Flight

by Vanessa Harbour

‘Right, let’s see where we are.’ Herr Engel unfolded the map. He lit his torch. It flickered. ‘No! The batteries must be going.’

  ‘Save it,’ said Kizzy. ‘I’ve got a candle.’

  She smacked a flint and steel together several times before a spark caught, lighting the candle from the taper.

  ‘Give it here,’ Herr Engel asked, lighting his cigarette from it too. He puffed at it and the tip glowed in the dark. ‘Saves my matches!’

  With the gentle glow of the candle, they peered at the map.

  ‘Look,’ said Jakob, ‘the forest ends before the town and the river goes virtually right through it. How are we going to get by without being seen?’

  Engel sighed. ‘Perhaps we should take this detour.’ He used his cigarette to show another route.

  Kizzy watched his hand. ‘That seems miles out of the way and crosses many roads. You said there might be checkpoints. Do you think we’ll be safe?’

  Herr Engel rubbed his face with both hands. ‘I wish I could promise that.’

  Jakob sat back on his haunches. ‘And that pit might as well have been a message from Bauer. Plus, we can’t afford the time, can we? It seems to take us the wrong side of the mountains.’ He tilted his head to one side, wondering whether Herr Engel would be angry with him for challenging him.

  Kizzy frowned, puzzled. ‘What?’ Jakob saw she was irritated. She snapped, ‘Look, why are you so worried about Bauer?’

  ‘The dead horses and people in the pit. I thought maybe they were a personal message to us.’ The words had slipped out of Jakob’s mouth before he could stop them.

  The colour drained from her face. She gulped. ‘I … I doubt you need to worry about him. He was unconscious for ages. I watched for as long as I dared before I caught Pluto. He didn’t come round. And even when he did, I doubt he’d remember anything.’ She picked at some twigs on the floor. ‘I was there a while before you got there too. I took a wild guess that you’d be avoiding the roads, so that was the only way you could go. I waited as I thought I could warn you if there was going to be trouble. I saw that he was really drunk. He’d already had a blazing row with one of the other officers. They don’t seem to like him at all.’

  Herr Engel and Jakob smiled with relief. Perhaps that solved one problem, but not the one they were now facing. Jakob looked back at the map. He had another idea.

  ‘Why don’t I go into the town and check it out?’ He pointed to where he meant on the map. ‘If we ride to this clearing, we could hide up there with the horses. It’s not far from the road. I could follow it into the town. See?’ He looked up at the others. Kizzy seemed dubious but Herr Engel nodded. ‘If I can get in there I can see if the map is wrong.’

  Kizzy piped up. ‘I’ll come with you. I’m used to moving around without being caught. I’ve done it for many months now.’

  Herr Engel laughed, ‘We saw you.’

  The girl pushed at the ground with her foot. She seemed offended. ‘Only when I meant you to. I’d been watching you for ages before that. I just wanted to be near the horses.’

  He patted her on her back and half smiled. ‘I know.’ He looked at Jakob. ‘She’s right. She’ll help you. We need to get going. I reckon that clearing’s about half an hour away.’

  They rode quickly and quietly through the forest. This clearing was different from the others. There was an abandoned barn, built of stone and wood, in the centre. It looked like a carcass with its ribcage stretched across the roof.

  ‘A bit of luxury tonight,’ said Kizzy.

  Engel stared hard at her, whispering, ‘Ssh, will you? Wait here while I check it out.’

  She sighed loudly as Herr Engel trotted ahead. When he had searched round, he put his thumbs up.

  Jakob moved into the barn and untacked the stallions. A damp, disused smell hung in the air. ‘You all right, Raluca?’ He began to rub him down but Herr Engel stopped him.

  ‘I’ll do the horses. You go into town. The sooner you go the better.’

  ‘All right. Come on, Kizzy.’ Jakob grabbed her arm. ‘And keep quiet.’

  The children travelled quickly through the forest, not far from the road, keeping low to the ground. Branches snatched at their faces. Brambles tried to trip them up. They kept moving as quietly as they could, following the twists and turns of the river.

