"I'll take care of her, mister," Tanya said quietly. "You need to rest."
He wanted to—needed to—but how could he rest when even the tiniest noise would draw attention from a passing patrol? Lord, help her to settle down so that no one hears us…and so I can get some rest. But even has he prayed, his stomach sank at the fact that the baby's wails still echoed through the forest—loud enough for anyone walking by to hear.
~*~
The snapping of a twig startled him awake. He jumped to a sitting position and scanned his setting. The baby was squirming her way out of her mother's arms. Panic rose in his chest as he looked at the bright overhead sun. He’d slept for several hours.
Oh, Lord, protect us.
As quietly as possible, he searched his surroundings, hoping to gauge what had made that sound. If there was someone in the woods, they were being very, very quiet. Of course, if there was someone sneaking up on him, that's exactly how they would do it. Stealthily.
He listened for a moment. Were there human sounds amongst the chirping birds and rustling of leaves in the wind?
It was faint, but he was almost certain he heard the sound of boot steps. And the cadence of human conversation.
A patrol was coming down the path.
His heart beat frantically, and he looked up at Tanya and held a finger up to his lips. Shhh.
As quietly as possible, he fumbled through the rations, finding one that included dessert. Maybe a sweet snack would keep the baby quiet.
He held out a cookie to Tanya and motioned for her to give it to the baby.
She nodded and handed Verushka the cookie. Then she snuggled her baby on her lap closer to her chest and leaned back against a log just as the Finnish patrol came into view.
Matti leaned back as well, covering his head and praying that he would be calm.
And that Verushka would stay silent.
~*~
This time, the rumbling of an engine woke Matti.
Had he fallen asleep again? Blinking quickly, he looked at the darkening sky and jolted upright. What was going on?
Tanya sat next to the log, once again frozen in fear. She pointed toward the road and Matti glanced toward the path. Voices echoing from about twenty meters to his right. His breath hitched in his throat and he quickly flung himself back to the ground. Had they seen them?
The sound of boot steps through the forest told him they had.
After all this, patrol had spotted him because he wasn't calm enough to stay down.
"Hei," A voice called out.
"Hello." Matti motioned for Tanya to stay where she was and then he jumped up and moved toward the soldiers, hoping he could at least keep Tanya and Verushka hidden. How had he let this happen?
The other patrol passed without seeing them, and Matti relaxed and rested as much as he could for what would surely be a long night. Clearly, he had allowed himself to drop his guard because he was about to get caught.
A sick feeling crept into his stomach.
"Company, unit, position, soldier."
"Ma…uh… " Matti fumbled for the right words to say.
"Company, unit, position, please." The commanding soldier repeated.
The sound of the baby's wailing drew the men's attention away from Matti.
"What's that?" All of them looked from him to the hedge of birches from where the cries came.
Matti swallowed hard, trying to figure out what to do. He wouldn’t get out of this by lying. He glanced in the direction of the cries. Fear crept into his mouth and tasted like bitter tea. "It's a baby. I can explain."
"Go get her." The commander pointed in the direction, his hand on his rifle.
Oh, Lord, please protect us. Did they have any hope of getting out of here alive?
He ran to the birch grove and motioned for a terrified Tanya to follow him. He had no choice.
"This…is Tanya and Verushka." He stifled the urge to plead with them. "She's…we found them in the woods yesterday while on patrol. They were starving. I'm...I'm trying to get them into Finland. They'll die out here." Matti said the words that would likely end his military career. And perhaps his life.
The commander stared at him with a frown for several minutes and then his eyes softened. "I have…a daughter about that age."
Matti smiled. Was God working another miracle? "I couldn't leave them there to die, sir."
The commander’s eyes grew distant. He took several breaths before speaking again. "Let's go."
"Let's go?"
"Yes, I'll take you to Finland. To Helsinki. I've often asked myself what I would do if faced with a Leningrad civilian. Now I know. I won't let an innocent mother and her child die."
"But you—all of us—could be in so much trouble." Matti had known he was putting his own life and career at risk, but he never intended to bring others into it. "I can't allow you to risk your own life to help me."
The commander gave him a crooked smile and looked to each of his men. "I'm all right with a little trouble. You boys can choose to join us or head back to camp and never say a word."
The other two men in his patrol both stepped forward without hesitation. "We're staying, sir!"
Matti closed his eyes. Praise God.
"I'm Ma…." The commander held up his hand, interrupting him.
"Don't tell me your name. I won't tell you mine. The less we know about each other, the better."
The commander was right.
He was also saving their lives.
God had provided a ride to Helsinki.
Maybe Tanya really would get her miracle.
61
Helsinki, Finland
Matti held up the slip of paper Takala had given him and read the address aloud.
"All right, let me drop you off here so no one sees us going into a suburban neighborhood. It will just be a quick five-minute walk to that address."
Matti began to collect his things.
"We do this supply route from Helsinki to Kirjasalo every week—on Tuesday nights we drive up here under the cover of night and then drive back down on Wednesday morning. Then, we go again on Friday nights, driving back down on Saturday morning."
Matti mentally calculated the times.
