When are we off to Siberia Then?

“When are we off to Siberia Then?”

Both my parents were tremendous story tellers and listeners. They survived the horrors of the German occupation of Warsaw, were forceably seperated and eventually transported to work camps in Germany.At the end of the war they miraculously met up and via numerous DP camps managed to get to England. I was a babe in arms for most of their incredible journeys. When I was a little older many of these stories were recounted to me and exchanged with other people, with similar horrendous experiences, The truth is far stranger than fiction.

In my penniless days as a teacher, in the summer, we would pack the camping trailer and fill the boot with baked beans and spaghetti hoops and head to the warm climes of France. To keep the two boys amused on the journey and stop them bickering, I told them stories. Recounting the tales of my mother, father and their former travelling companions. Since they totally disbelieved the early versions as being too far fetched to be real I had to adapt and sanitise the tales to be more acceptable to young and over immaginative young minds.

Now that I have retired and they are bringing on new siblings, the boys keep asking for me to jot these storys on paper for further and future consumption. This is one product. A fictional tale based on a mass of true facts and happenings that has been melded together to form a whole adventure for the young minds.  Survival is a primeval instinct that children possess in overabundance and storys like this capture their imagination to the full. Hopefully they will not encounter direct experiences like this themselves, but who knows in this ever turbulent world. The purpose of this tale is to provide enjoyment and stimulation. If they question the credibilty of the events they will open up Pandora’s Box.

Yours sincerely,

Jan Skarzynski.

WHEN ARE WE OFF TO SIBERIA, THEN?

BY

Jan Skarzynski

Oct 2007

Synopsis

The story is set just after the Second World War in the capital of Poland, Warsaw.

At this time conditions were extremely severe for the people and many were transported to Siberia, never to return. This is a story of a family who are herded onto a goods train bound for the East. The two main characters of the story are a boy of thirteen called Stan and his half sister of eight called Meg. They are resourceful kids but their trouble starts when they get separated from their parents at the embarkation point and they end up in different goods wagons.

The story then dwells on their colourful life in the wagon, crowded amongst strangers and their efforts to rejoin their parents in the other wagon. Their final effort ends in disaster when they find themselves on the frozen rail track and the train disappearing into the distance.

Whilst looking for shelter they find another small boy named Marek, also left off the train by his mother who was trying to protect him from the severity of a Siberian camp. They are also joined by a guard dog, named Harry, who is dissatisfied with his current lot. They know they have to find help in a village somewhere and to avoid the authorities who might do them more harm than good. They see smoke and head towards habitation but it proves to be on the wrong side of the frozen river, unbeknownst to them. So they have to spend nights out in the forest building shelters and feeding on what they can scavenge.

They eventually come across a forester whom they save from a nasty felling accident and the family put them up for a while, giving them food, clothing, money and advice on where they need to go and do. They also are given a small wooden sledge to carry their meagre belongings.

Their plan is to get to the towns on the Caspian Sea where foreigners working on the oil fields would put them in touch with the Red Cross and hopefully get in touch with their parents. Having survived the forests for so long they are confident that they can get to a large town and buy a train ticket South. They have a series of adventures on the way, including repudiating an attack by robber militia and are also fortunate enough to come across an abandoned Polish driver and lorry that takes them along to a large town with a railway station.

They find accommodation for the night in the town with a widow who helps them with their preparation for the train journey including buying tickets and providing them with false documentation. Their train journey South is not with out incident but having experienced worse conditions in the forests they more than cope.

On reaching a Caspian town they find accommodation in a village on the shore and begin their quest to find suitable foreigners that might help them to contact the Red Cross. Not an easy matter for three urchins and a dog, to stop and interest a suitable party. Having given up waiting out side villas, seeing the cars sweep in and out with no chance of contact, they find themselves in a situation helping a foreign lady in the market with her shopping. They manage to tell her their story and plead with her to help them contact the Red Cross. After some consideration and cross checking of the plausibility of their tale she invites them to meet her husband at their villa. The Red Cross are contacted but progress is slow in finding the parents. The term of tour at the oil field comes to an end so the three kids and dog are adopted and the new family ships off to the UK.

Eventually the Red Cross come up trumps and communication with their parents in Siberia is established.

Outline Plan

-Readership appeal……  8-18

-Main Characters….

oMalgosia or Meg.  Precocious eight year old girl, full of life and quite bossy with her brother. Comfortable with adult company. Resourceful and full of practical ideas.

oStanley or Tan. Serious lad of thirteen who enjoys teasing and playing practical jokes on his half sister. Practical with his hands and interested in scouting, military things and adventure.

oFather of Meg - George or Dad. University Lecturer. Practical with his hands and shows Tan how to make things. Helps local community.

oMother of Tan – Ludvika or Mama Dika. University lecturer. Acts as Mum to both Tan and Meg.

oMarek. Very small boy. Full of fun and just gets on with life, unaware fully of his severe surroundings and protected by Meg and Tan.

oHarry the guard dog- Big guard dog that goes soft for the kids. Becomes their protector, scavenger and playmate.

-Other Characters

oWagon full of assorted people

oCouple of Russian guards

oFamily of woodcutters hidden in the forest.

oPiotr the driver. Polish mechanic conscripted into the Russian forces to drive and repair their trucks.

oLandlady in town who makes up false documentation.

oVarious characters in the train compartment.

oThe Pickerson’s. Help the children to contact Red Cross and take them to England. Husband an oil engineer.

Main sections of the book:-

1.Prologue.  Current times. Grandad Marek  offers to tell his grand children the family life story and sets the scene.

2.High rise adjoining apartments in a high rise, run down block. Sets the scene for the family’s deportation to Siberian work camp. (5 chapters)

3. Life on in a goods wagon. Children get separated from their parents and are in different wagons. Accounts of life in confined space with problems of food, water, hygiene and overcoming boredom. (10 chapters)

4.Life in a freezing forest. Children get left off the train. Marek and dog Harry join the group. Various adventures of survival and hopes of finding help. (11 chapters)

5.Family of woodcutters. Children rescue the woodcutter. Life in the forest and preparations and advice for moving on. (8 chapters)

6.Journey to a town with a main train station. More camping in the forest. Attacked by militia bandits. Lorry ride to town. (6 chapters)

7.Incidents in town. Finding accommodation. Buying first class, reserved seat tickets. Selling sledge. Getting false documentation. (4 chapters)

8.Train journey. Borek the guard. Grumps. Buying provisions, Marek finds a friend.(6 chapters)

9.Caspian town. Finding accommodation. Trying to make contact with foreigners. Meeting the Pickersons. Life of luxury. Contacting Red Cross.(10 chapters)  

10.Journey to England. Adoption. Sea journey on oil tanker. Train though France Harry in quarantine. (2 chapters)

11.New home and surroundings in England. Finally hear from Red Cross about parents.(1 chapter)

12.Epilogue. Grandad finishes story to Grand-children. Ties up some loose ends about his own family. Tells of release of parents from Siberia and subsequent meeting.

WHEN ARE WE OFF TO SIBERIA, THEN?

BY

Jan Skarzynski

Oct 2007

A story for the young at heart, set just after the World War in Warsaw when Stalin was in power and created a lot of problems for the ordinary Polish people.

Grumpy Grandad Mark

“Hey Grandad Wake up! You’re shouting in your sleep. Wake up Grandad! You’re having one of your bad dreams.”

“Grandad! You’re supposed to be baby sitting us and Mum says you have to be ‘reponsible’ for us! Wake up Grandad!”

“Oh! Oh dear me. I must have dropped off for a moment. Dreamt that your Grandma Margaret was screaming again and I couldn’t stop her.”

“Grandad! Our tele programme has finished long ago and you were going to tell us a story. You said you would.”

“Ok, Ok kids! Don’t nag! I get enough of that from your Grandma! Yes! Yes! I will tell you a story. I think you two are now old enough to hear about how Grandma Margaret and Grandad Stan saved me from freezing to death in the depths of a Russian forest and eventually all of us coming to England on a big ship. I must have been younger than you two at the time and what adventures we had. Lots of dangers in the forest! Not only from the freezing cold but from hungry wolves and some nasty people. We also met plenty of lovely people that helped us on our way.”

“Yes! Yes Grandad. Please, please tell us that story. Grandma Margaret said you would tell us it one day.” 

“Grandad! Come and sit on the big sofa so that me and Mat can sit next to you. I will bring my Yellow Teddy to listen too.”

“If Liz is getting her teddy then I want Blackie to listen.”

“Ok, Ok. But if that pesky dog comes, he’s not to chew my slippers. Just look at the state of them! By the way. There is a dog in this story so Blackie better listen up and learn some manners.”

“Don’t worry Grandad. Mum is going to buy you some new ones for Xmas.”

“That’s good Liz, but make sure she buys some just like these. Not those posh leather ones that hurt my feet.”

“Yes Grandad. Mat and I will choose them but get on with the story. Please, please.”

 

“That’s good, but don’t you dare get me ones with doggy heads like yours Mat. Just plain slippers please.”

“Oh Grandad1 You’re no fun! But please let’s get on with the story.”

“Ok, Ok, but you will have to listen very carefully because I want to give you some background so that you will understand better. You see, the story starts in Warsaw. Just after the Second World War and Poland was overrun with nasty Bolsheviks and things were very hard.”

“Mum sometime shouts at me to stop being “Bolshie” when I’m cross with her. Is that the same?”

“Well yes. That’s where it came from and Mat, and don’t be naughty for your Mum.”

“Any way, Grandma Meg and Grandad Stan were older than you two at that time and their Mum and Dad were teaching at the University. Things got tough for all of them and the Stalinist government decided to ship the whole family off to Siberia to a horrible work camp.”

“Why would they want to do a nasty thing like that Grandad?”

“Well. They thought that educated people might cause trouble for them and become terrorists so they just got rid of them by the train load to work in the forests and coal mines of Siberia.”

“Does that mean I can bunk off school tomorrow so that I don’t learn to become a terrorist?”

“No Mat! It doesn’t! You have to go to school and become a doctor or dentist. Things have changed for the better now.”

 “Where was I?  Ah yes! The Bolsheviks put the whole family onto a train and shipped them off. Not on a passenger train but goods wagons used for moving coal, cement, timber and such like. No seats. No windows and bitterly cold. Off they went on a slow train to Siberia! But tragedy struck from the very beginning. Grandma Meg and Grandad Stan got separated from their parents. That was lucky for me because they eventually found me and together we struggled through the forests in the snow and ice hoping to find somebody to help us find our parents. We also had to be careful to avoid wolves and nasty people who tried to rob us. We had amazing adventures and eventually all of us got here to England.”

“Now I’m going to tell this story as if Grandma Meg was telling her part and Grandad Stan was telling it from his own point of view. So, in fact, you are going to get two stories for the price of one!  Deal?” Nodding of heads  including Blackies.

“Grandad! Where does the dog come into the story? Is that the dog on the photo in Grandma Meg’s hall?”

“Yes it is but you will have to wait for that bit. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin.”

   

1.  Margaret or Malgosia, or is it Meg?

Hello! Or should it be “Hi”. Or is that too American?  Anyway, I am a little girl… well not so little…I’m in my eighth year or seven and a little bit… well I had my birthday two months ago but we don’t do a wow for birthdays…more Saints Days and St Margaret’s is a long way off.  As you have guessed from my ramblings I don’t live in America and I’m not English. In fact I am Polish and I’m going to tell you about myself.

I live in Warsaw which you may know is the capital of Poland. I or we live in a small flat or in fact two small flats in a huge tower block in an area just south of the river. From one of our windows, on the seventh floor, we can see one of the bridges crossing the Vistula… that’s the main river in Poland.  From another we can just see the top of the spire of the old castle in the old part of the town. On the main street below us we can see the clanking trams and the odd lorry going by, not much traffic. We can also hear the noises from the train stations and the cooing of pigeons which roost on the window ledges of our block which I like.

I live with my father and also Aunty Ludvika. My father is quite old….. well I think he must be old because he has lost a lot of his hair but not as old as Grandma Eva who lives on the first floor and is wrinkled and smelly but we all like her. Anyway, my Dad is a professor at the University and teaches Chemistry. Any body could tell that because when he gives me a cuddle and kiss when he comes home I can smell the chemicals on his clothes quite strongly. His breath also has a smell of tobacco smoke which I quite like but we all tell him off about his smoking. He says he only smokes a little and will give it up some day, Yeah, yeah! 

My mother, well I haven’t got a real one really. She died a long time ago of some dreadful illness. I can vaguely remember her, in a bed, smelling of disinfectant and coughing all the time.  This must have been in a hospital and I must have been very young. I don’t miss her very much and don’t even think about her, unless I’m miserable and cross after being told off.  My real live mother is Aunty Ludvika who I love to bits and live and sleep with in her flat.  I only call her Aunty Ludvika when there are other grown-ups in the flat. Usually at dinner time when we are all sitting around the table and Dad says I have to be formal. Mostly I call her Mama or Mama Dika or if I want a real favour then I put on a very babyish voice and call her Aunty Dika Mamusiu in a long floaty way. It usually works. My other love apart from Dad and Mum is brother Stan… or usually just Tan. He is my half-brother. Well not even my half-brother. It’s complicated to explain to others but simple enough for me.

Stan or Stanislaw, when Dad gets cross, is much older than me. He goes to the Grammar school. We call it the Gymnasium. When I looked up Gymnasium in our Polish-English dictionary it said it was the place that people did gymnastics and sports. Sounds good but I don’t think that Stan’s school is like that. He brings back too much home work and is always complaining that they get too much boring stuff and not enough sport and playtime. He lives in the larger flat with my Dad and has a wonderful bunk bed built inside a wardrobe in the hallway. He can close off the doors and look through the peep-holes and jump out and frighten people. It’s great!

He had his birthday not long ago and an English student…..  well, you know what I mean…… not exactly English but learning English at the University. Well, he brought a great big white bun with thirteen candles on it at dinner time. We all had to sing “Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to Stanislaw” all in English which was great fun and the English student, Deck for short, made us sing it five times until we got it right and without giggling. Tan then had to stand up on the chair and blow out all the candles in one go. I noticed he missed one but Deck quickly twisted the cake so that it went out.  We all cheered.  I wished they would have let me have a go at the candles. I could have done it in one go. I’m sure! But they quickly put the candles away in a box as if they were gold or something. Anyway, with thirteen candles, Tan must be thirteen then. Very old.

It’s really complicated explaining Aunty Dika, Stan, and Dad who Stan calls formally Uncle George. It’s even more complicated and difficult to explain and how we live in two flats which aren’t two flats but really joined into one big one but have two numbers, 77 and 78. Well here goes. Dad and me once upon a time lived in 77 which is a flat on the seventh floor at the end of a long corridor. Stan and his Mum, Aunty Ludvika or Mama Dika to me used to live in a larger flat, but on the second floor, near the stairs at 25. Are you with me so far?

Dad and Mama Dika knew each other at the University.  Did I tell you this? Ah not yet. Well Aunty Ludvika was, and still is, a professor of Polish Language there. Don’t really know why she teaches anybody Polish. We all speak it. Don’t we? Dad says she teaches students to speak posh.  Sorry, totally got off the point of my explanation why we live in mixed up flats. 

Well it’s quite simple. Dad and Aunty Ludvika met at the University and fell in love like grown-ups do in stories like Cinderella and others. I love them and often cry when Dad or Mama Dika read them to me. Tan thinks they are soppy and laughs.  Makes me very cross.  Oh by the way Tan’s father had died, almost the same time as my mother they say, of something horrible called cancer.  Too much smoking Mama Dika says.  I wish Dad would stop, even though I like the smell on his clothes, and also on Mama Dika’s clothes when she cuddles me, although she doesn’t smoke. She says it sticks to her on the tram journey home.

How far have we got? Ah yes. We lived in 77 and another family lived in 78 next door, with a Grandad who had difficulty climbing all the stairs to the seventh floor.  There is a lift thing but I never saw it working.  It must have been awful for the people above us on the tenth floor.  Don’t go there much.  Aunty Ludvika and Stan used to live on the second floor at 25 and asked the Boranowski family in 78 if they would swap flats.  They jumped at the idea. Dad said it should be done without fuss and only to tell the caretaker in flat one. Old Jacob.  Don’t like him because he shouts a lot and smells of “pivo”, which I looked up to be “beer” in English.

Since 78 was quite small, Mama Dika uses the main room as her bedroom with a curtain across to hide the bed from the kitchen and I have a bed made for me out of wooden boxes in an alcove by the door. It is very cosy and also people can’t see me as they open the door.  I am hidden behind it. The only nasty bit is when Stan is cross and shouts, “Go to your crate!”  I hate him for that.

Dad lives in the main room of 77 next door, which is much larger and all that is in the room is a big table with lots of chairs.  All the chairs are different because people used to bring them when we were short of seats for dinner and they somehow got left there. Dad said that they were old and tatty and is always mending them. There is also a very large bookcase along one wall also made out of wooden crates and boxes. Stan helped Dad make it. Mama Dika says it looks very good. 

I liked playing with the bits of wood and shavings, making houses and beds for all my toy cats and dogs. We aren’t allowed pets in the flats even though Grandma Eva has a lovely black cat called Tom.  Don’t know why anyone would call a cat “Tom”.  When I mentioned it to the English student he just laughed and said it was probably a boy cat.  Don’t know how he knew that. He had never seen it or Grandma Eva. Anyway I just loved stroking it and cuddling it and hearing it purr. We often visit Grandma because Dad said she needs looking after and I agreed, mainly to visit the cat, even though Grandma and the flat are rather smelly.

Grandma can’t walk very well.  She isn’t really our Grandma but we call her that because she is an old lady and she seemed to like that.  She always says, “Come anytime, to visit Babcia and Tom”.  “Babcia” is Polish for Grandma as if you didn’t know. Dad said she never goes out and needs visitors so I said I would visit Tom every day and also speak to Babcia/Grandma if she is awake.  She snores a bit but I didn’t mind. Dad snores a lot but I don’t hear him now tucked away in my own cot or “crate,” as Tan calls it.

  

We have lots of books in the bookcase. Too many and some very heavy. I read the titles.  Didn’t understand what they all mean but I knew where every book is and became very cross if one is put back in the wrong place. I knew that Stanislav “the terror of 78” as Dad calls him, would move books on purpose just to make me mad.  You see, there was a big curtain covering all the books so it looked as if the window went right across the room. Well he would just hide behind and move the books about. And he doesn’t need a chair so nobody can see him. I don’t know why the grown-ups wanted to hide all those lovely books, especially MY books, on my shelf.  Some I wrote myself in little brown notebooks that Mama Dika makes for me. Dad said it was not “politically” nice to show all those books.  I said “bunkum”.  Didn’t know what “bunkum” meant but it sounded good and the grown-ups said it a lot when they were talking loudly at the dinner table.  Still don’t know what “politics” means but they, the grown-ups, spend all evening gassing about it.  Even missed my story, many times. Fell asleep on the chair hugging my woolly floppy cat, Mama Dika used to tell me.

Every now and again Stan would quietly hide behind the curtain. Stay there for ages. I would think he was at Grandma’s. We would call out for him and we thought he was out so gave up. Then suddenly he would jump out at me as I passed playing or singing or telling my floppy cat new stories. Well the stupid boy would really frighten me and in terror I would let out a terrible yell, scream or more like a screech. And when I open my mouth and let go it is unbelievable, let me tell you. Dad says it wakes up Jacob from his slumbers in the caretaker’s flat on the ground floor. It even stops the trains in their tracks at the nearby railway station says Mama Dika. I don’t believe that. A noise can’t stop an engine. Anyway Mama Dika showed me a cracked glass which she said was caused by my scream.  I’m not sure about that.  But lots of our glasses, plates and cups do have cracks in them.  Anyway this would end in me being hushed harshly so I would burst out crying and shaking a fist at Stanislav and calling him a big bully. Though I would feel very sorry for Tan who would be grabbed by his ear and yanked off to his bed and told to behave. I’m sure that’s why his ears stick out so much.

Aunty Ludvika would then pick me up and carry me to her bed and tell me a story. Aunty Dika was a very good story teller. The trouble was her stories used to make me cry, even more than the fright.  Mama Dika would then remind me that my scream was a useful weapon to protect me. She would then retell me the “Historic tale” where I was the real “Heroine” Yawn, yawn.  Well not really. I did like it retold. It make me feel good, powerful and makes me feel better.  

It was like this. We were waiting in a queue at the bread shop and getting bored. Mama Dika was constantly saying “Stop fidgeting” and “Don’t move from here” as she moved off to talk to somebody she knew. After ages and ages a young man came up to us and asked my mother if she could change some money. Since he held out a large note my mother took out her handbag, which she normally kept under her coat and opened it to look for her purse. Well as soon as her handbag appeared the man grabbed it with one hand and pushed her with the other and started to run off.  Well I say “Started”, some people said he just froze to the spot. Just like you do when you play statues. I opened my mouth and let fly. Well you should have heard  IT. Some people there said that they wouldn’t want to hear that ever again in their lifetime. Good job they don’t live in our block or even close, so Tan says. He dropped the bag and put his hands to his ears and with a wide mouth of amazement walked off. Well you should have been there to hear all the people say what a brave girl I was and what a wonderful daughter my mother had and all that.

The best thing was they all insisted we go to the front of the queue to buy our bread. That was good because I could then take some of the bread to Grandma’s and play with the cat. Anyway, I like the story and it makes me feel proud and good, even though I pretend not to like it and pull a nasty face when it is being retold with all the people looking at me with wonder that such a little… no tiny girl should save her mother from a nasty man... NO, a monster of a man. The worst thing is that nasty Mister Stanislav…. The no good brother of mine…  then always chirps in and says it wasn’t the noise that frightened the robber it was one look at my ugly face. I hate him! I hate him! I hate him!  I know he doesn’t mean it. But every body laughs and I get very hot around my cheeks and squirm a little. But then everybody says what a pretty girl I am and that I will grow up to be a Princess.  I like that. Then I can’t resist pulling a nasty face at Stan and sticking my tongue out.  I fall for it every time. I never learn. Mister snotty Sanislav then chirps in, “See, see, look, I told you all! “  And every body bursts out laughing. I like that especially when Dad digs him in the ribs and Stan grabs his stomach and folds over groaning as if he had been hit really, really hard. I don’t think Dad would ever do that. I like Stan. No! No!  I love him to bits. And I think he is proud of me. It’s like a lovely dream.  I go quite gooey.  Until he makes me mad again.!!!!

Just before I stop and let Tan tell you his bit…I know I can go on a bit, In fact Tan says I can go on for at least ten minutes without taking a breath. Well I can’t, so there! I’ve tried and I can’t even do a minute. It’s probably that I can talk breathing in as well as breathing out. So there! Now let me tell you the best thing about Tan and I just adore it and I usually can’t wait to go to bed. In fact, Dad says it’s a plot of the grown-ups to get me off to bed without a squeak. In fact, I grizzle on purpose until they let me go. It’s usually Dad that nods to me when I give him that questioning stare. You know!…SO? And then I can’t wait with all the excitement boiling up inside of me.  Then the stupid adults start asking stupid questions and I have to be polite and everything is delayed. It’s as if they were doing it on purpose. I’m sure! 

Anyway, when I’m helping Mama Dika set the table for dinner and she is busy cooking and doesn’t want me under her feet. I don’t know why she says that. I’m too big to fit under both her feet. Any way, I’m kept out of the kitchen so there. I think it’s at that time, when Tan is supposed to be doing his homework in his den, that he creeps into my bed area and that’s when I’m sure it happens. He is very clever. He gets my pillows, bedclothes, jim-jams, toys and clothes and stuffs them into animal shapes. I love animals. He knows that. So I get dogs, cats, crocodiles, lions and one time he made a horse with me sitting on it… well not actually me but my pyjamas were stuffed out to look like me with my woolly hat. It was great. I keep asking him to make it again and he swears on his heart that it’s not him but the fairies.

I don’t believe him and keep begging but he keeps telling me he couldn’t make things like that even if he tried very hard and that fairies come and do this to all little girls who pull silly faces and stick their tongues out. I don’t want to believe this story but I go on sticking my tongue out with a silly face as often as possible…just in case.

