She
was still standing on the station platform, waiting for the train that was
supposed to have left just after eleven. It seemed as if the weather knew what
was happening and sympathized. The bright sunshine had gone. She shivered as
she looked up at the black clouds that blotted out the sun and threatened rain,
not snow. It was bitter. At least it meant she was glad of all the extra layers
of clothes under her thick winter coat. She still thought that at any moment
she would wake up and find this was just a horrible nightmare.
At last,
a train pulled into the station and stopped next to the platform where they stood.
“You all
have your identity cards or passports, don’t you?” asked Fräulein Gottlieb. “Remember,
if any officials get on to the train don’t say anything unless they speak to
you. If they ask any questions, answer as simply as you can, and of course,
politely.”
Oh yes,
thought Renate. I wouldn’t be without it.
She’d
had to say goodbye to Mutti and Vati in the waiting room as they weren’t allowed
on the platform. The SS guards had told them that there was to be no hugging or
kissing and no crying. Oddly, she hadn’t felt like crying. She’d done plenty of
that over the last few weeks. Now it didn’t feel real. She wondered whether
Mutti and Vati were still watching. She couldn’t see as there were too many
other children on the platform.
Fräulein
Gottlieb and the other escorts started shuffling the children on to the train.
Renate found herself in a compartment with an older boy, a pair of twins – one
boy and one girl about her age – and a couple of little girls.
“Jakob,
you’re in charge,” said Fräulein Gottlieb. “And you two older girls please help
Christa and Irmgard if they need anything. Please all make sure your tags are
visible at all times. And if anybody asks you about the violins, Adelinde and
Erich, remember to tell them that you have passed grade eight.” She scuttled
off to the next compartment.
The
twins had very small suitcases with them. That must have been to make up for
the violins. She wondered whether she would go to a family that had a piano.
She didn’t play all that well, certainly not grade eight, but she would like to
keep on trying.
Jakob
stood up and opened the window. “Everyone’s on now,” he said. “I expect we’ll
be going in a minute.”
Suddenly
a young woman rushed up to him. “Please take her,” she said, handing a bundle
to Jakob. “My sister will pick her up when you’re in Holland.”
“But—”
Jakob went to protest.
It was
too late, though. The train was pulling out of the station.
“What is
it?” asked Adelinde.
“It’s a
baby,” said Jakob.
Renate’s
stomach did a somersault. Somebody had given them a baby to look after: a baby
who was not supposed to be on this train. “We’ll have to hide it,” she said.
“Under a
coat,” said Erich.
“But
make sure she can breathe,” said Adelinde.
The baby
was good and slept peacefully. Jakob kept her on his lap but carefully covered
by his coat.
“Would
you like me to hold her for a while?” asked Renate.
Jakob
shook his head. “The mother told me to take care of her.”
The
train was beginning to pick up speed. It didn’t seem that anyone wanted to
talk. She was glad: she needed to think about all of this. It was too
ridiculous. She couldn’t be Jewish. Neither could her mother or her
grandmother. Besides, being Jewish shouldn’t mean that she and her mother had
to move to a country where they didn’t even speak the language. Then she’d
remembered what had happened back in November to the synagogue and all those
shops and other businesses owned by Jews.
No, she
didn’t want to think about that. She closed her eyes. The motion of the train
soon made her fall asleep.
It
was dark when she woke up. The train had stopped and Jakob was staring ahead
looking rather worried. The baby was still asleep but making little whimpering
sounds as if she would wake any moment now.
“We’re
almost at the Dutch border,” said Erich. “I expect they’re making sure we’re
not taking anything valuable out of the country.”
“If the
baby starts crying, will one of you two start making a noise?” said Adelinde to
the two little girls. Christa nodded then whispered something to Irmgard.
The
compartment door suddenly opened.
“You
will all show your papers at once,” said the official. “And open all cases and
bags.”
Renate a
shuddered as she saw the sinister black uniform. She avoided looking directly
in his eyes.
They
took their suitcases from the luggage rack. Erich handed Jakob his.
“Can’t
you get your own case?” the official asked Jakob.
“I’ve
hurt my wrist,” said Jakob.
The
official raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “What is in those cases?” he
asked, pointing up at the luggage rack.
“Those
are our violins,” said Erich.
“Show
me,” said the official.
Erich
took the two cases down and he and Adelinde opened them.
“They
must be worth a mark or two,” he said. “Do you play them?”
“Of
course,” said Adelinde. “We have both passed our grade eight exams. We hope to
join an orchestra in England.”
“Show
me,” said the official.
Adelinde
and Erich exchanged a glance.
They
took the violins out of the cases and carefully tuned them.
“Bach’s
double concerto?” suggested Adelinde.
Erich
nodded. “One, two three.”
They
started playing. Soon the notes were dancing around each other. They were
brilliant.
How did
they get those notes out their violins? Renate had tried it once. It had
sounded terrible. If she should be lucky enough to have a place with a family
that had a piano she would practice for at least an hour every day.
Even the
SS officer watched the twins open-mouthed.
Unfortunately,
though, the baby also heard the music and wasn’t so impressed. She began to
whimper more restlessly. Renate nudged Christa.
The
little girl began to howl. “I want my Mummy, I want my Mummy.”
It
worked. The music and Christa’s whining was louder than the sounds the baby made.
“All
right, all right,” said the official. “That’s enough noise. You may keep your
violins.” He scowled at them and moved on to the next compartment.
It was
easy enough to stop the music, but the baby was another matter; Christa
wouldn’t be able to keep up the noise for much longer.
“Try
putting your finger in her mouth,” Renate said. She’d often seen mothers do
that to crying babies and it seemed to sooth them.
