The Soul of the Unbroken

by Derrick Quick

  “Here, I wrote it all down for you, so I could explain it to you why I am wearing this. Please just read it.” I reached in my pocket to pull out the letter I had written for her and my pocket was empty. Oh no! If someone found that I was dead. Then I realized I changed my pants this morning so it was probably still in the pocket of the other pair. I decided to worry about it later because I still had yet to convince Eliza that I wasn’t evil like she thought.

  “Do you remember the last night we were together?” She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Of course I remember. That was the worst night of my life! My family was taken from our home, we were loaded onto a train like a bunch of animals, and brought here to slowly rot away and die!” She started to cry, and I didn’t think anything I could say would make her feel better, but I was going to try. “Well, that was the worst night of my life too. On the way home I saw an old man get thrown through a window, I saw a kid get burned by a bunch of teenagers, and worst of all, when I got back to your house you were gone. I have been trying to save you from this place since that night Eliza. Believe me, I didn’t want to put on this filthy uniform, but it gave me a chance to find you so I did it. I love you.” She slowly stopped crying.

  “Why would you love me? I am disgusting, They took away my hair, my clothes, I can’t even wash myself.” She had no idea how great she was.

  “I don’t care about your hair or your clothes. You are as beautiful to me now, as you were the first time we met. I love you because you are sweet, and funny, and every time I am with you I know everything is okay. Every time I am not with you, I would give anything to be with you again. You are the most perfect person I have ever met.” She got up from her seat and hugged me tight.

  I had been waiting for this moment for years. To feel the warmth of her skin again. To feel the love of her embrace. As I was hugging her, I started to realize what she had been through. I could feel her spine and her ribs. She was so weak and thin. The Nazis had slowly drained the life from her, but I was going to bring it back to her. The call came for the prisoners to report to their work for the day so she let go and ran outside.

  Back in my room, the pockets of my pants were empty. The letter for Eliza was nowhere to be found. It wasn’t in my desk, it wasn’t in any pockets, someone had found it.

  Chapter 15

  1944

  A few tense days went by since I lost my letter to Eliza, and I had yet to be arrested, but I knew it was only a matter of time. every day I visit Eliza before her work duty, and I bring her extra rations of bread, and sometimes potatoes. She is slowly regaining her strength, and in time, she will be back to normal again. I told her how I detailed everything I did to go against the Nazis in the letter, and now it was lost. She said, “You have to leave! Go somewhere else!” I told her that I wasn’t going anywhere without her ever again. So I came up with a plan for us to both escape.

  Through my observations, I noticed that a delivery truck came once a week. With it came food and supplies. Most of it for Oberfuhrer Bollenbach, but some for the prisoners. It rolled through the main entrance of the camp but would drive around to the back of the main building that housed the soldiers. The driver would get out and unload the supplies into the kitchen. Then he usually goes through the kitchen, into the main living area, and goes over the list with Oberfuhrer Bollenbach. He always leaves the back door open when he does this. Then he comes back, shuts the door, and drives back to the nearest town. My plan was to sneak Eliza into the back when he is going over the list with Bollenbach. Then I would ask him to let me hitch a ride back to town with him. Once we were well clear of the gates and the camp, I would knock him out and take over the van. Eliza and I would escape, and hide somewhere until the end of the war, which should not take too long because the Americans were getting closer by the day.

  He would come with the truck on Monday and it was already Saturday so we would be free soon. Eliza and I were standing in a far corner of the camp, hidden from everyone else, when I told her the plan. “That plan is not going to work Eloy! He is going to know something is in the back of the truck. Even if he doesn’t, and we somehow get out of here, where will we go?”

  “It doesn’t matter where we go. We just have to stay hidden for a little while. The Americans will be here any day now, and the war will be over.”

