A Flicker of Light (30 page)

“Come, Mama.” Petra took
Siegland’s
arm and led her to the door. But the stress proved too much for Petra. She felt the warm water run down her legs. She had only just entered the middle of her eighth month of pregnancy.
Too early!
But even so, her water
had
broke
n,
and the baby would enter the world on its own terms.

Berlin

W

hen Peter returned from the camp that night, he felt relieved to see
Elki
sitting up in bed
,
drinking some soup Aaron had prepared for her.

“How do you feel?”

“Good - a little weak, but good.”
She smiled at him, “This doctor saved my life, Peter. He is a kind person and a very good doctor. It is a blessing that you brought him.”

Her words helped to convince Peter to honor his agreement with Aaron. He had weighed the pros and cons of returning Aaron to the camp as he had initially intended. After all, he had pledged his allegiance to the party, and his duty as a Nazi would be to honor that oath, but how could he do that now? First, he considered what explanation he might give for taking the Jew in the first place, and could think of none. Of course, Peter thought, he could always tell them that he had apprehended Aaron when he had seen him in his camp uniform after his
escape. For this he might even receive a medal. But as he gazed at
Elki
, sitting up in bed with the blankets tucked around her, he resolved that he would keep his promise. Aaron would go free.

Aaron knew it would have been better if he started
Elki
on the medications the previous night, but he’d exercised special care with sanitation to prevent infection. Now he relaxed as Peter handed him the pills. She would begin the treatment immediately.

For the next two days Aaron stayed with
Elki
. He checked her periodically to find she had healed without incident. She ate solid food and displayed no elimination problems. On the second day he helped
Elki
to shuffle around the room slowly. The following afternoon she was able to walk at a normal pace. Except for her feelings of guilt at having destroyed the baby, which she discussed with Aaron, she had mended beautifully.

“I feel bad, Aaron. I killed my baby. I had to, though. My parents would never have approved of this. They hate Peter.”

“You will have other children; this is just the wrong time. You are very young. Wait a little, and then you will marry.” He patted her back.

“Can I tell you a secret?”
Elki
said.

“Only if you want to.”

“Do you promise never to tell anyone?”

“I promise,” he smiled reassuringly.

“My parents hate the Nazis - my father especially. That’s why they hate Peter. Don’t tell Peter I told you, but he only joined the party because he needed a job that paid him decently. He really isn’t such a bad person.”

“I understand. Your father has a point, though.
T
he Nazis are cruel, more than a young and innocent girl like you could ever realize.”

“Do you hate g
entiles?”

“No, not at all.
I don’t hate anyone,” he laughed. “There is good and bad in every race. You learn that with age, my dear. In fact, the woman I love is not a Jew.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she?’

“On a farm in the country.
I pray every day that she is safe.”

At the camp, Peter le
arned of the hunt
for Aaron
that was in progress
, but as of yet, no one suspected him of the escape. Things could become unsafe. Spies could be found everywhere. It would be best to be as far away from the Jew as possible. Tonight, he would send Aaron away. The more he could distance himself from the prisoner, the less likely he was to be suspected.
Elki
had recovered completely, and therefore they
’d
best be rid of the Jew. After all, he had only promised Aaron that he would allow him to go without turning him in. He had not vowed to hide him or protect him any further.

“You must leave tonight,” he told Aaron once he’d arrived home.

“Very well,
” Aaron looked at him, relieved that Peter was going to keep his word.

“They are searching for you. We must get you out of here. Go off into the countryside and stay out of sight. The war is almost over. Germany is done for. The Allies are bombing Berlin. Anytime now they will enter the city, and all will be lost. Hitler has gone underground. I think you will be all right if you stay off of the main roads. It is just a matter of time now. The
Fuehrer is in real trouble here,
” Peter said.

“Take him in the auto, Peter, as far as you can out of this area. Help him that
much for all he has done for us,
”
Elki
pleaded
as she held Peter’s gaze until he dropped his head and agreed.

Dressed in civilian clothes, Aaron was once again loaded into the back of the automobile
,
and he lay upon the floor, covered with the blanket, as they headed out into the country. Peter wore his uniform, which enabled him and
Elki
to be out after curfew witho
ut drawing attention. If they were stopped by the Gestapo, the couple
would claim to be lovers on a
romantic rendezvous. Unless the officers were especially vigilant,
Aaron would be invisible
in the darkness.

“Aaron,” Peter said,
“We are taking you as far from Dachau as we possibly can. They are looking for you nearer to the camp, but they will never assume you could have gotten this far on foot.”

“I thank you for everything
,
” Aaron said.

“We have been more than fair with you. Now you must promise us that if you are caught you will never reveal
where you have been and what
happened.
Elki
and I must never be brought into this, do you understand? You must realize that it will do you no good to condemn us. We have
been kind to you, so be sure that you
never tell them how you escaped,
”
Peter said.

“I understand. And you have my word.”