Anyway, all the grown-ups rush over and see the super animals, when I pull back the door and yell in delight.  Only Tan says, that he is too busy doing his homework to see what the goblins have made for me.  They are not goblins but nice fairies so there! Mama Dika and Dad keep complaining that it takes another hour to get me to bed after I’ve stopped talking and petting the animals and then having to put back the bed clothes and find my jim-jams.  Sometimes he hides my jim-jams so that it takes ages to find them. I love Tan, I love the animals on my bed and I love the fairies and I hate the goblins... sorry the one Goblin who hides my jim-jams….. and you know who he is... don’t you? I love going to bed.

Anyway its time for me to stop and let Professor Stanislav tell you his bit and then I can tell you more… lots more……. Later!

2. Stan’s little bit

Hello, I’m Stan, full name Stanislav, which in England would be Stanley I think. Most people call me Stan apart from Malgosia (or Meg) who calls me Tan, particularly when she wants to be nice and make me do something for her. But normally she calls me Tan or just, ”You!” since she is always rabbiting on and demanding, “you do this, you do that.”

Anyway, I like her as a sister and often tease her… which I think she likes because when I stop, after being told off about it, she is quite miserable. I suppose she has told you about our family and our super flat and what we do. I hope she hasn’t said too many bad and nasty things about me because she can get quite cross and then she does her famous yell. Well, then the house falls apart and I get a thick ear because I get the blame for setting it off. I wish you could hear it. It’s the loudest thing you would have ever heard. I love it. But I can’t let her do it too often or the caretaker will get complaints from our neighbours and we could be thrown out of our flat. So Dad says. But I love to hear it now and again.  She should have been in the Polish Army to scare  the Red Army away during the last war.

She has probably told you about me so let me get my bit in about her quick. We only use her name Malgosia when we are cross with her or Pani Malgosia in company, to make her feel grown up. A student of English who calls regularly, started to call her by her English name of Margaret. But that seemed a bit of a mouth full so it was shortened to Mags or Meg or even “Meg with a peg leg”. Not sure what that means. I will have to find out one day. Our dictionary doesn’t make sense of this one. It doesn’t really matter what we call her. She is usually the centre of attention with people doting on her and she, taking it all in with that silly serious face of hers. I like Meg and usually shout “MEG” to call her attention, but usually, in secret, we cup our hands together and do a low owl “Hoot” which warns of adults coming or danger. It’s surprising how far that sound travels and how useful a signal it is between us.

You know that we live in a joint flat, that is, two flats made into one. Mum sleeps in the little one with Meg. Dad and I call it the Girls dorm. They also have the kitchen and a small bathroom which always smells quite nice of soap and perfume. We call it the Girl’s loo and the men are not supposed to go in there, although I often creep in and lift the seats up. That really annoys them. Particularly Meg for, some reason. We have our own loo and bathroom in the larger flat where Mum and I once lived until we joined up. Deck, our English student, made a sign for our door which says “Gents”.  I think that is a short form of “Gentlemen”. Our loo or ” Gents” is forbidden to the girls and there is a large notice on the door made of wood from a packing case and somebody has written something like “Men Only” in about six languages, but funnily enough not in Polish, so Mum says that allows her to go in and clean every now and again.  It doesn’t smell as nice as the girl’s loo and we try and keep the window open, unless it’s too cold.

The big room is almost completely filled by a large table with lots of chairs. We did have a kitchen area but that was broken down and bits of it moved to Mum’s kitchen next door.  Dad also sleeps in this room on an old wooden and canvas army camp bed. It’s really cool. I wish I had one, although it wouldn’t fit in my space. He puts it up each night and down each morning although I never see him do this. He is off to Uni. early and stays up reading late. He hides it behind the curtain which hides our library. It stands up in the corner and sometimes comes crashing down with an enormous clatter. Mum says it will kill somebody someday. We just laugh.

I have a den in a cupboard out in the old corridor and that’s where I sleep. Sounds awful put that way. But it’s fab and cool and I love it.  It’s not as if I’m out of the flat in the cold corridor on my own with dogs and cats sniffing about. Oh no! Dad is brilliant with his hands as you can see from the book case I helped him to build. I know you can’t see it, but believe me, its fabulous… like a work of art somebody said.

Since both our flats were at the end of the corridor, 77 and 78 there was space to “steal” a chunk off the corridor, put a door across and make a small hallway and still leave plenty of space for the doors of 76 and 79 of the next door flats.  Tadek, one of the men who lives on the block gets us the bits of wood and things. He gave us all the wood for the bookshelves. He said he sells the crates and packing cases for fire wood so keeps the best bits for us. Dad gives him cigarettes and Mum gives his wife some clothes for her kids, now and again. Never wants money from us and calls me the Assistant Professor in Chief.  I like that. 

Dad had enough wood to build the partition but couldn’t get a door. Tadek came to the rescue with a super door which matched all the other doors in the corridor. So when we fixed the number plates on 77 and 78 it just looked like the normal end of the corridor. When Dad asked Tadek how he managed to find a door for us he just replied, “Don’t ask. But somebody is going to be cold this winter” And off he went with a smile and handful of cigs and of course tweaked my ear which hurt. I wish people would stop doing that. My ears are my own, Private property. Keep Off! And if people keep doing that they will flap out like an elephants. I keep checking them in the mirror.

In this space that we had pinched off the corridor, Dad said he would build me a bed but he did one better.  When he was talking to Tadek, which he often did, also it seemed to everybody in all the flats, up to the seventh floor on his way home.  It took hours and hours for him to get up those stairs while we were patiently starving to death waiting for dinner to be served. Even our visitors used to get a bit angry .Only Mum seemed not to care. She always said, “It’s for the good of the people” and wouldn’t serve up until Dad was sat down.  

Oh, and before all that, he had to go around the table and greet us all with big kisses for all the girls, long handshakes and pats on back for all the men and yes, you guessed, except his hand would stop a micron from my ear and he would then pretend to be distracted by someone else. My poor stomach was always in agony. I would have eaten the table top but not until we said grace. Further torture and agony to my middle was caused by him repeating at least six times how good the food smelt from the kitchen.  We all knew that. He didn’t have to say it. Mum was always a good cook and everything tasted good, but not enough of it. I was always hungry. I could eat a mountain of her stew with dumplings. Not much meat but the size of the dumplings made up for it. OK, wait for it. Ready, Steady, Go….. No Dad had to then go off and wash his hands.

Even Meg wasn’t on my side. She just chit chatted to every one, totally ignoring this delay and my belly.  On a very good day… on an exceptionally very good day, Dad would turn to me and say  “Stan, you say Grace” and add “Slowly. While I go and get ready”.  I had the reputation for saying the whole Grace in one breath and in one motion from standing up to sitting down. It used to annoy me when one of our smirky visitors would clap and ask for a repeat performance. What do they think I am? A performing lion in a circus?  No, I just wanted to get the food train started …bad enough having to serve the guests first.

Sorry, I got off the point and got onto the really big point for me, FOOD! Well, Tadek was a star. He told Dad he could get hold of large wardrobes for the price of firewood since nobody could fit them into their small flats. They took up too much room, the doors swung out too far and people were bruised and battered by the knobs and decorations sticking out. Didn’t sound too good explained that way. 

Dad took me, some tools and a few students to collect this lump of furniture. When I saw it I groaned. It was a monster, with cracked mirror doors, huge and magnificent... probably from a king’s palace. But Dad said, “Just the job. I’ll have it”. More groans from me. I couldn’t see how we were going to move this monster, never mind getting it through the door. Dad just said, “Right, let’s dismantle it” and got on with the job. I got the usual job of the “gofer”  Go for this, Go for that and mainly Go and get rid of the broken mirror and rubbish into the bins. We carried the bits home and for a couple of weeks Dad sawed, nailed, screwed and cursed whilst I held bits of wood for him and swept up the shavings.

Eventually after what seemed weeks of solid evenings work, the structure took shape and I could see what it would be like. Meg seemed to know straight away and even gave Dad some suggestions on improving the design. I don’t know how she does it but she always comes up with a better idea for doing things, even when I’m making models or mending her toys. I wasn’t allowed to see the final stages and had to come into the flat with my hat pulled over my eyes and be guided in. Dad said he wanted it to be a special surprise for me so I played the game.

Well the day arrived and Mum arranged a special dinner and invited some friends and even Tadek, though he didn’t stay long. He said he had some more wood business to do. I was a bit nervous but Dad, at least, did his greeting bit at the speed of lightening. Why can’t he always do that! I said grace. Slowly. Even got a thumbs up from Dad. The meal was finished quickly and every body was excited. I, for once, wasn’t even hungry. As much a surprise for me as every body else!

Dad suddenly got up and cut short the meal and asked me to come with him and lead the procession to the corridor. There I saw the curtain covering something big. I suddenly realised that this curtain was from the library and I hadn’t noticed it was missing during the meal and the books on view. How silly of me. Dad said  “OK, Stan pull the cover off.”  I pulled and it fell to the ground easily. Mum pulled it out of the way so that we could all see. Well it was still a huge wardrobe. A bit cut down, so that it filled the whole space of the wall. There were lots of drawers at the bottom and large doors above. It still looked massive but I still couldn’t see where I could sleep.

There wasn’t any space left for a bed on the hall floor. Not even room for the army camp bed, that I had always wanted. Then Mum broke the ice and opened the doors. I saw and understood immediately what it all was about and my smile nearly broke my head in half. So they said. There was a bed made up inside with a light and bookshelf above with all my books and a shelf with all my models. It was great. The doors had cut outs in the shape of flowers, animals, planes and other interesting shapes.  Dad said it was to let the bad air out. I just thought of peep holes. Every body clapped and hugged or patted me and we sang a traditional song for these times called “Sto Lat” which means, “Let him live for a hundred years or more”. So they were wishing me well. Even Tadek shook hands with me instead of his usual ear wrenching method.  I wanted to go to bed. Straight away. Bliss.

The worst thing was when Dad was early and I was late from school. He always looked out for me so I couldn’t escape. Then I had to tag along with him whilst he crawled up the stairs. He was generally a fast walker and normally I had trouble keeping up, but on the stairs he was always met by loads of people who greeted him, asked him things and gave him things for my mother. I became the donkey. No, the mule! I could hardly carry up all those things. It was mainly food and sometimes paper, which we were always short of. They also made stupid comments about me like, “isn’t he tall “, “isn’t he good looking”, “What a good son he is”.  Well it annoyed me and embarrassed me but I had to keep on smiling.

I wondered why we got given things, especially food. I asked him once and he said to feed all our guests and visitors who were all very poor and hungry and came to us and other people like us for a meal.  Although this was true, I found out that he helped all our neighbours by writing letters for them to various offices to get things done, repaired or to get a job. I normally ran up the stairs, all the way, to avoid being stopped but often I was captured and kidnapped by some lady, dragged into her small flat, and had a letter dictated to me to some official, on a scrap of brown paper.  They knew I always had a pencil. I was then told to ensure I took it to Father George or Pan George and he would know what to do.  Often they added, “Don’t give it to your mother”.  I would then quickly stick my hand out to shake, “Bye,” to avoid my ears being pulled out of my head again.

 I once asked a lady “Why not my mother?” and she was quite embarrassed and really coloured up red. She said very quietly that my mother’s letters were very, very good but too posh for those nasty men in those grand offices. Dad’s letters were in plain Polish and got results. The funny thing is I often read Dad’s letters and they did sound rather plain and with lots of bad grammar and spelling mistakes. And you should have seen his writing. All over the place. Far worse than mine. I once thought that he couldn’t write but he was always able to correct my home work and point out the mistakes. 

Later on I realised that this was all on purpose. One time, he said to me, the workers in the offices were just ordinary people, like our own neighbours and would be more likely to take action on such simple letters. Posh letters (like my mother wrote, although he said,”Don’t you dare tell her!”) got put to the bottom of the pile. I knew Mother hated these letters he wrote and made fun of them and some times called him an ignorant peasant. He just laughed and teased her by reading them out.

Sometimes when I didn’t have much homework or it was just easy, which wasn’t often, I used to help Dad write these letters while he dictated. I sometimes reminded him that Mrs So and So wouldn’t say things that way so I had to change them to her way of speech. He always said, “Scatter in plenty of spelling mistakes, a few splodges and crossings out.” That was easy. Mother would go barmy and say “How are we going to get this stupid boy of mine to learn good Polish language when you get him to write such rubbish!”  Dad would laugh, dig me nicely in the ribs and tell Mum that it’s harder for me to spell incorrectly than correctly.  I know he is right. You have to work quite hard not to make it too obvious. You just try it.

I think I was quite good at school. Well, I think I was but didn’t work as hard as I should.  Spent too much time dreaming the teachers said.  Which was true. I spent lots of time thinking, when the lesson was boring, about travelling through jungles and over mountains and across various countries. Quite exciting. I always gave myself away by smiling and the teachers knew I was off on my travels. Another stint of standing at front of the class and having to catch up in my own time. 

I best of all liked Geography. I knew all the countries and all the rivers and all the mountains because I had the maps from an old atlas stuck on the walls in my den.

Except for those in South America. Those pages were missing. I knew which seas the rivers ran into but was puzzled by those long rivers in Russia and Siberia that flowed from the South, where it is warm, to the North where it’s colder than cold. Surely these rivers were all frozen in the winter and when the summer came and melted the ice first in the South. How did the water escape when it was blocked by the still frozen ice in the North? Would all of Siberia and Russia be flooded? I asked the teacher. He wasn’t much help. He just said, “Work it out for your self.”   Well if I had done that I wouldn’t ask him the question in the first place.  Don’t understand teachers. Do you? 

I hated Chemistry. Well not chemistry but the teacher. He was always getting at me and others. He would set terribly hard homework and threaten more if we didn’t do it.

I was lucky. I had the students at home to help me during dinner. They were far better at explaining than this horrible teacher. Usually some friends copied my work next morning. I didn’t mind. They usually gave me something for it. Once the teacher set something really hard. Even the students couldn’t understand. Well that day Dad had a friend from Uni. to dinner and he took one look and spluttered his soup. “This is far too difficult for your age” he said and promptly wrote the answer and said, “Try this on him. That will teach him”.

I liked that. It’s nice to have somebody on your side for a change. Anyway, I copied it out, not understanding a thing. At school next day the teacher said, “Hands up if you have done your homework”. I stuck my hand up and looked around in horror to find only my silly hand in the air. Shucks! What’s going to happen next?

 “Bring it here and let’s see this mess,” he said. He looked at it a few times and looked at me a few more times and there was a deathly hush. You could have heard a pin drop. Well, with a smirk on his face he said, “Who did this? Who helped you?”  I stammered that it was a Mr Bronski

 “And what does he know about Chemistry?” came the reply with more of a smirk.

 

“He is the Professor of Chemistry at the University,” I said quietly, realising I should have just shut up. Well he went purple. Tore the page out of my book and crumpled it into the bin. The class exploded with laughter and cheers. I just hid my face in my hands and didn’t know what to do.

 “Finish off the last exercise!” came the command. All went quiet. I was on his hit list after that.

People said I was big for my age and was growing out of my clothes too rapidly, Mum said. I was certainly the biggest in the class. This helped because people left me alone and didn’t bully me. But I often got involved in scraps trying to help my class mates when the older boys attacked them. I often came back with bruises and scratches and got into trouble for nothing. One day, Dad said I will show you how to box and look after yourself. I think he understood my problem. We play-boxed most nights for a month until Mum put a stop to it. Dad hit me rather hard by accident and there was blood pouring from my nose, everywhere. That did it.

He told me that the only way to tackle bullies is to attack first, be very aggressive, scream loudly and hit them hard on the nose, first. Usually the fright and sight of their own blood will make them stop and back away. Well I got a reputation and nobody messed with me or my mates much after that. I still need to work on my scream a lot. It’s a bit feeble. It needs to be more frightening, like Meg’s. Well not quite as bad as hers. I don’t want to knock the school down.

3. Meg tells a bit more.

Mama Dika’s busy in the kitchen and Dad is writing his letters as always. There are a couple of students reading at the table and rolling cigarettes for after dinner. I usually shout at them to stop cos they will die a horrible, horrible death if they smoke those horrible things. I didn’t bother this time but did say, “Don’t put so much in”. Dad added, “That’s right” and they grinned at me and one winked. They are nice. Now, where’s Tan? Doing his stupid homework I suppose or maybe, well maybe he’s doing the surprise for me. I hope so. Shall I look?  No. Better let him finish. I wonder what it will be?  Why are those students looking at me with silly faces and chewing their tongues. Can’t be bothered to shout at them. Ah, they are just teasing me about me chewing on my tongue when I’m thinking or writing. Better than chewing my pencil Dad says. We don’t have many of them. Shall I ignore them? Or stick my tongue out. That will stop them, Yeah, here goes. Now where was I?

I can’t write much because dinner will be soon and I will want to go off to bed quickly. Also there are lots of boring people coming to night to talk about things like Stalin, Politics, Siberia, America, Bolsheviks and things I don’t understand and don’t want to understand. Anyway there will be lots of shouting and loud voices, but Mama Dika says “Don’t worry, they are still friendly”.  Funny lot. I don’t think I want to be a grown-up.

I only hope that Pan Domovski comes to night. Life will be more bearable with him here. He always sits next to Tan and tells him things and I always listen in. It’s always so interesting. Dad says it’s the only time I stop talking and listen for a change. Well if they were talking some sense I would listen more. So there!

They always talk about things called “scouting” where boys go camping in forests, light fires and cook their own food. They also play games and sing songs and put on little plays around camp fires. They also learn how to look after themselves, like putting up tents, finding the best mushrooms to eat, catching fish and also things like sewing and mending clothes. Dad says that’s girls work but I think Tan should be able to mend his own socks. I know he can sew things like parachutes for his models so why can’t he mend his socks?

The worst thing is that Mr Domovski said that the people in charge of the country have stopped Scouting in Poland. He said that scouts were too much like the army. Mr. Domovski agrees and says that Scouting started in England and they don’t do any marching there but they do lots of interesting things. The best thing is that they also have a group for girls and they do similar things and also things with bandages. I want to go to England and join the Girl Scouts there. Mama Dika gave me a bandage and I practise on my animals and sometimes Dad lets me do his foot when it’s hurting. It always gets better quickly.

Pan Domovski also says that all scouts have to “Be prepared”. That means that they have to always be ready to do things and mend things and help people at all times. I would love to do that. Mama Dika says I’m already halfway there because I’m always telling people what to do.

 But the best thing is that scouts have to collect things in a box called an "Emergency Kit” which they carry around with them. Tan is always asking what he should have in his and I have started my own. I have got a needle and lots of bits of coloured thread, all nicely rolled up. I have tucked the needle into a piece of cloth so I don’t lose it and if needed, the cloth can be used as a patch. I have a little pair of scissors that Grandma Eva gave me. She said they were too small for her to use. Mama Dika gave me a small tin box. A bit rusty but she said it would clean up. All my things are in there and Mr. Domovski was most impressed. He liked the scissors and the sweet. He said the sweet was most important because it was ”iron rations.”  Don’t really know why. Sweets don’t taste anything like nails or Dad’s hammer.  Actually, to tell the truth, I hid the sweet in the box and forgot about it. I don’t know whether to leave it there or eat it tonight. I think I’ll leave it until tomorrow.

Tan has an old tobacco tin which Tadek gave him. He also gave him a tin water bottle which won’t break. It belonged to some soldier who lost the stopper and probably threw it away. It’s a bit battered but Tan will make a stopper for it but Mama Dika won’t let him cut the top off the broom handle. He says he only wants a little bit but Mama Dika says No! So that’s it. Tan says he can’t find any broken broom handles because they have all been burnt up in the stoves

.

Have I told you about our stove which we use to heat the flat when it’s cold? Some men carried it up the stairs and fixed it in the corner of the big room with a pipe going out through the top of the window. I loved watching them cut the hole in the glass. It was very clever and they blocked the gaps with clay. Gave me some to play with, but Dad asked if he could use it to block up some other holes in the windows to stop the wind blowing in. Not really fair. He sleeps by the stove so shouldn’t bother about a few holes and I could play with the clay. Tan says he will get me some but I would have to keep it wet. Well he forgot so I took some of his. He told me its alright, but I have to put it back in the jar when I’ve finished playing with it. I usually remember.

Anyway, the best thing with the stove is that we get out the samovar. You know what that is don’t you? Everybody’s got one. Well it’s a tall shiny pot with a lid and a tap and stands on the stove. Tan’s job is to fill it with water. I love to watch it boil with steam coming out of the lid which rattles and it sings. I sing along with it until the grown ups come and add water and it all stops for a while.

The samovar is covered with patterns and figures. Most of them have been worn off but Mum says these are tea bushes with Indian ladies picking the leaves for tea. I counted seven of them around the pot. I’m not allowed to go near when it’s on the stove. For a long time I thought they were Indians like the cowboys and Indians that Tan plays with his pals and they were dancing around the fire but I couldn’t see any feathers in their hair. Dad then told me they were different and lived in a country called India which was a long, long way away from America, where the real Cowboy and Indians lived. So there! He also said that they didn’t drink tea but the Indians in India drank tea and had samovars. It’s all complicated but I think I understand and I love our tea which we make with our samovar.

The men who fixed the stove also took away some old iron pipes and ugly things called radiators which were fixed to the wall. The men said they would take them all to make tanks for the Bolshy army. Dad said that these things were supposed to heat all the flats like the stove but somebody stole the boiler which he explained was a big ugly samovar in the cellar. Also there was no coal to feed it. I like our stove better. There were big holes in the walls when they took away the pipes and Dad had to fill them with stones and wood. He said it was to stop little visitors. Tan said they wouldn’t bother coming here since there is never any food for even a small mouse to live on. I wish Dad left a few holes open. I would have loved to feed the mice and play with them. 

Oh I forgot to tell you that we fed the stove with bits of wood which Dad collected or had left over from building the library and Tan’s den. This wood is kept under my bed and it is my duty to count the bits of wood to make sure that the goblins don’t take any away. The goblins never took any away, but every time Dad used some, he had to write the number down. Then I had to do hard sums to see how many I had left….. or I just counted the lot again. 

That nasty Tan would always write six and a half or seven and a quarter. He made life difficult. I told him he couldn’t have taken a half or a quarter because they were all full bits as I counted them. He insisted that he broke a piece off and therefore took a half or a quarter, but I couldn’t see that. Mama Dika and Dad were no use and just smiled and let us argue. No help at all.  Best was when we got a sack of coal and I didn’t have to count all the black dirty bits. It would have taken me ages and ages and I would get very dirty. I know when I tried, Aunty Ludvika was not pleased. I was sent off to count the wood three times.

Anyway, I was going to tell you something very important. Well I think so. It’s about Tan’s special box and what he’s got in it. He has a small candle and some matches. I’m not allowed to have matches although I do have five black ones. I don’t think they are much good but I’ll keep them. He also has a pen knife with a big blade and a small blade that neatly folds into the wooden handle. I wish I had one but Pan Domovski says that my little pair of scissors are just as good.  He has a ball of string which hardly fits into his box. I keep telling him to unwind some for me and then it will fit. Some day, maybe. He also has a tin mug with a handle. 

Pan Domovski says it’s important to have a water bottle and a mug which can be used for all kinds of things like filling water bottles, cooking over a fire, digging and drinking also… but not after digging. Since the mug takes so much space I said that Tan should keep his ball of string in it.  “What a good idea,“ said Mr Domovski. I was proud. There goes my bit of string then.  He also said Tan should have a compass to tell him where he was otherwise he would have to use the sun. Don’t know what that’s all about but I would love to see a compass.  They talked about lots of things and I was fascinated.

Oh goody, Dad’s going to say grace and I can eat and go to bed. Mr Domovski didn’t come tonight. Hope he comes tomorrow. Maybe he will bring this compass thing that will show us the way. I wonder if it works in the dark.

