In the Shadow of the Storm

by Ella Zeiss

  Anna stroked his shoulder. ‘Did anyone else die?’ she asked haltingly.

  ‘Old Wilfried, Elsa Hahn, Timothe Kohler. And many more are at the end of their strength. We work hard and eat little. We’re all hanging on till spring as best we can; everyone hopes it will be easier then.’

  ‘How is Albert?’ Maria would never survive if she were to lose her husband as well.

  ‘He’s keeping well. He’s young and strong and clever. Why?’ He obviously hadn’t missed the worried tone of her voice.

  ‘Ruth is dead,’ she whispered, ‘and it’s broken Maria’s heart.’

  ‘I am so sorry.’

  ‘Maybe things will be better when the second child arrives and they’re back together.’

  ‘I’m sure it will.’

  Anna was quiet and cuddled up closer to her husband. For her, the thought of spring seemed endlessly appealing too. It would get warmer and the children would be ill less often. They could hunt for berries in the woods and then for nuts and mushrooms, and they would all be back together again at last. All they had to do was manage to survive the next four months somehow.

  Chapter 11

  ‘He’s tiny!’ Fascinated, Anna bent over Maria’s newborn son. She had almost forgotten how small babies were at the beginning.

  Maria lowered her head happily and breathed a kiss onto Richard’s crinkled forehead. ‘I’m so happy I can hold him at last.’

  Anna could well believe it. She had given birth to both of her children at home and enjoyed every second with them from the very beginning. The rules in the hospital were very different. The mothers were only given their children every few hours to feed, no one comforted them when they cried and not even their mothers were allowed to go to them.

  Wrapped up like dolls, they lay in the infant station, three or four of them next to each other to a bed.

  Anna had not even been allowed to visit Maria when she was recovering from the birth, for fear she might be carrying some infection the new mothers could catch, but now the obligatory week had passed and Maria was allowed home with her baby boy.

  The air was still relatively cold for April so Anna had brought a thick blanket just in case, in which the boy was carefully wrapped. He was sleeping like an angel in the arms of his mother.

  ‘He and Albert are like two peas in a pod.’ Maria was positively beaming with happiness and Anna was relieved to see that the little bundle in her arms had brought back the joy of living that her friend had all but lost when Ruth died.

  Suddenly, even from a distance, Anna could hear the unrest going on in their camp and swapped a worried glance with Maria. In silent agreement they quickened their steps.

  ‘Hurry up!’ they heard a soldier blaring, the moment they entered the yard. ‘The first truckload leaves today, the last tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Mama!’ Erich ran towards her and wrapped his arms round her middle. ‘I was worried they’d take us without you!’

  Alarmed, she looked at him. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘We have to leave. Everyone has to pack their things and get in the trucks.’ He pointed at three vehicles waiting at the entrance of the camp.

  ‘Where are Rita and Yvo?’

  Richard began to cry with all the noise and Maria rocked him back and forth in her arms.

  ‘Rita is packing our things; Yvo is with her. I was about to go looking for you.’

  ‘Well done,’ she said, patting his shoulder lovingly. It was incredible how normal it had become for him to feel responsible for the two girls. She turned to Maria. ‘I think we had better go and pack.’

  ‘Do you think they’re taking us to the men?’ The thought of seeing Albert again made her whole face light up.

  Anna smiled. ‘I hope so.’

  The trucks bumped along the narrow dirt road, grass knee-high down the middle, although black earth showed in the ruts on either side. Apparently this road was not used very often. They were probably lucky that there was a road at all and they didn’t have to travel all the way on foot.

  After about three hours, the convoy stopped and Anna looked around, stunned. They were in a large cleared area on the banks of a stream. Apart from two huts at the end of the clearing, the place was empty.

  ‘Everyone out!’ came the harsh order from the guards. Anna gave Maria a helpless look and grabbed the handles of the two suitcases that contained all her family’s belongings. Erich nodded to her bravely and grabbed Rita and Yvo tightly by the hand.

  All around her, faces showed the same look of shock that she was feeling. They had hoped to be leaving the worst behind them, but what was waiting for them here didn’t seem one bit better. At least they’d had the town, a hospital, a trace of civilisation nearby. Here, they didn’t have even that.

  ‘Move,’ the men commanded, and the women obediently jumped down from the backs of the trucks. They started moving slowly, carting their children and luggage as best they could. The hope that had been keeping their spirits up had left without a trace.

  Suddenly a figure broke away from the shadows of the trees. The man paused for a heartbeat, shielding his eyes against the sun while he stared towards the new arrivals, then his whole body leaped into action and he started to run. More figures came out of the woods and these too paused for a moment before starting to run.

  ‘Clara? Clara!’ The first man had already reached the women and was pushing his way through the crowd, looking for someone.

  ‘Fritz!’ A voice cracked with joy and relief. ‘Fritz, we’re here!’

  A woman Anna hardly knew, wrapped in a dark woollen shawl, dropped her bags and waved madly. The man was by her side in an instant, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight. A small girl clung happily to his leg.

