Chapter 26 Section 26

The voices of people faintly coming from a distance dispelled the afterimages of dreams that had been forgotten in his consciousness.There are men and women in the vocals, and the age seems to be vaguely discernible.There are some languages ​​that I don't understand, but at least, some of them are Romanian which is my native language. To my delight I recognized Nikolay's voice, calling for someone.I lay and listened for a while, trying to make sense of those quick conversations. The sun shines on the face, warm and warm, and another day is coming.I opened my eyes and slowly adjusted to the light.The trees overhead are tall and straight, and the breeze blows their leaves with the fragrance of flowers, and those pink flowers remind people of the peaceful and good old days.In the sky, a bright sun shines brightly.

Seeing that Nikolay was safe, the anxieties of the previous night dissipated, and the worries for her mother were less heavy now.I lay on the ground, feeling good all over, although I still vividly remember the pain that accompanied every movement.I decided to ignore the pain and get up this morning and see what's going on here. I lay down for a while longer, soaking up the sun, gathering my strength, and then, slowly and cautiously, tried to sit up.There was a tearing pain in my shoulder. I cried out and fell to one side, trying to get rid of the unbearable pain.A comforting voice suddenly sounded beside me, a pair of strong hands grabbed my waist, helped me sit up, and then helped me lean against a tree trunk.

I finally saw the appearance of my benefactor. He knelt down in front of me, smiled at me friendly, and comforted me gently, but his language was very unfamiliar to me, and the only thing I could understand was his tone of voice.He was dressed like a farmer, but he wore an ammunition chain around his waist, and the rifle hanging on his shoulder subverted the initial impression. My tongue was less swollen and at least able to move, so I tried to speak, but my lips were still dry and sore, the skin was chapped and scabbed, and my vocal cords didn't work.The man in front of me noticed my confusion and gestured to the person behind me. After a while, that person also came to me, and I saw that his attire was similar to the former one.

"Anka, how do you feel now, son?" His Romanian was hesitant and broken, but I was grateful for the familiar words. I tried to answer, but couldn't, so I pointed my uninjured finger to my throat to show them my difficulty.The man gestured to me to show his understanding, then turned to his companions, and said a few words quickly and fluently in their language, after which the other party withdrew and left.The one who came after was left, facing me, trying to introduce himself. "My name is Kailo," he said slowly, "sorry, I only speak a little Romanian." He paused, as if he wasn't sure I understood him.I nodded and asked him to continue.

The man who called himself Kai Luo then shrugged his shoulders: "Then, I will try my best to explain it to you. First of all, your brother is fine and safe. As far as I know so far, you will be fine too." Hearing Nikolai's name, I looked around, but I couldn't see him in my limited field of vision, and the pain in my body prevented me from looking further away. "He's being taken care of," Kylo said, reassuring me. "He's not hurt. But you've got a lot of time to recuperate yourself. You've got... what's the word... a wound in the shoulder. A A bullet hit you, but it didn't hurt you, and you'll recover quickly. You're lucky to be alive, Anka, there are very few survivors."

I nodded slowly.The news wasn't unexpected, but it was just as heavy when it was actually heard. "Aren't you Jewish?" he asked. I shake my head. "I suppose so. But you're in the same compartment as them?" I tried to talk again, to explain to him, but quickly gave up trying.Seeing me struggling, Kai Luo hurriedly asked me to keep silent. "Let me tell you, just listen." I nodded again, and Kylo slowly and laboriously began to explain what had happened and why I was with them. "Why you yourself are in a train full of Jews, you understand better than I do, but that is irrelevant. You may also know that your destination is Krakow, and when you get there, you will continue to a resettlement camp. "

I nodded again in confirmation. Kylo paused, choosing his words carefully. "We attacked that train two days ago. A few kilometers to the west. Explosives buried under the tracks." He saw my confused face when I heard the message, and added, "Please understand, boy, you are not the target. It is not the train you were traveling in that we planned to blow up, although this accident will only improve your fortunes change in direction.” I looked into his eyes and tried to understand what he was saying, but what he said was beyond my comprehension.He spoke again, and I listened intently.

"Unfortunately, we didn't make it back in time to rescue more people. Those Nazis had already started killing the survivors. They thought you were dead, so you survived." I already know these things. The scene of the Nazis shooting wildly at us is not easy to forget. "We tracked down a few Nazis, but most escaped and fled across the border into Czechoslovakia." Seeing my surprise, he added: "You are now in Poland, Anka, far away from your home country. Maybe after you fully recover, you want to go back to Romania? I don't know how." Best for you."

As he weighed what he had to say next, I took the opportunity to consider the suggestion. If we had crossed the border, I figured it wouldn't be far from Krakow, which I know to be a city in Poland.No matter the distance, I knew that my mother would be sent there, and that's where our train must end.But I can't put these thoughts into words, I can only lie still and recharge my energy.When Kylo spoke again, I listened intently to his explanation. "Anka, please be as considerate as you can. We can take care of you for a few days, but that's all. There are too many of you - thirty or so in all - and it's more than we can afford. Comrades are waiting for us, and our mission has been delayed."

resistance army.I've heard my father whisper that word many times, before he was executed.Even though I still don't know who they were or what they did, it's comforting to know that Dad praised them, though I only heard a few words in his conversations with other people. Kylo spoke again, and I was glad he paused to think about his words, which gave me time to gather my thoughts. He said: "But now, boy, you must rest well. Your brother Nikolai is safe. He will come to see you later. But you will not have the strength to... survive until you have recuperated, among us After leaving. So be obedient, rest now and take care of yourself. My comrades will give you food and water, but they don't speak your native language. Sorry, because we are all Polish and Slovak. Please bear with me. "

He shook my hand, then left, disappearing into the bushes not far away, leaving me alone, looking forward to the next time I saw Nikolai.