“That’s how I learned last year.” Annie wobbled dangerously close to Izaak, but kept her balance.
As soon as Aunt Anna placed the chair in front of him, Izaak felt more secure. He pushed it and kept his balance as the skates went left, right, left, right on the shiny ice.
Gabe laughed as he passed him in long, even strides. “Keep your tongue in your mouth, Jan,” he said. “It might get frostbite.”
Izaak watched Gabe. Oh, if he could skate like him one day. Left, right, left, right. He pushed himself along. Annie and the twins passed him too, but Izaak kept going. And in the next few days, Izaak’s practicing paid off. He left the chair at the bank, and although he still wobbled, he managed to improve.
At night he slept like a bale of hay, exhausted from the outdoor exercise. The children skated for a whole week until a thaw set in and ruined the ice.
But winter wasn’t over yet. January brought extreme cold and more ice and snow.
“We’ll get the sleigh ready,” Uncle Piet announced one morning. “I think Hero would like some winter fun too.”
“Hero?” Izaak’s eyes grew larger.
“Yes.” Uncle Piet smiled. “Aunt Anna and Nel will polish the harness bells and Albert and Gabe will clean out the sleigh. This afternoon we’ll take Hero out.”
Izaak dug deep into his porridge. He couldn’t wait.
“You’re going to pull the sleigh,” Izaak told Hero as he brushed the stallion’s winter coat until it gleamed a deep black. At the same time, Albert hammered special nails in the horse’s hooves. The horses had been outside to exercise, but never on the ice.
“We don’t want Hero to slip and break something,” Albert explained. “The nails don’t hurt because the hoof is like your fingernails.”
Izaak had thought it must be something like that. He knew these people would never do anything to hurt their animals.
After the noon meal, the whole family watched as Uncle Piet harnessed Hero. Hero’s nostrils flared. His ears wiggled. He neighed over and over again. He was anxious to go outside and stretch his legs.
Izaak had never seen such a beautiful sleigh. The wood was carved at the front. The driver straddled at the back and there was a little bench in the middle for one passenger. The sleigh was painted a dark red with gold trim along the edges. The steel runners gleamed.
Gabe held onto Hero while Uncle Piet and Albert pushed the sleigh outside. Carefully, the men slid the sleigh onto the ice. Gabe followed, leading Hero. Once they had hitched the sleigh to the harness, Uncle Piet barely had time to grab the reins before the powerful stallion took off.
Izaak couldn’t believe his eyes. This was like a fairy tale.
Everyone applauded when Uncle Piet passed by. Hero had taken him all around the farm buildings and back in a flash.
Uncle Piet let the stallion run for a while until he’d spent some of his energy.
Then he halted in front of the small gathering. “Come on, Anna,” he said. Aunt Anna, her biggest smile on her face, sat down on the little wooden bench and off they went. The sleigh slid light as a feather across the sur face. Hero didn’t have to pull. He just ran. The mane flew to one side and the bells clanged. Izaak clapped his hands, watching the scene.
Everyone got a turn to ride with Uncle Piet. Finally it was Izaak’s turn. He climbed up onto the small bench. His face glowed; his eyes sparkled. “Go Hero!” he called.
“You will guide him next, Jan,” Uncle Piet said as snow-covered pastures flew by on one side and barns and stables flew by on the other.
Hero trotted gracefully. His ears twitched. Steam rose from his warm body.
“Now, you hold the reins.” Uncle Piet moved aside, so that Izaak could sit on the wooden bar at the back of the sleigh. “Here are the brakes,” Uncle Piet explained. “You press your feet down on the pedals and pull on the reins when you want the sleigh to slow down.”
Izaak could feel the blood rushing through his veins.
Uncle Piet walked beside the sleigh. “Start slowly,” he said. “Jaap, come sit on the bench.”
Jaap smiled at Izaak before he sat down. “Way to go, Jan,” he said.
Izaak beamed. He would never get enough of this. The afternoon went by in a flash.
That night, he thought about the sleighing event over and over again. In his mind he saw Hero’s powerful muscles as the great horse trotted before the sleigh. For the first time since he had been at the farm, Izaak forgot to think of Mama, Papa and Sarah.