  Anna looked away. She wanted to give the family a semblance of privacy but she was also searching for one beloved face in the crowd of approaching men. Wilhelm’s last letter had come weeks ago and she wouldn’t be able to relax until she saw him literally standing in front of her.

  About ten men had found their families already, but Wilhelm wasn’t with them.

  ‘Albert isn’t here,’ Maria said, gripping Anna’s shoulder frantically.

  ‘Willi isn’t either. That doesn’t mean anything. They’ve probably been working somewhere else.’

  Maria nodded.

  ‘We should move!’ Anna started forward with determination. She sized up the two huts in the distance. She had no idea if or how the bunks had been allotted, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get there first. ‘Come on,’ she called to the children, and headed off purposefully.

  Several guards were waiting for them in front of the wooden buildings and herded the new arrivals into the first hut.

  ‘One bunk per family. Move! Quick.’

  They were hit by a wall of stifling air the minute they entered the hut. It felt as though the clock had turned back six months. The same mattresses in three rows along the walls. The same coal stove standing at the back end.

  Anna’s heart sank. Was this how their life would always be from now on? The barest minimum with too little for them to survive and too much for them to die – if they were lucky. Were they going to have to sleep in shifts again, surrounded by strangers?

  Tears of disappointment and resignation pricked her eyes and she blinked them away quickly. She had to be strong for the sake of Erich, who was looking up at her encouragingly, and for Yvo and Rita, who were clinging trustingly to her legs. But she couldn’t be.

  ‘Your name?’

  Only now did she take in the man with a list standing in front of her. She cleared her throat. ‘Anna Friedrichovna Scholz.’

  The man checked his notes. ‘Are these your children, Comrade Scholz?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Erich, Rita and Yvonne?’

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded.

  ‘This is your bunk.’ The man pointed to a bed where a pile of folded clothes was lying. She recognised Wilhelm’s scarf and sighed with relief. He was
here!

  ‘Thank you,’ Anna muttered, exhausted. She let herself sink down on the bed. They had been assigned a bunk in the bottom row. She presumed it must be because of the children. Single adults were sent to the top bunks, while families were given the lowest ones.

  It looked as though someone had thought things through at least.

  ‘Mama, can we go outside?’ Erich asked eagerly.

  She smiled tiredly. For the children this was another great adventure. ‘Of course. Take a look around but don’t stray too far.’

  ‘Yes, Mama,’ he said, grabbed the hands of the two girls and ran off with them.

  As more and more people crowded into the hut, Anna just sat there listlessly, watching what was going on. There was nothing to do, no room to unpack their things or make this place more homely. Not when all they had was one small shelf for the whole family.

  It looked as though they were all going to be put in one hut. That meant approximately twenty families plus a handful of people who had lost their relatives, all crowded together in too little space.

  As soon as everyone had been assigned a bunk, the guard threw them all a last look and turned to leave. On a sudden impulse, Anna stood up and held him back. ‘Excuse me, but what about the other hut? Could some of the families not be put in there?’

  The man gave her a pitying look. At least he didn’t seem to resent her question. ‘Many more people will be arriving soon. This isn’t so bad, believe me.’

  Anna went back to her berth in silence. If this was good she didn’t want to know what awaited the others. She sat down on the bed, pulled up her knees and rested her cheek on them. She had had enough of constant deprivation and inhumane living conditions.

  Her thoughts drifted aimlessly back to happy memories of her home – her lovely little house, all the flowers out in the front garden by now, while the snow had only just melted here. At home the apple trees would be blossoming – how she had always loved to see that.

  If things had been different, she could be standing in her sunny kitchen right now, kneading her dough while she waited for Erich to get home from school. Yvo would be outside, playing in the garden, and she would hear her happy laughter.

  It was all so far away now, entirely out of reach.

  ‘Anna, darling. Is everything all right?’

  She hadn’t noticed that Wilhelm was suddenly there. Anna looked up and wiped her tear-stained cheeks. She nodded weakly and held out her arms. He pulled her close, kissing her hair. ‘I’m so happy you got here at last,’ he mumbled.

  ‘Me too,’ she said as she clung to him.

  Without letting go, he gently sank down on the bunk beside her.

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  Helplessly she shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’m probably just tired.’ She didn’t want to spoil their reunion with unhappy thoughts. ‘Have you seen the children yet?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said with a smile. ‘It’s incredible how much they’ve grown. I promised I’d take them round and show them everything in a minute, but I wanted to see you first.’ He lifted her chin, gently touched her lips with his. ‘I missed you all so much.’

  She held on to him with all her might, wanting him to promise that they would never be separated again, although she knew he couldn’t. The times when they could determine the course of their lives were over. Officially they were called citizens or comrades, but their fate was as bad as the serfdom Russia had fought so hard to abolish.

  ‘Will things ever get better?’ she asked in despair.

  He held her at arm’s length and studied her face. ‘I hope so,’ he said quietly, ‘and I will do everything I can to make sure they do.’ His voice faltered and he lowered his eyes. ‘Can . . . can you ever forgive me?’