  As the trees got thinner, Kizzy slipped in front and led the way. It was nearly an hour before they could see the town ahead. Swerving in and out of the shadows until they reached the edge of the forest, they both sat on their haunches, breathing heavily, and watched the houses in the distance. A motorbike roared along the road, climbing up the mountain and into the town centre. In the darkness they saw the outline of numerous buildings. Many had lots of narrow windows, others had turrets. Tall spires pierced the sky. Jakob thought it looked straight out of a storybook as the moon shone down.

  ‘It’s very dark,’ said Jakob.

  ‘Blackout, of course. That’s when towns are at their most dangerous, when the soldiers are around and are twitchy,’ whispered Kizzy. She nodded towards the forest. ‘Let’s keep close. We need to see where the river goes.’

  Jakob nodded. The bank dipped right down and the water was very shallow and slow running.

  Crouching low, they crept along the edge of the forest. The clouds had covered the moon now, it was pitch black. They could hear bats swooping and diving above them.

  ‘Get off, will you,’ she whispered, pulling her hand out from under Jakob’s foot for the third time.

  ‘Sorry. Shall I go first? I won’t tread on you then.’

  ‘No, that won’t work.’ Kizzy grabbed hold of Jakob’s hand. ‘Come this way. Keep low.’

  She led him up to the side of a building. ‘Keep flat against the wall and follow me.’

  He felt like a bumbling fool next to her as she slipped in and out of the shadows, dragging him along. He realised she was right. She knew exactly how to disappear.

  ‘Say nothing. Do whatever I do.’

  She didn’t give him a chance to respond. Instead she moved silently, flat against the rough wall along an alleyway. It opened out onto a square and they heard loud voices. Jakob’s gut twisted. On one side there was a bar full of Germans. The SS were there, in their grey-green uniforms, talking loudly. Jakob shivered. There were even some Gestapo, similarly dressed, but more dangerous with their police-patterned shoulder flashes edged in poison green. Quietly the Gestapo watched everyone, nonchalant-seeming but taking everything in. Glamorously dressed women draped themselves over the soldiers’ arms. Tinkling laughter echoed round the square. They seemed to be the only people around.

  Two of the SS soldiers rolled out of the bar, tucking their shirts into their trousers before doing up their uniforms, pushing each other and guffawing. Jakob felt Kizzy tense. She nodded towards the centre of the square, where an old man shuffled past.

  ‘What’s he doing out at night?’ Kizzy hissed.

  Jakob whispered into her hair, ‘I don’t know. I wish he wasn’t.’

  The two children weren’t the only ones to spot him. The soldiers went over, circling him, barking like dogs. The old man pulled his arms up over his face.

  They couldn’t hear what the men were saying, but it wasn’t good. They pushed the old man between them, like he was a toy, spinning him round and round. Everyone in the bar cheered them on. Kizzy gripped Jakob’s hand.

  One soldier barked a question at the old man. He obviously didn’t like his answer as he took out his pistol and whipped him with it until he was on the floor, bleeding. Jakob moved forward.

  ‘No,’ Kizzy gasped, pulling him back against the rough wall. ‘You’ll get us killed.’

  ‘But … we can’t just stand here.’

  The look on her face told him that’s exactly what they would do. He felt sick.

  Before they could say or do anymore, a gunshot rang out across the square. The old man twitched, then was still. An ugly silence hung in the air, broken by a cacophony of
laughter and clapping from the bar. The soldiers spun round and did an extravagant bow.

  ‘Pigs,’ Jakob muttered under his breath. He slumped against the wall, slipping down until he squatted.

  Kizzy grabbed his arm. ‘We need to get to that river.’ He saw her peer across the square. ‘Come on, we must get a move on.’

  They soon found themselves by a bridge. There was a road leading to it and two paths branching off on either side, running alongside the river. Lining the road and the paths were many buildings. In the dark, Jakob couldn’t work out what sort of places they were, or who might be hiding inside. A wave of nausea swept over him.

  ‘Are you all right?’ asked Kizzy.

  He gathered his thoughts. ‘Yes.’ He grabbed her hand. ‘Let’s go along here.’ He pulled her along the path to the left, slightly away from the bridge. ‘Can you see the river?’

