Chapter 42 Section 42

Wojciech walks the talk and prepared us for the trip, especially teaching us some particularly useful Polish phrases. Isabella spent most of her time on Ilo, her Polish is no less than mine, and Isabella repeatedly emphasized to Ilo that she should never chant in front of outsiders. Scriptures in the Talmud.Isabella told Ilo that she should always be proud of her Jewish heritage, but now she has to pretend she has no religious background, or pretends to be a Catholic. I had already seen what happened to the Jews at the Bucharest station, so I could only support Isabella and let Ilo pretend, even though my father taught me that one should stand up for one's beliefs.

I agree to go on the road together the next time Wojciech brings lumber and other forest products into town, so that we can ride in on a cart and go unnoticed.He will take us to the station and buy our tickets to Krakow. I insisted that he should not spend any more money. We have lived in his house for several months, and they have consumed a lot of their winter reserves.But Wojciech wouldn't listen to me. He said if we were going to stick to our plan, we had to accept all the help he and his wife could offer.He's made up his mind, there's no room for debate, and the fact that we're in a completely foreign country, our mission is hard enough even without the difficulty of going to Krakow alone, so we really need to be able to All advantages obtained.

I promise that I will come back in the future to repay their kindness, but these words are just empty talk, because I know that after leaving, the chance of seeing each other again is very slim. On the day of departure, we took a shower early, enjoyed a hot bath that we might not be able to enjoy for some time in the future, and ate a particularly rich breakfast to replenish energy for the long journey. During our stay, Isabella made us new clothes and managed to find us shoes that fit, which we couldn't be more grateful for.They prepared a bag full of cakes and oatmeal bread for us, and told us to save it in case something unexpected happened on the way to Krakow and delayed the trip.

Towards noon, I tried my best to express our gratitude, kissed Isabella with the two children, and climbed into the loaded van.When the car entered the forest along the path, I watched her disappear from sight, and I couldn't help crying. After several months of comfortable life, the two children felt that the bumps in the car were very uncomfortable, but the journey was not long, and we arrived in the town in just over an hour. At noon, we were at the market Watch Wojciech sell goods and bargain with people.There were some German soldiers there, conspicuous but not many, and we didn't see the hated SS.

When the big clock in the village struck the second hour in the afternoon, Wojciech gathered us together, led us quietly through the market, and came to a very simple station, except for a Ticket office and guard room, almost nothing on the platform. He told us to wait quietly, then went into the office, and in a few moments came out with three tickets to Krakow.He handed me the ticket and a letter to keep safe from anyone.The letter was addressed to his brother Henryk, and his address was written on the envelope.On the back of the letter was a rough map showing me how to get from Krakow station to Henrik's house.

"Anka, we can't inform him of your arrival in advance. He will be very surprised then, and he will definitely feel suspicious when he sees three such young children suddenly appearing at the door of the house. Therefore, this letter explains everything. , don't lose it." I promised him that I would never leave this letter with me, and that I would never lose it. "Henrik will welcome you as soon as he knows that you are friends with me and Isabella," he continued, "but I must emphasize that you will only stay for a few days. Don't expect him to keep you for longer , because Krakow has been occupied by the Nazis for a long time, you and he will be in danger. Do you understand, Anka?"

I nodded, heightened awareness.It was easy to imagine restarting our journey when we were in the safety and comfort of Wojciech's home.Now, however, the prospect is daunting in the face of stark reality. Wojciech saw my hesitation. "Anka, it's not too late to change your mind. I'd be glad if you could go back with me. Or just stay one more winter? Maybe it's better to wait until spring?" I shook his hand, eager to express my gratitude: "Thank you, Wojciech, but I can't promise. We have to do what we have to do. We will always remember you and Isabella, I It can only be guaranteed. Goodbye, Wojciech."

I leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.He bends down to let Ilo and Nicholas kiss him. "Good-bye, boys, and good luck to you. I must be going, and it would do us no good to be seen with you when the train comes." He ushered us to the gate, "Go now, remember to be brave, my little friends. Henric will take care of you." He said, turned and left.Now it's just us three kids, nervously waiting for the train to Krakow, alone in a town we don't even know the name of.