Jakob
pulled a face but did as she suggested. It calmed the baby a little but she
still grizzled quietly.
Some
children were made to get off the train and carry their suitcases into one of
the waiting rooms.
Renate hoped
the officers weren't going to make them stay here. She wanted the train to
start moving again now. She wanted to get out of Germany.
At last,
though, the children came back.
“They’re
all there,” said Adelinde. “I counted – twenty went out of this carriage and
twenty came back.”
“I
wonder if they’ve been allowed to keep all their stuff, though,” said Erich.
“Get in
quickly, scum!” shouted one of the SS officers.
Renate
held her breath as she saw one of the girls drop her suitcase. It came open and
her clothes fell all over the platform. She stopped to pick them up. The SS
officer kicked her.
She
yelped.
“Get on
with it, you piece of filth,” said the officer. “Or you’ll have to stay here.”
He pushed the girl on to the train.
The
suitcase and most of its contents remained on the platform. The officer picked
up the case plus a handful of the contents and threw them into the carriage.
The doors were shut and the train started to pull out of the station. A broken
doll was left behind.
“At
least they should be friendlier at the next stop,” said Jacob. “We’ll be in
Holland in a few moments.”
The door
of the compartment opened again. It was Fräulein Gottlieb. “Well, done,” she
said. “You all handled that very well. How is the baby?”
“You
knew all along?” said Jakob.
“Of
course,” said Fräulein Gottlieb. “I told the mother to give her to you, but I
forgot to give you her milk and spare nappies. I’ve been so busy with some of
the smaller children who have been very upset. Some of them don’t travel so
well either. But here they are now. Can you try and get her cleaned up and fed
before we hand her over to her aunt?”
The
incident with the violins and the crying baby had really broken the ice. It
turned out that Adelinde and Erich had left a baby brother behind and knew all
about nappies and feeding babies.
“At
least she’s a girl so she won’t pee in your eye while you’re changing her,”
said Erich.
“True,”
said Adelinde. “But this nappy is not too nice.”
“Give it
to me,” said Jakob. He opened the window and threw it outside. “I hope it lands
on some Nazi scum.”
They all
giggled.
In no
time, they were chatting away with the baby gurgling contentedly. It turned out
that Adelinde and Erich were also very good at singing and soon had them all
joining in. Renate didn’t know the words to some of the Yiddish songs but she
soon picked up the tune.
“So
you’re not really Jewish?” said Jakob.
Renate
shook her head. “I’d always thought I was German and Catholic.”
“But the
Nazis didn’t,” said Jakob. “Because you have Jewish blood.” He shrugged. “It
doesn’t bother me that you’re not kosher.”
“No,
we’re all in the same boat,” said Erich.
“We soon
will be, quite literally,” said Adelinde.
Half an
hour later, the train stopped again.
“I
expect it will be the Dutch officials now,” said Jakob.
Renate’s
stomach did another flip.
“I
expect they’ll be kinder than the Germans were.” Jakob pointed out of the
window. “Look, we’re actually at a station. I’m going to get out and find this
little one’s mother.”
Then he
and the baby were gone.
Renate
heard the doors of the compartments opening one by one. She could hear women
talking softly rather than the harsh voices of border officials.
Theirs
opened. A lady appeared with cups of hot chocolate and another held a tray of
little cakes. A third carried fluffy blankets and a fourth had some cute teddy
bears. The four ladies made a fuss of them, handing them the drinks, cakes and
blankets and a couple of the teddy bears to Christa and Irmgard. They seemed so
kind and friendly, although Renate couldn’t understand a word they were saying.
The
chocolate was delicious. The cake was like nothing she had tasted before – so
sweet and spicy – making her realise how hungry she was. She was glad of the
blanket, too. It wasn’t that she was cold with all the layers, it was rather
that the softness of it was so soothing. However, she couldn’t stop the tears
pricking at her eyes.
It had
all been such a shock. Finding out she was Jewish and that she had to go away. Then
realising that she wasn’t all that Jewish. Yet there were people being kind to
her: the Dutch women and Adelinde, Erich and Jakob who had had to leave parents
and brothers and sisters behind. At least her uncles would meet her in England
and her mother would come over later. But what about Christa and Irmgard? Would
they be allowed to stay together? They were so young to be away from their
parents.
The
Dutch women collected up the mugs and waved cheerily to them. No Dutch
officials at all got on. The train began to pull out of the station even though
Jakob had not got back.
The
tears began to flow freely. Renate could not stop them. Adelinde put her arm
round her, Christa held her hand and Irmgard patted her arm.
The
compartment door opened and Jakob was there.
“Hey,
Renatechen,” he said. “You didn’t think I’d deserted you did you?” He held up a
bag bursting with fruit and sandwiches. “She wouldn’t let me go and she’s given
us enough food for an army.”
“It’s
all right, Renate,” said Fräulein Gottlieb, now standing behind him. “It’s good
to cry. You’ll probably feel better.”
She
really began to sob now.
“On the
other hand, I could tell you one of my jokes,” said Erich, “and that might make
you laugh.” He frowned. “Or perhaps not.”
Now she
was alternatively laughing and crying. Fräulein Gottlieb was right. It did make
her feel better. In no time she was only laughing and the rest were joining in.
YOU THINK A BABY AND A COUPLE OF VIOLINS
WILL SAVE YOU? DO YOU THINK WE’RE IMPRESSED? TCH! FILTH. YOU’RE ALL FILTH. GO
ON. GET AWAY WITH YOU. ALL OF YOU. GO. AWAY FROM THE FATHERLAND. GOOD RIDDANCE.