4. Stanislav is worried but is in for a big surprise.

Something funny is going on. Can’t work out what it is yet, but we were let out of school early and told not to come next day until ten o’clock.. Quite good really but not normal. Also missed Chem. class and homework. Goody! Lets get home quick.  I suppose we will have to stay with Gran Eva until Mum comes with Meg from the Junior school.  Suppose I can put up with the smell and cats, if she’ll let me look at her books and in that big drawer where she keeps her rubbish. Found the penknife in there which she let me have for my tin. Had to give her a kiss. Bit hairy but it was worth it. She also said I could take the watch on a strap. She said she had no use for time these days. Don’t know what she meant by that but it wasn’t worth the bother of a kiss since it didn’t work. But I keep it on my shelf. It looks good.

At Gran’s on the second floor, one curtain was drawn. This was a family signal that there was a message or change of plan. Usually saved the drag up to the seventh floor for nothing. Knocked lightly and went in. Gran was asleep in her chair with her cat on her lap. Again funny, the cat usually jumps down and meows for its milk or feed but it just looked up and purred. Must have been fed. Let’s look around for a note on the little shelf. NO flipping note either! Must be serious. Will have to wake her. I slammed the door. 

 “Who’s there? Is that you Stan?” she said. 

“Yes, it’s me. They let us out of school early today,” I said.

 “Yes, I know,” she said, “Pan George told me.”

 “How did Dad know?” I asked a bit surprised. We only got to know at the last minute and even the teachers were taken by surprise. But we got out of Chem. 

“Stan, Stan, You have to go to the bench,” she whispered quiet sternly.  “What bench?” I said quickly, but realised immediately what it meant. 

 When Dad wants to have a serious talk with me, we normally go to a bench on the riverside park near the bridge. It’s quite quiet there and I get told off about annoying Meg or not working hard enough at school or if there are any changes to be made at home. Well I ran all the way and got shouted at by a bloke on a bike and some woman screamed, “Look where you are going, you little brat!” and then added, “You’ll get run over by the trams”.  I didn’t hear what else she shouted. I was already in sight of the park gate and ready to climb over the fence further down. More fun than using the silly gate. I could pretend that I was training in the army. I slowed down when I came in sight of the river banks so that I could catch my breath back and knew that around the corner Dad would be sitting, with his head stuck in a newspaper.

Sure enough there he was with the paper and a brown bulky bag by his side. 

 “Hi Dad! I’ve been let out early. For good behaviour,“ I added hoping to soften any comments. 

“Yes I know,” he said as I stood there in sheer surprise and said, “Sit and let’s have a chat about things”. Well that didn’t sound too bad, and when he opened his battered leather briefcase and took out two buns and offered one to me I knew it was all going to be OK and we were just going to chat about things. I sat down next to him quickly, didn’t even glance at the bag next to him. I grabbed the bun, opened it to see it smeared with dripping and glanced at Dad who cocked his eye to ask OK? I didn’t answer, just rammed the bun in my mouth and nodded. At that split second I was mortified. I hadn’t said a “Thank you”. Dad realised and just touched my arm and told me to eat up but slowly and to make the most of it. We didn’t speak just munched away, mainly me, enjoying every crumb. Noticed that Dad was a bit slow with his bun and kept looking at me.

We, well I finished my bun and Dad said we need to talk.  He said he knew about the school thing, probably before the school even did. He knows everything. He said that there were going to be lots of changes for all of us and he would explain as best he could for the moment. He said that my school hours were going to be shorter. All the good news comes first I thought. True enough. There were going to be more Russian lessons and some of the subjects were going to be in Russian instead of Polish. That didn’t bother me too much since I was quite good at different languages.

I could speak Russian quite well so the Russian soldiers said. There were lots of Russian soldiers wandering about and they seemed glad to chat and show us their rifles, bayonets and how to load the bullets and things. The grown-ups ignored them and would cross the road rather than pass them on the street. The older boys would smile and shout nasty things to them, which I hope they didn’t understand. Some of the soldiers were Ukrainians and I could understand them because it was a bit like Polish but with a mixture of Russian and Polish they could understand me.

Dad also said that there would be other changes such as, no Polish history only Russian and no Geography of the World just of Russia. Didn’t like that but didn’t say so because I thought this was just a build up to something bigger and more important.

Well it wasn’t. Not bad and important but great and Fabuuuulouuus! Dad picked up the bag next to him and said, “Here Tan. A present for you. To go with your collection of scouting things.” Well, you should have seen my face. A whole tram could have fitted into my mouth, sideways! 

I saw immediately that it was a Russian Army haversack that had been altered. Firstly it had been coloured a sort of khaki as used by English scouts and the straps were of leather, instead of thick material, and with metal buckles to adjust their length. Also there were a number of other short straps forced through the strong material with which you could tie things on like a tin mug and walking sticks. It was just great. The best present in the world. I was so happy that I remembered to give Dad a big hug and a kiss. He just said, “Hang on there boy. That’s not all”. And I remember scrambling down and opening, more like ripping the sack open to see what was in side.

Dad looked amused as my face dropped, but just for a split second. Dad pretended not to notice my disappointment and was again scrambling in his case. He came out with a small cloth bag. Like the ones we usually use for buying tea or flour or other loose foods. Mum had to take her own bags when shopping. Nothing in the shops was packed. It was all loose. The bag was small and there was something in it. Dad said handing it to me, “You must have missed this?” as if it was nothing. I emptied the bag on my lap to find it was my watch. Big deal I thought. Hadn’t even missed it.  Not much use to anybody. But then I spotted the second hand sweeping around. Well, that was another miracle. Dad got another big hug and a few kisses while I looked at my watch over his shoulder. I looked up from the watch to the church tower across the river. Dad said, “It’s alright. That church clock is fast. The watch has been checked by the radio. It only needed cleaning and don’t over wind it!” I was in heaven.

We walked home with the rucksack on my back and watch on my wrist. I held his hand and I didn’t care if my mates saw me. In fact I wished they could see me with my rucksack and my watch. I was wishing somebody would ask the time. We climbed the stairs together, still holding hands and the neighbours just said hello and patted Dad on the back as we passed by. No questions, no demands, no letters, no crying, not even a grab at my ear.

Dinner was a quick affair, with everybody asking me the time but of course Meg had to spoil it.  I was sitting at the table with my watch and Haversack on. No body was going to part me from my treasures. I even filled the sack with bits and pieces. Meg of course, had to wait until everybody was digging into their soup when she made her scene. Which was rather rare. She is usually too busy chattering. Even her soup gets cold.

Any way, she stood up on her chair and shouted, “I want a sack, I want a sack I want a sack,” on and on to no one in particular. I expected her to be yanked off and sent to count the sticks but Mum took the wind out of her by calmly saying, “Yes, yes, we will make one for you tomorrow and now eat your soup”. Meg realised that all the eyes were on her and she just shrugged her shoulders, sat and picked up her spoon to attack her soup, but hesitated, and remembered she was half way through some tale when she had broken off and continued her story as if nothing had happened. Letting her soup go cold. I noticed Dad wink at Mum.

After dinner Meg and I were told to go and inspect my sack. I couldn’t wait. Meg immediately told me exactly what her sack would look like and how many pockets and ribbons it would have. I just said yeah, yeah and continued my dreaming. I did notice that the grown-ups were quieter than usual and spoke new words like “railway,” “long way away”,” Siberia”, “Work camps”.  Maybe they were just planning a journey. I didn’t care anyway. It was the best day of my life and I was going to sleep with my sack by my side and keep my watch on. I’m sure Dad will let me and if not I will still do it when they are asleep. “Night, night Meg. Sorry that the fairies haven’t been to night. Bye”. This must be like heaven!

5. Stan is puzzled by the grown ups

Things got quite hectic for a time. Every body was busy. Mum and Dad seem to be spending more time at home. At school the teachers have given up on us. No body sets homework and even the Mr Nasty Chem. Teacher leaves me alone and even smiles and pats me nicely on the head. In all the spare time we have, Dad helps me with getting gear together for my rucksack. We kept packing it and unpacking it, adding things and taking things away. Dad made a game of it. He would say,”What if you were going into the jungle? What about the Polish forests? How about the desert? 

But each time he would return to what he said was his favourite, the Tatry mountains of Southern Poland. We would talk about them and how he used to climb there in his student days. He told me about snow, ice winds and the trees that would crack in the cold. We packed the sack with things he would take to these mountains. We completed my emergency box with things like safety pins, a large white handkerchief. He showed me how it could be used as a bandage or a sling for a broken arm. He said he would like to get me a compass but it would be difficult to learn to use.

Meg was in seventh heaven. She was getting more attention then ever and she just wallowed in it. Mum had made Meg a super rucksack from an old hand handbag and all we heard all day was Meg telling Mum I want it this way, I want it that way, I want more pockets, I want softer straps and on and on. Eventually it was finished and even Mum said that it would only have been half as good without Meg’s advice. Well she had everything on it .Pockets, soft wide straps, places to put things and best of all she had a box of “iron rations”. It was a cigar box held tight with a broad ribbon. Oh yes, she was on stage as she proudly produced it and then carefully unpacked it to show all the dinner guests what she had.

Each item was removed with a flourish and presented on the table with a full explanation how it was made and “To be used only when I’m so weak with hunger that I only have strength to undo the blue ribbon” she said with a faint sigh. Oh what a showgirl! Every body clapped after each item. There were four pieces of toasted rye bread so they wouldn’t go mouldy, six sugar cubes wrapped in paper, five small sweets, three pieces of very hard and dry sausage called “cabanos” and the most important item which was held up for everyone to inspect was a bar of American chocolate still in its silver paper. 

We all cheered and clapped as she expertly repacked the items neatly and tied the ribbon with an expert hand. She was a gem and I was envious. I looked around for a chance to escape, to check out my own Mountain pack. Mrs Domovska grabbed my hand, hugged me and went off sobbing. Don’t know what that was about. In the corridor, Dad met me with a sly smile and said, “Don’t look so glum. Here is a stopper for your water bottle. Wrap it in the spare scarf so that it won’t freeze.”   

I didn’t know what was going on but even my pals avoided me. Didn’t seem to know what to say and seemed embarrassed. Well I wasn’t too bothered. I was too busy with Dad, building crates for the books. He said he was making room for newer ones and these were being sold off, since he and Mum had read them all. Seemed reasonable but why the hurry?

6. The railway station.

It was getting colder but our flat was nice and warm and the samovar was singing happily on the stove. It was being fed with the bookcase. Dad said he wanted to build a better one and was waiting for Tadek to bring us some better wood than the packing cases. I noticed that there was lots of whispering and concerned looks between Mum and Dad but I was too busy to worry, too busy packing books, carrying crates and rechecking my own iron rations which had mysteriously appeared under my pillow. Present from the Goblins I was told. 

 I got a new school uniform. Urrgh! Big heavy boots, a thick heavy coat which was far too big and I had to wear a belt, a thick woolly hat that tickled, a wide scarf, big as  a blanket which scratched my neck so much I could only wear it on the outside, away from my skin. Then there was a pair of thick mittens covered in something like wax and with those strings so that you wouldn’t lose them. Wouldn’t be seen dead in that outfit. My pals would make my life a misery for years if they saw me. Fortunately I was let off. It wasn’t cold enough.

Meg got the same treatment but to her it was a fashion show, as she paraded around the flat showing off her new clothes. Girls! 

 

Then the letter arrived brought by a rough looking police man with a big pistol on his belt. It was in fact two letters. One for 77 and one for 78. For Mum and Dad. They seemed to know what was in the letters but wouldn’t open them until we had been sent off to bed early. “And no reading!” was the command.

Next day at breakfast I asked Dad what was in the important letter. “Oh! Not a lot “ he said, “ Just that Mum and I have been invited to go and work in a University in Siberia and we were just wondering if you two would like to come along with us or stay in this flat on your own?”.  

Well Meg just leapt up on her chair, spilling her tea all over and shouted with glee “Yes, yes, yes I want to go, I want to go too. So does Tan. We don’t want to stay behind in this flat without Mum and Dad”. Well that was that. I just mopped up her tea while Mum tried to peel Meg off her neck.

The letter said that we had to report to the station, around the corner, at noon sharp so we had to pack. Meg was already in a flap, shouting and asking what she should pack and how many toys she could take with her. Mum quietened her down and said that we could take only what we could carry, easily, since it would be a very long journey and we would get very tired. So off went Meg with the largest suitcase and started filling it with all sorts. Every now and again Mum would close her case and tell her to lift it. No way, she couldn’t even drag it. Again and again she packed and repacked until she fell asleep on the floor amongst a pile of clothes and toys.

Meanwhile Dad took me aside and said seriously, “Stan. You have your sack packed already? Yes?  I’ve put a few items in it for you. Go and quietly get dressed in your new clothes. You will notice on your bunk I have put out the warmest clothes. Make sure you put them all on. I know you will feel hot and uncomfortable but we must take as many clothes as we can. Put on an extra pair of socks, the long ones”. I was a little bit shocked by his serious voice and went off to do as he said.

Meg woke up and was dressed in her new clothes. She seemed to like being dressed with extra clothes and had forgotten her packing. She was happy showing off her clothes to her floppy toy cat which seemed fatter than usual. She held her stuffed pack next to her. Both Mum and Dad had their small cases packed and had fixed straps to them so that they could be carried on their back. I came out to show Dad that I was fully dressed apart from my outer coat and boots. He took a look at me and broke into a giggle and shouted to Mum that she had a snowman for a son. We all giggled and life seemed to be back to normal.

There was a loud knock on the outer door and a sound of crying. Dad went out and closed the door behind him. A few minutes later he came in with Tadek and his wife sobbing and not looking at us. “It’s time to go! Get your outer clothes on and Tan do up Meg’s laces so they won’t come undone. Good lad,” was the command. Whilst I busied myself with Meg, I heard Mum say to Tadek’s wife, “Take all the clothes here you want, take everything”. 

Tadek grabbed Mum’s and Dad’s suitcases and said he must escort us all to the station. Meg and I insisted on carrying our own packs even though I had to notch the straps in their last hole to get them over my bulky coat.  I felt hot and uncomfortable in all these clothes and could hardly walk. Dad picked up Meg in his arms. She was clutching her not so floppy cat tightly and we all marched out and down the stairs, led by Mum.  It was all done so quickly that I didn’t have time to think or say good bye to the flat and things. I was more excited than anything. I was going on a new adventure.

The train station was crowded and noisy. Lots of policemen with rifles were ordering people about. We had to stand in line. Dad said this was going to take a long time. It did. Meg seemed happy playing with her toy cat with Mum telling her stories. I was a little frightened and Dad squeezed my shoulder which was nice. We got very tired standing and moving from line to line, as ordered by the policemen, after checking and rechecking our documents against various list. I felt it was just like school. We got so tired that Mum and Dad sat on their cases and I just sat on the ground. Dad said not to worry too much about getting dirty. Strange!

Dad then did something strange and I knew it was important. He whispered in my ear so nobody could hear, “Stan, this is going to be a long and difficult journey. It may even be dangerous at times so listen carefully. We need to keep together at all times and look after each other. You look after your sister.  You will find some Roubles, Russian money, sewn into your coat collar and Meg has some coins wrapped in a handkerchief stuffed in floppy cat. Just for emergencies. You understand?” I nodded and felt very proud and got a big hug from Dad.

Suddenly the police started blowing their whistles. There was shouting and dogs barking and we all got up clutching our belongings, waiting to see which way we should go. We were pushed and shoved along the platform with lots of people in front. We got to the end of the platform and had to walk even farther along the track. I was holding on to Meg’s hand, my feet hurt in my new boots but she was just skipping merrily along, singing and trying to balance on one of the rails. I just clung on to her and kept as close to Dad and Mum as possible. We weren’t walking very fast in this crowd which was just as well.

Eventually we came to a stop alongside a goods train with large wagons with sliding doors and no windows. Ahead I could see people climbing and being lifted in through the open doors and then the doors would slam shut and be bolted on the outside. Surely this wasn’t our train to Siberia. We wanted a proper carriage with seats and window to look out of. There were lots of police with dogs and they were ordering people about.

A policeman with a red hat signalled with his hand to our group and pointed to the carriage along side of us. A railwayman in dirty blue uniform slid back the doors and people started climbing up and throwing cases inside. Then it happened. Why? I don’t know to this day. Meg, who had been singing away quietly, suddenly spotted a huge growling dog held on a leash by it handler. It must have been twice the size of her. She slips out of my hand and darts to the dog. I rush after her afraid the dog will mince her to bits.

Instead the dog wags its tail, licks her hand and she starts petting it. The dog handler, with frightened eyes, is trying to drag the dog back and away. I grab my stupid sister by the belt on her coat with one hand and start dragging her away and at the same time I’m looking for Dad and Mum. Horror of horrors! They are being pushed and shoved into the wagon and the man is sliding the door shut.

I tug at Meg and she falls over and starts to cry. A policeman drags her to her feet and I grab her in a bear hug and shout, “We must run!”  I hear Dad shouting our names. But it’s too late. The door has been bolted and we are still on the ground, separated from our parents.  I plead with the guard to open the door and let us in but he just  slides open the door of the next carriage and says brutally, “Get in! Not my problem.”

Well, my world had fallen apart. I had promised Dad that we would stay together and I would look after Meg and within what seemed like minutes we were separated. The policemen took no pity on us and just forced us toward the last carriage of the train with lots of strangers. They wouldn’t even listen to Meg who had suddenly realised what had happened and that it was her fault and was trying all her charms on the policemen. No good. We were just bundled roughly up and through the open doorway and the big doors slammed shut with a bang! And the bolt rattled home.

It was dark and I wanted to cry but I just hugged Meg and said to her, “Don’t cry Meg. Everything will be OK. Just hold onto me and floppy cat.”

7. Railway wagon to the East.

A match was struck and in the feeble light all I saw was lots of eyes looking towards the flame. Another and another were struck and people looked about for their friends and family. I clung onto Meg in the dark. The wagon was full of people and the floor was covered with old and dirty straw. People were quietly shuffling around and finding a space for themselves in family groups. I just clung onto Meg and we were gradually edged, with gentle nudges, towards a space near the door.

People sat down and clutched each other and there was some quiet sobbing. I stood clinging onto Meg and she clung onto me. The matches went out and I realised it was also dark outside. Every now and again a beam of light would shoot through the slats high up on the walls of the wagon. We must have been hanging about the railway station the whole of the afternoon. No wonder I felt exhausted.

An ear splitting blast of a train’s whistle startled us and broke up all of our thoughts and worries for a moment. What’s going to happen next, we all must have thought. Then we heard an engine chuffing heavily and some one in our wagon whispered, “It must be another train moving off”. We all relaxed and fell back into our own thoughts and feelings, when suddenly I was knocked flying. Fell onto somebody. Felt my elbow hit something hard. Must have been a head since its owner started thrashing and shouting.

Meg was shouting for me from somewhere. We were finally on the move and the wagon wheels were rattling on the lines and the whole thing was swaying from side to side. Somebody kindly lit another match and I grabbed Meg by her ankle and clung on as I was being roughly pushed away by somebody towards “our “space by the door. After many “Sorrys,” “Be more carefulls,” “Sit downs” and general grumbles, every body quietened down. We sat down together. The floor was hard and lumpy. I whispered to Meg, “Take your pack off and sit on it with your back to the door”. I helped her in the dark and we both managed to get into a position without standing on or annoying any body. 

It was more comfortable for our packs with our backs against something. We could stretch our legs out. I put my arm around Meg and she cuddled in. She started to sing softly, in time with the clickety-clack of the train. I relaxed and fell asleep.

Next day we were woken by the weak morning sun light and the bitter cold. The train was still clickety-clacking along and swaying from side to side so that it was quite difficult to stand and not to bump into people. We were all standing and stretching and trying to get some circulation back into our bodies. Nobody said anything but just looked around the wagon and at each other, trying to make out who was who and what was what.

I climbed up the door and looked out through the open slats above and said, “Just fields and all flat. No towns,” to nobody in particular and jumped back down again. Some people muttered something like “Thank you” and seemed pleased that I had broken the silence. I looked around. We all looked around at our living space. It was terrible. The walls were black, the floor was black, my hands were black, everybody’s faces were black, and my face must be black too. I reached down and picked up the black dust. Coal dust! The place was filthy with it. The straw that I had first seen had disappeared or had just been scrunched up into the grime. People started pointing and laughing and then realised that they were in the same state.

I hugged Meg as she woke up and she stared at my face and I thought she was going to burst out crying but it changed to laughter. “Yes, yes. I know. It’s my black face. So is yours. Just look at your hands” I said laughing. She looked at her hands with horror and then at me as if expecting to be told off. I told he not to worry we are all in the same boat or wagon. Never the less, she should try and keep off the floor and not wipe her face.

Being near the doorway, we were lucky, if you could say that. Much of the dust had been worn away but we had to put up with more draught through the gaps around the edges. Within a few minutes, people were settling down in family groups and getting more comfortable. A cigarette was lit and passed around the men and I felt Meg squirm and I gave a nudge and she understood to shut up. Things looked bleak but at least Meg and I were together and OK. I started to wonder what Mum and Dad were doing in the next wagon and I almost started to cry, but I got a kindly nudge from Meg and a look that said, “We are OK.”

8. Princess Meg

That stupid dog! Why did I go and feel sorry for it? Why did that man treat it so badly? I shouldn’t have rushed to it like that. What a mess I have made. Tan’s been a darling. He doesn’t seem cross with me. I know he shouted but that was just to warn me. Things will be alright. At the next station they will let us join Mama Dika and Dad in the next carriage. I mustn’t cry otherwise Tan will be cross. He doesn’t look too happy. I’ll give him a nudge and a smile. That’s OK.

What a mess. Just look at my hands and clothes. This black dirt has got everywhere. Tan says even my face is black. I’m going to be “for it” when we I see my Mama Dika. I’m hungry. What’s for breakfast? Who is going to say Grace and who is going to serve up without Mama Dika? Oh it’s OK. Stan can say Grace. Oh! and where’s the bathroom? I need to go. I’ll ask Stan. He will know. He knows everything.

Well, he wasn’t much help. What! NO bathroom and I’m desperate. “Hey! No, no, no! You men can’t do it there. We are sitting there. It’s our place.” I screamed. They sheepishly moved away. “Do it in the corner. Over there“I directed. Don’t care if Tan is horrified, this is our place and they can’t just mess it up. Anyway that shouting stopped me from wanting to go.

Well it was messy in that corner. It was black mud and smelly. It wouldn’t drain away. The whole place will be flooded soon and I will get wet and smelly. Will have to do something about that

 “Hey you Men!” I shouted to get their attention. “Don’t just stand around. Make a hole in the floor for that filth to drain away.” 

Well they looked at me in amazement and one of them smiled and said, “Yes Princess,” and got out a knife and cleared away the coal dust between the floor boards.   

“You see. It works,” I stated with a look that said I knew I was right. Well, the mud flowed out and the men helped it along by spraying the coal dust away onto the track. In fact it was quite clean by the time they had finished. Then I felt a desperate need to go.  I was saved by the women who chased the men away and we all could get comfortable.

I was still hungry so I asked Tan if he was hungry. He said no, but we would have to wait until we joined up with Mama Dika. I pulled a face then smiled. But Tan knew and told me we couldn’t touch our irons rations until we had been without food for at least three days. Didn’t like the sound of that! I wonder what that American chocolate tastes like?  Tan said “Sing something Meg, sing. Then you will forget your tum.” So I sang and the ladies started singing along with me. Well we had a concert.

I had a whale of a time. I jumped up and danced to the singing. They cleared a small space for me and clapped in time with my dancing. It was difficult in the moving wagon but I quickly got the hang of it. When I tired, some body else would dance and we would all sing. A man got his mouth organ out and played along. He was quite good but he spoilt things by stopping and having a smoke every so often. 

I got Tan up to do his Cossack dance but we soon stopped that since he was kicking up too much dust. It was wonderful. Especially when they shouted, “Sing us another one Princess,” or “Can you dance to this one for us Princess.” I liked them calling me Princess. I’m not a Princess really but I think I could be a very good Princess. How do you become a Princess I wonder? I’ll ask Tan. He will know.

