Nowhere to Hide

Paul Kelly

Description

This fantastic new eBook from well-known author Paul Kelly will make an excellent addition to any fiction-lover's digital shelf. Featuring strong characters and plots which draws you into Kelly's worlds, reviewers have been recommending his titles for years. This latest addition to his catalogue of successes is sure to be another winner.

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 25 avril 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781781661970
• Langue: English

Extrait

Title Page
NOWHERE TO HIDE
A Fiction Tale Of The Holocaust
By
Paul Kelly



Publisher Information
Nowhere to Hide
Published in 2011 by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening.
Copyright © Paul Kelly
The right of Paul Kelly to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.



Chapter One
Duisburg, Germany 1939
I was feeling rather upset after scolding Joshua for hiding Maria’s doll in the cellar. . .
I had told him many times to behave himself, but Joshua being Joshua was a law unto himself, even if he was waiting for his seventh birthday in a fortnight’s time and Maria wouldn’t stop crying or telling me to make her brother respect her toys and leave them and her alone. Times like this were common in the household since we all came back from England to our native country of Germany as there was tension in the air and the talk of war was disturbing, especially as my husband Isaac and myself together with our little family had decided we would stay in London as Isaac and I had gone through university and taken our degrees. He wanted to be a solicitor and I had teaching English on my mind, but with the fear of war, Isaac, my husband insisted that the control and behaviour of the family was my concern and with that resolve, we decided it would be best to return to Germany. I was pleased and content to do as Isaac wished as I was his wife and I had a great love for him, but after the fifth pregnancy, I had hoped that perhaps our love making would take on another form . . . but Isaac was Isaac as Joshua was Joshua and they were so alike that I felt my life was controlled by the love of five men and a girl. Franz and Eric were artistic children, whereas Kurt and Gunther were so much like their father; able to do so much and with so very little effort, but as with the Dad, there was so much time for sitting around and thinking. Maria was just a simple little girl who loved the company of so many males who spoiled her. She looked to me for full protection and whatever she did was just what any little girl would do . . . when she was surrounded by so much love.
I could feel my bump getting larger by the day and hoped this would be my last as I was getting very tired and knew it was no use complaining. To complain was to show a denial of my love for my husband and I knew that would never do, but times were getting to be very difficult and awkward when Adolf Hitler remained as Chancellor and everyone screamed at you when you went out to show reverence and respect by an arm raising gesture and an announcement that Hitler was the supreme being . . .
HEIL HITLER . . . HEIL HITLER . . .and in my heart I would answer, AMEN.
Neither Isaac nor I had any political leanings. We simply wanted to live in peace, but peace in Germany at that time could only be considered if you belonged to the Nazi party and there were so many rules that had to be strictly obeyed that ‘peace’ went out the window. Adolf Hitler was intent on war where he hoped to rule the entire world. Fortunately Isaac had a good job in the council offices, where he had to sign in and out with a Nazi salute, but the ‘drill’ was easy, and the mind could think whatever it wanted, so long as you didn’t voice your opinions and Isaac was content to raise the arm and get on with his job, as long as he and his family were allowed to live in peace.
I had prepared the dinner and was about to hang out some washing in the garden when there was a loud knock on the door which made me look about in fear as this had happened a few days before and an officer from the Third Reich had demanded that Eric should be recruited into the Hitler Youth Organisation, but he was too young. I waited for a few moments before I answered the knock, but as I had suspected, it was the same officer and he looked sternly at me as if to tell me that I had concealed something from him, but I had honestly told him the truth, Eric was only thirteen and the recruitment age was fourteen. I asked him what he wanted and he replied sharply that he had come for my son.
“But I have told you the last time you came here, my son is too young to join this organization and anyway, he is at school. You cannot see him.”
The officer stared at me before he pulled some papers from a brief case.