The Courier
At the end of February the weather turned milder, and school began again.
One morning, a young woman walked into their classroom. The students’ eyes followed her as she walked up to Miss Afke and whispered in her ear. Miss Afke nodded. The woman turned and walked out the door. All eyes were on the teacher. They all knew the woman was a messenger, a courier.
One by one, Miss Afke stopped at the desks of the “new” children. “Jan,” she whispered, standing beside him, her hand touching his shoulder. “You need to go home. There is a roundup of people.”
Izaak gasped. He looked at his teacher, his eyes large.
“And cattle and horses,” she added.
He couldn’t move.
Gently, Miss Afke pulled him out of his desk and guided him to the coats.
Izaak looked around. Jaap was staring at him, his face creased in an angry scowl.
Izaak’s eyes went to Annie. Her eyes were big and round. Her face shone pale against the red of her hair. She knew. She was only six, but she knew what was going on. Even though she was Jewish, everybody counted on the Germans never suspecting her because of her red hair.
Izaak left the building with several other children, but soon found himself alone on the long stretch home. Fear gripped him. As he jogged along Izaak realized this was the first time he had gone home alone.
He took a big gulp of air and started to run. He didn’t look back. He ran out of the village, down the lane to the farm.
They’re going to find me, he thought. If I don’t hurry, they will find me.
A memory flashed through his head, a memory of German trucks rumbling down his street, a memory of him and Mama and Papa and Sarah climbing fences, hiding behind buildings before dashing across to the next street.
His clogs moved fast on the dirt road until his legs ached. A stitch in his side slowed him down. He looked behind him. No one was following him. There were no military trucks on the road.
A thought popped into his mind. He was not the only one in danger. Gabe. Gabe was in danger too. He must warn him.
And Hero. Hero was also wanted by the Germans. They must hide Hero. Where could they hide the stallion?
As his feet picked up speed, his brain searched for a hiding place for Hero. Where could they hide a big horse like Hero?
Izaak slipped in a puddle and lost one of his clogs. He bent to pick it up, took his other one off and ran in socked feet until he reached the barn. The door opened. Gasping for breath, Izaak fell inside. Two arms caught him.
“Hey!” Gabe cried out. “You scared me half to death.”
Izaak looked up into Gabe’s face. He saw Gabe’s eyes. In the dimly lit barn, Gabe’s eyes shone a soft brown. They were filled with concern.
“There’s a roundup.” Izaak wriggled free. “We have to hide Hero,” he said. “I have been thinking.”
“You know your hiding place in Hero’s trough.” Gabe walked toward the horse stables. Izaak followed right behind.
“But where are we going to hide him?” Izaak asked.
Gabe turned to look at him. “It’s too late to take him to the blacksmith in the village.”
“We’ll find something here,” Izaak said. “We’ll take him out in the barn where the hay used to be and cover him.”
The soft glow in Gabe’s eyes was gone. “That won’t work, Jan,” he said. “You go into your hiding spot now.” His voice rose. “We can’t save Hero!”
Izaak stepped into the stable b
eside Hero. He stroked the stallion’s neck. “I will save you, Hero. I will,” he said.
Gabe stood beside him, ready to lift him into the feeding trough.
“The dike!” Izaak screamed. “Why don’t we take him behind the sea dike. We will be hidden too!”
Gabe’s mouth opened. “Let’s not lose any time.”
Gabe untied Hero and led the horse out into the hay barn. “Go outside and look for military trucks. If you don’t see them let’s try the dike.”
Izaak hurried to the door. He looked down the farm lane.
“It’s clear,” he shouted and opened the door wide.
Gabe had harnessed the horse with a bridle and a short rein. “Come here,” he said. “I’ll give you a lift.”
Izaak stood close to Hero. The horse trotted on the spot. Izaak felt the tension in the animal’s body build as he mounted.
“Hold on to the mane.” Gabe walked the horse outside. They stood for a moment and listened. Straining their ears, they heard the low rumbling of trucks nearing the village from the south.
In one leap, Gabe settled behind Izaak. Hero’s ears flattened, his legs danced.