A hoot from the train stopped the dancing and singing which was a shame. People wondered what’s going on. Are we going to stop? Are we coming to a station? Tan jumped up on the door and looked out through his spy hole.

 “Can’t see anything,” he shouted “Just more forest”. Well we waited and waited and got really fed up with nothing happening. The train just kept chuffing along. People settled down and started rummaging in their bags. They brought out food and I started getting hungry again. The men passed a bottle around. I’m sure it wasn’t water. They smiled, raised the bottle, Said, “Cheers”, took a slug and passed it on. Never seen anybody drink water that way before.  Tan said it was vodka and only men drank it. He also said it made them sing better. Well I hoped they would drink a lot more and join in the singing and dancing. They are a miserable lot. Just talking and smoking.

At that moment a nice lady gave me a large piece of bread and said, “This is payment for your singing Princess.” I thanked her nicely while Tan was blurting out something about giving her some back when we met up with our parents. I wish he would just shut up. I earned that for my singing and deserve it so there! Another kind lady gave Tan a piece of thick, smoked sausage and hushed him up when he was trying to thank her.

 Tan got his knife out and on a clean bit of his sack, not that I cared, cut them into two pieces. Hey what’s going on? I could eat a horse and Stanislav has cut them into a big piece and a little piece. Is he going to….? No, I should have known better. Sorry my dear Tan dearest. I would give you a kiss but not on that mucky black face. Uugh! 

Tan set out four pieces of food and told me to choose one. I chose the small piece of sausage. Wished it was smaller. Don’t like that smelly smoky taste. Tan chose the small piece of bread and I took the big bit. He smiled and I understood exactly why he had cut that way. He knows what I like. He’s a darling! He’s the best brother in the World. I’ll give him a big kiss when I’ve finished. Even on his mucky face. He won’t like that but never mind. Just as I was about to think about it, a nice lady passed around a mug of water. Bliss

9. How to start a fire?

I don’t know how she gets away with it. The cheek! Telling those men off. I wouldn’t have dared. They would have clipped my ear or something worse. Anyway she did right and making those holes in the floor was brilliant. What a suggestion, eh? I’m glad she started the singing and dancing. Certainly cheered us all up.

I will have to find out the names of those kind people who gave us food. Dad will have to repay them when we join up. I wish this rotten train would stop and get us out of this mess. I hope their wagon is better than this. The food was good. Could do with some more, but I will have to wait.

What’s she up to now? 

 “Hey Meg, come away. Stop putting your neb in,” I shouted as she was directing some men in her usual bossy voice.

 “It’s alright!” she shouted back, “we are just fixing something.” I had to see, so went over and heard Miss Teacher telling them that the hole has to be this big and not too big or we would all fall through. They laughed and one replied, “Yes Princess, but we are bigger than you?” More laughter. The man crouching on the floor with the knife said, “it’s no use; the wood’s too hard for my knife.”

 

But Meg just goes on and tells them, “Simple. You just have to burn the hole with a red hot poker. That will do it, Easy.” We watched Dad do that many times when he was making things. He used to tell us, that his Dad used to have a drill thing to make holes. But he always said it was more fun burning the holes with a poker. Any way, the men kindly explained to Meg that they didn’t have any pokers or stoves to heat them. One of them suggested that the Princess should call up her magic dragon who could burn the hole in a jiffy. Burn the whole train down suggested another, would be better. They all laughed and patted Meg.

She spotted me and turning said sharply,”Tan. Climb up onto your perch and get some splinters and we can light a fire and burn a hole through. There must be some bits of coal around to help.” Well, the man crouching down, shot into the air, grabbed Meg and threw her into the air and shouted, “That will work Princess. Come on lads get to work.” 

 Meg continued to direct operations by telling the men they could use their cigarettes to start the fire. They smiled and shook their heads and I was sent up to collect splinters while they scrabbled around to find pieces of coal. We soon had a small fire going and the smoke escaped through the slats near the roof. Everybody watched while Meg continued to hand out instructions to nobody in particular.

The fire burned for a long time and eventually the men put it out in the traditional way and a hole was knocked through. Meg then said we needed a cover to stop the draught. Somebody shouted that Mr Koval’s bum is big enough for that and they all laughed, even Mr Koval, who stuck his out to show its size and somebody slapped it. It was fun but we had a toilet and a proud Princess.

10. Meg lives on bread and water.

I noticed a change in the clickety- clack. I wasn’t keeping time with my singing. I got up and grabbed Tan’s leg.

 “Can you see anything Tan? “ I whispered, “The train is slowing down”. He looked down at me, nodded and started peering hard through the slats. He said something, but a loud hoot from the engine shook everybody into life and Tan yelled, “I can see lights, I think I can see lights, we are slowing down”.

Other men jumped up to look through the slats and they agreed but said it was getting dark and they couldn’t quite make out where we were. We finally slowed to a stop and I had my pack on already and told Tan to get his on quick! We waited and waited ages and then we heard some shouting. Tan said it was in Russian. We heard the sliding and clanging of wagon doors nearby and got quite excited.

I shouted, “We are here, Open the doors! Open the doors! Quickly!” on and on and on as Tan held and squeezed my hand. I was ready to jump down and run to Mama Dika who I knew would be there. There was a loud bang on the door and somebody shouted, “Stand back! Stand back”. We didn’t move. My nose was pressed to the door waiting for it to be opened. It seemed ages before we heard somebody rattle the bolt out and then the men pushed me out of the way and helped to slide the door open. I will never forget the sight for as long as I lived. I expected Mama Dika to be down there with open arms and I would just float into them.

But no! In the dim light I could make out only a bunch of soldiers, waving those silly rifles at us and shouting in Russian for us to get back in and stay away from the door. Tan explained that later. A workman lifted a bucket up to us and said something. The men carefully lifted it in. Then I saw a man with a hand-cart push his was through the soldiers as if they were skittles. He certainly wasn’t afraid of them. I saw loaves of bread in the cart and he handed up two large round loaves which were then taken by the men. My darling, darling Tan, Oh how I love him. He said something else to the man and he looked around and threw up the last two loaves, shouted something and was off. Hands patted Tan on the head and shoulders and a woman leant over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He squirmed. He didn’t like that.

Tan grabbed my hand and moved forward to the edge of the door as the soldiers raised their rifles and said something to them in Russian. I knew he was asking them if we could join our parents so I crouched down to make it easy for the soldiers to lift me down and all I heard was a soldier say, “Niet!” and another prodded Tan back with the barrel of his long rifle and the door slammed shut. 

I was so cross I couldn’t cry. I shouted and shouted at those stupid soldiers but I think it must have been drowned out by the long hoot of the engine’s whistle. I shouted and demanded that Stan tell me everything thing that he said to those silly, silly soldiers and again to repeat it to me until I fully understood. Oh I was cross, Very, very cross!

The men suddenly started shouting to sit down quickly and even Tan was pulling me down. How can I stamp my foot when I’m sitting? Then I somehow was jerked off my feet and flew through the air and landed into a man’s arms as if he was waiting for me.

 “I caught you Princess!” he said, gave me a nice hug, a big smacking kiss on my cheek and stood me on my feet. I thanked him kindly and turned back to Tan. He was just standing with a big grin on this face. I ran and jumped into his arms. He gave me a warm hug and I gave him a big kiss on his black nose. He promptly dropped me and told me to stop it and to take my pack off again. I think he liked it. He’s a darling.

A man came up and gave Tan a large piece of bread and said it was for “the hero” and saluted him like in the army. I asked him what was all that for and a lady said that he was brave enough and smart enough to ask for the rest of the bread from the man in the cart. Well I knew that anyway. Then she asked me to come over to choose my piece of bread.

There was a cloth on the floor and the men were cutting up two loaves. I chose a piece and the kind lady changed mine for a much bigger piece and they all beamed at me. I said thank you. I then saw a man with a knife reaching for a third large loaf and I told them that it would be sensible to keep the last two for breakfast. They all nodded and one said seriously, “Yes Princess. It would be sensible.” And covered the loaves with a cloth.

Tan grabbed me and dragged me back to our packs and told me to sit, eat and have a drink from his tin mug before it got too dark to see. The bread was a bit hard but with a drink I managed to get it down even though the water tasted awful. Tan said the Russians didn’t know how to make tea. 

We finished and Tan repacked his tin mug and we settled for the second night on this draughty cold train. I cuddled into Tan and he wrapped his big scarf around both of our heads like tent. I was warm and cuddly. He then quietly told me that I was a brave girl, which I liked and then told me that we had crossed something called a “Border” into a country called “Ukraine” and that all soldiers and guards there are always nasty. It helps said Tan, to keep the goblins and dragons out of their Country. I thought about this for a long time and fell asleep.

11. Longer days for Stan.

BRrrrr! It’s cold this morning. I’ll pop to the corner before all the men get up. I’ll gently lay Meg’s head onto my pack and cover her up with my scarf. That will keep her warm. I hope Koval’s snoring doesn’t wake her. It’s awfully loud. I expected trouble from Meg last night. Probably get it this morning when she realises we are still away from Mum. I wish Mr. Koval would give up with his snoring. Most people are still asleep, cuddling up to each other for warmth. That water is horrible! I’ll go and look at it.

It wasn’t a bucket just a large tin thing with a thick wire for a handle. Ugh! There is still yellow grease on the inside. No wonder the water tasted foul. That’s the kind of grease that the soldiers use on their rifles, I think.  I’ll scrape some off and put it in one of my bits of cloth. Dad said it was very useful for all kinds of things and it didn’t go smelly like butter or lard. Not to eat of course. I scraped out quite a lot. It was quite hard and I could mould it into a ball. I had a ball the size of a large egg. I ‘m sure dad would have been pleased with me.

I was careful not to drop any in the water. I looked up and a man everybody called Dudek, watched me with interest. I packed the ball into my pack carefully not to wake Meg and got my mug. I filled it from the tin and offered it to Dudek. He took a sip, pulled a face and handed it to a Mr Domanski, Dom for short and he took a swig and handed it back to me saying, “We will stick to our own bottle, eh! Dudek”. Dudek grinned and patted his pocket.

I took a sip and put the mug next to Meg. I climbed up onto my perch and looked out. It was cloudy and I could see the trees rushing past. We weren’t travelling fast but we must be covering many kilometres. Some times we could hear the noise of the engine change to a deeper chuff-chuff as we climbed a hill and at times the smoke came our way and filled the wagon. Wasn’t too bad. Probably better than we smelt. We hadn’t washed for two days I realised. I must look a mess. This coal dust is dreadful and it doesn’t even burn. 

I looked down and saw Meg was stirring. I’ll have to get down and see to her. She sat up rubbed more coal dust into her eyes and gave a big yawn. She looked at me and I made a funny face. She grinned and playfully tried to slap me. That’s a good start I thought. I gave her the mug and told her to drink the rotten Russian tea, adding only that the grown-ups drink it made that way. I got a puzzled look from her eyes poking over the edge of the large mug. Then she said,” I think I like this Ruski tea,” and added, “What’s for breakfast?”

People were stirring and getting up to stretch and things. One lady we all called “Niusia” went over to the water tin and said in a loud voice, “There’s only water left for one mug each. Duda wake Koval up with a kick. His snoring is just too much for me. Hey! Dom. You come and cut the bread. And you Stan, bring your mug and share the water out”.

12. “When are we going to stop again?” asks Meg 

Dear Tan was so important when he dished out the water. He was careful not to spill any. He made sure every body got some and any body without a mug took a drink from his. It took a long time but he seemed pleased as most of them said, “Thanks Professor”. Danek, a young man who seems to be on his own, helped Tan carry the large tin to the corner where they swilled the last dregs and poured them around the hole. They then scraped some grease from inside the tin and again threw it down on the track. Tan brought me some water and I kept it and his bread until he had finished with the tin. 

Tan sat beside me and we ate our bread slowly. Tan told me to eat only the softer bits and keep the crust for later. We shared the water and I was just about to ask Tan about Mama Dika and when were we going to stop next when nice Mrs Natasha shouted over to me, “Come on Meg. Come and give us a song and dance. We are getting bored here since we cannot see out.” Well I jumped up and with a hop and a skip was in the middle singing my best song. It was just great. They clapped in time and joined in the chorus. 

We took turns in singing and even Koval stood up and sang what he said was an old Goral song - a Polish shepherd’s song from the mountains. Dad used to show us pictures of them in their white trousers and funny hats. Anyway Mr. Koval was great. He had a deep voice and every body cheered when he bowed and sat down. Niusia shouted, “You should sing that in your sleep instead of that dreadful snoring of yours.”

 “I would,” he replied, “if I had more vodka in me.” Everybody laughed and clapped once more. I will have to ask Dad to give nice Mr. Koval a bottle when we get together. Oh! When is this train going to stop? And I looked over to Tan feeling a little tear forming. I sniffed. I wasn’t going to be a cry baby. Well, not yet.

A large lady, who I think is called Krishia or Kristina, was clutching a baby in her arms. She shouted “Professor Danek, tell us a story. You must know plenty of good stories.”  He got up, stepped over to the middle of the floor and made a deep bow so that the cap in his hand touched the floor. Suddenly he bent and crouched down and became a witch or an old crone. With the swaying of the train and the dim light I got a fright and I noticed every body jumped slightly. With a slow, croaky voice, just like a witch, he said he was going to tell the story of “Little red riding hood”. This was my favourite, but I wasn’t going to disturb the witch by shouting “Yes please, its the best story ever” Oh no! She or he was too frightening.

After some hissing and staring around to make sure we were all good and quiet, the witch carried on banging her stick on the floor and saying, “you may not have heard this one. It’s too scary for the children and ladies. It’s a grown up version,” in a frightening voice. I shivered and held onto Tan. I could feel he was excited too. The men pulled faces at the women and shouted things.

Then by magic the witch changed into Little Red Riding hood, skipping and picking fruit off the bushes and putting them in her basket or just popping them into her mouth. In a squeaky voice she started telling the story. Not quite the one I knew but near enough. Bits I didn’t understand but the men roared with laughter and the ladies flapped their hands at them.

The wolf was most fearsome and it hid behind trees and yelped and howled as it told its part. If it got anywhere near me I had my scream at the ready to protect me and Tan. I didn’t need it. The big bad wolf suddenly changed to a grandma with a soft voice that we could hardly hear. Then the wolf reappeared and said something to Grandma. I couldn’t make it out but the men howled and Mr Koval just grabbed his tum and nearly choked but the wolf patted him hard on the back and nearly snapped his ear off with his big teeth.

I was terrified. I could follow the story but it wasn’t quite like Mama Dika’s. In this story Grandma got roasted on a spit still screaming and the wolf just kept turning her and taking bites from her leg and arm and things. Well Mr Koval was splitting his sides and was given a swig of vodka by the wolf from a bottle that had appeared, to great cheers.

Well you should have seen the new grandma with a wolf’s voice and wolf’s teeth.  She was terrifying! When Riding Hood appeared I had to hide my eyes because I was so afraid for her. This part went on for a long time and lots of bits I hadn’t heard before and didn’t understand but the grown-ups were just splitting their sides. I will have to ask Tan later to explain these changes to me. 

He seemed to be enjoying it though he was rather red in the face at times. Well not so much his face which was black but his ears. The best part was the end when the passing woodcutter heard her screams and shot the wolf in Grandma’s clothing with a machine gun and a hand grenade exploding in its mouth. That sounded much better than Mama Dika’s puny axe.

Danek appeared and again took a low bow and then passed his hat around like begging. Well you should have heard the noise. Surprised that the train driver didn’t stop and come and see what the cheering, clapping and shouting was about.

13. Will the train stop soon?

It was brilliant. Danek was brilliant. I wish he was my teacher. It would be fabulous. I hope Meg wasn’t too frightened. Her face is even dirtier now with her hiding it in my dirty coat. I didn’t understand all of it but I would have been without dinners for a week using some of those words. Anyway, it was brilliant.

People seemed to be too exhausted to do anything else and chattered amongst them selves, retelling the best bits. People shouted nice things to Professor Danek and he just sat back with his cap pulled over his face appearing to be asleep.

Somebody shouted, “Professor! Have a look outside.” It took me a moment to realise that they meant me not Danek. I jumped up and shouted.

 “Big fields now. No more forests. Oh! We are going around a bend and crossing a large bridge. I can see the wagons ahead. Wow! It’s a long train! It must be at least thirty wagons long.” Others climbed up to have a look. By this time we were crossing a large river and the clickety-clack changed to a loud rumble.

 

It’s a pity that the bend wasn’t sharper. I may have been able to see Dad and Mum’s wagon just in front of ours. It’s a pity that there are no slats at the front of the wagon so that we could see and talk with people in the next wagon. I can hear shouts but can’t make head or tail of them with the clickety-clack and clanking. I wish we had a telephone to the next wagon. Sounds stupid but I can still wish.

I jumped down and saw Meg looking at me from her seat on her pack. What is it I asked and she asked was I hungry. I sat down by her and said yes I was hungry and pulled out my crust and started to nibble at it. Well, you should have seen her face. It was a picture. She scrabbled around searching for her crust. There was dismay on her face which turned to delight as I held up a second crust. I said she could have it if she wasn’t soppy and she agreed. We both sucked and chewed on our crusts. They were a bit hard but tasted remarkably good.

Something was happening near Koval. What’s going on there? Meg and I went over and crowded around and watched. There was a bottle half filled with water in a space cleared on the floor. Dudek was winding a piece of string tightly and neatly around the bottle along the line of the water.

 “Stand back!” someone shouted and added, “The string is soaked in spirit vodka.” The match flared up the string, went out and every body waited for something to happen. Dudek then took his knife and with the back of the blade, struck the burnt string with a sharp crack. He tapped it again lightly and the top of the bottle rolled away leaving a glass tumbler with water in it.

 Koval picked it up, raised it and said “cheers” but didn’t drink it but poured it into Dudek’s mug. Every body cheered. Koval then told everybody he was tired of drinking out of the bottle and needed a tumbler. He said the edges were too sharp so he would have to grind them off on the rusty iron supports around the door otherwise he could cut his tongue. Somebody shouted not to bother because it might stop him snoring if he cut his tongue off. Everybody laughed and cheered.

Then Meg darted through and grabbed the other end of the cut bottle and ran off to our door area. Cries followed her of, “Put it down Princess,” “It’s too sharp for you Princess,” “You will cut yourself Princess.” She ignored them all and grabbed the neck of the bottle with both hands and started scratching the wooden floor with the sharp rim.

She shouted, “I‘ve seen Dad do this. If we scrape this black muck away and sweep it down the loo we can clean this place up.”  Marek, a quiet man, walked over to Meg and said he too would like to clean the place up but said this wasn’t a job for Meg.

He took the bottle end and quickly shaved clean an area around where we were sitting. Meg picked up the shavings and threw them down the loo. Others shouted, “Do my area next. Do my area next.” Marek then moved over to his family space and cleared that up with Meg helping to remove the shavings. He then handed the bottle end to Dudek and said, “Do your own area next and pass it on.” 

Sure enough within a short space of time the whole wagon was cleared and you could see the wood grain on the floor. Not for long because there was so much coal dust on our clothes but at least it wasn’t so mucky and the floor ended up with a black shine. Meg fell asleep after all this activity and I again started wondering when the train was going to stop again.

14. We stop again.

I went over to see Krishia and the baby. I was surprised that it wasn’t a baby at all but a toddler.  Krishia said he wasn’t very well and was sleeping a lot. She sat him down and said, “Now Jurek you just listen to Meg telling you a nice story whilst I sort our things out.” I held his hand and told him lots of stories and two shy boys, a bit smaller than Tan came up, sat and listened.

I asked them if they could tell a story for a change, but they just shyly shook their heads, so I told lots more. One of the Mums came over and gave us a small piece of sausage each. I put mine in my pocket for Tan and carried on with my stories. Jurek cheered up and kept asking for more. I noticed even some of the Mums and Dad were listening and smiling. Funny Mr Koval said I was a good story teller better than his teachers had been. I was pleased.

I looked and saw that Professor Danek was over by the door talking to Tan. I then felt that the clickety –clack had changed. You see. I say my words in time to the noise so I could tell straight away. I put my hands together and hooted. Well this delighted Jurek and the two boys but it was meant for Tan.

Tan stopped talking and realised that I had given a warning signal. He noticed what I had felt and immediately jumped up to his perch.

 “I can see something,” he shouted. “People and horses ahead. I think we may be stopping.”  Just then a loud hoot from the engine woke people up and they started getting excited.

I stopped telling my story and told  Krishia to look after Jurek and darted off to get my pack on. Action at last. Again it seemed ages before we stopped and ages and ages before we heard anything. Tan said we were too close to see anything going on along the track. At last we heard hammering on wagons and shouting in Russian. At last 

Tan shouted, “They’re coming to us now!” and jumped down and put on his pack.

There was a loud banging and something was shouted in Russian. Danek translated that they needed a volunteer from each wagon to collect the provisions. Danek shouted to them that he would go and they went off and we waited and waited for the doors to open.

Eventually we heard more noises and the door slid open but just a fraction. They must have jammed it in some way. Only one person could squeeze through. Well Tan and me were there looking down at the soldiers and workers. Tan was shouting to them in Russian over and over again and they were shouting, “Niet! Niet!” and pushing him back.  I grabbed hold of Tan’s leg, making myself as small as I could. I started to bawl and mumbled to Tan to keep asking, just keep asking while I started crying  out,” Mama” and “Dad.” Brave Tan just stood there with a rifle pushed against his chest just pleading with them and I was blurting out “Mama” and “Dad!” and making sad faces at them.

Well it didn’t work. It usually does every time. A workman stopped it all by climbing up and pushing Tan hard so he fell on his back and me on top. He asked for the volunteer to climb out and Danek pushed forward. They shouted for the bucket to be passed down, but Danek shouted “No, we haven’t got one.” The door slammed shut and I just lay on the floor clinging on to Tan and really crying, not the pretend stuff for the soldiers. I felt him sobbing and crying too. We sat up and hugged each other and had a really good cry together. It was hopeless. They weren’t going to let us join our Mama Dika and Dad. What were we to do? Tan will know what to do. He always knows what to do.

I looked up into his face and saw the tears had cleaned streaks on his face and it made me laugh. He pulled a face and told me I looked much cleaner too. We hugged and he said we would try the performance again next time and every time until they let us go.

I heard people muttering in a cross way that Danek should have taken the water tin. How was he going to bring us water and that we would all die of thirst. The grumbles were broken by a “Thud, Thud” on the door which opened a fraction and Danek’s face appeared. He shouted, “Quick, Quick. Take this water and empty it into our tin and hand it back. Quick!” Dudek grabbed it, sploshed it in and threw the tin out for Danek. The door slammed shut again and again we waited for ages.

Once more the thuds and this time Danek handed a wooden crate up with stuff in it and said something else and in came a bucket with more water. The men helped him to climb in and the door thudded and the bolt went home.

People forgot about the food and water and just crowded around Danek asking questions. Like any teacher, he said, “Now, sit down, be quiet, especially you Koval and I will tell you everything.” But before he started, the whistle went again and he sat down and said we would wait until the train moved off. 

He explained that since we were the last wagon, as the train moved off it picked up the wagons one by one and by the time it picked ours up it was moving quite fast so we got the biggest jolt. 

“Hang on, “he shouted as we got a big jolt. I wished we were in the first wagon.

He started quite softly so that people listened carefully and told us everything he saw, did, who he talked to and what they told him. We all listened carefully and if anybody was about to ask a question he raised his finger to hush them and continued. He said they took groups of five volunteers so he could only speak for the last five wagons. He said we were lucky. The other wagons were so packed that people hardly had space to sit down.

In some wagons they had made hammocks in the roof to make extra space. We had luxury. He said his trick had worked with the water tins and now we had two and so had more water. He said people were in good spirits but were running out of their own food. He said we should be careful with the food because some days we may not get any. He said that he told the other volunteers what we had done in making a loo and scraping the floor clean. Tan gave me a nudge and a look. I was pleased. He said we were the only wagon with coal. The others had flour dust and one had cement dust which was the worst since it burnt the skin. He told us lots and lots and when he had finished nobody said a word. Just sat with their own thoughts.

