by Manny Aujla
Ralf stands confused in the doorway.
“It’s okay. You can come out,” Ralf says.
Two heads pop up from behind the couch. Ralf carefully takes out his handkerchief that holds some bread and sausage. He hands it to Rosa and the boy. Ralf seems disappointed in his efforts.
“Sorry, I should have brought more. I will bring food and supplies tomorrow. I have to return,” Ralf utters as he leaves the two alone.
Rosa is happy for the food but she is grateful that Ralf wears her pendant. It’s her only link to Jan, who may notice it around Ralf’s neck. That’s what she hopes.
Jan crashes hard to the ground after being struck by a guard. Blood trickles from his mouth as he rises back up on his feet. The guards are impatient and violent with the prisoners. There are rumblings that the war is being lost and that the Americans and Russians approach the camp.
Radek rubs an aching shoulder briefly and then raises his sledgehammer. A guard throws a small stone at Radek and laughs. The stone does not hurt Radek, but the act itself nearly brings him to tears.
Jan and Radek enter their hut at the end of a long day. They are sore and filthy. They are beaten physically and emotionally. There are only four others left in the hut. The others are ashes from the chimney.
They both lie down on the bed. They talk to each other about their loved ones. Radek had lost his wife three years ago and has been suffering ever since. He is jealous of what Jan and Rosa have. He can see that Jan fights every day against the urge to run into the wire, the electric fence. The thought of being with Rosa keeps Jan going. Radek begins to lose hope. Jan turns to Radek.
“Did you ever think what would have happened if it was you in her place and she would have had to survive you and this camp?”
Radek thinks about it for a moment.
“That would have been awful. How she would have suffered,” Radek responds.
Jan turns away and shuts his eyes.
“Then be glad to be suffering in her place,” he tells Radek. A smile forms on Radek’s face. He hasn’t had a reason to smile in a long time.
In the darkness, Ralf sneaks his way into a shed to gather food and supplies. He loads the jeep with enough items to last a week and drives off. Sven spies on Ralf from a car. His suspicions are correct. He follows Ralf all the way to the shack and then turns around. Hiding prisoners is a serious crime.
CHAPTER 7
The sun rises over the worksite. Radek shovels dirt next to Ilya, a short heavyset man who looks as if he spent an eternity at this camp. The prisoners toil away. There are fewer prisoners left. Ilya takes a moment to wipe the sweat off his forehead. The sweat stings his eyes if he forgets to wipe it away.
“Professor, I had a dream last week,” says Ilya. Radek listens without looking up. Ilya continues.
“It was a very strange dream. A voice asked me what I wished to know. I said I wished to know when the war will end for me.”
Radek pauses.
“What was the answer?” asks Radek, curiously. Ilya stabs down hard into the soil with his shovel.
“Saturday, this Saturday,” he answers and coughs up a lung. Radek can see that Ilya doesn’t look well.
A car drives with haste through the dirt roads and pulls up to the old shack where Rosa is. It parks in front of the shack. Sven exits the vehicle and walks towards the doorway. His hand reaches for his gun.
Ralf’s heart sinks when he sees the car in front of the shack.
“Whose car is that?” he says out loud as he parks his jeep next to it. He makes his way towards the entrance.
He opens the door cautiously and peeks inside. Rosa and the boy are seated on the couch, frozen in place. The barrel of a pistol is thrust into the side of Ralf’s head.
“Do you know what the punishment is for stealing prisoners from camp?” asks Sven.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be worse than seeing your ugly face every day,” Ralf answers, smugly.
Sven pulls Ralf inside and knocks him to the floor. Sven kneels down on top of Ralf’s back. Ralf has trouble breathing as the full weight of Sven presses into his spine. Sven grasps the top of Ralf’s hair and pulls his head up.
“I never liked you. Your brother was always the more trustworthy one. After I kill you, it’ll be her turn,” snaps Sven.
Ralf stares silently into Rosa’s eyes. Tears stream down her cheek as she shields the boy’s eyes. She looks towards the shadow in the doorway.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Three bullets enter Sven’s back and he falls over. The man in the doorway lowers his gun.