“You have more than one son, haven’t you?” he demanded and I felt faint as I knew what he was asking and I felt sure that Franz, although he was fifteen would never be happy in an army recruitment centre. Franz was a shy boy and very retired and had not been attending the school for the past week as he was feeling very weak and was being treated for tuberculosis at the hospital.
“I want to see this other boy . . .” he screamed and pushed his way into the house, “Where is he? This boy who is now fifteen. He is able to join the Hitler Youth,” and with that assertion, the officer clicked his heels together sharply and shouted Heil Hitler . . .
Franz must have heard the screaming because he appeared near me at that moment and I tried to stand in front of him but the officer pushed me aside and grabbed Franz by the arm.
“Leave him, “ I shouted, “Leave the boy alone . . . he is only a child, Leave him, “ I demanded but the officer slapped me hard around the face and pulled Franz away from me as he spat on the ground and addressed me as a Jewish slut.
“When we have finished with this one,” he screamed referring to Franz, “He will no longer be a Jewish bastard and he will regret he was ever reared in this fucking household.” I tried everything to keep Franz with me, but the officer was very strong as he pushed me aside and left the house pulling Franz with him and swearing some awful blasphemes as he went which surprised me as I thought immediately from the terms he used that he must be a Jew himself, or someone with such an interest in the Jewish faith that he was free to talk as he did.
I was so distressed, I told the children to run upstairs as I was going to see their Uncle Herman and as Herman only lived a few doors away I knew I wouldn’t be long, I felt it was safe to leave the house for a few minutes. Herman was my cousin from my mother’s side of the family and we grew up together. I locked the front door of my house in the event that some other ‘official’ like ‘The Captain with the swastika on his arm’ might come round to recruit some of my other children for the Hitler Youth.
As I have said, Herman was my cousin on my mother’s side. He was very German in his attitude to life and imagined that Hitler was the salvation for the German people and although I knew this, I knew also that he was a Jew and that he wouldn’t be at all pleased about Franz being taken by force into the Hitler Youth and also at the attitude of the German officer who came to ‘do the necessary’ calling me a Jewish slut . . . but I was in for a very big disappointment . . . Herman looked at me as if I had not understood why the German officer had called to see me as he did. Herman considered the Hitler Youth to be a good way to bring the young people of Germany into line, as there was too much freedom being allowed to the younger generation who knew nothing of discipline in their lives. I started to argue with him, but he dismissed my point as being ‘irrelevant.’
“Franz is in good hands,” he said, “there is nothing to worry about and when he comes home again, you will see that the Hitler Youth organisation has made a man of him,” and I reflected on the German officer’s words . . . ‘when we have finished with this one, he will no longer be a Jewish bastard . . .’ but I felt I was wasting my breath in talking to my cousin and with a sigh of capitulation, I returned to the children, but my fears would not go away and I felt it was only a matter of time before this officer would return with some other extraordinary wish, which was confusing to me as I felt sure that none of my children would have wanted to join an army of children who were considered to be the future soldiers of the Fatherland. I waited for Isaac to come home as I was sure he would do something, either by reporting this interfering officer or complaining to the authorities that Franz was too ill to be considered for the Hitler Youth.



Chapter Two
Isaac returned from his office at six o clock that evening and I told him of the events of the day, but he ate his dinner in silence, sniffing occasionally as if he was considering what he should say and I pleaded with him to go to the Town Hall and make a request that Franz, who was too ill and suffering from tuberculosis should be allowed to come home as he was due to go into hospital again very soon, but Isaac continued to eat and sniff and he remained silent and irresponsive to my plea.
“I cannot understand how you can sit there, stuffing your mouth without any comment about the future of your children. Have you gone mad?” I shouted and Isaac stood up and threw his knife and fork to the floor.
“The world has changed now,” he snapped, “Nobody lives like we used to do now that Hitler has taken over this bloody country, but there is bugger-all that anyone can do about it. We have to live as best we can . . . and most importantly of all, you should forget that you are a Jewess, because if you don’t, you wi