Danek got up to go back to his space and suddenly stopped and turned to us and gave Tan a piece of folded paper. “It’s for you, from your Dad,” Well I was cross and even crosser with Tan. Why hadn’t we thought of writing a note to Mama Dika while we were hanging around. Tan thanked him and we quickly sat in our space and Tan slowly unfolded the paper.

It was Dad’s writing. He didn’t say very much, just that Mama Dika and Dad were OK and hoped that we were OK. They also had tried to join us but weren’t allowed off the train. Hoped that we were looking after each other. Lots of love and kisses. Mama Dika and Dad. Bit disappointing really.

 I hoped to have heard all their news and what they were doing, but still Dad had had to write it quickly. Tan said there was a PS on the back, “Please write back.” Of course we would write. We should have written in the first place. Tan looked up and saw everybody staring at him so he read the letter out nice and slowly and everybody smiled. I read the letter over and over and over again and then put my head in Tan’s coat and had a little cry

15. Tan writes a letter.

As I was reading the letter Tan moved over to the food crate where Danek was showing the people what he had brought. It didn’t look much. Not very tasty. There were three brown loaves, four big turnips, some carrots and something that looked like black potatoes but Danek said these were a kind of radish. There was also a cloth packet that contained some kasha which Danek said could be made into a porridge if soaked long enough. Not very exciting and we didn’t have a stove or cooking pot. We would have to eat these things raw. Danek said we should divide these things up now before it got dark and keep two loaves for breakfast.

I was asked to dish out the water and told to keep one container for tomorrow. I put our share of food in my scarf and took it over to Meg. It didn’t look good. A small piece each of carrot, turnip, radish and two pieces of bread. That’s all. I told Meg to put her piece of bread in the pocket of her coat so that she could have a nibble later.

I carefully scraped the vegetables and cut them into pieces. Didn’t make them look any tastier. I said to Meg to taste a bit of everything and see which she liked best. I looked up and the women were covering the kasha with water in the empty water tin. “Porridge for the morning,” one said, pulling a grim face.

I left Meg chattering about the different tastes of the veg. and pulled out a pencil from my inside pocket and started to think about our letter to Mum and Dad. I started to write telling them about us and how we were managing. As soon as Meg saw what I was doing she forgot her meal and butted in with, “Write this, write that,” and so on. I wrote on the back of the paper we had been sent in the smallest writing I could manage. 

When I had filled that I wrote on the front but turned it upside down and wrote between Dad’s lines. Soon I had filled the paper and read it back to Meg and got into trouble for not saying this or that. I told her I would write again. She filled in every little space with kisses until I had to stop her. It was getting dark and I folded the paper and put it in my pocket.

I then looked at the food on my scarf. Meg had demolished most of it so I gave her the rest of the carrot which she liked and nibbled at the larger piece of turnip. Now I know why Dad, “Wouldn’t feed it to the pigs.”  I looked for a piece of radish. All eaten. Ah well I’ll nibble at my bread. When it was dark Meg dug me in the ribs and said, “Here, take this rotten piece of sausage, I saved for you. Don’t choke on it.” Don’t know where she got it but didn’t care. I put it in my mouth and decided to suck on it and make it last as long as possible. We settled for the night with the scarf wrapped around us both and I gave Meg a piece of my bread. She munched on that and I told her again what I had written in the letter.

16. Long, Long journey

It was long and boring. People started to grumble and bicker. The soldiers still wouldn’t let us join our parents. Poor Tan is getting quite bruised with being knocked back. People were getting fed up with our act every day and said it was upsetting the soldiers and they would give us less food. We stopped in the second week.

The story telling was getting old hat. The food was miserable and it was getting colder. People said snow was on the way and we were travelling Eastwards towards the cold weather. Good job nobody could eat that bread we were given yesterday. We wet it, made it back into dough and filled in a lot of the cracks. It stopped some of the draughts. The only joys for us were the letters that we got from Mum and Dad and the ones we sent back. People didn’t want to sing or dance any more. Boring!

I was most upset when somebody told me that my Dad and Mum would be working down a coal mine when we got to that place Siberia. I mentioned this to Tan who told me not to be upset but we were all being taken to work camps where people worked in mines or cut down trees or factories making iron. I told him that Dad would not choose to work in a mine and certainly not Mother.

He said that the men in charge in Russia were short of workers and were forcing people to go to Siberia, usually trouble makers and people from prisons. I told Stan that we weren’t trouble makers and we should be sent home. I was cross and asked him how he knew all this and it was probably just one of his stories to frighten me. He said he had talked to Professor Danek and he didn’t tell lies to me on important matters. 

Things were getting worse by the day. Although it hadn’t snowed recently there was snow and ice lying on the ground. Tan said the trees were now covered in snow. I had to keep my mitts on all day. Tan said not to wrap my scarf around my face and breath into it otherwise it would freeze up. That’s silly. How does he know? The scarf did freeze up and was most uncomfortable. Tan had to beat the ice out of it and then wrapped it around my shoulders and gave me that look of don’t do it again. Darling Tan knows everything.

The only good time was when Danek came back with food and water and the stories from the other wagons. We all listened to what he had to say before the food and water was shared out. He answered a lot of questions people had and said he would try and find out if he didn’t know.

He also gave us our daily letter which also told us a lot of what Danek had said. He told us he was very pleased when we read our letter out because it backed up what he said and people couldn’t grumble at him. Dad told us we had to write lightly and in big letters because he was running out of paper. I was to write fewer kisses because he had to rub out all the writing and reuse the paper.

The news was not very good. People were going hungry and quarrels and even fights were breaking out. Some people and children were ill. The water was plentiful but sometimes tasted so bad that we just couldn’t drink it. We used it to wash ourselves and the women washed some clothes. They dried ice hard and had to be beaten gently to get the ice out. 

There was a lady in Dad’s wagon, with a baby son, who was causing a nuisance by shouting every time they opened the doors for the guards to take her baby boy away since she didn’t want it to go to Siberia. She told the men who collect our food she would pay lots of money if they took the baby and left it with the guards. They wouldn’t do it. It was all very strange and I was quite worried for the baby. Dad later wrote to say it was a toddler not a baby but still it wasn’t nice thing.    

Sometimes the train would stop in the middle of nowhere for ages and then pull away. It annoyed people because they thought we would be getting more provisions and some got quite angry. I didn’t like that. It was getting so cold that at night we all cuddled up on the floor together to sleep. We used our pack as a pillow and got as close to the next person as possible. It was certainly warmer. 

Nobody wanted to sleep next to Koval so he ended up at the end which was the coldest place. He didn’t like that but nobody liked his loud snoring either. Danek slept next to us and often he and Tan talked for ages, in the dark. I just slept. Couldn’t understand half of what they said. On my other side lay Niusia. She was nice and soft and easy to cuddle up to. In the mornings we had a routine when the ladies went to the loo first then the men. We then wet a piece of cloth and had a kind of quick wash. The water was freezing so it was very quick. Most of the coal dust had worn away and disappeared somehow so we gradually looked cleaner. At least our faces and hands.

17. The train stops and the door is left open. 

Things are getting difficult now that we are in our third week on the train. The worst is the cold and Danek say it’s going to get even colder as we travel farther East. The rivers that we have crossed are frozen and the ice has been pushed up into ridges and they look quite spectacular. Danek said that they are repairing the bridges broken by ice and that’s why we are getting long delays. 

The letter writing to Dad is getting boring and I’m running out of pencil. I’ll have to ask Danek if he has any spare. Meg is quite brave about things but I know she cries herself to sleep each night. I don’t say anything. I’m not too happy about the situation. At least we are not overcrowded in our wagon. I’ve given up hope of joining our parents until we get to the end of the journey.

The train stops again and I look out. There is a slight bend and I can see the engine has stopped before a bridge. A man with a rifle and a dog is talking to the train driver. There must be problem with the bridge. We will probably stop here all night since it’s quite late, too late for the work party to come and do the repairs. There is a shack by the track with some smoke drifting from the chimney. Warmth.

Oh, a lorry has arrived, no two lorries and soldiers are piling out. They are offloading crates. Must be another food stop. I shout to the rest and they take no interest, other than Danek. They know it will be ages before it’s our turn, being the last wagon.

Eventually a bang on the door and Danek jumps out with one our water tins and an empty crate is handed down to him. The Door slams and the noisy bolt is slid home. We wait as usual. A thud on the door and we go through the routine of standing back as Danek carefully hands up the water and a crate. He shouts something to the Russian soldiers as he climbs in. The door is quickly slid shut and there is some shouting outside.

I climb up to look through the slat and see the soldiers running to the lorry which has driven up to collect them. The guard with the dog is walking to the engine. The lorry pulls away with a screech of tyres in the hard ice. Danek has already started his talk.

I jump down and stop. There is something different about the routine. I think for a moment. The soldiers running was different but probably the driver wanted to get home quickly. I know. There was no noise from the bolt being driven home which is usually quite stiff and makes a special noise

I push hard on the door and it moves. I see Meg look around. I beckon her to come over quickly. I again push the door and say, ”Grab our packs. We are getting out.”  I squeeze through the gap and swing down the same as I‘ve watched Danek do. Grab my pack and then Meg’s and she is already sitting waiting to be lifted. I glance towards the guard who is still walking towards the engine and I lift Meg down and tell her to come with me.

I run to the next wagon and climb up to undo the lock. It’s different and it won’t budge. I shout to Meg to crouch down and make her self invisible and I hammer with all my might but it still won’t move. I grab onto the slats with both hands and swing, kicking the iron lock. I can’t shift it. I climb down to take a look at the workings of the lock again and realise the door has to be pulled tightly shut to loosen the lock, which can then be lifted.

Meg grabs me and says the guard is coming back so I grab both of our packs and tell her we must hide under the wagon behind the wheels. I tell her we will have to wait until the guard goes into his hut. The guard is slow and is pulling the large dog behind him.

He reaches the hut and turns to wave to the driver. “Get into that hut!” I scream at the driver in my mind, as I hear the hoot and the clanking of the train moving off. He still won’t go in and the clank of the wagons gets nearer as they are being picked up one by one. 

It’s too late! I grab Meg and dragged her down. The swinging chain off the end of our wagon just misses my head as the wagon was jerked off with a big jolt. By the time I got up the train was moving too fast for me to run after it. So I just sat down and hoped the guard would not see us. I didn’t like the look of the dog or his rifle. I grabbed Meg who looked startled and I said to her that the train had left without us and we would have to wait for another, to calm her down.      

18.  We find a bundle wrapped in a blanket...

It was frightening jumping out of the train and Tan kicking the door thing and hiding from the guard but I didn’t expect the train to leave without us. We didn’t even say good bye and nobody waved to us. They must have noticed the open door.

Well Mama Dika and Dad won’t know we are off the train until the train stops at the next feed point and Danek tells them or gets a message to them. How will they stop the train and when will it come back for us? Tan says another train will come but that’s only to make me feel better. I didn’t like the look of the guard and the way he was kicking that dog. Poor thing.

Tan pulled me up and helped me on with my pack and said we should walk around to the back of the shack and check things out. As we came close to the shack we heard the dog yelping and the Russian shouting. It didn’t sound very good and I was frightened.

As we walked around to the front of the shack, we came to a small shed or shelter built on the end of the building. It was used to store fire wood and there was a hollow in between the logs. As we reached the front of the log pile I saw a bundle wrapped in a brown blanket.

I rushed to it and saw a face in the fold. It was a baby, well older baby, asleep. I though, Oh! What a horrible guard to put his child out into the snow, when Tan reminded me that it must have been that nasty lady’s child. She must have paid one of our people to get rid of it for her. What shall we do?

Tan said we can’t just leave it here. Let’s get it into this shelter. Tan lifted up the bundle and we crept in to a cave amongst the logs. He put the bundle down still asleep. At least we were out of sight and out of that cold wind.

There was a lot of bark on the ground so it was quite soft and cosy and Tan said we must think and think carefully about what we had to do next. Well, our thinking was done for us. The guard was bringing the dog around to the shelter. The dog was barking fiercely and I was frightened. Even the bundle opened its mouth to yell when Tan clamped his hand over it.  The dog yelped as it got a kick and its leash was tied to a support. The guard cursed the dog and picked up two logs and was off.

The dog rushed into its cave and I rushed out to meet it and said nice things to it. Well it stopped, dropped its tail and gave a small growl. I talked to it more and it whined and came up for a stroke. As I stroked its head, its tail started to wag. We had found a second friend.

We then turned to the bundle. Tan lifted it up in his arms so that we could see its face Even the dog was looking on with interest. Tan slowly lifted his hand off the mouth and the yell started to form. Well, before Tan could clamp the mouth, the dog leant forward and licked the face. The face looked at the dog in surprise and gurgled and they became immediate friends. The yell, I felt would have brought the pile of logs down on us. 

The dog turned and growled. We froze. Even the bundle didn’t need the hand. The guard was coming out again. Had he heard us? He shouted something and the dog growled again. A small basin of water was put down and a small bone with some scraps were thrown in. The dog growled and pounced on the scraps and ate them hungrily. The Guard picked up another two logs and went off back into his hut.

Tan carried the bowl of water in and took out a mug full and gave the bundle a drink. It must have been thirsty. We each had a drink and the dog came up, looked at us, then at the water and back at us. I said, “Drink up!” and what was left of the water was gone in a flash. 

The dog then came up and nuzzled the bundle, with more gurgles. Well, at least somebody was happy. Then Tan said that we shouldn’t go to the guard for help just yet, since he didn’t seem too nice and I would have kissed him if the massive dog wasn’t in the way. I quickly agreed.

19. In the dog house.

What a mess we are in I thought. Apart from Meg, we have a bundle and that massive dog to look after. At least it’s not too fierce. Good old Meg has managed to tame it. She is so good with animals. Then I remembered the first dog that had caused all the problems at the first station. That seemed years ago. At least she made up for it with this dog. I thought it was going to tear us apart. 

The bundle was unwrapping itself and its arms were fondling the dog, who by now, was lying between the bundle and Meg. Meg asked what should we call the dog at which point the bundle uttered “arry .arry!” Don’t know what that meant but it reminded me of Dad saying he had a dog called “Harry” when he was young.

 “Harry” I said and Harry it was after that. Meg knew what I meant. I then said, “What are we going to call that?” pointing at the bundle.

 “Dunno!” came the reply. “Pan Dunovski, “I said

. “No. Marek Dunovski came the reply. So Marek it became.

It was getting dark and I said I would do things to make us more comfortable. I moved some logs around to block the entrance a bit and scraped some bark back into the cave. It was getting too dark to see so for the first time I got a candle out of my pack and a match with a strip of sandpaper out of my emergency tin. Meg held the candle and I struck the match. It lit first time and I put it to the candle which took a while to flare up. I let the match burn to have a look about. Marek looked at the lights with his great blue eyes in amazement and Harry popped his head up with interest.

I told them that we better get ready to sleep and arranged them so that we lay together with me at one side, Marek, then the dog and Meg on the other side.

 “OK Meg,” I whispered, “Cuddle in to keep warm. Blow the candle out and tell Marek a story, a nice one so he can go to sleep.”

I lay down and pushed closer to Marek, felt Harry and Meg’s hand or mitt on the dog and I spread my big scarf over all of us as a blanket. I closed my eyes and thought through all the things that had happened today, about four or five times. I also wondered what would happen next day. I felt a cold wet nose brush my cheek and I was asleep, dreaming of ships full of pirates chasing me.

20. Frozen river. 

I was the first to awake. Well maybe it was Harry but he touched my cheek with his cold nose and it brought me to. I sat up and in the dim light I could see the bundle of Mr. Dunovski firmly against the belly of Harry and Miss Meg was wrapped around Harry, clutching him firmly. Only Harry’s one eye was looking at me alertly. I said, “Stay!” in a firm voice and climbed stiffly out of our shelter to water the logs and see what was about.

I came back after five minutes of quiet exploring and climbed back into our den. It was certainly more cosy here than out side. As I sat down, Harry got up, thrusting Meg and Marek aside, waking up both. They sat up and rubbed their eyes and looked around. I felt in my pocket and pulled out a bit of crust and gave it to Meg.

Breakfast for Marek I told her and she knew what to do. I saw Harry lick his chops.

I then got my emergency bottle of water out and let every body have a drink I told Meg I had heard the guard snoring and suggested that Harry should stay with Marek while he sucked at his breakfast and we should explore some more.

We put our packs on and crept to the door of the shack and I pointed with my finger that Meg should wait outside and I would go in. I pushed the door and it wouldn’t budge. Meg pointed to a hole in the door. I looked through the hole and saw it was a latch. I pushed my finger in and lifted and put my shoulder to the door. It opened a crack easily and we heard a burst of snoring. It reminded me of Koval and for a split second I wondered about the wagon we had left.

I had a more important job here so I lifted the door so that it wouldn’t scrape on the floor and managed to open a gap for me to squeeze through. The guard was fully clothed lying on a bunk. Even had his large fur hat on. There was a blanket half over him half on the floor. There was an empty bottle besides him. Meg frightened me by darting in and pulling the blanket up over him and then she made a sign of peaceful sleep. I nodded but was a bit cross with her. We looked around.

There was a large samovar standing on a round stove, I felt the stove and it was just warm. I turned the tap on the samovar and water dripped out. There was a crate full of food on the table. I thought to myself, that this food should have gone onto the train. That made me hate the guard even more. By the side of him, on a little shelf, was a tobacco tin and a lighter. 

Good I thought and got my tin bottle out. I whispered to Meg to check out the food and I went over to the samovar and filled my bottle. I saw Meg look into the crate with surprise. She smiled at me and signed she was looking for something to put the food in. She found a small sack and came over to me. I gave her a big drink from my bottle and had one myself and refilled it. The water was slightly warm and felt good inside me.

Meg stuffed a big loaf into the sack and started to push in a big round of smoked sausage. I stuffed a couple of good carrots in and lifted the sack. It was heavy. I beckoned to Meg that we should go and she went over to the guard and picked up his lighter and dropped it in her coat pocket and then went over to the crate and picked up the other ring of sausage and mimed it was for Harry. I nodded and urged her out.

By the door a rifle was resting against the wall. I got a nasty feeling that the guard would use it on us if he woke up so I decided to take it and hide it somewhere. Outside the hut I gave the bag to Meg and rested the rifle against the wall and quietly pulled the door to. I wished there was someway of locking or jamming it on the outside. We then quietly scuttled back to our den. 

We were met by Harry wagging his tail and Marek toddling around looking quite cross at Harry. Harry was licking his chops. I knew then who had breakfast. We dumped the stuff we had collected and I told Meg to take Marek to the loo. I didn’t want him wetting himself and I went to untie Harry.

 I undid the knot, took off his leather collar and cut his leash in half. Half, I wrapped around my waist and the other half I used to tie the sack at the top with a loop to the bottom corner. I first broke off a large piece of crust and stuffed it in my pocket.

By this time Meg returned I had every thing ready. I told Meg to put on her pack and I draped the sack over her front and adjusted the rope tightly over her pack. I draped the second sausage loop over her arm

I then turned to Marek He was dressed in lots of clothing with a long scarf wrapped and tied in the middle like a belt. I folded his blanket into a shawl and folded over his shoulders, pulled the ends across his front, back under his arms and tied it off behind his back. Just as I had seen scouts do in my picture book. That should keep him warm. He had a hood which I made sure covered his head nice and snug.

I slung the rifle over my shoulder and picked up Marek in my arms. He was quite heavy but I didn’t know if he could walk fast enough to get away. I looked at Harry’s tin bowl and it seemed a shame to leave it. I put it on my head. It fitted snugly like a soldier’s helmet.

“Come on,” I told them, “Let’s get away from this place before the guard wakes up and sees his food all gone.” We hurried along with me in the lead, Harry then Meg. I strode out towards the bridge. My thinking was that if we crossed it the guard wouldn’t be able to creep up behind us, without us seeing him first.

With lots of puffing and panting I reached the bridge and turned to see that Meg was also struggling with her load. Harry didn’t help by jumping around her, sniffing and licking at the sausage. I waited for her to catch up.

We stopped at the bridge and I put Marek down and helped Meg with her sack. I took out my knife and cut the sausage into chunks and threw them down for Harry and stuffed one piece in my pocket with the bread. Didn’t take long for Harry to demolish all that sausage and plead for more.

After we had rested for a short time I said we must cross the bridge quickly and then we could slow down. I noticed that Marek was toddling or running around after Harry quite quickly so I made a change to the arrangements. I told Meg to hold Marek’s hand and get him to walk as best he could and I would take the food sack and the rifle. Well, the sack was much lighter than Marek. Only the rifle got in the way. 

Well, the two skipped along quite quickly. Only I struggled a bit. Harry ran off ahead and disappeared. I thought that would be the last we had seen of the dog. I looked down to the river below us and noticed that the ice had built up around the pillars of the bridge and was making lots of cracking noises.

Although it was a long bridge, we crossed quickly and walked over to a bunch of trees on a high bank. We got up and hid amongst the trees and sat down on the dry snow. We could just see the shack and we certainly would see the guard if he came our way.

Harry came up panting and flopped down next to Marek who was playing with the snow, like sand. I took the crust out and broke it up into four pieces and gave them out. Then I skinned the smoked sausage and again cut it into four. Harry got the skin and a bit and swallowed the lot in one go. I told Meg to watch that Marek didn’t give his food to the dog and I spent the time watching the bridge and listening to Meg saying “NO!” to Harry

I felt a bit hot and sweaty and remembered Dad telling me never to sweat in the cold mountains because it froze and you could be in more trouble. I sniffed a little at the thought and wished we were back on that rotten train.

21. Pack of Wolves

Oh I’m so glad to get away from that nasty looking guard. If he treated Harry that way I don’t know what he would have done to us if he had found us. I wonder what he will do when he wakes up and finds everything gone. Well, at least he won’t think of us since he hadn’t seen us. Tan was right to get away. At least we have some food but where are we going to sleep tonight, I wonder?  Carrying all that stuff certainly tired me out. I’m glad Tan helped out after the first bit to the bridge. 

I wonder what we are going to do with Marek. We couldn’t have left him to that nasty guard. At least he is playing with Harry in the snow. I wonder what will happen when he realises his mother is missing? He is going to kick up a great fuss and how are we going to quieten him down. Well, we will see when the time comes. One good thing is that he is not a baby as we first thought. More of a small boy. Tan has been great. At least we have been busy. Probably too busy to think about things. When are we going to get to Siberia?  Oh, I’m tired.

“Arry, Arry, Arry,” shouted Marek with his arm stuck out. I immediately looked at Harry and saw him standing rigid with his tail down and his hair at his scruff all up and his teeth bared in a snarl. I was suddenly frightened that Harry would attack Marek, and called “Harry, Harry, Harry!” and ran to the dog. 

Tan suddenly shouted,”Look. Look across the river where Marek is pointing!” I looked and saw a pack of wolves at the edge of the ice. There were about ten of them and they were looking for something. Tan grabbed Marek and shouted that we should hide in the trees behind us and I rushed after him calling to Harry.

We got out of sight and Tan crept back to take a look then crawled over to collect our things and dragged them over to us. I was a little frightened. Marek was puzzled but just called out for Harry, who appeared from the trees but was certainly unsettled. I will have to calm both down otherwise there will be crying and barking and the wolves might hear.

22. What to do with the rifle?

Good job Marek saw those wolves. He must have good eyesight to spot them so far away. I will go and have another look in a minute but first I need to distract them with something. I know, let’s have a drink. So I got my bottle out and let every body have a sip. How is Harry going to have a drink? Not easy from a bottle. Stupid me. I have his bowl on my head. I poured a little water in and it disappeared in a flash. Need to check out the river for more water. That’s probably what the wolves were after.

I put the flask away and noted it was about half full. I crawled up to a point where I could see and saw the wolves thankfully running off towards the forest, away from us. That was a relief but we will have to be more careful. I walked back and told them we were safe. Meg immediately said it was a good job we had a rifle. Good job she hadn’t realised that I didn’t know anything about this rifle and probably there weren’t any bullets in it anyway.