  She almost laughed when I said that. “We have been hearing the Americans will be here soon every day for months, years. Have they come yet? No they haven’t. Who knows if they will ever show up. I know how to survive here, but if I get caught escaping I am dead for sure. You can at least blend in outside these walls.” Before I could respond we heard the thumping of a soldier’s boots heading our way. Eliza ran away.

  I turned to see what the soldier wanted. “Wolf!” He called out. “Over here,” I answered. He came around the corner and found me standing there. “Oberführer Bollenbach needs to see you right away. My stomach sunk. It was about the letter. It had to be. I nodded to the soldier, and began my walk to certain death.

  My anxiety increased as I ascended the stairs to Bollenbach’s office. The soldier followed me the whole way, making sure that I wasn’t going to try and make a run for it. The door to his office was closed. I knocked and heard some shuffling of papers before he responded, “Come in.” As the door slowly creaked open I saw him sitting in his chair with an angry glare piercing through me. “Sit down.” Intensity filled the air. I knew the conversation we were going to have was not going to be good. I sat down as quick as I could. He dismissed the other soldier, and let out a big sigh. “Eloy I was looking for you the other day, and I found this piece of paper in your room.” He held up the letter that I wrote to Eliza, detailing all of my crimes against the government.

  “Can you imagine my displeasure when I opened it up and read it?” He waited for me to say something so I said, “To be fair, it was private information. You didn’t have to go through my things.” That was not the answer he was looking for. He slammed the letter on to the desk and yelled, “Dammit Wolf! I liked you, you saved my life. Now you force me to make an impossible decision on what to do with you.” I spoke up again and said, “If you are the only one that has read it, you could burn it.” He let out another sigh. “No, I can’t do that. As much as I like you, and am grateful you saved my life, I have a duty to my country. You broke the law many, many times. If anyone else had found this you would be dead already.”

  I felt helpless sitting there, with no way to take the letter back. No way to reverse my mistake. He could have me killed at any moment and there was nothing I could do to stop him. I just prayed that this wasn’t the end of the line for me.

  He spoke again, “Because you saved my life, I don’t want to be the one to kill you. I am going to do you a favor, and then we are even. Do you understand?” I nodded that I understood. “You have one night to leave here. In the morning I will order the other soldiers to find you, arrest you, and bring you back here. If you are caught you will be imprisoned, and I can guarantee you, that if you become a prisoner, death will be here to greet you soon enough. The guards will want you dead, and so will the other prisoners.” My heart was racing, I had to pack up and leave there as soon as I could. Bollenbach said something else, but I was so anxious and in my head, I didn’t hear what he had to say. I got up and went to my room. Frantically, I threw anything that seemed useful into a suitcase and ran out of the building.

  Out in the yard, I ran around trying to find Eliza. Some guards tried to question me, but I brushed them off and continued to look for her. I ran around a corner and slammed into someone. I was knocked back a little bit, and they were slammed to the ground. “Ow, that hurt,” they said.

  On the ground in front of me was Eliza. She looked up and rubbed her elbow where it hit the ground. I couldn’t help but laugh. “What is so funny Eloy?” She was very grumpy. In between my laughter, I said, “Doesn’t this seem familiar? Us slamming into each other going around a corner. Like that day I ruined your flowers, an
d we had to go shop for more.” Finally, the memory clicked in her brain and she laughed with me. We rolled around on the ground, unable to contain the laughter.

  When we were able to gather ourselves Eliza asked, “Why are you carrying a suitcase? And you were running. Are you leaving?” I didn’t know how I was going to tell her. I said, “They have the note Eliza. They gave me one night to leave before I am arrested.” She gasped and started to cry. In between breaths she said, “Y..you c..can’t leave me again Eloy.” She was right. There was no telling what would happen to her if I left tonight without her. She was going to have to come with. “That’s why you are coming with me.” I said to her. She stopped crying, and confusion riddled her face. “How can I go with you? They aren’t going to let me just walk out the front gate.” I still didn’t know what we were going to do yet, but I decided to buy myself a little bit of time. “Don’t worry, I have a plan. Just go get any things you want to take with you. If there is anything.”