Izaak stroked the stallion’s neck. “We’ll save you,” he whispered.
Gabe took the reins and steered the horse past the farm and into the fields. Izaak bounced, trying to find his balance. If it hadn’t been for Gabe’s body firm against his back and Gabe’s arms around him holding the reins, Izaak was sure he would have fallen off the horse right away.
“There’s Albert mending the fence,” Izaak said, panting as he tried to balance with the rhythm of the horse’s movements.
“The Germans are coming,” Izaak shouted at Albert, who watched them with questioning eyes.
Albert waved at them. “Go!” he shouted.
Friendship
“Hold on tight,” Gabe grunted behind him. “We’re going to speed up.”
Izaak gripped the mane tightly and tried to move his body with Hero’s. In the distance loomed the sea dike. Not the real sea dike, he knew, but the middle one of three dikes to protect the land from the sea. This dike was called the dreamer.
For the next fifteen minutes, Izaak tried to do several things at the same time. He needed to remember to dig in his knees and to hold on to Hero’s mane. Hero’s trot made Izaak bounce up and down like a ball. Gabe’s arms folded around him, keeping him on the horse.
Once they entered the path to the dike, Gabe spurred Hero into a gallop. Now Izaak felt as if he would fly over the horse’s neck. He gripped the mane until his hands felt numb. The wind pulled his hair. Flecks of white foam blew from Hero’s mouth into Izaak’s face.
The horse’s muscles beneath him surged with power. His heart raced. They had to succeed, he thought. They had to.
They reached the foot of the dike. “Whoa,” Gabe shouted. Hero slowed down.
Izaak turned his head and looked back at the farm.
Gabe dismounted and helped Izaak off the horse. Izaak’s legs trembled so badly that they almost buckled. Gabe led Hero by the bridle up the slope of the dike. Until they reached the other side, they would be visible from quite a distance.
Once below the dike, Hero started nibbling on the first new sprigs of grass.
Izaak looked at Gabe. “Why is this dike called the dreamer?”
“There are three dikes.” Gabe said. “The sleeper. The dreamer.” He patted the ground they were sitting on. “The next one,” he said, pointing at the dike ahead of them, “is the watcher. The watcher is the highest and has to protect the land from the sea,” Gabe said. “Now, crawl to the top, but stay low.”
Izaak squinted in the direction of the farm. Three military trucks were driving down the road from the village. Izaak crawled down, his face white with fear. “Three trucks,” he said.
“Stay down,” Gabe said. “For now, we’re safe.”
Izaak and Gabe sat down in the grass.
“If the Germans find us …, ” Gabe took a deep breath. “They’ll take Annie and you and me away and send Uncle Piet and Aunt Anna to a concentration camp.”
Izaak nodded. The older boys at school had talked about it one day. A family that lived close to the church had been taken away. Izaak paused. A father, mother and four children had been sent to a concentration camp because they were hiding a Jew.
“Where is your family?” Izaak had wondered about Gabe and his family, but had been afraid to ask. Today he felt that he could.
“My family was in hiding on a farm in the next town, over there.” Gabe pointed to the east and stared into the distance. “The farmer raised and trained prize-winning Frisian horses.” He pointed at Hero.
Izaak watched Gabe’s face. The older boy seemed so far away.
“One day I took Marijke to a neighboring farm to help with the haying.” He paused as if he had to think what happened next.
“When we returned at night, they were gone.” Gabe stood up. He thrust his hands in his pockets.
“The farmer, his wife, my mother, father and three sisters. Gone!” His voice rose. He paced the grass. Back and forth. Back and forth. “They’re all in some camp either in Poland or Germany!” He screamed now. “They’re probably murdered by the Nazis! And only because we’re Jews!” Tears streamed down his face.
Izaak’s heart hurt. The ball in his stomach tightened. He wanted to touch Gabe, but his body wouldn’t move.
“I hate being a Jew.” Gabe fell on his knees. He pounded the earth with his fists. “I hate it! I hate everything!” His sobs were long, shaking his entire body.