  ‘No, not yet.’ She looked over the waist-high wall along the path.

  He leant right over the wall. The river rolled under the bridge a good five metres beneath. The bridge joined one part of the town to another further up the mountain.

  ‘Kizzy, see, it’s right down there. It’s cut a ravine.’ She leaned further to see what he was seeing.

  ‘There are no proper banks to ride on.’ She slumped backwards. ‘We must take the other route with all the checkpoints.’ She sounded so defeated and despondent.

  Jakob reached right over the wall so his feet weren’t touching the floor. ‘No, I reckon we can ride straight through the town. Look, the river isn’t deep and if we go when it’s dark, we’ll be so far down no one will see us.’

  He glanced up to read Kizzy’s face. Instead he saw something that made his blood turn to ice.

  A faint light glowed on the bridge. It was a cigarette. It moved towards them. He grabbed Kizzy round the waist, throwing her flat on the floor. Instinctively she tried to scream, but he put his hand over her mouth, pushing them both close against the wall. ‘Ssh,’ he begged.

  He could hear the heavy footsteps of a patrol echoing around them as they reached the end of the bridge.

  Please don’t come down the path. Jakob squeezed his eyes tight shut and clenched every muscle. Please God. I beg you. Not this way. Not now. A breeze ruffled their hair.

  ‘Can you smell garlic?’ asked a faint disconnected voice.

  Jakob opened his eyes and gasped. ‘The paste!’ he whispered into Kizzy’s hair. She nodded, her eyes wide with panic. He pulled her close.

  Another voice sneered. ‘You’re such a city boy. It’s just the wild garlic from the riverbank. There’s loads of it at this time of year. Now hurry up, I’m cold. Let’s get a move on.’

  Kizzy’s hair smelt of the woods. Jakob glanced to the side just as the glowing butt of a cigarette fell so close to them, it nearly touched his hand. He held his breath. Would the soldiers follow their cigarette? He waited for a hand on his shoulder to drag him away. It never came. The voices and footsteps disappeared.

  ‘That was close!’ he said into Kizzy’s shoulder. He let out a long sigh of relief. ‘They’ve gone. Come on, quick. Let’s get back.’

  Chapter 12

  Back with Herr Engel and the horses, Jakob tried to describe his plan. His guardian scratched his head.

  ‘Ride straight through the town – that’s pretty audacious.’

  They stared at the map.

  Jakob felt disappointment build in his stomach. ‘I know it’s crazy but it’ll take forever the other way, and it’s full of checkpoints.’ Herr Engel stroked his beard. Kizzy stood to one side, watching and patting Pluto’s neck. Silence enveloped them all. After a few long moments, Herr Engel spoke.

  ‘You really think it’ll work?’

  Jakob nodded.

  Kizzy half smiled at Jakob. ‘It sounds mad, but I think he’s right. It gets us a long way up the mountain too. Anything that cuts our journey must be good for the horses and probably safer. The Nazis are everywhere. We saw…’

  Her voice trailed away. Jakob knew she was remembering the old man.

  Herr Engel walked away. Jakob waited. His guardian swivelled on his heels and marched back.

  ‘Right, the question is, do we go now? Or shall we wait until tomorrow night? It’s nearly four a.m. already.’ Herr Engel peered at the map. ‘My next planned stop is here.’ He pointed at a place on the other side of the mountain.

  Jakob leant over the map too. ‘I reckon it’ll take us half an hour’s riding to get to the town. Give us another half hour to get clear through to the other side, because we won’t be able to go fast. How long will it take us to get over the mountain?’

  ‘A lot longer than that.’

  Kizzy sat down with a thump on a broken wall. ‘I’m so tired.’

  Jakob was exhausted too. The adrenalin high of outwitting the patrol had disappeared. ‘Will we be safe here?’ He gazed round the barn.

  ‘Yes, I think we should be. As long as we don’t light a fire during the day so there’s no smoke for people to notice. And we must keep the noise down.’ He looked pointedly at Kizzy. ‘Luckily I’ve cooked some food already. I thought you might be hungry. And looking at the state of you two, I think we definitely rest here and leave tomorrow night. It wouldn’t hurt the horses to take it easy for a day either.’