  She said there was one thing she wanted to get, and she ran to her bunk. I followed close behind, not wanting to let her out of my sight again. Next to her bunk she pulled up a floorboard, and pulled out a small picture. It was of her mother and father. “This was taken just a few weeks before we were brought here.” She said. In that moment, I realized something. I never asked her about her parents. They might still be here. “Eliza, are they…” I trailed off, not able to finish my question. She said, “My father was taken away when we first got here. I haven’t seen him since. My mother died from Typhus last year.” I knew exactly how she felt since both of my parents passed away as well. “I’m sorry Eliza.” She didn’t say anything back, but quickly changed the subject. “So what is the plan?”

  The plan was not a very good one, but it was all I could come up with. We were just going to take Bollenbach’s personal car that was always parked right outside the gates and drive right through the front. I knew he always left the keys in it because he was prone to losing things. Eliza and I waited until dark to carry out the plan. It would be easier for her to hide in the car when it was dark.

  As the sun started to get lower in the sky, she had to go to roll call one last time. This was to ensure they were not out looking for her at night. They shouted out each number. When they finally got to Eliza she proudly raised her hand, knowing it was the last time she would have to do it. Then as the crowd of prisoners walked back to their beds, I grabbed her and pulled her from the group. None were suspicious because guards could do as they pleased with the prisoners.

  “Are you ready?” I asked her. She exuberantly nodded yes. Then we snuck our way across the camp. We crouched low behind a building, just before we got to the car. There was nobody in sight, except a guard at the gate a hundred yards away. He wasn’t paying attention anyway. He was probably just bored, waiting until his shift was over. Eliza and I were about to step forward, and head for the car when a soldier stepped into my path.

  I looked up at him and saw a long scar running down his cheek. It couldn’t be. “Trying to save a Jew again are we?” He said. I just couldn’t get away from this guy. He swung to punch me, but I was able to duck under it. I came up and uppercutted him in the jaw. His head whipped back and he stumbled, but caught himself. He charged forward and tackled me to the ground. Eliza got caught in the crosshairs and was knocked down. This fueled my rage even further and I shoved him off of me.

  I stood up and faced him once again. “I’m not a brainwashed, sadistic jerk like you,” I said to him. He came charging at me again with his head down. I parried him like a matador versus a bull. Then I took the opportunity to jump on his back, sending him sprawling to the ground. He was face down in the dirt, and I grabbed a handful of his hair and used it to bash his face into the ground.

  He was not done yet. He found a way to buck me off, roll over and get up. “Just let us go.” I said. “Not a chance.” He said before coming at me again, with his arms swinging. I ducked, dodged, and scampered around to avoid his punches. I brought my foot up and it connected with his knee, causing him to drop on his knee and wince from the pain. He was about to say something when he was thumped in the back of the head with a brick by Eliza. He was out cold. Out of breath from the fight I was huffing and puffing. “Thanks,” I said, once I caught my breath.

  I grabbed him by his feet and dragged him to the pit prisoners used as a bathroom, and tossed him in. “That felt good,” Eliza said. I laughed and pulled in for a hug.

  We left the soldier in the toilet pit and then Eliza and I ran to the car. She jumped into the back and ducked low. I found the keys sitting in the ignition as I knew they would be. I started the car and slowly pulled forward.

  The guard at the gate immediately perked up and eyed the vehicle suspiciously. I drove up to the gate and rolled down the window. My heart was pumping. I was nervous. Not for myself, but for Eliza. As the window rolled down and the guard saw me driving the car, his suspicions rose even more. “I have orders to get some classified papers for Oberfuhrer Bollenbach,” I said to the guard. He still seemed leary.

  “Can I see some papers? Or at least tell me where you are going to get these documents.” He asked.

