Stories from War (Chapter 3 of 3)

The cows sat lazily in the afternoon sun, munching bits of grass and swatting the incessant swarms of flies that frequented their backs.  The transparent, blue sky presented a harsh contrast to dark green hills that bobbed up and down on the far of horizon.  I lounged on my side in the bright summer sun, letting its warm rays soak into my skin.  The air was clear out here in the fields, miles away from the town.  I watched apathetically as the cows battled for control of the most fine and dainty clumps of grass and wondered if I would be as concerned about what blades of grass to eat if I were a cow.  Ilse Klimp sat a little distance from me and stared listlessly into the horizon, her delicate blonde hair fluttering lightly in the breeze.  I had first seen her during the short time that I went to school in Krupka.  Occasionally I saw her in the hallways, but we never talked to each other.  She was a year older than me (although I was taller by a few inches) and I had my friends and she had hers.  From the way she dressed I could tell she came from a well-to-do family.  Her father was a manager in the yeast factory where my father had worked as an electrician and she always wore only the finest and best clothes.1

So I thought it somewhat strange that she would be helping me lead cows out every morning and sit in the fields all day.  But she told me that she had lost her parents too, after the war when the Czechs invaded, and they had taken everything they owned.  Unlike me however, she had no one to stay with after her parents left, she was an only child and all her relatives were either dead or didn’t want to take her.  She was the stubborn type, her strong-will made her come across a little snobby and she hated taking orders from people.  Ours was a delicate relationship.  She let me do all the work keeping the cows together while she stared at the ground or plucked blades of grass absentmindedly.  This morning was a particularly bad one though, she was in a bad mood and it hadn’t helped that I shut the gate on her hand.  She yelled at me and called me clumsy, wondering why she had to work with such a helpless “esel”.  I didn’t say anything, learning from experience that it was best to hold my tongue when her temper flared.  So we had sat in silence the whole day, nothing but the lowing of the cows and the distant sound of work in the factories.2

I was staring up at the sky, wondering how my parents were doing when a noise shattered the peaceful afternoon.  The blast shook the earth and I jumped at the sound, whipping my head toward the town where the noise came from.  The sight that greeted my eyes was one I’ll never forget; giant orange-yellow flames exploded from the factory down below, rolling like a giant fiery ball that curled up into the bright sky.  The whole factory blew up like a freshly lit match.  Flames and smoke mixed into one hot inferno.  I stood, or sat in the grass and wondered what had caused such a terrible explosion.  Ilse sat mouth agape staring at the blaze, probably thinking the same thing as me.  Without a word she got up and started running down the hill toward the town.3

“Where are you going?” I called out after her, but even now she remembered my error and didn’t respond.  I got up irritably and ran after her, finally catching up as she neared the gate.4

“Where are you going?” I repeated, pulling her to a stop.5

“To the town, where do you think,” was her curt answer.6

“For what?” I asked, “don’t you see the factory burning?  It’s not safe there; we might be rounded up like our parents and sent to the camps.”7

“I don’t care, I’m going to see what’s going on in there,” she responded imprudently.  It was then that I thought that she wasn’t very bright, for being a year older than me.8

“Okay, fine.  Go ahead and get yourself caught.  Just don’t expect me to follow you and your silly ideas,” I responded hotly, forgetting her volatile temper.9

“I don’t.  You have such a small brain anyways; I wouldn’t expect anything more from you.”  With that she stormed toward the gate.10

”The cows will enjoy your company, esel,” she called over her shoulder.  I walked back to the field and sat down.  The fires were still raging in the now blackened building that vaguely resembled the factory.  I stayed there the rest of the day and through the night, staring in awe at what happened and wondering if my brother was safe.  We had found a home with a Czechoslovakian family and they let us sleep upstairs on two little cots.11