I picked up the rifle and told Meg I was going to check it out as if I knew what I was doing. They all watched me, even Harry. I tried to open the bolt that puts the bullet in the barrel. It wouldn’t budge. Then I remembered the Russian soldiers telling me to make sure that the rifle was always on “Safety” so that I didn’t shoot anybody by accident.

I saw that there was a small lever by the trigger. It moved but was very stiff. I moved it to the forward position and tried the bolt. It moved and I carefully pulled it back and saw there wasn’t a bullet in the barrel. I pulled further and saw that there were bullets in the metal case. I pulled the bolt right back until it clicked and pushed it back but pressed the bullet down with my fingers so that it didn’t push into the barrel.

I clicked the bolt home and pointed the rifle away towards the river and pushed the safety back and pressed the trigger. Nothing happened. Good.  I then pushed it forward and again pressed the trigger and there was a loud click but no bang.

I then pressed a lever under the rifle and the case with the bullets fell out. I checked the case and took out seven bullets. I slid five back in and put two in my pocket to inspect later. The case slid back in with a loud click and I opened the bolt slightly until I could see the bullet then closed it.

I looked up and saw them all staring at me with great interest. So I stood up and put the rifle on my shoulder like a soldier and said I was ready for any Ruski wolf. Meg clapped and Marek joined in with some more gurgling in delight at my show. Harry just wagged his tail and nuzzled Meg. 

I felt at least that I showed them that I knew what I was doing. Wasn’t so sure myself. I would love to fire the rifle but just in the air. Not at anybody. I sat down and wondered what we had to do next.

23. Smoke in the air.

Tan was great. He had us organised and we escaped from those nasty wolves. He knows what to do and knows how to use a rifle so those nasty wolves should keep well away if they know what is good for them.

We got our things together, Tan put on his helmet and picked up his rifle and said we should climb up to the top of a small hill ahead. He said we could then spot a train if one came and have a good look around.

We got to the top and sat down. The hill top was just above the tree tops and we could see the wide iced up river bending off into the distance. We could see the railway line crossing the bridge and the shack was just visible. We must have walked a long way because the shack looked very small. 

We looked along the line and into the distance hoping to see smoke from a train engine but it was all clear apart for a few ducks flying past. Good job, because it would have taken us just ages to get back to the shack and I wasn’t sure I really wanted to go down there.

Marek again started shouting, jumping about and pointing. He was looking and pointing in the direction of the river and a long way away we could see a wisp of smoke rising above the tree tops. It kept coming up in a thin stream not in a big cloud. Tan said that it must be coming from a chimney not from a forest fire. There must be a village there or at least some houses and maybe nice people to help us get back to our parents.

Tan suggested that we should try and get to the village and get some help so we again picked up our packs and started walking towards the smoke. I noticed that Tan hesitated about the rifle and I said we needed it as protection from the wolves. He slung it over his shoulder and we trudged on.

At least going down the snowy hill was easy. Marek slid and tumbled over and was at the bottom by the trees before we had even started. Harry followed in a big slide. We looked and decided to join them by sitting down and trying to slide down. The packs got in the way a bit but it was easier than walking. At the bottom we dusted our selves down and set off in greater spirit. That was fun.

Tan said we should follow the river, but not too close, so that we could hide in the trees if needed. We trudged for a long time with Tan singing a marching song and Harry leading the way. Marek found it easier to walk than we did. The snow and ice were uneven and slippery and often we found ourselves on our bottoms with Marek gurgling and laughing thinking it was a game.

23. A night in the forest.

I don’t know how long we walked for but it was hard going on the ice. Marek was ahead of Meg and running or slithering after Harry in the lead. He managed very well.

Meg and I were slipping and sliding and that silly rifle would knock me hard whenever I fell. I will have some huge bruises. 

Eventually the line of trees and the river came together at a steep bank. We stopped for another rest and I took my water bottle and went down to the river. It was just great big chunks of ice with some standing on end like spires. I went onto the ice but it was very slippery. I looked for any signs of water in the cracks.

 The wolves had found some so I started clambering over the chunks and searching but couldn’t see any signs of water, just frozen ice. The wolf pack must have covered a large area and found a break in the ice.

I heard Meg shouting and realised I was quite far out into the river of ice. I turned back and clambered to the shore where they were resting. Meg said they had all managed to go to the loo and we should move onto the village since we were getting cold and it would be dark soon.

We trudged up the bank by the river and I realised that I was very tired. Even Marek was looking a bit sad so I said to Meg that we would have to camp in the forest and get to the village in the morning. I think she was tired too because she didn’t say much but just gave me that look, which said, “If you say so”. 

Half way up the bank I noticed there were lots of dead and fallen trees. Maybe we could find a shelter some where. Marek fell into a hole and we pulled him out of the snow and Harry gave him a nuzzle, which stopped him from crying.  I noticed that some of the trees had very low branches and that there was very little snow beneath them. That would make some sort of shelter I thought.

We soon found a tree with lots of very low branches and pulled them apart.  There was quite a big hollow beneath, covered with a thick bed of pine needles. We all climbed in, took off our packs and sat down for a rest. I rested the rifle against the tree and thought about making our selves more comfortable. I gave Marek a bit of crust and he chewed it happily. 

I said to Meg that we should light a fire to keep our selves warm but the pine needles may catch fire may burn us out. She said that was no problem, we could clear some away until we got through to the ground. I said yes but we didn’t have a spade to clear them and I didn’t know how deep they were. She just pointed to my head. Good old Meg. Full of good ideas. 

I took my helmet off and started to dig with it and shovel the needles and cones into a pile where we were sitting. I had soon cleared a large area and we were left sitting on a big pile of needles and a large hollow of earth. I then said I would go out and collect some sticks.

24. Fire and warmth.

It was hard work walking on the ice and snow but exciting that we were going to find a village and people to help us. As long as we didn’t meet any soldiers, guards or wolves. At least Tan had a rifle and he could scare them off. I was just amazed that Marek managed to walk along quite well, often chasing Harry. He didn’t really slow us down too much and it was fun watching them play. He must be much older than we first thought.

We had plenty of stops and Tan would go and climb a tree to see if he could still see the smoke rising. He said we were going in the right direction. I was frightened when Tan said that we should stop and camp out for the night. It would be bitterly cold on the snow but Tan found us a shelter and said he would light a fire. That would be nice and we could even warm our hands.

Tan said that there were a lot of fallen trees near so there should be lots of wood if he could break off the branches. While Tan was away I cleared some more needles and cones away from the fire area. I heard a lot of snapping and he dragged back lots of branches and we started breaking off the little twigs and piling them up.

Eventually he said we had enough and found his tin with the matches. He also took out a candle. He told us that Mr. Domanski told him that as Polish scouts they had to light a fire with only two matches. He also said he cheated by using a candle and could light it with one.

I held the candle and it lit more easily than in our last shelter and Tan held some twigs in the flame until they flared up and he stuck them under the pile. He did this a few times until we had quite a blaze. Every one was excited and Marek and Harry watched our every move. Tan then carefully started putting on the larger branches until they caught light. The twigs flared quite quickly and also quickly died away before the bigger pieces caught properly alight. I broke off more twigs and threw them on and Tan wafted the flames with his basin. Soon we had a number of bigger sticks burning and Tan added the bigger branches across the fire so that they would burn in half and be more manageable later on, he said.

We sat around on cushions of pine needles and enjoyed for once some warmth. Even Harry stretched out and kept rolling over to warm each side. We got smoke in our eyes but we didn’t care. Marek loved this most of all and to keep him away from the flames Tan gave him a stick which he could stick in the flames and then wave it about, scattering sparks everywhere. This kept him away from the fire and amused him for a long time.

Tan got out the bread and the sausage and tore off a great chunk of bread and cut it into four pieces. We sucked on ours but one piece was just swallowed up whole by Harry. The same went for the smoked sausage. We shared the rest of the water out and there was very little for Harry.

I asked Tan if we could melt some snow and he immediately went out and scooped some up in the bowl and put it in the edge of the fire. A full bowl melted down to very little but Harry drank it before we had a chance. Tan got another scoop and then went out and brought in a few snow balls to top up the bowl, with Harry watching. 

We had over half a bowl full and gave it to Harry. He managed to drink four bowls before he stretched out and toasted himself. Marek meanwhile found that cones thrown on the fire made a nice crackling noise so he kept searching and throwing. He just laughed, gurgled and shouted odd words at the fire. Some ended in the bowl but we didn’t mind.

The odd spark landed on Harry but he just twitched and toasted another bit of his body. We all had red faces with the heat and I took Marek’s blanket off him so he wouldn’t get too hot and sweaty.

Tan went on melting snow until we had drunk enough and then he filled the bottle. The light and heat of the fire was good and especially the smell of the pine cones as they spluttered and crackled. We had eaten and were warm and no longer thirsty. I saw that Marek had lain down on the needles and he wanted to sleep so we dug a hole in our pile of needles and covered him with his blanket He was quite cosy.

Tan then said he would go and get some bigger pieces of wood so that they would burn longer He came back dragging three huge splintered logs which we lay on the fire and hoped they would last into the night.

Tan said we should get some sleep because he wanted us up early to find the village. He rested the rifle against the trunk of the tree and covered it with Marek’s blanket to make sort of low tent. We then climbed in. Well, sort of burrowed into the pine cone mattress on either side of Marek. It was more comfortable than anything else we had slept on so far. 

Suddenly, a shape appeared under the blanket, whined and flopped in between us, covering Marek. We were all together again and reasonably warm and comfortable. Tan spread his scarf over us like a blanket and I don’t remember anything else.

25. The big fish.

I was first awake next morning and crawled out leaving Meg to snuggle into Harry and only Marek’s nose could be seen poking out from under the dog. The fire was out leaving a large pile of ash and surrounded with half burned bits of wood. I felt the ashes and could feel some warmth so dug into the centre and piled the wood bits on top. I wafted strongly with the bowl and blew lots of ash away and then saw some red hot cinders. I put more small pieces of wood into that area and soon had a steady flame. I added more wood and once again we had a fire and warmth. 

Snow balls followed and I soon had a full bowl of water. Then Harry appeared and drank it all. So more snow balls to collect. The others had woken up and went to the loo so I dismantled the tent and folded the blanket. As my back was turned the next bowl of water followed the last so more snowballs. 

When Meg brought Marek back to the fire I retied the blanket around him and just managed to stop the third bowl going. We all shared that with a hunk of bread and toasted ourselves on the remains of the fire. Harry had the last bowl to himself and it was put on my head and we pushed our way from underneath the branches. It was a good home and that fire had been wonderful. 

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We walked along more easily this morning, following the bank of the river and hoping we would come across the village soon. Suddenly Harry barked and was off over a small bank towards the river. I wondered what he had found so we all followed in his direction.

We reached the top and between the trees we looked over. At last I shouted that we could see some people. Two fishermen on the ice, fishing through a hole and some fish lay near them. Where is Harry I thought? There he was creeping up to the fishermen. As we watched he crept up and ate at least three of the smaller fish and was about to eat another when one of the fishermen looked around and shouted.

Well, Harry just looked up in surprise but grabbed the largest fish and ran off. The fishermen were running and shouting but were slipping all over so that Harry was able to get away without any problem. They continued to shout in an angry manner and we just slunk away back on our track.

There must be a village nearby so we set off at a faster pace than usual with Meg hurrying poor Marek along. In a little while when we sat for a rest, Harry comes up and drops a big fish at our feet and looks very pleased with himself. He got a good pat from everybody and sat with us just sniffing the fish and not eating it. Meg said he had brought us some food and I just wondered what to do with it. I said to Meg if we could take the fish to the village the people may not be so angry with us.

I took Harry’s leash which was belted around my middle and pushed the end through the gills and out through the fish’s mouth. I tied the two ends together to form a loop and told Meg to drag it for a while and I would take over when she tired. It worked well and the fish slid easily over the snow. I wish we had a sledge. 

We had extra help from Harry who for some reason just grabbed Marek by his waist band and carried him along. Dropping him now and again to nuzzle him and on again. We got on much faster but no village came in sight. We slowed down and realised we probably had to spend another night camping.

26. Camping out again.

Last night hadn’t been too bad so we’d better look for the same kind of shelter. I liked the fire and Tan was so good at lighting it. Harry dropped Marek and he slithered down a slope between some trees. He ran after him, stopped and barked and just stood there. Tan went to look and shouted for me to come over. I saw, what was a small shallow cave in the side of the bank.

Tan said this would be good shelter and we should stop there for the night. Bit early but I could do with a rest. Tan told me to throw as many scoops of pine needles as I could into the cave and he would go and get fire wood. He went off with Harry and brought back lots of branches and small logs. After many trips we had a big pile. We then lit a fire in front of the cave in the same way and I kept the blaze going. Tan cut some fir branches with his knife and started blocking the entrance of the cave.

Once we had a good fire going we had the basin filled with snow for water. We sat around resting and toasting ourselves and taking sips of water before greedy Harry got in.   We found that it was easier to put ice in the bowl than snow and Marek enjoyed himself collecting icicles and I dropped them into the bowl.

We had plenty of water but I asked Tan when were we going to eat? He looked into the sack and said we were running short of food and we should eat the fish. How were we going to eat that huge thing I wondered but Tan explained he would cut it up and we would roast it on the fire. I didn’t know how but I let Tan get on with it.

He cut the fish open along its belly and all the insides fell out. Harry ate them. He cut off the head with difficulty and Harry ate that with a few crunches. I kept Harry away from the fish and Tan went off with his knife. He came back with a number if thin sticks and then started to cut the fish into long strips. He speared one end onto a stick pushed it down, wrapped the rest around and then speared the other end onto the stick in a twirl. He then stuck the sticks in the snow until he had filled six. 

Any bits he couldn’t thread went into the dog bin. He still had strips to do about four more but put them aside and gave the rest of the fish to Harry who crunched the bones away in a flash.

Tan and I held the sticks over the fire, grilling them, until the fish went white. Well, also a little smoky. I crumbled up the fish in the bowl and gave it to Marek. He ate it greedily. Tan gave me his stick to eat while he threaded another and I carried on grilling. We shared the grilling and eating until we all had our fill. It was super and I had never been so full for a long time. Even Tan couldn’t eat any more and gave the bowl to Harry to lick out.

We built up the fire as much as we dared and crawled into the cave for the second night of camping. Things were good. We were tired but well fed thanks to Harry. Tomorrow we will get to the village and get help.

27Army lorries cross the river.

It was cosy in the cave and at least we had a blanket and scarf to cover us. Harry helped by clambering in over us. Bit of a weight but warm. His fishy breath didn’t help and his nose is still cold. He seems to be less scrawny and his fur looks better than when we first met up. He seems to enjoy being with us and Marek and Meg just adore him.

Marek is going to be a problem when he realises his Mum’s not there. Not sure what we shall do. Meg keeps him busy with stories and songs. We also could do with some clean clothes. I think Mum has them in her case. I wonder what they are up to on the train. It’s weeks and weeks since we have seen them. At least this is better than in the wagons I think. I wonder when we will end up in Siberia with them?

I think I’ll get up and get the fire going we need some more water and Harry seems to drink a tank full. It’s cosy in here. I will just have a few more minutes. We are running short of food. If it wasn’t for Harry’s fish we would be without breakfast. Just a bit of bread and small piece of smoked sausage left.  Must find the village and get food and help. I’m sure that the smoke we saw wasn’t that far away.

Come on lazy bones. Get up and get the water on.  I crawled out and it seemed misty. There were still embers in the ashes and I soon had flames and a good fire going. I had the ice melting nicely and over half a bowl full. I’ll go and break off some more icicles. I came back and the water was gone with Harry off exploring. I melted some more and had a long drink and filled the bowl up for Meg and Marek. They were stirring and I could hear voices and gurgles.

They crawled out I gave them a drink and Meg took Marek to the loo.  I got the last of the food and shared it out. Harry knew by magic that food was out and was there in a flash. We finished the food and Harry finished the water. I checked that my tin bottle was full, put the bowl on my head and got the things together ready for the off.

By mid morning we had gone a long way but still no village or signs of smoke rising. I climbed a tree but still couldn’t see anything of interest. Suddenly Marek stopped and shouted excitedly, “Meme, Meme, Meme,” which is what he had started calling Meg. We stopped, looked around but couldn’t see anything and wondered what had caught his interest. Then we heard a noise. Like the engine of a lorry not a train, in the distance.

Come on I said. There must be people ahead and we strode of with purpose towards the noise. I caught Harry and put him on a short lead to stop him running off and causing trouble as he did with the fishermen. As we got closer we heard more engine noises and people shouting orders. We reached a high bank by the river and could see ahead. There was a convoy of army lorries, slowly crossing the ice. In the lead was a tank like truck which seemed to be clearing and grinding up the snow with its iron tracks.

We shouted, waved and yelled but the soldiers were just too busy getting the lorries over. I unslung my rifle and pumped a bullet into the barrel, pointed it in the air and pulled the trigger. There was a big bang and Marek started to cry. I waved and shouted as Meg hugged Marek. They didn’t take a scrap of notice of us. Even Harry was barking so I fired another bullet and still they just carried on. We must be too far from them and the wind must be carrying our noise away. We must hurry and get closer.

I grabbed Marek in my arms and gave the lead to Meg and urged her to hurry after me. We must get to the crossing and get to the soldiers. We hurried along but it was difficult and by the time we got to the river the lorries had gone, only leaving tracks in the ice. I could have cried. But Marek again was pointing excitedly and shouting “An,an,an,an!” which was his way of calling me.

We looked and could just make out a shack along side the track crossing the river, hidden in some trees. I said,”Lets go and look.” I told Meg to hold the dog tightly and not to let him go. We got so far and I said that I would go on my own the last bit and check things out. I gave Meg my helmet to hold.

I was a little excited and slowly walked up to the shack and found a door. It was closed. I quietly tapped the door with my rifle but heard no noise inside, only my heavy breathing. I pushed the door but it wouldn’t move. There was a clasp closed on the door which undid and the door opened easily. Inside was dark but obviously lived in. There was a stove with a samovar and a rough bunk.  On a shelf, was a small tin bottle and a large army bayonet in its scabbard. I couldn’t see any food.

I heard a long owl hoot. Danger signal from Meg. I froze and listened. I heard foot steps approaching. I grabbed the bayonet and the bottle off the shelf, ran out closing the door and hid behind the shack wall and heard some cursing as the man opened the door, slammed it shut and clattered his rifle against a wall.

I peeked out and the coast was clear. What shall I do? It must be a soldier or guard in there and I have taken his bayonet and tin. Do I go inside or do I run? I thought of something better. I crept around to the door, put the clasp on and stuck my rifle barrel through to lock it and crept away silently. It will at least take him ages to get out and it will give me time to run away.

I got to Meg and hugged her and said, “Let’s clear off before the guard finds out what has happened to him.”  I picked up Marek and realised that it was easier without the rifle and hurried off along the river side. After a while we stopped to get our puff back and realised I still had the tin and bayonet in my hand.

I opened the tin and smelt the top. It was strong but I was not sure what it was. I gave it to Meg and she immediately said it was petrol for the kind of cigarette lighters that Dad used. I then told her what I had seen and done. She gave me a hug and said she didn’t like the look of the soldier and was frightened until she saw me come out of the shack.

We laughed a little at what the guard might think when he found himself locked in with a rifle in the clasp. It was the goblins, we laughed. 

I then picked up the bayonet and tried to slide it out. Meg said I should find a button to push to release the blade like on a sword. Sure enough, I pressed the button and the long knife slid out. It was shiny and sharp on one side and the other was flat but near the point it was like a saw. It was quite heavy. Much better for chopping and cutting branches than my puny knife. I put it away and stuck it in my coat belt and put the bottle in my pocket. At least we would have no trouble starting fires with the petrol and the empty tin could be an extra water bottle.

In better spirits, I undid Harry’s leash and picked up Marek and said, “Let’s be gone from here and find this village.” It was so much easier without the rifle and I found that I could use the empty food sack, with some adjustments to the rope, as a sling and was able to carry Marek in it and keep both hands free to keep a better balance on the slippery ice.  We could travel faster that way.

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28What’s for dinner?

We made good progress but apart from water we had no food for lunch so I broke into my iron rations and gave Marek a hard rusk to chew. He seemed to enjoy that but it took him a long time to soften it up. Harry was away for a long time and even Meg was a bit worried and called for him from time to time. He eventually ran up with a lump of feathers in his mouth. He dropped it and crunched up the rest of what must have been a duck or goose, licked his chops and bounded off again. At least he had lunch today. Marek picked up a few stray feathers and just gurgled in delight.

As we rested on a bank and after I had climbed another tree and had seen nothing, Harry appeared with something big in his mouth. He dropped a large duck on the ice, wagged his tail, barked and lurched off again towards the river. He had brought us supper. Fish yesterday and duck today. I tied the leash round the ducks head and gave one end to Meg and told her to drag it along and that we must find shelter again for the night. After we had walked a little way we saw Harry in the distance eating something again. We came up to him and saw that he had eaten another duck, leaving a ring of feathers on the snow. He jumped up delighted to see us, gave each of us a nuzzle and leapt around and dived into some loose snow nearby.

We thought he was just playing in the snow as he scattered it about and we laughed. He then came out with another feathery bundle and presented it at our feet. It was another duck. Not as big but more for our food larder. We petted him and thanked him and made a big fuss over him. Meg now dragged two ducks for supper.

It took longer to find shelter but again we managed to find a tree with low branches. We piled up the pine cones into a heap. Even Marek helped and cleared an area for the fire. I collected lots of dry wood and small logs and it was easier with the bayonet to chop off the small branches and a lot easier to build up the fire.

 I poured some of the petrol into the bowl and soaked pine cones and twigs. I threw in a match and it flared up and the cones started to burn. I tipped the whole lot out at the base of my pile and we soon had a fire. Marek went off to look for icicles and cones and I started filling up the bowl with snow to water our hero of a dog. Meg guarded the ducks and Harry just toasted himself by the fire.

Meg asked what were we going to do with the ducks and how were we going to eat them. I said we would have to roast them as we did with the fish so I chopped off the heads, wings and the feet with the bayonet and these went into the dog bin.

We then set about pulling the feathers off. It was a hard job but we managed after a struggle. I then set about cutting the legs off and slicing the breasts off the bones. The Bayonet was sharp and the job was easy but messy. I threw the carcass with the innards to Harry who demolished them in a flash. Bones and everything. I wondered how many ducks he had eaten today and how he managed to catch them?

I got some sharp sticks and speared the breasts and got Meg to hold one over the fire to roast. I then tried the same with a leg but it just wouldn’t work so I just pushed it deep into the embers. After a while I pulled it out and shook off the ash. It smelt delicious. Meg said I should test it with a knife. Jab it in she told me to see if the liquid was clear and no blood. I jabbed and no liquid came out so I cut it into bits with the bayonet and let it cool.

Meg tried a piece and said it was good so I pushed another leg in the embers and shared out the meat. Marek chewed his greedily and Harry just sniffed his piece and left it. It was good and I could hardly wait for the next piece. The breasts took longer but were just as good. I decided to keep two cooked breasts for tomorrow. It took a long time to cook all the meat but we had our fill and felt very contented, in front of the nice warm fire.

Since Marek had been carried a lot he seemed less tired and Meg kept him amused with a fire stick, stories and crackling cones on the fire. Harry just lay there and twitched as a spark fell on him. I packed the meat in a handkerchief and stuffed it in my pack. Mum will have trouble washing that I thought.

I built up the fire and we settled under a tent of sticks and a covering blanket and burrowed comfortably into the pine needles. I must have been tired because all I remember was the lumbering dog clambering over us and licking my face. I also remembered Meg telling Marek stories and flicking a cigarette lighter on and off to amuse him. The next thing was Meg shaking me shouting, “Come on lazy bones here is some water for breakfast.”  