  “I don’t have any papers, and I was told under no circumstances, to reveal the location of the documents. He wants them on his desk by morning.” The guard still didn’t seem to believe me so I added, “You can go ask him yourself, but I’m afraid he has gone to bed for the night. I don’t think he would like being woken up.” The guard pondered it for a moment and decided that he would rather not deal with an angry superior. He said okay and opened the gate. A sense of relief washed over me, and we drove through the gate and into the darkness of the night.

  I didn’t pay enough attention when Bollenbach and I made the trip here, so I had no idea where to go. We decided to continue in the direction we were headed and hoped to find a place where we could hide out. Eliza came out from her hiding spot in the back of the car, beaming with joy. “I didn’t think I would ever see outside of that place again!” She said. I was happy to have rescued her, but we were still in a lot of danger and needed to find a place to go, fast. “How well do you know your way around Poland?” I asked. “Poland? I know nothing about Poland. My family barely left Berlin.” So we were in some trouble. I needed to get a hold of a map. Unfortunately, none of the compartments in the car had one.

  We drove in silence for a long time before either of us spoke again. “Do you think the Americans are really coming?” Eliza asked me. “Yes. Bollenbach has been worried about it for weeks. They are getting closer by the day.” She was silent once again. The road ahead of me twisted, and turned, and around the corner, there was a small village.

  I parked outside of a small cottage. I told Eliza to stay in the car, and I went and knocked on the door. A gruff older women with short, curly grey hair, answered the door. She didn’t look too happy to see a German soldier, knocking at her door this late in the evening. “What do you want?” she snarled at me. “I was just hoping, you had some extra room here, where I could stay for the night,” I said to her. She rolled her eyes at me and angrily responded, “You Germans are always wanting something from me. You took all of my livestock, you took the food I had in my home, and now you want to stay in my home. No way. I am not giving you anything else. You can just shoot me.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that. Luckily I didn’t have to. Eliza got out of the car and came over to us. “Please, we really need a place to stay. It’s just for one night.” She pleaded with the old lady. The woman’s gruffness softened and she looked Eliza up and down, examining her shaved head, dirty clothes, and skinny arms. “Okay. Just one night. You have to leave first thing in the morning before anyone comes here looking for you. “Thank you.” Eliza and I both said in unison. The old lady smiled at Eliza but turned and snarled at me. I might need to ditch the uniform.

  The old lady offered Eliza and I some soup. I was offered way less, but it was something. We ate in silence. Ever
y so often, I would look up and see the woman watching Eliza with a sad look in her eyes. Eliza wolfed down one bowl after another, thankful to have nice warm food. When we were done eating, the woman took Eliza to get washed up. I wandered around the house, taking in all it had to offer. It was a very small house. It was made of stone, and inside had a nice stone fireplace. The kitchen was very small with a wood-burning stove, and a small wooden table in the center. She had some pictures up of what looked like her family. It was taken some years ago, and they all looked happy and peacefully. I wondered what happened to them. I’m sure the Nazis had something to do with it.

  I was busy looking at the picture when I heard Eliza come out of the room. She was all cleaned up and wearing a bright floral dress, the lady had given her. I was silenced by her beauty. The words wouldn’t form at my mouth. She looked even more amazing than the first time I saw her. When we first met she was only fifteen years old. Seeing her made me realize how much time had passed since then. She was a grown woman now. I strode across the floor and planted a kiss right on her lips. Time paused momentarily, and all I thought about was the softness of her lips. When we broke away from each other, she was smiling, and so was I.

  The lady showed us to our room that we were to share for the night. Eliza and I had never shared a room before and I was nervous. Eliza crawled into the bed first. “I have never felt a bed so soft before.” She said. She probably hadn’t slept on a real bed in years. Before I could say anything back, she was sleeping soundly. She looked so peaceful there. Her eyes closed, a small smile on her face. As quietly as I could, I slid in the bed next to her. I closed my eyes, happier than I had been in a long time.