The ride out of the city stretched Peter’s nerves tight, and he remained silent the entire trip. He gripped the steering wheel with sweaty hands and shook
Elki’s
fingers from his arm when she tried to comfort him. He was putting all of his trust in a Jew. Aaron seemed to be a good Jew, but he was still a Jew. But what choice did he really have? If he brought Aaron back to the camp, then there would
be questions
for which
he had
no answers
that would not implicate him. If he shot Aaron, then there would the mess of a dead body to explain, and he had never killed anyone. The thought of this man’s blood on his hands after all he had done for him and
Elki
sickened
him. No, it was best to take Aaron
as far away as possible, where they would never find him, and then let him go to fend for himself.  Peter knew that he must pay close attention to the speed limit; if he drove too fast, they would surely be stopped and questioned. It took all of his self control to drive slowly. He wanted to rid himself of this burden as soon as possible. The muscles in his back and neck felt as if they we
re tied in knots. When at last
they reached a wooded area, Peter stopped the car. His hands
were trembling as he looked around; the area was completely unpopulate
d, without even a farmhouse
in sight.
Elki
had packed Aaron a small bag of food and a thermos of water. She had come to care for him, and she held his hand tightly for a moment. Then she wished him well as he left.

“Thank you, doctor. I will
pray for you. You saved my life,
”
Elki
said.

“Goodbye,
Elki
. Goodbye, Peter. May God be with you
both.
”

Peter did not answer. Instead, he continued to look around to assure himself that they were alone.

The sound of the car door slamming broke through the silence of the night. Then the engine roared and the couple disappeared in a cloud of dust. Alone in the darkness, Aaron stood in the center of the dirt road. He looked around and then made his way into a heavily wooded area.

Freedom - the taste of it - lingered on his lips as he spoke the word, “Freedom. I am free.”

He walked deep into the forest, listening as a night bird called out to its mate. The fragrance of fresh air engulfed him and he sucked it deeply into his lungs. Aaron lay on the ground and fixed his eyes on the stars.

“Petra, darling, my love - soon the war will be over, and I will come home to you.”

He found it difficu
lt to determine which direction
he would have
to
travel
to find the
Bruchmeiers
’ farmhouse and the woman he loved once again. Drifting off to sleep, he smelled the clean, earthy scent of the soil.

When he awoke, as he looked above him
,
he imagined the tree branches reaching up to the heavens, their arms extended, as if to caress God. To be alive! He had survived Dachau. For a moment he saw Saul’s face in his mind and heard his voice, “You made it, Aaron. It’s almost over now. I did not see the end of this terrible Third Reich, but you will. Remember me, Aaron. Remember me always, and I will not have died in vain. God be with you, my friend.” A single tear slipped down the side of Aaron’s face.

W

hen Peter returned from the camp that night, he felt relieved to see
Elki
sitting up in bed drinking some soup Aaron had prepared for her.

“How do you feel?”

“Good - a little weak, but good.”
She smiled at him, “This doctor saved my life, Peter. He is a kind person and a very good doctor. It is a blessing that you brought him.”

Her words helped to convince Peter to honor his agreement with Aaron. He had weighed the pros and cons of returning Aaron to the camp as he had initially intended. After all, he had pledged his allegiance to the party, and his duty as a Nazi would be to honor that oath, but how could he do that now? First, he considered what explanation he might give for taking the Jew in the first place, and could think of none. Of course, Peter thought, he could always tell them that he had apprehended Aaron when he had seen him in his camp uniform after his escape. For this he might even receive a medal. But as he gazed at
Elki
, sitting up in bed with the blankets tucked
around her, he resolved that he would keep his promise. Aaron would go free.

Aaron knew it would have been better if he started
Elki
on the medications the previous night, but he’d exercised special care with sanitation to prevent infection. Now he relaxed as Peter handed him the pills. She would begin the treatment immediately.

For the next two days Aaron stayed with
Elki
. He checked her periodically to find she had healed without incident. She ate solid food and displayed no elimination problems. On the second day he helped
Elki
to shuffle around the room slowly. The following afternoon she was able to walk at a normal pace. Except for her feelings of guilt at having destroyed the baby, which she discussed with Aaron, she had mended beautifully.

“I feel bad, Aaron. I killed my baby. I had to, though. My parents would never have approved of this. They hate Peter.”

“You will have other children; this is just the wrong time. You are very young. Wait a little, and then you will marry.” He patted her back.

“Can I tell you a secret?”
Elki
said.

“Only if you want to.”

“Do you promise never to tell anyone?”

“I promise,” he smiled reassuringly.

“My parents hate the Nazis - my father especially. That’s why they hate Peter. Don’t tell Peter I told you, but he only joined the party because he needed a job that paid him decently. He really isn’t such a bad person.”

“I understand. Your father has a point, though. You know the Nazis are cruel, more than a young and innocent girl like you could ever realize.”

“Do you hate g
entiles?”

“No, not at all.
I don’t hate anyone,” he laughed. “There is good and bad in every race. You learn that with age, my dear. In fact, the woman I love is not a Jew.”