Izaak held his breath. Hero grazed beside him. He couldn’t believe what Gabe had said. Did he hate being a Jew? No, but being a Jew had brought him here and made him miss his family. Papa had always told him he should be proud to be Jewish. But Gabe made him doubt Papa’s words.
Izaak didn’t know how long they stayed behind the dike. Time was filled with thoughts and fear. Any moment he expected a fierce-looking soldier with a rifle to peer over the dike.
“I don’t know where my family is.” Izaak didn’t know if Gabe heard.
Gabe looked at him. His face was swollen and the one side looked even more purple than usual, but it didn’t scare Izaak anymore.
“I know,” Gabe said. He wiped his face on the sleeve of his farmer’s jacket. “But the Germans will not take Hero.” Gabe’s voice sounded angry.
“Why do they want Hero? He’s not Jewish.” Izaak didn’t understand.
Gabe smiled. “No. The Germans want to use him in the war because he’s strong and healthy.”
“They’ll never get him.” Izaak balled his fists.
“The Germans sent Uncle Piet a letter, ordering him to hand over the horse. Once, the Germans came to the farm, but that day Hero was at the blacksmith in the village. We sent Annie to tell the smith to keep the horse till dark.”
Izaak let out a sigh. He refused to think what would have happened if Hero hadn’t been at the blacksmith.
“Uncle Piet brought the horse back when it was dark. From that time on we’ve tried to hide Hero as much as possible. We took him to the blacksmith once as a precaution, but the Germans never came.”
He motioned Izaak to the top of the dike.
Izaak crawled up the grassy slope, lay on his stomach and peered in the direction of the farm. His eyes narrowed into slits as he observed the farm buildings. All of a sudden he spotted a figure walking in the fields. Was it a soldier? No, there would have been more than one. He watched for a few moments more. When he turned around, Gabe was lying on his stomach beside Hero.
Izaak turned back to his task. The wind chilled his body. He shivered, but kept his eyes on the lonely figure in the fields as it drew closer. At last Izaak recognized Albert.
“Gabe!” Izaak called down. “It’s Albert!”
Slowly, Gabe got to his feet and joined him. Side by side they watched Albert come to the dike, until they felt it safe enough to wave at him.
“It’s all right. You
can come home.”
Gabe tugged at his sleeve. “Go get Hero.”
For a moment Izaak stared at Gabe. Then he rushed down the slope.
Hero looked up and neighed.
Izaak ruffled Hero’s mane and pressed his own nose against Hero’s. “I told you we would save you,” he whispered. Then he took the bridle and coached Hero up the slope. “Come, Hero. You can do it.” Gabe and Albert stood on top of the dike.
“Here. I’ll give you a hand up.” Gabe smiled at him. “Hold onto the reins.”
Izaak grabbed hold of the reins and dug his heels into Hero’s warm sides. He swayed gently as Hero walked beside the men.
Albert looked up at Izaak. “That was quite the rescue. Who thought of that brilliant idea?”
Gabe smiled. “Jan here.”
“Did the soldiers come?” Izaak asked.
“Yes,” Albert answered. “The three of you went over the dike just as I heard the trucks. I went to the kitchen to find Piet. He was worried like crazy. He had no idea how Gabe and the horse could have disappeared.”
Izaak’s heart pounded. “He didn’t know about me?”
“No. When I told him, he grinned.”
Izaak felt so tall, looking at the world from Hero’s back. “What did he do when the soldiers came? Did they take the other two?”
“Since when do you talk so much?” Albert pulled at his cap and smiled at Izaak.
Izaak’s face burned.
“The soldiers searched the barn and the stables, but didn’t go into the living quarters, which surprised us. They asked about der Hengst, the stallion, and Piet knew they meant Hero. He told them the horse had been stolen a couple of weeks ago. At first they didn’t believe him, but after they’d searched everywhere, they left. They were not interested in the mares, just the stallion.”
A great weight slid off Izaak’s shoulders. Gabe looked at him and patted his knee. A warm feeling entered his chest.
No Escape
“Tomorrow the horses will stay outside all night as well. The weather is warm enough.” Gabe lifted one of Marijke’s hind legs and brushed the long hairs down.
Hero Page 4