He dreamed of crunchy rolls with butter and jam while eating mouthfuls of tasteless porridge. Starving most of the time, he couldn’t get used to having a sandwich at lunchtime instead of dinner. That was served in the evenings but the portion sizes for him and the boys were too small to fill them up. The farmer was a grumpy git who’d lost his older brothers in the first war. He called Heinz and the other boys names, the nicest of which was “Germans” and he often hit them.
One of the other boys had hit the farmer back but that didn’t stop him. The police had been called and the boy taken away by someone in uniform. Not that different from Germany really. He thought about running away but Tomas was close by. Regardless of what he’d said to his brother in the train station, he’d made a promise to look after him and that was one he was going to keep.
The farmer insisted the boys join the family at church on a Sunday. Harry didn’t protest. Not that he was interested in prayer or converting but it took him into town. He wondered if the woman would make Tomas go to church but the first couple of times, his brother wasn’t there.
One day, all his hours of boredom finally paid off.
“Heinz! Heinz!” Tomas had broken away from the woman and raced across the street. His brother spoke rapidly to him in German, telling him Rachel and Ruth Bernstein were staying with the Reverend and he got to see them every day. Rachel came to see Liesl. It seemed the woman didn’t know much about taking care of babies.
“I knew you’d come into town someday. I told Aunty Sally you wouldn’t stay away. How are you?”
Despite himself, Harry picked up his five-year-old brother and threw him into the air as he had done in the past. Tomas giggled saying, “More, more,” as Harry repeated the action.
Then he set him on his feet. “You’ve grown,” Heinz exclaimed.
“Aunt Sally feeds me all the time. She’s really nice. Heinz, why can’t you come live with us?”
“Because I can’t. My name is Harry now. Don’t call me Heinz anymore.”
Tomas drew back at his tone. Harry kicked himself. He reached out but Tomas pushed his hand away.
“Papa wouldn’t like it.” With that Tomas strode across the street without looking back. Harry called him but he didn’t stop. The farmer shouted at him to get into the church.
Harry glowered at the Reverend the whole way through church. It was his fault for bringing them to this village. They should have left him and Tomas alone. They could have gone with the rest of the boys. Then he might not ache all over the place, his hands cut to shreds. But most of all, he might still have a brother.
After service, the Reverend greeted everyone as they left. The farmer shook his hand as did the wife, both thanking the minister for the good service. Harry walked past the outstretched hand.
When they got back to the small cart the farmer used to save on petrol, Harry got a cuff around the back of the neck. “Treat your betters with more respect, boy. Englishmen are gentlemen.”
Harry stared sullenly into the distance. Nothing this man did could come close to the pain inflicted by missing his brother. Only when the farmer was deep in conversation with his wife, did Harry close his eyes. Then he allowed the memories to come. Papa laughing by the fire, Papa gazing at Liesl, his eyes lit up in wonder. Liesl looking at him on the train, the protective feelings that she raised in him. He’d let Papa down. The last thing Papa had said was to mind his brother and sister. A sole tear ran down his cheek. It was pointless thinking of Papa. What did one promise matter, when everything had changed beyond recognition?
16
3rd September 1939
Tears filled Sally’s eyes as she turned off the radio to the sounds of “God Save the King.” Her hand caressed the top of her prized possession. Closing her eyes, she could see Derek’s smile as he presented her with the gift that last morning before he left. “Derek, darling, be safe. I love you,” Sally whispered, before saying a quick prayer to keep her husband safe and make the war short, so he could come home.
Her backdoor banged, as Maggie arrived in, closely followed by Rachel and Ruth.
“I know we expected the news but I can hardly believe we’re officially at war. The girls wanted to be near Tomas and Liesl.” Maggie’s look spoke volumes.
Sally forced her voice to sound cheerful. These children had been through enough already. They didn’t need to see her crying.
“Rachel, you know the way. Off you go while I make Maggie a cup of tea. I made some cake yesterday so I will give that to you later.”
“Thank you, Aunt Sally.”
Sally smiled. Tomas had started calling her Tante Sally. She’d corrected his German automatically. Soon all the children called her Aunt Sally.
She closed the door behind Rachel as Maggie took a seat at the table, picking at imaginary crumbs on the tablecloth. Sally knew Maggie was just agitated and not finding fault with her housekeeping.
“What will happen now, Sally? To those poor children? They won’t be able to send letters to Germany or get any from their parents. Rachel’s had a couple from her mother. She doesn’t say a lot but always asks Rachel to try to find her a job in England. We were working on it but now it’s too late, isn’t it?”
“Maybe she got out before they shut the borders?” Sally knew it was unlikely, but she hated to see Maggie upset.
“I don’t think so. Reverend Collins was in tears earlier. They had another train ready to leave from Prague. I don’t know why it was delayed
