European Education

Author: (French) Roman Gary / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: At dawn, the hideout was dug. It was September, the mornings were dark and gloomy, the weather was rainy and damp, the pines swayed in the mist, and the sky was invisible to the naked eye. They had worked quietly at night for a month: after dusk, the Germans rarely ventured off the road, but during the day, their patrol teams often searched the forest for the few partisans; these people were starving and desperate, but they did not give up the fight. The hideout was three meters deep and four meters wide. They threw a mattress and a few blankets into a corner; ten bags of potatoes, each weighing fifty kilograms, were stacked against the walls. In one wall, next to the mattress, they dug a fireplace, with the chimney leading to a patch of low woods outside the cave, several meters away. The ceiling was strong, made from the doors of an armored train. A year ago, the partisans had destroyed this train on the railway line from Vilna to Molodechno.
"Don't forget to change the thorns every day," the doctor said.
"I won't forget."
"Be careful with the smoke from the fireplace."
"Okay."
"Never tell anyone."
"I won't."
Janets promised.
The two men, holding shovels, looked at their work.
"This is a good hideout," Janets thought. It was well hidden among the thorns, even Stefcik Podolski—known in Vilna High School as the "stern chief of the Apache, Wintu," and among the Indians, Janets called him the old tough—would not notice it.
"Father, how long will I have to live like this?"
"Not long, the Germans will be defeated soon."
"When?"
"Don't lose heart."
"I'm not losing heart. But I want to know when."
"Perhaps in a few more months," the doctor said, looking at his son.
"Don't come out."
"Okay."
"Don't get cold."
He took out a Browning automatic pistol from his pocket.
"Look."
He explained how to use the weapon.
"You must keep it very carefully. There are fifty rounds in this cartridge."
"Thank you."
"Now I'm leaving. I'll come back tomorrow. Hide well. Your two brothers were killed. Only you are left, old tough!" He smiled.
"Be patient. The day the Germans leave will come—the ones who are still alive. Think of your mother. Don't go far. Be wary of people."
"Okay."
"Be wary of people."
The doctor turned and walked into the mist.
Daybreak came, but everything was still dim. The firs still floated in the light fog, their branches like overly heavy wings, not stirred by a single breath of wind. Janets crawled into the thorns, lifted the iron door, and descended the ladder, collapsing onto the mattress. It was very dark inside. He got up and tried to light a fire, but the wood was wet. Finally, the fire caught. He lay down, picked up the thick book The Red-Skinned Gentleman Wintu, but he couldn't read it. His eyes closed involuntarily, exhaustion numbing his body and dulling his mind. He fell into a deep sleep.
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