Since it was a fir tree of some sort the living tree had branches sticking out. I crawled under them and found myself in a cozy area under the branches. Well, cozy if you weren’t picky.
At least I was out of the breeze which had been picking up all afternoon. I checked the contents of my go-bag. There was water, trail mix, a flashlight with good batteries. There was a light blanket like the airlines used, TWA in this case, I wonder how that got there…
I had put in a change of underwear and socks. I wish I had thought of a jacket. I ate the last of the trail mix, drank half my water, and settled in for the night.
I had camped out many times, but it was with a group. It sure was lonely being out in the middle of nowhere, knowing that East German army troops were searching for you.
I must have woke up a hundred times during the night. The rain had moved in and was starting to drain into my shelter. It was time to move on. Now I really wished I had a jacket.
I had worn my blazer but it didn’t cover me and if there was a next time I would include a cap. A baseball cap would be great right now.
I could moan all I wanted but what is, is. I started a slow jog down the trail south. As I loosened up it got easier and I even warmed up a little.
After an hour I had to stop and change my socks. They were damp and that is an easy way to get a blister. I put the damp ones inside my shirt hoping my body heat would dry them out before I had to wear them again.
I drank the last of my water from my canteen. I was now at the mercy of the local streams. This was not good as I knew that parasites lived in them. In scouts, we had been taught about Giardia and terrible diarrhea it could cause.
That is the last thing I needed.
The road meandered south. For every mile south I went I probably did another half mile east and west, but overall I was heading south. So even though I was moving south it was taking me a long time to get there.
Lunchtime came and went, I was out of food and water. I could go without food but I really did need water. Supposedly you could go without liquids for several days, but not when you were running like I was.
The sun was starting to set when I staggered to a stop. I was having trouble running in a straight line. I had to find water, food, and shelter for the night or I was in big trouble.
It was in this state of mind that I rounded a particularly sharp bend in the road. I came almost face to face with a man.
We both stopped startled by the presence of the other. He appeared to be in his mid-forties. His features were what I would call hard-bitten. His life had not been an easy one.
From his dress, I think he was a hunter, or more likely from the time of day a poacher. From his weathered alpine hat to his frayed jacket and twill pants he looked like someone who lived their life outdoors.
He was carrying a rifle, it looked like something from World War II. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had carried it in the Wehrmacht Heer.
I took this all in, in an instant.
He reacted first, saying something in German. I replied, “Ich spreche kein Deutsch.”
‘I don’t speak German,’ is one of the few phrases I knew.
He replied, “Englander?”
“Yes.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Trying to get back to West Germany, my plane went down, and I don’t want to be captured by the Stasi.”
“Yes, that would be bad.”
“Do you have any spare food and drink, particularly water. I have some British pounds and American dollars.”
“I do.”
“How much?”
“How much do you have?”
I could see where this was going, I had no choice. I pulled my wallet out and handed him all the paper currency.
He took it with a grin and then raised his rifle.
“Hands up, you will be worth a reward.”
Nice guy. I raised my hands in the air.
“Turn around.”
I did so slowly, hoping he would poke me with the rifle to get me to move faster. He did, which was his undoing.
As soon as I felt the rifle I spun around to my left, using my left arm to move the rifle barrel away from me. It mostly worked.
As I was turning he discharged his weapon. It was no longer pointing straight at me, but I still felt a searing pain across my back.
As I pain radiated from my back I grabbed the rifle barrel with my left hand. I then swung my body into him. This is where size and weight really count. He stumbled backward but kept his feet.
He wouldn’t let go of his rifle so I pulled him in close to me and stepped around behind him. I had momentum in my favor so I let go of the rifle and took him in a neck-breaking hold. I twisted as hard as I could and his neck snapped.
He voided himself in his death. Now that the immediate danger was over pain washed over my back. I hadn’t turned the gun quick enough so I had a graze across my back.
Removing my sport coat, shirt, and tee-shirt I was able to feel the wound. It was low enough on my body that I could touch it. I had lost the top layers of skin but I was really lucky that it