"We pull out at eight. I'll plan on taking the circuitous route on our way out of town for a few weeks, checking this park here around 8:30 in the morning before heading out. If you want to catch a ride back down to Kirjasalo, we'll find you on that park bench."
Matti sat for a moment and tried to figure out his plans. It would take him at least ten hours to drive to Kalajoki, so it would be tight to make it back to Helsinki by Saturday. But waiting until Wednesday could really get Takala into trouble. "I'll try to make it back down here by Saturday. I have to get back to my unit before my commander reports me AWOL."
"Does he know what you're doing?" the commander asked.
"Yes. But no one else in my unit does, so he'll be hard pressed to hold them off. In fact, they are probably organizing search parties to look for me now."
"All right. Well, Godspeed." He pulled over.
Matti stepped out of the truck and turned to help a silent Tanya and Verushka down. They stood in a small park full of towering birch trees.
"Thank you." Matti smiled wearily at the men. "You saved me. And them. You saved our lives."
"And thank you for doing this." The commander pointed at Verushka, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "Take care of that baby."
"Look for me Saturday! And thank you."
And with that, his no-name co-conspirators drove off, leaving him alone on the shadowy street.
~*~
It was too early for him to knock on Takala's brother-in-law's door.
Of course, it was also too early for an AWOL soldier, a haggard woman, and a baby to be traipsing through the Helsinki suburbs.
Matti helped Tanya to sit on an icy-cold park bench. He needed to think for a moment to decide what to do. The supply truck had driven through the night, only
stopping once at the border for a routine check. Matti, Tanya and Veruskha had hidden under a blanket on the floorboards and no one had looked twice. Thank the Lord.
He had made it, by the grace of God.
Standing up, Matti made the decision to knock. Sure, it was five in the morning, but Tanya and Verushka had been out in the cold for three days. If she woke up, she would attract attention he didn't need.
He pulled the slip of paper out of his hand and carefully followed the commander’s directions—down the street and to the left. Ten minutes later, he stepped in front of a small, A-frame house with white shutters and a widow's walk across the second floor. He lit a match to double check the address and then stepped up to the door and knocked forcefully.
No one answered.
He waited a minute and then tried again. Footsteps sounded inside.
A blonde-haired woman who looked like Takala, only shorter and rounder, peered through the door with a scowl. "Who are you?"
"My name is Matti Ranta. I'm a friend of your brother's. Can I come in?"
"Is Pauli all right?" A dark shadow crossed her eyes.
"Yes, he's fine…but…"
The woman looked at him skeptically. Then she turned and called into the house. "Aabraham? Aabraham! Come here."
"It's all right. Here." Matti fumbled around in the pockets of his parka for the note that Takala had given him. "Your brother wrote a note for me."
He handed it to her and she read it carefully. Finally, she opened the door a bit further and stepped back to let them edge inside. Just as he stepped in, a man wearing blue and white striped pajamas raced into the room. "What is it, Kerttu?” He stopped short when he saw Matti.
"This…man says he knows my brother." She held out the note to her husband, still eyeing Matti with icy-blue eyes.
"What exactly is this about?"
"Can I come in so I can explain?"
"I suppose." Takala's sister peered sleepily at Tanya and the baby and then stepped back, allowing them to enter a small parlor. He carefully helped Tanya onto the sofa with Verushka on her lap before sitting down beside her.
"What is going on? We don't often get woken up at five in the morning by unexpected visitors." Aabraham sat down on a velvet chair across the room from them.
"Well, I don't often go knocking on stranger's doors at five in the morning either." Matti tried to smile. "Let me tell you what happened."
He told them the story about finding Tanya and Verushka in the woods.
When he finished, their blank, wary looks left him wondering if Takala had been wrong when he’d told them to come here. If they reported him to the war board now, who knew what would happen to him? Or to Tanya and Verushka.
Aabraham pulled the curtain back from the front window and peered out into the street. The lace curtain fell against the sill, blocking his view of the outside. Aabraham cleared his throat.
Had Matti made a mistake in coming here?
62
Helsinki, Finland
Matti woke up, stretched his arms above his head, and sank into the soft pillow before grabbing his watch off of the bedside table. Three in the afternoon. He had been sleeping for hours.
He flopped his head back on the pillow and relished the feel of real sheets and a real bed. It had been months since he’d enjoyed the luxury of a mattress and now it was hard for him to get up. But he had to get moving. He had to get to Kalajoki.
For the first time, he allowed himself to think of what would happen when he arrived at the Ojala farmhouse. Would Anna already be gone to America? Pain throbbed in his chest. He still loved her. He probably always would. Lord, I don't think my heart can bear seeing her when she's…when she's already let go of me.
He stood and slipped on a pair of tan pants and a plaid shirt that Aabraham loaned him last night, carefully lacing up his boots and running his fingers through his hair before making the bed and heading into the kitchen.
Takala's sister was busy kneading dough. “Good morning, sleepy head!”
“Good afternoon is more like it. Thank you for letting me sleep, ma’am.”
“Oh, it was no problem. As I said this morning, any friend of my brother’s is a friend of mine.”