My mother had been prepared for the raid on our house, and had packed 3 bags with all the necessities.  We found these very important now, our clothes, food and money were all packed in the bags and we were able to survive fairly well on our own.  Father had taken all our money out of the bank at the beginning of the war and I had sown the bills into the sides of my purse.  With these I was able to buy limited amounts of food, as everything was rationed now, and pay the family for letting us live with them.  It had been 4 months since they took my parents and I visited the camp every Saturday and Sunday to give them food.  They said they got very little food and many died from hunger in the camp.  Sanitation was terrible and diseases were common.  I gave them the bread cards I didn’t use each week, but I rarely ever saw them face-to-face.  Instead the guards had me deliver the card to the overseer who would hand out the food to my parents.  I dreaded even going near the camp, the cries of the sick inside made me shiver each time I approached the gate and filled my mind with terror.  I could only wonder what went on inside.  The Czechs were wary of all Germans and the looks the guards gave me reminded me of this fact.  I didn’t trust them either; they took my parents and shattered my family, why should I trust them?  Walter came with me sometimes and on those days I wasn’t as afraid.  But Walter wasn’t with me now as I sat in the field, trying to keep warm in the dark, black night.12

I lay huddled in a ball, watching the fires burn steadily into the night.  The cows had wandered off as nighttime approached and I let them go.  I could careless about what the cows did now; my thoughts were on survival, my parents, and Walter.  Crickets chirped and the stars shone brightly in the heavens as I pondered what to do next.  I feared what might greet me in the city; the Czechs would undoubtedly be angry about the factory explosion and would probably blame us Germans.  But I didn’t know how much longer I could survive out here, without food and water.  Already I could feel my stomach begging for food.  It had been 13 hours since I had anything to eat and I wondered what the cows enjoyed about eating grass.  I was startled from my thoughts by a rustling in the grass.  I lurched awake and sat up, peering out into the darkness.  I could see a figure moving up towards me and quickly determined who it was.13

“Ilse!  Is that you?”  I shouted into the night.14

“Yes, Doris.  Where are you?” She called up the hill.15

“Up here,” I responded, “keep walking straight and a little to your left.”16

“Ohh, thank goodness I found you,” she sighed as she made it to where I sat.17

“Why?” I questioned, slightly puzzled, “I thought you were going to the town and didn’t care about what I did.”18

“I did go into the town.  That’s why I’m coming back, to warn you,” she replied.19

“Warn me? About what?” I said, becoming more bewildered by the moment.20

“About what’s happening in the town,” she said, “the Czechs are up in arms about the factory explosion today, and their blaming us for setting it on fire.  It’s terrible; they’re taking even more people to the camps now, and worse.”21

“Worse?” I inquired.22

“On my way into town, I saw a bridge crowded with people and Czech soldiers.  It was horrible, I saw two soldiers push a lady into the water with her baby.  She tried to hold him above the water, but they were both swept away in the rushing current.”23

“Oh, Ilse! That’s awful!” I exclaimed in shock, “Did they do that with everyone?”24

“I didn’t stay to find out.  Osek isn’t safe now; they’re rounding up everyone, even Czechs.  No one is safe.”  Her words rang through my head, “no one is safe” I thought, is Walter?  I hoped he was.  I don’t know what would happen if I lost him, he was my only friend now.  I wished this would all be over, why was there a war?  Why did the Czechs have to come and ruin everything I had loved?  I started to cry and as I did, I realized that Ilse was in the same place as I was.  She came near and tried to reassure me.25

“Don’t worry about your brother; I’m sure he’s safe,” she said comfortingly.26

“You’re right,” I choked, wiping the tears away.  I looked into her face and saw the same loneliness portrayed there that I felt.27

“We might not have anyone to help us, but we can help each other,” she stated.28

“Yeah, I guess so,” I responded.29

“Hey, where’d all the cows go?” she said in a lighter tone.30

“Cows??  You thought I would worry about the cows, with the city on fire?” I responded wildly.31

“Haha, no,” she chuckled, “but I’d hate to be there when the manager finds out who lost his herd.”32

“I still write to Ilse,” Oma said, “I send her cards on her birthday and I flew back to Osek a few years ago.  She was there with her husband and they gave us a tour of the town.  It’s much different now.”  I looked into her furrowed eyes and imagined what the town would have looked like 56 years ago.33

“Is that all you need for a story?” she asked.34

“Yes Oma, that will make a very good story.  Thank you,” I replied.35

“Good,” she said, “I hope it’s interesting enough.”  I smiled.36