“Everyone okay?” asks Erich.
“Yes, barely. Took you long enough to get in here,” Ralf utters as Erich helps him up.
“Hey, I just killed an SS for you. Only a brother would do that. You owe me,” Erich states.
Ralf dusts himself off. “Well, now what?”
Erich looks at the dead body of Sven.
“We can’t stay here,” Erich says.
Ralf helps Rosa and the boy to their feet. They are still shaking.
“It’s okay, now. This is my brother, Erich,” Ralf comforts them.
“We have been hearing news that the war will be over soon. The Americans are close. We need to leave here, now,” Erich expresses.
“I can’t leave. Not without him,” Rosa says quietly.
“Without who?” Ralf asks.
Rosa stares at the chain around Ralf’s neck. “The man who gave me that. My husband, Jan Slegr,” she answers.
Ralf feels the air escape his lungs as it did moments ago when Sven was on top of him. Ralf touches the chain.
“Please, find him,” she pleads.
Ralf kneels down and searches for car keys in Sven’s pockets. Erich puts his hand on Ralf’s shoulder.
“Ralf, we need to take them away from here,” Erich says. Ralf finds the keys and hands it to Erich.
“Yes. Take them away from here. I’m going back,” Ralf says.
Erich doesn’t like what he hears but knows his brother is stubborn. Ralf stares sadly into Rosa’s eyes.
“I will find him. I promise,” he assures her.
A large gathering of prisoners sit around an oil lamp. Radek, Jan, and Ilya sit next to one another. One of the other prisoners speaks out.
“Does the world not care about us? Is there no end to this war?” he exclaims.
The prisoners all voice their frustration at the same time. Ilya stands up with all his strength. He is very weary.
“The war will end on Saturday,” he utters. Radek helps Ilya back to the floor.
Radek decides to speak up. He stands before the group.
“Please, everyone. Remain calm. The hospital is overcrowded with typhus patients. Prisoners are decreasing daily because of suicide…”
“Their suffering has ended! They’ve been spared from this hell!” yells one prisoner. “We cannot go on like this for much longer.”
Radek looks into the eyes of the group.
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how,” Radek tells the group. It is a quote from Nietzsche.
“What we have endured here will echo in eternity. People will look back and read about our struggles. These experiences can never be taken away from us and will only make us stronger.
“Life never ceases, for even a moment, to have meaning. If life had no meaning, then it would not matter if the war ended or not. Life consists of suffering and death and the true test is how you deal with it. If you ponder it, we have not lost anything that we cannot achieve again in our lives once we are free men. So suffer proudly through this injustice that has been thrust upon us. Learn to die the right way, and you will have learned a lesson that not even a full lifetime of liberty may give you.”
CHAPTER 8
Ilya rests on a bed in the camp hospital. He looks frail and his arms are covered in rashes and scabs. He opens his eyes and looks to his bedside.
“The war is going to end tomorrow.
Was it you who told me? It’s been so long since I’ve tasted chocolate. My father used to give me chocolate,” he says.
A male nurse walks over to Ilya’s bed. “Who are you speaking to?” he asks.
Ilya is too weak to respond and closes his eyes. There is no one beside his bed. The nurse notices a patient who is no longer alive on one of the beds. He pulls the body off the bed and it lands smacks coldly on the floor. He drags the body by its legs. The head bumps sickly across the floor.
Ralf makes his way through the camp. He asks prisoners if they are Jan Slegr but has no luck. He approaches a handsome young man at a worksite but he says he isn’t Jan, either. Then he points quietly to a small group.
“Jan is over there?” Ralf asks.
The man nods. Ralf hands him a couple of ration coupons and thanks the man. A stick smacks hard against the back of the man’s head.
“Get back to work,” screams a guard.
“What are you doing? I was speaking with him,” Ralf says furiously.
“The Commander is looking for you,” says the guard, coldly.
Ralf tries to spot Jan in the group but knows he must go and see the Commander at once. He storms off to the screams of the man being beaten with a stick.
Radek enters the hospital to visit Ilya. Many of the beds are now unoccupied. He asks a doctor where Ilya is.
