeked in. “Korinna? Are you awake?”

  Korinna closed her eyes and lay still. She heard her mother come in the room and place something on the foot of her bed. She smelled warm rye bread and potato and carrot soup. They had gathered plenty of vegetables from their garden during the summer. Korinna’s stomach growled. She was just about to “wake up” and thank her mother for bringing up some food for her, when she heard the soft swish of her wardrobe being pulled away from the wall. Korinna grimly realized the food was not for her.

  “Guten Morgen,” Frau Rehme said in a loud whisper, lifting the tray off her daughter’s bed.

  Korinna heard Sophie grunt an indistinguishable greeting. At least she could be civil, thought Korinna angrily. She didn’t like to think of her mother waiting on this rude woman. It was humiliating having her mother serve a hated, thankless Jew.

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “It was cold,” Sophie said with a mouthful of food.

  Frau Rehme sighed. “I know. It was colder last night than it has been in a while. Tonight I’ll give you my extra blanket. That should help.”

  Korinna could barely contain herself. Let the Jews freeze! Her mother shouldn’t be giving up her warmth to help the enemy. What was she thinking?

  “This soup is very good,” Rachel said softly.

  “Thank you. It’s Korinna’s favorite, too.”

  “Is that the girl I met last night?” Rachel asked.

  Korinna guessed her mother nodded, because then Rachel loudly said, “She’s pretty!” forgetting to keep her voice down.

  “Shhhhh,” Sophie hissed.

  “Korinna’s still sleeping,” Frau Rehme whispered. “I don’t think she slept very well last night.”

  “Doesn’t she have to go to school?” Rachel asked, her mouth obviously stuffed with something.

  “Shhhhh,” repeated the little girl’s mother.

  “Not today,” Korinna’s mother said. “Today she’ll miss school just this once.”

  “I miss school everyday,” Rachel said sadly. “I miss my friends.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Frau Rehme said softly. “But someday soon you’ll have many new friends to play with.”

  Korinna couldn’t catch the little girl’s reply. But whatever she said had made her mother laugh softly. Korinna realized she hadn’t heard her mother laugh very much lately. Jealousy burned in her empty stomach.

  “... what will she do?” It was Sophie speaking. Korinna had missed some of the question, but she knew immediately the Jew referred to her.

  “I hope she’ll do the right thing,” said Korinna’s mother, pausing. “But she’s very involved in her Jungmädel and she honestly believes ... well, they teach her many things at those meetings,” Frau Rehme said, sounding apologetic.

  “Why do you let her go?” Sophie asked.

  “We have no choice. If she didn’t join the group, she would be made to join anyway, and she’d be watched with suspicion. And Bernd and I, too, would be watched more closely. It’s best that everyone thinks we’re loyal to the Führer, then they don’t suspect us of helping Jews.”

  “They’ve lied to her,” Sophie stated flatly.

  Her mother sighed and started to reply.

  Korinna fumed. How dare her mother speak about her to this horrible Jew! And what did Sophie know about the wonderful things they did at Jungmädel meetings? Her Jungmädel leaders didn’t lie to her. At the meetings she learned patriotic songs, she baked, she hiked outside, she made friends, and she even got to march in parades. They listened to the Führer’s speeches, which filled them with pride for their Fatherland. If anyone had lied to her, it was her very own parents!

  She was so angry she missed the rest of the conversation. All she heard was her mother reminding the Krugmanns to be quiet. Then the wardrobe tapped lightly into place.

  She lay very still, too upset to talk to her mother. She wanted to talk to someone about all the awful things that were going on in her house, namely the Krugmanns, but that person couldn�
�t be her mother. Obviously, her mother wouldn’t understand. Maybe she could talk to Rita.

  Korinna heard her mother step softly to her side. A cool hand brushed the hair off her forehead, and a kiss as light as a sigh was left on her cheek. Then her mother left.

  Korinna wiped the kiss away. Her mother was a traitor. How could she ever love her mother or father again the way she used to, knowing they weren’t loyal Germans? Tears slipped through her tightly shut eyelids and slid across her nose and down onto the pillow. Why did things have to get so terrible? Why did her parents have to change?

  Actually, they hadn’t changed, she realized miserably. They had always been traitors. She’d just never known it.

  When Korinna opened her eyes again, the curtain was open wide and the brilliant, snowy sunlight from outside burst into her room. She stretched. Her stomach growled. Throwing back her blankets, she sat up and swung her legs out of bed. Her clothes hung wrinkled and twisted on her body like the trunk of a gnarled tree. Glancing nervously at her wardrobe, she quickly changed into a wool skirt and an old blue sweater. Anger filled her. It wasn’t right to feel so uncomfortable in her own room.

  Downstairs, Korinna found her mother sitting at the kitchen table peeling potatoes. She smiled brightly when Korinna walked into the room.

  “So you’ve finally decided to get up!” she teased.

  Korinna shrugged. She longed to go to her mother and hug her and beg her to get rid of the Jews and become a loyal German, but she knew it would do no good. “I guess I was very tired. You should have gotten me up for school, though.”

  “It won’t hurt to miss one day, Korinna. You work hard and do well in school. Rita stopped by to see you after school. I told her you were sick.”

  Knowing her best friend had stopped by to see her made her feel a little better. At least she could count on Rita.

  Korinna peered into a pot that sat on the small stove.

  “I saved some soup for you,” her mother said, nodding toward the pot Korinna inspected. “Fresh bread, too.”