“You sure weren't feeling all friendly-like when I arrived.” Matti grinned at her.
“You try getting awakened by a strange man banging on your door at five in the morning.”
“I'm sorry about that.”
“It's all right. Now that I know your reasoning, I forgive you.”
“Where's Tanya and the baby?”
“They're in the living room. Tanya slept well and came into the kitchen and signaled that she wanted to help me a few hours ago. She helped me make this bread dough and then swept the porch. I wish I could speak better Russian so I could communicate with her.”
“And how's the baby doing?”
“A sweet one, she is. But boy, does she have a temper. I grabbed her cup after she finished drinking her milk, and she let me know that she was not finished.”
“Yes, I was terrified one of those screaming fits would alert a passing patrol.” Matti clenched his teeth as he thought about what had almost happened during his journey out of Karelia.
“So, what are your plans for today, Sergeant Ranta?”
“Call me Matti.”
“All right, Matti.” Kerttu put her hands on her hips as her husband walked into the kitchen and handed Matti the baby.
“Hello, Tanya. Hi Verushka.” Matti smiled softly at Tanya, hoping he could put her at ease. She must be terrified. “I'm hoping to drive up to Kalajoki tonight. It will take ten hours but if I leave soon, we can probably make it by morning. Are you all right with that?” He explained to her in Russian.
He turned to Aabraham. “That is, if it's still all right for me to use your truck?”
“Yes. We'll make it work.” Aabraham looked at his wife with a frown.
“Is it too much trouble?”
“I use it to get to work and people will start asking, but I'll tell them it broke down. I'm sure I can get a ride for a few days,” he explained.
“Thank you. I figure if I drive through the night tonight, I can arrive by tomorrow morning. That gives me all day tomorrow and part of Friday to stay up there and see my family before I have to leave to drive back down to meet up with the supply truck early Saturday morning.”
Aabraham scowled. “That'll be a tight trip. You sure you can make it?”
“I don't really have a choice, do I?”
“I suppose not.” Aabraham looked concerned. "Another issue is you might run out of gas. It’s strictly rationed these days. I can get you filled up down at the military base. Kerttu’s father has all sorts of contacts. But you may struggle to find enough gas to get back once you’re in Kalajoki.”
Matti hadn't even though of that. “What can I do?”
“Take a few full gas cans with you and bring lots of cash. I heard that in some places they are charging as much as a mark per liter of gasoline.”
“That's insane! You could almost buy a new car for that amount.”
“I know. Do you have enough cash?”
“I hope so. I had Takala grab everything I had from camp before I left.”
“Here, we have a little savings.” Aabraham reached into a covered jar on the shelf above his head and pulled out a small stack of marks.
“No, I couldn't take your savings. You have already done enough.”
“The alternative is you getting stuck in Kalajoki and my brother getting in trouble. Take the marks. This isn’t a time for pride.” Kerttu put her hands on her hips leaving no room for argument.
“Whenever you're ready, I'll take you down to the military yard.” Aabraham’s gaze faded toward the door.
It was a long shot but Matti had to try.
Even if it meant the pain that would surely come when he saw Anna.
63
Kalajoki, Finland
Anna rubbed her hands togethe
r in front of the wood stove, hoping to stir some life into her fingers before she had to help her mother with breakfast. “Just four more days of this,” she mumbled to herself, trying to imagine what it would be like to live somewhere warmer.
Hearing her mother clanging pots and pans in the kitchen, she tugged her sweater tighter around her neck and headed in to help.
“Good morning.” Anna raked her fingers through her hair, realizing that she must look like a complete mess.
“Hi, Anna.” Her mother smiled weakly before handing her a pot. “Can you go to the ice chest and get me some milk for risi budua?”
Anna’s mouth watered. Her mother's warm rice cereal was one of her favorite breakfasts, even if their rations didn't allow them have sugar or cinnamon to sweeten. “Sure! Yum.”
Anna grabbed her parka, not wanting to face the early morning frost without a jacket, and then headed to the ice box on the back porch to grab a jar of yesterday's milk. At least they still had cattle to produce milk. They were the lucky ones.
Leaning into the ice box, the glint of headlights flashed outside in the distance. Who would be up driving around at this time of day? Especially with the snow and ice?
“Crazy person,” she muttered and turned back inside. She set the jar of milk on the counter and then added a log to the wood stove before setting a pot on top. She carefully poured the milk and then measured out two heaping spoonfuls of rice to add to the pot.
What was that sound? It sounded like a baby was crying on their front porch.
A knock-knock-knock echoed through the kitchen. Her mother turned to her. “Who would be at the front door at this time of the day?”
Anna swallowed hard. An early morning visit couldn't be good. What if…what if something had happened to Matti? Trembling, she hugged her arms to herself and willed herself to take a breath. “Um…I…”
“Oh, Anna.” her mother read her mind. “The war board doesn't send telegrams at 5:00 AM.”
Relieved, Anna wiped her hands on her apron and headed to the door. Cracking it open, she saw a man with a heavy parka covering his face standing next to a tightly-bundled woman with a baby locked in her arms. The baby was screaming. “Can I help you?”
Painting Home Page 23