29. The wood cutter

I woke up to find Meg pushing a bowl of warm water towards me. I sat up and banged my head on the roof which brought down lots of snow and icicles. She laughed as I rubbed my head. I wished I had slept with my helmet on. I sipped the water and it was good. Must remember to warm it up in future. It tasted of pine and I fished out a pine cone. I crawled out and saw that everything was organised and all I had to do was to sit down and chew on a bit of roasted duck. It tasted good.

I finished my duck and took my bayonet over to a thicket of birch trees. I found what I was looking for and cut down two thin saplings. I trimmed them and checked them for height. I took them over to Meg telling her that we might be better off with walking sticks to help us keep our balance over the ice and snow. Harry barked. He didn’t like them but Marek just shouted, “An, an, an, an” and grabbed at Meg’s stick. I went off and cut a short light one for him.

He was happy with it but Harry kept his distance. He must have been frightened and beaten by sticks in the past. He soon got used to them and back came the nuzzles We set off and found the sticks a great help. I let Marek walk. He seemed to manage on the ice better than we could and didn’t use his stick for support. I think it was waved to frighten away goblins and dragons. On we went.

We stopped frequently but must have covered a great distance because the sticks helped us so much. I carried Marek now and again when he looked weary but had to take his stick away otherwise I would have been clobbered by it. He got it back when I put him down. We finished the rest of the duck for lunch and wondered where our next meal would come from. We must find a village. There must be one along the river.

Marek again stopped and pointed with his stick and shouted. I looked in the direction he was pointing and only saw trees. Then Meg shouted she could hear something so we stood still to stop the crunching sound of our feet and listened. We could hear a faint sound. Sounded like chopping noise but where was it coming from? Meg said it was from the river we walked in that direction and stopped and again listened. Not sure anymore. 

Marek still kept pointing towards the forest and gurgling something. He had been right before so we strode off in that direction away from the river. I carried Marek but forgot to take his stick away. I got swiped across the face to remind me. As we walked the noise got louder but then stopped at times, as if resting. Must be somebody chopping wood. At last we could get in touch with some people who would help us.

We eventually pushed our way through the fir trees and got to a clearing. The chopping got louder. We then came across a horse harnessed to a large sledge. The horse was too busy in a nosebag to notice us. We walked carefully towards the chopping and suddenly saw a man swinging a big axe chopping down a large dead tree. He had a large saw on the ground by his side. We stood well away and waited as the chips flew. 

The tree started to crack and sway. The woodcutter stood back and watched it sway and slowly with lots of cracking noises fall away from him. The man suddenly started and jumped backwards but wasn’t quick enough. The trunk swung around and hit him in the chest and knocked him flat. The trunk then seemed to roll onto him.

It was awful! Meg screamed and we ran towards him. The blow must have knocked him out since he wasn’t screaming or crying. I shouted to Meg asking her if the woodcutter was alive as I tried to move the tree. She leant close to his face and said she could feel breath and there was a vein pumping on the side of his brow.

At least he was alive but what were we going to do. We couldn’t go looking for a village. We hadn’t had much luck that way. We couldn’t leave the wood cutter here.

We decided to start shouting. Maybe somebody would hear so we shouted but soon stopped since it was frightening the horse.

We looked carefully at the woodcutter’s legs but they were stuck fast under the trunk. We couldn’t move the trunk and couldn’t pull the man away. We tried to dig under the legs with the bayonet but the ground was frozen rock hard. We were getting frantic. Marek just sat by the woodcutter and stroked his face with one hand and waved his stick with the other.

The stick reminded me of something. I said to Meg we should try and lever the trunk away with our walking staffs but they just bent and would have broken. We needed a bigger lever or a big crane I thought. I looked around for an idea and saw a small tree which might do the job but we needed to cut it down. I tried the axe but it was too big and Meg suggested the saw, so between us we started slowly to saw through the small trunk.

Eventually we cut through enough for me to push it over and remember to run well away as it dropped. I trimmed off the branches and we had a long heavy lever which we could just manhandle. We stuck the thick end under the big trunk next to the woodcutter’s legs and pushed up. That didn’t do any thing. We needed a wedge so we could lean down on the lever with our weight. I saw some cut logs on the sledge and we carried some over and wedged them under the lever. It looked better. Our lever wedged nicely under some knots on the trunk and we could pull down.

Hurray! There was some movement. I told Meg it needed both of our weight so we both swung on the end and sure enough the trunk lifted but how were we going to drag the man away. It needed both our weight to move the trunk, so I decided we would use the horse to do the dragging.

I unharnessed the horse and led him forward and looped the harness underneath the woodcutter’s arms and lead the horse away gently. We got Marek to hold onto the horses head while we jumped up onto the end of the lever. Hanging there we could see that the trunk had lifted and I shouted at the horse, urging it to move forward and trying to get Marek to lead it away. It was no use. Marek just looked amused and laughed, pointing his stick at us.

We were getting tired hanging there and shouting and screaming, when Harry suddenly appeared in the clearing, saw us,  bounded over and leapt up onto the end of the lever and grabbed it with his teeth and paws. Well his extra weight just pulled the lever down to the ground and we saw that the trunk had rolled slightly and moved off the woodcutter’s legs. At least we could see space between the legs and the tree trunk.

We gently pulled the legs away and rested. What do we do next? I told Meg that we would have to put this man on the sledge and try and find the village.  We then noticed a lot of blood coming from the man’s thigh. There was a large splinter sticking out and the blood was oozing out around it. We would have to do something quick.

I said we needed to get him on the sledge and Meg threw off the logs and I reharnessed the horse. I managed to lead the horse and sledge as close as possible to the lying man and we managed to drag the woodcutter onto it. We put a pack under his head and covered him with Marek’s blanket. I also put the saw and axe onto the sledge.  Now where do we go?

I sat Marek, Meg and even Harry onto the sledge and tried to look for tracks back to the village. I could see some faint tracks along an opening in the trees and started leading the horse. Meg said I should take the nosebag off the horse. I did that and the horse continued to walk along dragging the sledge. Meg said that the horse would know its own way home, so I jumped on the sledge and we peered around the edges, as the horse slowly plodded along, hoping to see a village and people.

30. Doctors and nurses!

Harry started to bark and another dog barked in the distance. I grabbed Harry and got Meg to put the leash on him. We tied the leash to the sledge and urged the horse on but it only had one speed, SLOW! We eventually came to a clearing where there was a fairly large cottage with a low roof covered in snow. Outside was a woman with two small children waving. Tan jumped down and ran on ahead. She was startled by Tan, a stranger, running to her, and her children ran and clung to her legs.

Tan tried to explain to her what had happened in his best Russian but she was most puzzled and ran towards the sledge. When she saw the wood cutter lying on there with his leg bleeding she screamed and clung to his chest blurting his name. The children ran up and started to bawl and both the dog and Harry started to bark. Marek not knowing what was going on joined in yelling.

Well, things were bad but this racket wasn’t going to improve things. I shouted at the dogs and they slunk away and then shouted at the children to be quiet.  Tan managed to drag the woman away so that she could pull her self together. By this time the sledge was by the door. 

The woman ran in and brought out a blanket. I ran into the house and saw a large bunk bed on one side and decided we needed to move the wood cutter inside and onto this bed. Tan took over and pushed the blanket under the man and the woman suddenly understood what we were about to do and stopped her babbling and got hold of one end of this stretcher. We took the other and as gently as possible carried and dragged the poor man off the sledge and onto the bunk. The boys just stared with big eyes and open mouths.

The woman, who the boys called Baba, threw some sticks and logs onto the open fire and lit a couple of candles. It was much lighter and we could see the man better. Baba shouted, “Dada, Dada!” at him but he was just knocked out like a boxer and didn’t move, apart from his chest heaving and an odd twitch of his arms.

Baba and I started to unbutton Dada’s clothing and inspect the damage. Tan took the boys and they unharnessed the horse and led him through the front door and into a side room, which was his stable. We inspected Dada’s head and looked at his chest and felt for broken bones. Every thing seemed to be in order.

We then started at the other end and took off his boots and saw that his feet were badly bruised and his shins were grazed, bruised and turning a black colour. We left the worst till last. Tan came over and I told him what the state was and that we needed to look at the thigh and nasty splinter.

Baba once again started crying and holding her head and the boys just clung onto her in terror.  Tan got his sharp bayonet out and slit the trouser leg open. The splinter stuck out looking larger than before, surrounded by drying blood clots. It didn’t look very nice.

Tan told Baba to bring some water and clean cloth. She brought over a big wooden bowl with some warm water and tore a bit off her underskirt. I washed the blood away from the splinter so that we could see the true damage.

Once cleaned up it didn’t look so bad Just a large splinter sticking out but it didn’t seem to go in deep. Tan got hold of it gingerly and tried pulling it. It wouldn’t move. He got hold of it firmly and gave it a yank and it still wouldn’t move, except everybody gasped in pain. Well the expected pain. We will have to cut it out he said. I felt a bit queasy at that thought and moved away. Tan grabbed my arm and said he needed my help since Baba was in too much shock to be of use.

Tan asked Baba to bring some more candles and some vodka. She eventually understood and brought a bottle and a large candle which Tan lit and put on a nearby shelf. Baba took a swig of the bottle and handed it over. Tan sniffed it and poured a lot over the wound and the leg, to kill off any bugs he said. He also washed his hands in it. 

He then told me to hold onto the knee while he stuck the bayonet into the candle flames again to kill off the bugs. He then took the bayonet and placed it on the skin above the splinter. I looked up and saw his face go white and I told him to just get on with it. I closed my eyes for a moment in horror and I felt Tan cutting. I expected lots and lots of blood but there wasn’t that much. 

Tan pulled at the splinter and cut more. I got hold of the splinter and pulled hard and shouted just keep cutting. It quickly came out and was followed by a stream of blood. I dropped the splinter and hid my eyes. Tan dropped his bayonet and pinched the wound together and shouted for me to pour some vodka on to clear away the blood. It worked and we could see a clear wound that Tan was pinching together between his fingers and the blood had stopped.

Baba was sitting on the floor crying and holding onto the two boys. Tan asked me to get my sewing kit out and also the bandage from his box. I poured some vodka on my hands to kill off any bugs and I stuck the needle in the candle to do the same.

I then started to sew up the wound as if I was stitching a stiff blanket. It was hard and I felt very queasy. I had to stop a lot and take deep breaths. Tan kept moving his fingers back as I stitched the skin together. I didn’t like this one bit but Tan kept saying what a good job I was doing. I’m glad when he said to stop but he said I then had to knot each end off. I looped the end off against the last loop and then rethreaded the needle at the other end and did the same. 

Tan then told me to cut off the ends with his bayonet which I did. He then gently eased his fingers off the wound. The bleeding had stopped and Tan said it was all a good job and thanked me. 

He went over to Baba and brought her to look at the wound. It didn’t look too bad I thought. She took one look and hugged and kissed us both and kept blurting out her thanks. Tan pushed her away and told me we hadn’t finished yet. We needed to bandage it up to protect the wound.

I said we should kill off some more bugs and poured more of the vodka onto the wound and gave the bottle to Baba who took a large slug. We bandaged it up and tied it off and were exhausted. Tan took me to the fire and we sat down, hugged each other and cried.

Baba covered Dada with blankets and duvets and came over to the fire and looked into the pot. I looked around for Marek but he was asleep between the two dogs by the fire. The two boys were getting wooden bowls and spoons out and placing them onto a table. Baba beckoned for us to go to the table and eat. She gave each of us some thick soup and a chunk of bread. We ate slowly and in silence. This had been all too frightening and I didn’t know how we had managed.

I later asked Tan how he knew all about these things. He said that he had read about them in his scout books and army books and he knew lots of things but said he never expected to do these things in real life. I gave him a hug and told him that he was wonderful and that I had the best brother in the world. He dug me in the ribs. That’s brothers for you!      

31. Dada gets a check up.

I was quite frightened by the woodcutter thing but I dared not show it to Meg. It was a good job that Harry came to the rescue and we managed to get him out and onto the sledge. Meg is always full of good ideas and managed to get the horse to walk home.

They seem to be poor people but very nice. I wonder what Dada is like? Cutting the splinter out was horrible and I was nearly sick. It’s a good job I read all those scout books and the bits of first aid in the army books At least I had an idea of what to do away from hospitals and proper doctors. I hope I got all the splinters out and the wound gets better. Meg did well to sew it up. I’m sure that she must have felt just as queasy as me. I’m glad it’s all over and we had some food. I’m exhausted.

At the end of the large cabin, Baba took out some wall boards and there was a bunk behind with lots of blankets and furs. She signed to us that we could sleep there. It was very comfortable and we slept well. Harry slept with the other dog in front of the fire.

Next morning, I woke up to noises out in the room but it was very dark in our bunk. I realised that Baba must have put a curtain up across the bunk. I pushed it aside and saw Baba stirring something in a small pot. I said hello and she turned, beamed at me and gave me a wooded bowl of drink. It was nice herb tea and I nodded that I liked it.

She pointed to Dada and I saw he was still lying there and hadn’t moved his leg. I went over to him and Baba followed. I saw that his leg had been strapped to the bunk so that he couldn’t move it. I should have thought of that. She shook Dada and he looked at me with bleary eyes. Baba gabbled to him and he looked at me and got hold of my hand and squeezed it gently. I had expected a large rough hand but it was soft with long fingers. 

Baba pulled off the quilt and I saw that he was now in a pale coloured night shirt and his trousers had been removed. I signalled to Baba that we should look at the wound. She nodded and we carefully removed the bandage. The last bit stuck with blood and I had to tug at it hard. I felt Dada twitch with pain and I was nearly sick. 

The wound looked OK I suppose. Didn’t know what it should look like anyway but there was just a line of dried blood along the stitching and lots of redness around the wound. Looked like bruising. We then inspected his feet. They looked pretty bad. All black and swollen. 

I asked in Russian if he could move them and he wiggled his toes and moved his ankles. I realised that he understood Russian. I saw that his legs had been washed and cleaned up. There were a few grazes and scratches but they weren’t bleeding so I just rebandaged the thigh wound, lightly.

Baba got hold of Dada and gently sat him up, propped up with blankets and pillows. She then signed to me to refill my bowl and bring it over. She then helped Dada to drink the herb tea. As I held the bowl Baba uncovered his chest and we looked at the bruises there. He really looked black and blue over a large part. I felt his ribs gently and his soft hand covered mine and showed me where he hurt. I couldn’t feel any broken bones and I said so and he weekly nodded his head. We left him propped up in his bunk, covered up warmly, with his eyes closed.

I looked around for the boys and the dogs but they weren’t in the cabin. So I went to see Meg. I pulled back the curtain and she sat up and said it was so dark in there she thought it was still night time. I looked at my watch for the first time in ages and said it was about eight and it was time she was up and Marek too.  Baba came over and helped Meg with Marek and showed them where they could go to the loo and gave them a wooden bowl with some warm water and a rough cloth to wash. First wash for weeks.

The boys and the dogs came in puffing and panting. The boys had brought in some dead animals which Baba signed came from traps. There was a white fox and three brown squirrels. These were hung on a hook by the door and then she beckoned and pointed to the table. We all sat down on benches and I noticed that the table edge was carved with squirrels, snakes and leaves. I pointed these out to Meg and Marek and they started to stroke the animals and look for different ones.

 We were all brought to order by a loud smack of a large wooden spoon on the table. A large blackened pot was put down and one of the boys brought some bowls and wooden spoons. Baba spooned some thick porridge stuff in each bowl and handed them out. She then carefully handed the spoons out. They were beautifully carved with an animal on the end. Meg got a cat, Marek a dog, I got a fox, the boys got a wolves head and Baba had one with a flower. They were super.

Baba muttered something, crossed herself and we followed and started to eat. The porridge was warm and thick but not my most favourite food, but I was hungry. After one mouthful Baba suddenly got up and brought a large wooden jar with a lid and the boys went wild with excitement.

Baba opened the lid and there was already a spoon in this jar. The boys pushed over their bowls immediately and we just watched. Baba signed for Meg to push her bowl over and she spooned a large dollop of syrupy liquid onto her porridge and signed for her to stir it in. My bowl was over in a flash. It was honey and I could now smell the heavy flavour. We all got some and then came seconds with more honey until the big pot was empty. Finally Marek got his spoon dipped in and licked it for ages. That was a good meal. In fact it was brilliant!

32. Washer women

We sat around the table feeling stuffed when Baba pulled away her chair and stood up saying something to the boys. Each stood up, bowed and pointing to their chests said their name. The smallest was Gregor and the eldest was Jurek. Tan stood up and said he was Stan and I followed and said, “Meg” and then pointed and said, “Marek” and pointed to our dog and said, “Harry.” Everybody smiled and sat down. Baba then swilled the bowls in water and the dogs drank this. She then got the dead animals onto a small table swiftly skinned them and threw the carcasses to the dogs. I’m glad Harry got his breakfast.

She then said something to the boys and signed for Tan to follow. They went into the stable to do something for the horse and the dogs followed. Baba then looked at me with an expression on her face asking what I wanted. So I pointed at Marek and made a sign of washing. She understood immediately and threw a few logs on the fire and got out a wide wooden bucket with straps around it. More like half a barrel. 

She pushed back a panel by the fire and there was a tap which she filled a smaller bowl with water and tipped this into the tub. I undressed Marek while she filled the tub half full of warm water. We put Marek in and bathed him. He liked the warm water but not the washing of his hair. It was quite long and tangled. I got my little scissors and we managed to cut it shorter. I then signed that we should wash his clothes.

Baba scooped Marek up in a blanket and sat him close to the fire and gave him a spoon with honey to lick. He was happy. Baba dropped the clothes into the tub and got a handful of grey sludge and stirred it in. She started to wash the clothes with a handle of a broom and then on a wooden washboard. 

She signed if I wanted anything washing so I took off my tights and underclothes and shirt and she washed them. I was wrapped in a blanket sitting next to Marek and watching Baba. She held up my woolly tights and showed me the holes in them. We laughed. No wonder my legs were cold.

The clothes were hung on a wooden rail above the fire and steamed happily. We sat and sipped herb tea. It was nice. She gave me a nice hug and I thought of Mama Dika and wanted to cry even though I was happy.

Tan came back and said he had been feeding the horse and getting hay and straw out of the loft. Baba got him to take his clothes off and washed his under clothes, shirt and socks and he sat next to me wrapped in a blanked sipping hot tea. It was nice. We had come across a nice family and they were going to help us.

33. Tan fills the larder. (nice version)

These are nice people I thought and Meg likes them too. I don’t know yet how they could help us get to our parents but at least we have warmth, food and shelter for the moment. Dada looks better and he seems to be sleeping all the time. Mum always says that’s the best cure. Baba doesn’t seem to speak Russian but some other language but she is easily understood with her signs and signals. The boys seem nice and less shy than at first. 

It was good to get some clothes washed and dried and I even managed a flannel bath in front of the fire. You should have seen the mucky water. More like mud. There seems to be something strange about these people. At first they looked very, very poor but they seem to bring all sorts of stuff out of hiding. There seems to be plenty of food. I hope we are not just eating the last of their food. I will need to ask.

Baba beckoned Meg and me to sit on the bench which she had pulled up to the fire. She then brought over a pile of skins which she flopped onto the floor. As we watched, she picked out a couple of soft pieces and pointed to Meg’s tights and tutted. She then wrapped each leg and neatly bound them with leather laces. It looked as if Meg was wearing a nice pair of long boots.

She threw me two pieces and I attempted to do the same with my legs. Well I tried but it looked very messy. Baba showed me how to do it properly. She then got a bigger piece and wrapped it around Meg like a skirt and tied it off. The short fur had a nice pattern and with the boots Meg looked great. 

Marek got the same treatment after I managed to catch him. His cloth boots were in tatters and got thrown on the fire and in exchange he got some long leather moccasins that tied up to his knees. He then was wrapped around the middle in another skin and Baba tutted and hummed and signed she would make him a pair of short trousers with braces.

I saw Meg looking at Marek’s moccasins and Baba also noticed her admiring them. She showed Meg that she would make her a pair and got a big hug and a kiss for it. Baba then signed that these things would keep us warm and dry. I remembered that the boys were wearing clothes of skins but the fur had worn off and they were shiny.

She then brought out a bundle of fur mitts and we had to try them on for size. They were lovely and warm and they were long and had a lace. Baba showed how to tie the lace above the elbow so that you could slide off the glove without losing it. Meg’s mitts were of a white fur and trimmed with brown. They looked very smart.

Baba shooed us away form the fire and gave Meg some wool and needle to go off and mend her tights. I played with Marek and his animals and Baba got busy making lunch. I remembered I was hungry. Well I don’t have to remember, I’m always hungry.  

Lunch was, “Bigos.” A kind of stew, made of pickled cabbage, potatoes, radish, mushrooms and some kind of meat in great chunks. We ate loads until I could eat no more. Marek kept pinching mushrooms out of my bowl and let me have his radish and some meat.

It was delicious. Dada got fed with some soup and this was followed by big steaming mugs of herb tea which we sipped slowly. The boys were then sent out to check the traps and we went over to check out the patient.

After what seemed a short time the boys came rushing in shouting something. They slung a couple of squirrels onto the hook and pointed towards the river, shouting in excitement. They weren’t frightened so it must be something good. Baba went to the wall of the cabin, took out a rifle and handed it to me. I understood that I had to go out and shoot something. 

 I put on my coat, hat, new mitts and stuck the bayonet in my belt. I checked the rifle. It was similar to the one I had before but in much better condition. I smiled at the thought of the guard stuck in his hut. Hope he got out. I opened the case and counted the bullets. Well one bullet. I remembered I still had some in my pocket and slid them into the case and slammed it back in place.

I opened the bolt carefully and noticed that the chamber was empty. Closed it and put the safety catch on. I looked up and noticed everybody looking at me very closely. They all seemed impressed by my show. I had only fired a rifle twice before and that was into the air. What had I to shoot at now, I wondered?

I left with the two boys and Harry. It was bitterly cold and we went in the direction of the river. I grabbed hold of Harry and told him to keep close and he seemed to understand because he stuck to my heels as we rushed along. The boys signalled to slow down and we slowly crept up a bank close to the river. I could hear the loud cracking of ice. We crawled to the top to look over and suddenly saw a herd of reindeer getting water amongst the ice.

The boys said I should shoot one so I slipped down out of sight and moved the bolt to put a bullet “up the spout” as the Russian soldiers used to tell me in Warsaw. That seemed ages ago. I crept back up. Pushed the rifle out and into my shoulder, pointed as best I could at the herd and pulled the trigger. There was an almighty bang in my ear and it felt as though my shoulder was broken.

 I looked up and the herd was running off. I had missed but the boys were pointing excitedly and I looked again and saw Harry dashing towards a fawn that was limping. He grabbed it and knocked it to the ground. A bigger reindeer turned and tried to butt Harry with its horns but Harry just twisted away and held on. I reloaded and pointed the gun at the reindeer but it was too close to Harry. 

Harry dropped the fawn and ran off and again I pointed the gun at the middle of the beast and pulled the trigger. I closed my eyes and clung onto the rifle butt as the bang went off. It wasn’t as bad as the first time but my shoulder hurt. 

I looked up and saw the boys running down the bank and the large stag with huge antlers was jumping up and falling onto the ice and jumping again but not running away. Harry was onto it in a flash and knocked it over onto the ice. The stag went limp and the boys cheered. 

We went down and found the dead fawn, shot through a leg. The huge stag had been shot high in the neck. The boys just looked at me in amazement and pointed to the rifle and me and at the dead animals. I just stood there with Harry at heel, rubbing my shoulder.

Gregor said that I should stay here with the animals and guard them against wolves and they would go and get the horse and sledge. At the mention of wolves I put another bullet “Up the spout” and turned the safety catch on and sat on a lump of ice with Harry by my side, looking out for wolves. Hoped there wouldn’t be any.

After ages and ages and me getting cold just sitting there, I heard the sledge crunching on the snow. They had all come. Baba, Meg, Marek, the boys and their dog. They eventually managed to get the sledge close to the dead animals and we struggled to get the huge stag onto the sledge. The smaller fawn was no problem. Meg and Marek petted the small fawn and I wasn’t their friend any more.