“He died this morning. Typhus, like many others recently,” the doctor explains.
Radek nods, sadly. He knew Ilya wasn’t well and then remembers the revelation in Ilya’s dream.
“What day is it?” Radek asks.
“Saturday,” the doctor answers.
That is the answer Radek expected. The dream was true. Ilya no longer has to deal with the war. Radek takes a final look at the vacant hospital bed and leaves.
Three guards lead a group of prisoners through the camp. Jan and Radek walk side by side. Ralf passes by the group with his head down. Jan glowers at Ralf. He doesn’t know Ralf, but he instantly hates him.
The chain around Ralf’s neck shimmers in the faint sunlight. The chain that Jan gave to Rosa is around a guard’s neck. Jan’s eyes narrow as he clenches his fists. He lunges towards Ralf.
Radek tries to stop Jan but is too late. Jan strikes Ralf with a punch to the head and knocks Ralf out. Two guards grab Jan and a butt end of a rifle knocks Jan to the ground, unconscious.
The two men lie next to each other. Their duplicate silver star pendants rest on their chests. Two guards lift Jan and drag him away as the chain falls from his neck. Radek discreetly picks it up and conceals it in his pocket.
He then helps Ralf to his feet. A guard pushes Radek away. He barks orders at Radek to lead the prisoners to the worksite.
Radek notices the silver star pendant around Ralf’s neck and turns back to the group. They follow Radek to the worksite.
The two guards take Jan to the execution area. A noose hangs from a wooden beam. There is a stool underneath. A crow flies off the beam and disappears behind a hut. Jan tries to break free and receives a punch to the ribs.
“The punishment for striking a guard is hanging. Get on the stool and secure the noose. Or I shoot you in the face,” the guard states with authority.
Jan sulks over to the stool. He steps on it and secures the noose around his own neck as instructed. He realizes sadly that the chain is no longer hanging from his neck.
The taller guard steps back as the other guard stands next to Jan and awaits the signal. The taller guard gives the signal with a slight nod.
The guard kicks the stool out from under Jan’s legs. Jan drops. The rope straightens and falls towards the ground. Jan crashes down safely. The undone rope falls from the beam.
Without hesitation, Jan pounces on the nearby guard and wraps the rope around his neck. He pulls on the rope with both hands and strangles him from behind.
The taller guard fumbles with his rifle and tries to aim at Jan. Jan uses the choking guard as a shield. The taller guard aims carefully and squeezes the trigger. It jams and won’t fire. The choking guard drops to his knees. His eyes are about to pop out of his head. Jan uses all his strength to end the life of the guard.
The taller guard drops the faulty rifle and charges towards Jan with a knife. Jan lets go of the rope and snatches the pistol from the suffocated guard’s holster before he collapses to the ground.
Jan shoots the charging guard in the head. His body falls forward. Jan shoots the strangled guard because he is unsure if he is dead. Now, Jan is sure. He drops the gun but takes the knife and conceals it under his shirt.
The crow returns to the wooden beam. Jan looks back at the beam and smiles. He loosens the noose from his neck and tosses it to the ground. He runs off and doesn’t look back.
CHAPTER 9
Ralf rests on his bed with a bad headache. The door to his room swings open and Erich enters.
“What happened? I heard you were attacked?” Erich asks. Ralf sits up with only one thing on his mind.
“Are they safe?”
“They’re fine. I took them to a village. I forgot the name. I wrote it down. I know someone there. They’ll be fine. She kept talking…”
“About me?” interrupts Ralf. Erich sits on the edge of Ralf’s bed.
“No, about Jan. And about how they got matching star pendants and not hearts. Hearts eventually stop beating but a star is forever. Sorry, brother, but you rescued the wrong girl,” Erich states.
“No, I didn’t. I would change nothing,” Ralf responds with a serious tone. He starts to chuckle.
“Actually, I would change one thing. I would like to be the one to kill Sven. I always hated his ugly face.”
Erich rolls his eyes.
“She believes with all her heart that Jan is alive,” Erich says, dryly.
