now.’
‘The Soviets have reached
Warsaw?’ He calmed his voice. ‘That’s still almost two hundred miles away, even
if they don’t have to fight every inch of the way.’
‘But if we can hang on… the
resistance…’ Miriam flushed.
‘It’s all right. I know
about the resistance.’
Lights flashed across the
camp near the command centre. He strained to see across the tracks. Headlights
strobed behind the rows of barracks, dust rose in clouds from wheels and a
quiet growl joined the low moans. The vehicles reached the junction and went on
in the direction of the gas chambers. The lights slowed and drew to a halt near
the gates of the Gypsy compound.
‘The Roma… They’ve come for
the Roma!’ He ran towards the compound gate, shouting. The guard on the gate
held his rifle poised to shoot.
‘Nicht schießen! Es ist der
Arzt.’
The guard lowered his rifle.
‘Oh, it’s you, doctor.’
‘Let me out. I need to go to
the gypsy camp. I have patients there.’
The guard laughed.
‘I found twins in the Roma
compound. I have to get them out. You’ll answer to the Camp Physician if
they’re gassed.’
The guard’s face paled. He
opened the gate and let him through. ‘I’ll escort you.’ He shouted to a
colleague to stand watch, and ran to catch up.
The gates to the gypsy camp
stood open. The barracks were in darkness, each building locked from the outside,
the internees confined, trapped. Vehicles drove through the gates and down the
main track, stopping outside the barrack blocks. He could almost feel the held
breaths of the wretches inside. The door to the orphan’s block was thrown open
and guards dragged out the children.
The children kicked, screamed and bit. ‘Murderers,
bastards…’
They were thrown into trucks
and carted away. Next, the door of the children’s infirmary was unbarred. He
watched each child being carried out, some on stretchers. He searched each
face, knowing he couldn’t save them. Only the twins stood a chance, if they both still lived.
He pointed to a small boy
who was kicking his captor’s shins. ‘This one.’
The guard jabbered to the SS
officer who eyed him mistrustfully.
‘And this one.’
He grabbed both children by
their collars and stood them side by side, glaring at the officer. ‘Identical
twins. Your life won’t be worth living if the Haupsturmführer hears you’ve
gassed these two.’
The officer shone his torch
in their faces. He smiled. ‘They hid these well. Take them. Be sure to tell him
it was me who found them for you.’
He clutched both boys by the
hand and marched them out of the gate, accompanied by his guard.
He spoke with calm
authority. ‘It’s late to disturb the doctor. I’ll take them to the women’s
infirmary tonight and deliver them in the morning.’
Behind him, the wails of
Roma and Sinti women, and the cries of their children, rose as block after
block was opened and emptied. He clutched the twins’ hands harder. In the
morning a different guard would be on duty outside the women’s compound. He
heard the trucks turn towards the gas chambers, but he didn’t look back.
The boys asleep at last in
one of the nurses’ bunks he went outside. Stars shone in gaps between cloud and
smoke. Flames shot from the chimneys, the smell of gasoline wafted across the
camp, and the stench of burning flesh and the screams of the dying rose from
open pits at the side of the crematoria. He closed his eyes and clamped his
hands over his ears. How would Arturas and Peti ever forgive God for allowing
this?
***
‘Fünf, zehn, fünfzehn, zwanzig…’
Zählappell: the count began
again. One short. How could they be one short? He’d been meticulous in his
record keeping. He went through his calculations again. Thirty-one had died in
the night, three had been discharged to a work party. Ten had been moved to
other compounds. That should leave…
The SS officer’s face was a
rigid, neutral mask. ‘You are one short, doctor. This
‘The Soviets have reached
Warsaw?’ He calmed his voice. ‘That’s still almost two hundred miles away, even
if they don’t have to fight every inch of the way.’
‘But if we can hang on… the
resistance…’ Miriam flushed.
‘It’s all right. I know
about the resistance.’
Lights flashed across the
camp near the command centre. He strained to see across the tracks. Headlights
strobed behind the rows of barracks, dust rose in clouds from wheels and a
quiet growl joined the low moans. The vehicles reached the junction and went on
in the direction of the gas chambers. The lights slowed and drew to a halt near
the gates of the Gypsy compound.
‘The Roma… They’ve come for
the Roma!’ He ran towards the compound gate, shouting. The guard on the gate
held his rifle poised to shoot.
‘Nicht schießen! Es ist der
Arzt.’
The guard lowered his rifle.
‘Oh, it’s you, doctor.’
‘Let me out. I need to go to
the gypsy camp. I have patients there.’
The guard laughed.
‘I found twins in the Roma
compound. I have to get them out. You’ll answer to the Camp Physician if
they’re gassed.’
The guard’s face paled. He
opened the gate and let him through. ‘I’ll escort you.’ He shouted to a
colleague to stand watch, and ran to catch up.
The gates to the gypsy camp
stood open. The barracks were in darkness, each building locked from the outside,
the internees confined, trapped. Vehicles drove through the gates and down the
main track, stopping outside the barrack blocks. He could almost feel the held
breaths of the wretches inside. The door to the orphan’s block was thrown open
and guards dragged out the children.
The children kicked, screamed and bit. ‘Murderers,
bastards…’
They were thrown into trucks
and carted away. Next, the door of the children’s infirmary was unbarred. He
watched each child being carried out, some on stretchers. He searched each
face, knowing he couldn’t save them. Only the twins stood a chance, if they both still lived.
He pointed to a small boy
who was kicking his captor’s shins. ‘This one.’
The guard jabbered to the SS
officer who eyed him mistrustfully.
‘And this one.’
He grabbed both children by
their collars and stood them side by side, glaring at the officer. ‘Identical
twins. Your life won’t be worth living if the Haupsturmführer hears you’ve
gassed these two.’
The officer shone his torch
in their faces. He smiled. ‘They hid these well. Take them. Be sure to tell him
it was me who found them for you.’
He clutched both boys by the
hand and marched them out of the gate, accompanied by his guard.
He spoke with calm
authority. ‘It’s late to disturb the doctor. I’ll take them to the women’s
infirmary tonight and deliver them in the morning.’
Behind him, the wails of
Roma and Sinti women, and the cries of their children, rose as block after
block was opened and emptied. He clutched the twins’ hands harder. In the
morning a different guard would be on duty outside the women’s compound. He
heard the trucks turn towards the gas chambers, but he didn’t look back.
The boys asleep at last in
one of the nurses’ bunks he went outside. Stars shone in gaps between cloud and
smoke. Flames shot from the chimneys, the smell of gasoline wafted across the
camp, and the stench of burning flesh and the screams of the dying rose from
open pits at the side of the crematoria. He closed his eyes and clamped his
hands over his ears. How would Arturas and Peti ever forgive God for allowing
this?
***
‘Fünf, zehn, fünfzehn, zwanzig…’
Zählappell: the count began
again. One short. How could they be one short? He’d been meticulous in his
record keeping. He went through his calculations again. Thirty-one had died in
the night, three had been discharged to a work party. Ten had been moved to
other compounds. That should leave…
The SS officer’s face was a
rigid, neutral mask. ‘You are one short, doctor. This
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