Deception - WWII Resistance / Holocaust Novel

Chapter 1: do you remember?

Do you remember when they came?

The sound of the piano fills the house, echoing through the cracks of the walls, rushing in and around every person.

A sea of grey filled the streets. The rhythmic sound of heavy boots seemed endless.

To the outsider, the lively tempo may elevate their spirit. Yet the ones below felt every note being played with an edge of panic and despair. There was a sense of calm before the music notes filled the air. A silent terror erupted in our hearts.

The Nazis.

It was not the first time we had heard the piano play and soon after we had been met with a sense of relief. But the piano played longer and harder. It was as though the keys were pressed with an extra force of dread.

Do you remember May 10th 1940?

The music stopped abruptly. Silence. Our breaths were stolen from our bodies. The ceiling was so low, it would be impossible to sit up. I laid flat on my back, covered by the darkness and dust on my skin. The only source of light penetrated slightly through the floor boards. The room was claustrophobic, the air unclean. Speaks of dust drifted in the air along the dim rays of light.

'What is happening?' a young boy enquired whilst clutching onto the end of his father's shirt.

'War,' he replied emotionless.

The front door opened above us and it was as though the last of the winter's cool air touched my bones, sending a shiver up my spine. A murmur of voices. Dutch mixed with unfamiliar German accents. Their steps were heavy, sending vibrations all through my body. I heard a gasp beside me. I turned my head slowly to the side, mother's hand was clasped over her mouth. I looked back up, peering through the thin floor boards.

'Karl von Eberstein,' the deep voice introduced himself.

The chairs were pulled back and screeched against the floor. Bodies lowered themselves on to their seats. Glasses clicked. Drinks quenched their thirsts. A match catches alight and pipes are lit. The smell of smoke descends into our lungs. The voices spoke calmly. The blood was bounding so loud in my ears, I could not follow their conversation. My brain was only able to snatch bits of the exchange, loose words that did not make sense on their own. Every sound seemed intensified - the adrenalin rushing through my veins, the slow exhales of my breath, the creaking of the floorboard beneath their weight, each individual puff of the pipe which left the German's lips. He erupted with a light-hearted laughter yet heart wrenching for me. No one else engaged in his amusement. The cutlery shook on the table as he slapped his hand on the counter top. I imagined him wearing a crookled-little smile.

There was inhale of the pipe accompanied by a similarly long exhale from the lungs. I arched my back in the most uncomfortable position, straining my neck at an awkward angle so that my eyes could peer through the hole. An unfamiliar figure lounged on the dining room chair in a uniform which I dreaded to see.

'Meneer, do you have any idea of why I am here?' he asked coolly in perfect Dutch, with a heavy German accent.

Silence. Perhaps he nodded or shook his head. Perhaps he spoke, but I did not hear him.

'I have been informed of the suspicion that you are hiding emeries of the state. I am to have my men to conduct a thorough search your home. That is unless, there is a reason not to do so,' the chair screeched as the officer stood on his feet. The floor creaked from above as he strolled the small perimeter of the room.

'What is war?' the word, foreign on the young boy's tongue.

'You'll find out soon.'

Gunshots cracked in the air, so loud that it drowned out the sound of my beating heart, forming minute holes in the floor causing the light to poor in beneath the floorboards. They came from all directions, shredding through any fibre in its path. An endless rain of bullets. The noise reverberated in my ears. My side of my head suddenly pained. Everything went black momentarily- it was as though a blanket of darkness had enveloped me. A long silent pause. My vision was blurred, head pounding. I lifted a trembling hand to my forehead. Cold and wet. My hand was covered in red.

The sound of a woman hysterically crying was slowly muffled. Blood trickled down my face as I turned to gaze at the two bodies beside. Neither of them moving. My brain could not begin the process the scene before me. I am still breathing yet my lungs feel as though they are about to collapse. I lift my trembling body up at an awkward angle, straining my neck to gaze at the dark figures above who seem to have come to a standstill - their wave of violence seemingly halting for a brief period.

For a split second his head cocked towards the floor, his gaze holding mine, making my body shoot back down to the hard ground.

'There!' he shouted.

My body moved before my mind had comprehended the events which would continue to unfold before me. The woman's cries are louder, in despair. The skin scrapes off my knees as I drag them across the ground. The bullets dance around me, chasing my shadow. Specks of light shone through the small rectangular air vent. Turning on my side, I mustered all the strength I could and directed it to my legs. I kicked through the thin soles of my shoes at the metal. The gunfire continued. My chest tightened as my breathing quickened involuntarily. I cried out as a vile pain shot through my arm, the material of my dress turning a dark red.

If I remained where I was, death was imminent yet fleeing from the building offered the same outcome. The metal gate caved in and broke away from its hinges. With my trembling hands I pulled myself slowly through the narrow hole. My pupils dilate as my eyes come into contact with the sun's bright beams of light, something I had not experienced for some months. My gaze lands on the forest in the distance.

Do you remember?

The shouts of men begin to near. My legs carried me across the short stretch of field as the stinging in my wounds began to grow. My heart thuds louder. Tears streamed down my face as my mind swirled with thoughts.

Mamma.

Pappa.

Where were you?

I wanted to collapse on the spot and endeavour in the raw the emotions. A bullet whistled pass my ear. I turned my head back to be met with my purveyors. I cannot stop. I cannot stop. Moment by moment, another shot is fired. The shouts become clearer. I could have ended it, put a stop to the pain. Put a stop to their game. They were the hunters. I was the prey. But I cannot stop. I cannot stop. The distance between us was all that mattered.

A/N When I first visualized the opening chapter months ago it was something similar to which I had seen in Inglorious Basterds which I only watched this month. I will admit I am a bit nervous putting my writing out on the internet for I am not completely confident as I believe there is lots of room still for me to grow as a writer; especially writing about a sensitive period in history which I did not endure myself. I am having some technical difficulties copying this over from my word document so if there are words missing I will try to fix it asap. If it was not clear, the piano was played as a warning to hide, by those sheltering them.