“Well, she’s right. I found him. I mean, he found me. He recognized the chain around my neck and knocked me out. But the guards took him to be executed. No one hurts a guard or SS and lives,” Ralf says.
“Oh, really? I killed Sven and I’m still alive,” Erich snickers.
Radek stares outside the window in disbelief. A white flag rises to the sky. It’s a sight that he has dreamed about happening one day and now it has. It doesn’t seem real. If only Jan was able to see this, Radek sadly thinks.
Jan bursts inside the hut. Radek turns around and is overcome with shock.
“He who has a why, my friend,” Jan says with a smile.
Radek is filled with joy and hugs Jan. They both look outside the window. Chaos erupts in the camp as the guards make their escape.
“It has finally ended for all of us,” Radek states. Ralf and Erich walk quickly towards the hut. Jan sees them.
“It’s him!” Jan yells.
“Run away before he sees you,” Radek warns.
“No, let them come,” Jan confidently says.
Radek takes the chain from his pocket and returns it to its rightful owner. Jan hugs Radek tightly. A teary-eyed Jan wears it proudly around his neck, once again.
Ralf and Erich stop just outside of the hut. Ralf takes the chain from his neck and hands it to Erich.
“Give this to her. I can’t see her again. I have failed her. We couldn’t find Jan or his body anywhere,” Ralf says sadly.
“Let’s quickly check this last hut and then leave here. The Americans will be here soon,” Erich says. Ralf nods and he enters the hut.
Radek marks a message on the wall of the hut with a rusty nail. Jan sits on the platform and faces the window. He has his back to the people inside.
“I’m looking for Jan Slegr,” Ralf says to the small group of men in the hut. Radek points to Jan. Ralf laughs. He is overcome with surprise.
“You’re alive? You escaped execution? You must be a magician.”
Jan doesn’t move. He holds something silver in front of his chest.
Gunfire explodes outside of the hut. Erich gasps and falls forward in pain. Radek catches him.
&nb
sp; Erich reaches into his pocket and takes out the chain and a note. Ralf turns to look behind him. Jan sees Ralf turn in the window reflection and strikes. The silver blade of the knife he holds disappears into Ralf’s heart.
Ralf gasps in surprise. Then a sharp pain leaves him breathless. He falls backwards to the ground with Jan on top of him. Jan thrusts the blade deeper into Ralf’s chest.
Ralf reaches for his gun. He sees the silver star pendant swing from Jan’s neck. He lets go of his gun and accepts death.
“Rosa,” he whispers.
Jan pulls the knife out and drops it to the floor. Jan is confused after hearing his wife’s name. Ralf stops breathing. He is dead.
Miles re-appears in front of Ralf’s body. He looks down at Ralf and then runs away from the hut.
Radek sets Erich’s lifeless body against the wall. He takes the chain and note from Erich’s hand. Jan joins Radek.
“I think she is alive and at this address,” Radek tells Jan and hands him the chain and note.
“They were helping us? Why would they help us?” Jan says with confusion. The other men in the hut kick Ralf’s lifeless body. Jan orders them to stop immediately. They back off.
Jan feels remorse for what he did. They find identification in Ralf and Erich’s pockets. They realize these two were brothers. They were also heroes among villains. Jan takes both chains and respectfully places each chain around Ralf’s and Erich’s necks. He closes their eyes.
American tanks crunch through the metal gates of the camp. The war is over.
CHAPTER 10
The moon is bathed in a reddish hue. The cloudless night sky is lit up with stars. It’s calm and peaceful in the open field where Miles stands. He had spent the last few days trapped in Ralf’s body. He knew everything about Ralf. About how he and his brother never wanted to be soldiers, but had to follow in their father’s footsteps.
He experienced Ralf’s emotions firsthand and his feelings for Rosa as well. They were all feelings and emotions that felt familiar to Miles. But he doesn’t understand why they felt familiar. He felt the agony of a knife being thrust into his chest. He felt Ralf take his final breath. And in that moment he was free again. Free to float around like a ghost in time.
Miles is glad that the terrible suffering of the innocent people in the camp is over. It was unbearable to witness, but must have been unimaginable to experience firsthand.