  They ate with relish the potatoes and the small amount of smoked meat Herr Engel had managed to save. Jakob realised how hungry he was, scooping up every last mouthful.

  ‘Now, make sure the horses are settled. And that the fire is out and not smouldering.’

  The three fed and watered the horses, leaving them corralled in the small patch of land between the barn and the river, before they all lay down inside.

  Jakob looked up through the ribs where the roof should have been. The clouds had gone and he could see the stars twinkling away. A shooting star zoomed across the sky, leaving a trail behind it.

  ‘Did you see that?’ said Herr Engel. ‘A lucky sign.’

  Kizzy leaned on her elbow. ‘We’re supposed to make a wish, aren’t we?’

  ‘Think I’ve used up all my wishes tonight.’ Jakob yawned, then remembered earlier when they were in the forest. ‘Kizzy, what was wrong in those woods? You never seemed to have a problem before? Why didn’t you want to be left on your own?’

  He heard her sigh. There was a slight catch to her voice he’d never heard before. ‘I’m usually all right.’

  Jakob felt he’d asked her something he shouldn’t. ‘You don’t have to say anything. Sorry.’

  She sat up. ‘No, you and Herr Engel should know.’

  Jakob’s guardian moved in his bed but said nothing.

  ‘The clearing we were in brought back lots of memories. It was just like the one I was in when the SS came.’ Her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, and she wrapped her arms round herself, holding on tight. ‘My pa had seen them coming and told me to climb up a tree as far as I could. Everyone else had gone from the camp the day before, but Pa had promised someone he’d finish a job, so said we’d catch up. We never did.’ Kizzy swallowed a sob. ‘The SS don’t like Roma. They came with their jackboots, kicking over everything in the camp.’ Her lips trembled. ‘They dragged Ma out of the caravan by her hair. My brother, Bo, tried to run, but they grabbed him, too, and my pa.’ Her hands shook as she roughly wiped away snot and tears.

  Jakob couldn’t listen anymore. He shot out of his bed and sat by her. He wasn’t sure whether to put his arm round her or not. Very quietly he said, ‘Stop, Kizzy, you don’t have to remember. You don’t have to tell me. I’m sorry I asked you.’

  Her eyes were dark pools. The pain in them made the ache in his heart twist a notch tighter.

  ‘They killed them eventually, but I saw what they did to them before that. It should have been me too. It was only because of the leaves on the tree and my pa sending me up there that it wasn’t. That was two, maybe three winters ago.’

  This time Jakob did put his arm round her. He knew no words could make it righ
t. Instead he held her thin body tight until she fell asleep in his arms.

  ‘Jakob, wake up.’ Somebody was shaking him. It was Kizzy. ‘Be quiet, someone will hear you.’

  Jakob dragged himself back to reality, away from the nightmare. His shirt was stuck to his body with sweat. He couldn’t stop shaking. ‘What’s happening? I’m so cold,’ he stuttered.

  ‘Are you all right? You were screaming. Shall I hold you to keep you warm?’

  Jakob nodded, too embarrassed to speak. She pulled the blankets over them both. He felt her warmth through their clothes. Jakob didn’t want to look at her. Instead he focused on Raluca. The stallion sensed him watching. The horse stopped grazing and looked towards him, nickering quietly.

  In the dim light of the dawn, Kizzy’s voice cracked. ‘I’m scared.’

  The sound of someone moving around the camp woke Jakob with a start. Herr Engel was wandering around in the sunlight. Kizzy was still sound asleep.

  ‘Are you all right, you look like you’ve seen a ghost?’ his guardian asked.

  ‘Yes, I just thought…’

  ‘Oh, you and your thinking. I’ve told you before about that. Come and help me get ready. Do you want some bread to eat?’

  Jakob levered himself out from under Kizzy’s arms and joined Herr Engel at the edge of the barn. They watched the horses grazing as they munched their bread. It was a bit dry and stale but Jakob knew better than to complain. Even with all the shortages and rationing they’d always been lucky to have the food they’d had, and he knew it. Herr Engel had always been resourceful.