  It took her a minute to understand what he was referring to. ‘It wasn’t your fault,’ she whispered at last. ‘This was going to happen, no matter what. If not then, then now or in a year’s time. We would never have been left alone. Look at everyone.’ She heard her bitter tone and lowered her voice. ‘Do you really think all these people committed crimes, did something wrong? They were just living their lives, like we were, but someone somewhere was against them.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘I know, but you couldn’t have prevented any of this.’ She sat up straight. It was time to let bygones be bygones and start looking ahead. ‘Do you know what’ll happen to us now?’

  ‘I heard that we’ll be staying here to build a new settlement. Over the next weeks and months many more people will be arriving who need somewhere to live. I should think the Commander will tell us more tomorrow, but today you can all get settled in first.’

  Anna pressed his large warm hand. ‘It is so lovely to see you again.’

  Wilhelm stood up, smiling. ‘Let’s go and find the children.’

  Anna followed him out. As she walked past, she spotted Maria and Albert. His arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulder, they were gazing in awe together at their newborn son.

  The following morning, Anna had just fetched fresh water from the river with some of the other women when the new Commander entered the hut.

  ‘Comrades,’ he announced loudly, ‘welcome to Settlement Number 6 of the Luza region. Tomorrow, more resettlers will arrive. In total, we are expecting two hundred more families to come before winter. They will all need food and lodging. Everyone – including the children – will have to play their part from now on.’

  Voices started to murmur as he spoke. Anna couldn’t imagine how an extra two hundred families could possibly be accommodated or fed here.

  ‘Quiet, please!’ the Commander shouted. ‘I will call out your names one by one – please step forward when you’re called up to be assigned your responsibilities. Please note that there will be a roll-call every morning and that you are not permitted to leave the settlement without official permission.’

  So much for the idea of resettlers. Forced labour was more like it.

  When their name was called, Anna, Wilhelm and the children stepped forward obediently.

  The Commander nodded to Wilhelm briefly. ‘You already know your assignment.’

  ‘Yes. We’re going to start building the new huts today while the other work gang continues to clear the forest.’

  ‘Very well.’ The man now turned to Anna. ‘We were told that you are a good needlewoman, Comrade Scholz.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Can you also read and write and add up?’

  ‘Yes. I went to school for eight years.’

  ‘You are assigned to the sewing shop. At first you will have no roof over your head, but once we have more space we will assign a room.’

  Amazed, Anna looked at Wilhelm, who smiled at her encouragingly. She hadn’t been expecting this! She would be allowed to sew instead of working herself to death, building houses or felling trees.

  ‘How old are the children?’ the Commander said, ignoring her clear relief. All in all he made a very organised and efficient impression on her. It was clear that he hadn’t assigned her to needlework as a favour. He wanted to put the abilities of the people in his charge to the best use.

  ‘Erich is nine, Rita’s six and Yvo is three years old,’ she said.

  The man made some notes on his list. ‘The two older children will join the first child work gang in the forest as of this afternoon to collect moss. The quantities required will be announced before they depart. Those who satisfy their quotas will receive full rations. The same applies to you.’

  Anna nodded.

  ‘The smallest one will go to the kindergarten, which is due to be opened next week. Until then, she can accompany the child work gang or stay with you as long as she does not stop you from fulfilling your quota.’

  ‘Don’t worry, she won’t,’ Anna promised quickly.

  ‘Please go to lorry number four to receive cloth, patterns and thread.’

  Wilhelm pulled them away to the entrance. ‘I need to get going too,’ he whispered. �
��We’ll see each other again tonight.’

  ‘Look after yourself.’ She kissed him and watched him leave, half worried, half relieved as he joined the other men gathering at the edge of the clearing.

  ‘Why are you smiling?’ Yvo asked.

  Surprised, Anna realised it was true. She was smiling – not bravely or encouragingly or despite herself for once, but simply because she felt like it.

  The warm spring sun was shining down, the sky was blue, the grass green, the children healthy and the burden she had been carrying on her shoulders all these months didn’t feel quite as heavy now that she didn’t have to shoulder it on her own.

  There were hard times ahead, full of deprivation and hard work in order to raise this settlement, a small corner of civilisation, out of the ground, but it looked as if the Commander was determined to do just that. If they managed it, things might start to get better after all.

  She went down on her knees to be level with her daughter and stroked her soft curls tenderly. ‘I’m smiling because I’ve found new hope, my darling,’ she said.

  PART TWO: DRIVEN

  Chapter 12

  Christmas 1937, city of Armavir, North Caucasus

  ‘Vater, tell us about Leipzig again,’ Emma said, gazing at her father with shining eyes.

  Harri pricked up his ears eagerly too. He was pleased his little sister had asked. At twelve years old, he was almost a man and he felt too old to beg his father to tell him stories.

  His father twirled his long moustache and looked over to Harri’s mother. ‘Is there enough time before dinner?’ he asked.

  ‘Of course there is,’ she called from the kitchen, where she and Tante Gerda were busy making the final preparations for the feast.

  The air was rich with a delicious scent of streuselkuchen, and Harri’s mouth started to water as he and his sister and two cousins listened with delight to his father’s tales.