The horse with one speed, dead slow, dragged the sledge to the house and we jumped off.  Baba got us organised. Jurek and Gregor had to see to the horse and I had to take the rifle and put it away. Then we had to fetch and carry for Baba as she skinned the animals and cut them up. We carried bits of meat in bowls either to the house or to a strong outhouse where they were to freeze overnight and keep for a later date. I then had to rub salt into the legs and these were hung up around the fire to smoke.

Baba finished outside and came in to make lots of rings of sausage from the cut meat. The dogs got scraps and bones to chew. I was asked to hang the sausages on a rail above the fire where they would smoke dry and the meat would keep better and longer.

33B. Tan fills the larder. (Nasty version)

The boys said I should shoot one so I slipped down out of sight and moved the bolt to put a bullet “up the spout” as the Russian soldiers used to tell me in Warsaw. That seemed ages ago. I crept back up, pushed the rifle out and into my shoulder, pointed as best I could at the herd and pulled the trigger. There was an almighty bang in my ear and I thought my shoulder was broken. I looked up and the herd was running off. I had missed but the boys were pointing excitedly and I looked again and saw Harry dashing towards a fawn that was limping. He grabbed it by the throat and knocked it to the ground. A bigger reindeer turned and tried to butt Harry with its horns but Harry just twisted away and held on. I reloaded and pointed the gun at the reindeer but it was too close to Harry.  Harry dropped the fawn and ran off and again I pointed the gun at the middle of the beast and pulled the trigger. I closed my eyes and clung onto the rifle butt as the bang went off. It wasn’t as bad as the first time but my shoulder hurt. 

I looked up and saw the boys running down the bank and the large stag with huge antlers was jumping up and falling onto the ice and jumping again but not running away. Harry was onto it in a flash and grabbed at its throat and shook the head. The stag went limp and the boys cheered. We went down and found a dead fawn shot through a leg and the huge stag had been shot high in the neck. The boys just looked at me in amazement and pointed to the rifle and me and at the dead animals. I just stood there with Harry at heel, rubbing my shoulder.

Gregor said that I should stay here with the animals and guard them against wolves and they would go and get the house and sledge. At the mention of wolves I put another bullet up the spout and turned the safety on and sat on a lump if ice with Harry by my side and looked out for wolves. Hoped there wouldn’t be any.

After ages and ages and me getting cold just sitting there, I heard the sledge crunching on the snow. They had all come - Baba, Meg, Marek, the boys and their dog. They eventually managed to get the sledge close to the dead animals and we struggled to get the huge stag onto the sledge. The smaller fawn was no problem. Meg and Marek petted the small fawn and I wasn’t their friend any more.

The horse with one speed, dead slow dragged the sledge to the house and we jumped off. The boys the moved the sledge to a nearby tree and Baba brought out two leather ropes which she slung over a low branch and tied it to the hind legs of the stag. The other end was tied to the sledge and the horse was walked forward. I watched in amazement as the stag was hauled off the sledge and hung from the branch just off the ground. Baba tied off one of the ropes against the tree and undid the other from the sledge. Gregor was sent off to get buckets and bowls and Jurek went off to get knives and axes. Meg and Marek were left petting the poor dead fawn and Harry and I just watched.

They all must have done this before because they knew what to do. The buckets were placed under the hanging head and Baba cut the neck and blood came spurting out. Jurek moved the bucket to catch the blood, sat on a stool and stirred the contents with a big wooden ladle. Gregor had brought a big stool for Baba and was arranging bowls on the on the sledge, pushing Meg and Marek aside. Baba then carefully slit the stags belly and all the insides flopped out onto the ice. She cut a few bits off and threw them to the dogs and that kept them out of the way. She kept searching through the guts and cutting bits off and putting them in bowls held by Gregor. She nodded for me to help so I got a bowl and got it filled and went for the next. I expected there to be lots of blood but it was all quite clean. Jurek was on his second bucket of blood still stirring both with each hand.

The dogs seem to be getting lots of snacks which was good, because I wondered what Harry was going to eat. Eventually we had finished cleaning out the insides and the dogs seem to have a pile of bits too eat. Jurek shouted that the blood had stopped flowing and we cleared things away from under the stag. The sledge was again positioned under the stag and the rope untied. It fell in a heap and we pulled it out as Baba directed. She cut off the head with a knife and axe then did the same with the hooves. Jurek carried the buckets and bowls inside and shooed Meg and Marek inside too. She said it was too cold for them. Gregor and I were given sharp knives and I was shown how to strip the skin off the flesh. Cutting and pulling it came off easily and soon I had finished one leg. Baba and Gregor had all the neck done and half the side when I looked up. I started on the other leg and found it became easier once I knew when to pull and when to cut. Soon I had finished another leg and Baba nodded to the front two. 

The whole skin was pulled off and rolled up. I had to throw it up onto the roof so the wolves didn’t get it since Baba wanted it to freeze and would  process it later. She then butchered up the rest of the animal while Gregor and I carried in the bits. Some, such as the head and hooves went in a strong outhouse to freeze and were sprinkled with water. We were so busy that we hadn’t noticed that Baba had skinned and butchered the fawn. It was getting dark by the time we had finished bringing the bits in, parking the sledge, stabling the horse, feeding the horse and bringing in the rifle. Suddenly I felt tired and my shoulder started to hurt.

And we still hadn’t finished. I was given a big wooden bowl, a cloth and had to rub salt into the four legs. It was hard work and Baba kept getting me to rub more in. The legs were strung up at the side of the fire to smoke and then I got the worst job in the world. It made me feel sick but I just carried on. I had to squeeze out the intestine and the stomach and wash everything. The rubbish was thrown down the loo. I was glad to finish because it was quite smelly. Baba showed me that the intestine was made into a sausage and the stomach was also stuffed. I shall look at sausages with a knowing interest in future. Surely we are going to stop now.

Oh no! I had to make the sausages next.  Baba got some other intestine from a pot and a funnel and a thick stick. She neatly fixed the funnel in a hole in the table and sat me on the bench I had to hold the intestine in one hand and put pieces of meat from a bowl with the other and tamp it down with the stick which neatly fitted through the funnel. It was hard work and when I had done an arms length I had to twist it and start on the next sausage, The bowl kept being filled up and I kept tamping hard. My arm was falling off but at last I could see the bottom of the bowl and no more bits being flung in. Finished at last. I put the stick in the bowl tied off the end of the last sausage, looped them as shown and hung them on a rail at the side of the fire to smoke. I warmed my hands and got a prod in the ribs. Oh No! More sausage to make. There was a bucket full of gooey blood. I had to spoon it into the funnel and again the sausage factory was in production. I looked up to complain and saw others with their heads down working at something so I just got on with it.

 

34. Interesting time with Dada.

I am really cross with Stanislav. Why did he have to shoot that poor baby fawn. It’s so little and cuddly I could cry if I wasn’t so cross. Any way I wasn’t going to help them butcher up those lovely animals. I’m not going to eat any meat again, ever!

It was much warmer inside and I put a few logs on to get a good blaze and warm the place up. I wish they wouldn’t keep coming in and out and leaving the door wide open. They all must have been born in barns. That’s what Mama Dika used to say. Marek came up and grabbed my hand and muttered something like “Dada, Dada.” I hope he is not missing his father but his father wasn’t on the train so what does he want I wondered?

I realised he was pointing to Dada and I went over to look. I saw he was awake and went back to the fire and made him some herb tea. He said “Dzienkuje” which is “Thank you” in Polish. I helped him drink his tea and he spoke to me softly in Polish and I could understand.

He asked me to look at his wound and sniff it. I did although a little puzzled and he asked me did it smell bad. I said that it smelt a little but not bad, mainly of cotton bandage. He said “good.” That it meant it was a clean wound. He said his feet and chest still hurt badly and asked me to slowly tell him everything that had happened to him.

I sat Marek up onto his bunk and Dada held his hand gently. I pulled up a stool and told him every detail that had happened right up to collecting the poor dead animals. Marek and Dada listened with interest and I had to repeat some things that he didn’t understand. When I finished he said I was an excellent story teller and that tomorrow I had to tell him every thing about how we got there and he said he had some stories to tell us too. Not as interesting as ours, he said and then fell asleep. I covered him and took Marek back to the fire.

I looked over to the table and saw that they were clearing things up. Stanislav looked tired and the boys were looking even worse. Jurek just sat at the table, put his head in his arms and fell asleep. I must have been a long time with Dada. There seems to be lots of meat and sausage hanging around the fire. Poor animals. 

Both Stan and Gregor were now asleep at the table and Baba was shooing me away from the fireside to play with Marek. Even the dogs got kicked out of the way. She was busy cooking something and I remembered that I was hungry again. It must be late but I’m not going to ask Stanislav the time. No way!

In a while there was a delicious smell coming from the fireside and I started to get really hungry. I was pleased when Baba banged on the table waking up Stan and the boys. She had set the table with wooden bowls plates and mugs and there stood the big black soup pot on the table.

I grabbed Marek and we sat up. I was famished. Before she served up she went around and hugged and kissed every body. Stanislav got the most. I don’t know why. He shouldn’t have killed those poor animals. She slapped him on the back and I noticed him wince as if in pain. Good, I thought. I’m still cross with him.

The soup was good and we dipped our bread in to soften it and also to allow it to cool.

Then came a large deep frying pan with strips of meat sizzling and the delicious smell of mushrooms. My mouth watered. Stan was served first then the boys. They tucked in straight away and I saw Stan just smelling his plate in delight. He thanked Baba and we all tucked in.

I put a piece of meat into my mouth and it just melted there. It was delicious. I will stop eating meat tomorrow I decided and tucked in. I saw Tan smacking Marek gently on the wrist every time he tried to pinch Tan’s mushrooms. Marek wouldn’t even let Tan take a piece of his meat in exchange. Baba laughed and fished out some more mushrooms for Marek. Marek just gurgled in delight and tucked in.

Jurek fell asleep over his empty plate and Baba picked him up and carried him off to his cot. Gregor followed soon after. I was told to get some herb tea for all of us while Baba busied herself. Tan was rubbing his shoulder but I wasn’t going to notice. Then Baba brought the pan over to the table and there were four round fat pancakes. She shared them out and they were hot. 

To Marek’s delight she got out the honey pot. Well, they were just scrumptious or double, no treble scrumptious! I tried to eat mine slowly but it just slipped down and disappeared. Bliss! Marek fell asleep and he was put to bed.

Baba then insisted on looking at Tan’s shoulder. She unbuttoned his shirt and we saw his shoulder was black and blue and she felt for broken bones. She gave him a puzzled smile and he held up his arms in a shooting action and she understood how it had happened. He got another hug and a kiss but without touching that arm. 

We finished our tea and Baba went to the stable area and brought out some dark wood and dried herbs she put these on the fire and the herbs at the edge. The smell was wonderful. Better than any perfume I had smelt before. Baba explained it was to give the meat and sausages a better flavour. It’s amazing how we understand her so easily even though she doesn’t speak either Polish or Russian. She packed us off to bed and Stanislav got another hug and kiss. I’m fed up with this!

35. Caspian Sea and caviar.  (Shorter version)

Next morning I was woken up roughly by Gregor shaking my bruised arm. It was hurting more than ever. I sat up and couldn’t even raise it. Baba came over and helped me into my shirt and woolly. Everybody had had breakfast but there was a large bowl of porridge waiting for me on the table so after I washed, I sat down and a mug of hot tea appeared. I had to eat with my left hand but I managed when two dollops of honey landed in my porridge, with a sly wink.

I looked around and saw Meg talking to Dada and feeding him with bread soaked in soup. I waved and finished my breakfast. The boys had returned from checking the traps and the dogs got the skinned remains. I wish my arm wouldn’t hurt so much. I then wondered what was going to happen today and were we any nearer to getting to our parents in Siberia?

Baba came over and led me to Dada. He shouted in Polish and I understood him to say, “Come over here, hero. Let me shake your hand.”  I went over and he shook my hand and the rest of them apart from Meg, beamed at me. He told me that I was an expert marksman and he was surprised when I said it was only the second time I had fired a rifle and that hitting the animals was more accident and luck than my marksmanship. I told him that Harry had more to do in killing those animals than me. He just laughed and said he didn’t believe me but said Harry was a good dog and we should look after him.

He then said that Meg had told him all of our story and that we were brave children and had done the right thing to get away from the train. He said that the work camps in Siberia were bad and that many grown-ups and children perished there. He said he was sorry that he couldn’t help us as much as we wanted and that later he would advise us on what to do. He added that we had missed at least three villages because we were on the wrong side of the river. But the villages were very poor and the people there would be too frightened to help us and probably would have scared us away.

He then said he would tell us his story how he and Baba came to be here. He told us that as a young man he lived with his parents and two brothers on the other side of the river in a small village of four cottages. The three brothers were then called up into the army and had to go to the train stop point where we had jumped from our wagons. He didn’t want to go into the army so ran away South, travelling and working on the river boats.

He had eventually got to the Caspian Sea and became a fisherman for sturgeon. These were very valuable for their caviar. He met and married a Mongolian woman and he pointed to Baba and they had two boys. Not Jurek or Gregor he said. They made a lot of money from caviar and breeding horses but after many years he had felt homesick.

They came home on a river boat and found that his mother was all alone and that his father had been killed in a tree felling accident.  He worked as a forester, trapper and woodworker and they did well. Baba bred horses and cured animal skins to make them into warm clothing.

Then things got very bad, said Dada. We had three boys by then and they had grown up big and strong when, one day, a bunch of soldiers came and took the boys off to the army at gun point. A year later soldiers came again and took all of our horses so that we couldn’t breed any more. They also took all of our food - Well, all that they could find. Fortunately we had heard about these things happening so I had hidden all my tools and had a store of food in a special cellar under this house.  

We decided to move over here which was only a forester’s hut, since it was safer and since things were bad everywhere because of constant wars. We made this house look very poor on the outside but inside it had, “A heart of gold.”  We have three cellars in this house and two false lofts. The walls hide lots of things. 

The two cellars are full of provisions so that we don’t go hungry. The third, that can be easily found, is for the robbers, filled with just what we use on a daily basis. The horse looks older than he is and no soldier would take it. All of the things we make are hidden in other cellars dug in the forest and also my large wood working tools.

Soldiers come round, nosing about quite frequently. We have a dog that warns us of anybody approaching so we hide things, put on our dirtiest clothes and look very poor. We don’t like strangers and when you appeared with a helmet on your head leading our horse, Baba thought that I had been taken by the soldiers.

Instead you saved me and probably my family and I will do anything I can for you all.

Meg was quietly crying and I must say I gulped a little. It was a lovely story and Dada thanked us for listening and he would tell us more later, but now he was tired.

35B. Caspian Sea and caviar.  (long version)

Next morning I was woken up roughly by Gregor shaking my bruised arm. It was hurting more than ever. I sat up and couldn’t even raise it. Baba came over and helped me into my shirt and woolly. Everybody had had breakfast but there was a large bowl of porridge waiting for me on the table so after I washed and things I sat down and a t mug appeared of hot tea. I had to eat with my left hand but I managed when two dollops of honey landed in my porridge with a sly wink.

I looked around and saw Meg talking to Dada and feeding him with bread soaked in soup. I waved and finished my breakfast. The boys had returned from checking the traps and the dogs got the skinned remains. I wish my arm wouldn’t hurt so much. I then wondered what was going to happen today and were we any nearer to getting to our parents in Siberia.

Baba came over and led me to Dada. He shouted in Polish and I understood him to say, “Come over here hero. Let me shake your hand.”

 I went over and he shook my hand and the rest of them apart from Meg beamed at me. He told me that I was an expert marksman and he was surprised when I said it was the second time I had fired a rifle and that hitting the animals was more accident and luck than my marksmanship. I told him that Harry had more to do in killing those animals than me. He just laughed and said he didn’t believe me but said Harry was a good dog and we should look after him.

He then said that Meg had told him our entire story and that we were brave children and had done the right thing to get away from the train. He said that the work camps in Siberia were bad and that many children perished there. He said he was sorry that he couldn’t help us much as we wanted and that later he would advise us on what to do. He added that we had missed at least three villages because we were on the wrong side of the river. But the villages were very poor and the people there would be too frightened to help us and probably scared us away.

He then said that we should sit down and he would tell us his story. We pulled up some stools and sat to listen. Even the boys sat down. Dada said the boys love this story but this time he would tell it in his poor Polish, but they would understand. He started by telling us that he had run away from home because he and his brothers had to join the Russian army. Then their home was on the other side of the river in a small village of four houses.  On the day his brothers went North, along the river to the rail stop, we had come from, he had run off South up the river after he was out of sight of the house.

He travelled up the river mainly by working on the river boats. He said the work on the boats was hard because they had to row against the current when there was no wind. Whenever the boat stopped to load or unload he jumped ship and got onto one that was setting off South. The boats were always short of men so that way he travelled faster than on one boat. Since he was good with his hands and could work wood he got jobs where he didn’t have to row much since he was always busy stopping leaks and mending things. In his spare time he carved wooden animals which he sold at the villages. He found that the best sellers were wooden figures of the Saints and he made a lot of Roubles that way. He would also carve a figure in the likeness of the captain of the ship he was on. They liked that and gave him lighter duties. His best job was carving a large figure-head for the prow of a ship. The first captain wouldn’t pay him for it so he jumped ship and another captain was happy to buy it and have a skilled man on board.

He eventually got to the Caspian Sea in the South where it’s much warmer. He spent a number of years there fishing for sturgeon for its eggs which brought a very high price.

 With the money he had saved from selling my sculpture he bought a large old boat for next to nothing and repaired it. He hired a crew and went fishing. Soon he had three boats and three captains working for him and he spent his time repairing his boats and organising and selling of the caviar. It was good business and he was prepared to work hard. Harder than the other owners who worked harder at spending it.

Eventually a beautiful woman came along and wanted work and that was how he met his Baba. The two boys smiled and looked over to Baba. She was from Mongolia and she couldn’t speak Russian so was having difficulty getting work. She knew everything about horses and reindeer. There wasn’t any reindeer in the area but horses were valuable so we bred horses and fished. Life was good but he was getting home sick for his parents and Baba didn’t like the heat in the Caspian summer.

They sold up, bought some wood working tools and with five breeding horses bought their passage on a boat going North, this time, as passengers and not workers. They had a cabin to themselves and a workman who looked after their horses and cooked their food in the main galley. It was a good trip and since it was down river, they reached home in half the time. He spent his time on board carving figures of all the crew and sometimes even helped in mending things on the boat. Having kept three working boats himself on the Caspian he realised what a bad state these boats were in and they were on one of the better ones.

It was sad reaching home. Father had been killed by a falling tree. His brothers hadn’t returned from the war with China and Mother was trying to make ends meet looking after her child on her own. The child, his brother, had died of fever and mother followed soon after. They were left alone with a dilapidated farmhouse with only the things we had brought. 

Baba bred horses and worked the skins. He trapped and shot. He worked the wood and had two men working for hi m. He sold wood to the boatmen who took it to sell on and to repair their boats. In the cold winters he repaired the house and made things out of wood to sell in the villages. Baba made lovely clothes out of the skins and these sold well. They soon were doing well and he was able to get more men to help with the horses and wood working.

Then things got very bad. They had three boys by then and they had grown up big and strong when one day a bunch of soldiers came and took the boys off to the army at gun point. A year later soldiers came again and took all of our horses so that they weren’t able to breed them any more. They also took all of their food. Well, all that they could find. Fortunately they had heard about these things happening so he had hidden all his tools and had a store of food in a cellar in this house.  Oh I forgot to say at the beginning that we lived on the other side of the river. This was just a foresters hut, used only occasionally.

We decided to move over here since it was safer and since things were bad everywhere because of constant wars. We made this house look very poor on the outside but inside we have a heart of gold. We had two cellars in this house and two false lofts. The walls hide lots of things. The two cellars are full of provisions so that we don’t go hungry. The third is for the robbers with just what we use on a daily basis. The horse looks older than he is and no soldier would take it. All of the things we make are hidden in cellars in the forest and also my large wood working tools.

Soldiers come round nosing about quite frequently. We have a dog that warns us of anybody approaching so we hide things put on our dirtiest clothes and look very poor. We don’t like strangers and when you appeared with a helmet on your head leading our horse Baba thought that I had been taken by the soldiers.

Instead you saved me and probably my family and I will do anything I can for you all.

Meg was quietly crying and I must say I gulped a little. It was a lovely story and Dada thanked us for listening and he would tell us more later, but now he was tired.

 

36. We work around the house.

I hope today is not going to be as frightful as yesterday. It was nice talking to Dada. His Polish sounds a bit strange but he said he had learned it from his fishermen in the Caspian. He told me that Baba had had an accident with a horse and couldn’t speak for a long time and had learned to do things by sign language so he hadn’t bothered to learn Mongolian. She speaks some of the local language now but it’s difficult for Russian speakers to understand.

Tan had gone out with the boys to check the traps so I went over to see what Baba was up to. She was making a gorgeous wrap around skirt, trimmed with fur that looked like squirrel’s tails. She said it was for me and I tried it on over my old skirt and it looked fab. I wish I had lots of people to show it off to. As I was tripping up and down the cabin wishing for a mirror, Baba beckoned me over and showed me a pair of moccasins again trimmed in white fur and said they were for me. I just jumped for joy. I wouldn’t take them off even when Baba said they would be too hot for me in the cabin.

After a nice lunch I helped Baba with cleaning pots and folding clothes and hiding them away. She showed me some of the clothing she had made for sale. It was lovely and I would have bought the lot if I had had the Roubles. Tan had gone off with the boys and the sledge to collect logs.

When Tan had returned, Dada asked us to go over to him because he wanted to talk to us. He told us that our safest and best route was to go South and get to the Caspian where we should try and meet either French or English people. He said that they worked on the oil fields and they would arrange for us to get to a safe place and then we would be able to write to our parents and these people would ensure that they got our letters.

He said it was a long way but we had come so far without too much problem and so the rest would be fairly easy. He said he would give us money to buy train tickets that would take us most of the way. He said we should cross the river and follow the tracks which took much shorter routes than the river. He warned us to keep away from soldiers or guards who would try and rob us. He said he would provide us with provisions to keep us going for a few days. He told us that most of the villages had markets where we could buy food and that we had to barter hard to get a good deal and make our money last.

I didn’t like all of this. I suppose I was hoping for a magic fairy to come along and whoosh us back to our parents. He said that there was always a cook house where we could buy and eat broth, but you had to take your own spoon. It would only cost a few Kopeks and they served mainly travellers.  He then said we should make up our minds when we should go. I looked at Tan and we decided that we would leave in two days time after we had checked out our gear and made plans.

37. Time to go.

The following day we checked our packs, our emergency kit and iron rations. Meg still had her sweets and her American chocolate. I wondered when we would eat that. Baba had given me some leggings and mitts. Meg had her skirt and moccasins and Marek had moccasins and some short trousers with braces. So we had more warm clothes than before. I checked my water bottle and refilled it. I found the little tin with petrol and decided to get rid of the petrol and make it into a water bottle for Meg. I mentioned this to Dada and he said we should leave the petrol tin and he would give Meg a wooden bottle with a shoulder strap. He also said my bayonet was too heavy and he would make me a light wooden scabbard.

Meg was busy too, checking that she and Marek had everything in order. The new scabbard was wonderfully light and tied up with leather. It had a leather shoulder strap and the bayonet had been sharpened and oiled. He then sharpened my pen knife and showed me how it was done.

We then came to the biggest surprise of all. The boys had been in the loft a long time and eventually they brought down a small wooden sledge, beautifully made and carved. Baba said it was for us to carry Marek and our provisions. It had a box seat and handles so that it could be pushed as well as leather leads to pull on. We went round everybody hugging and thanking them all with tears in our eyes. Marek just sat on the box seat and sang a silly song that Meg had taught him, at the top of his voice. This would certainly speed up our travel and we could carry more provisions.

Then came out more gifts and we hugged and cried and hugged and thanked everybody. They were so good to us. We were all kitted out with a new fur hat to match our mitts, a wooden spoon specially carved, a carved walking staff with a bobble on the end and lastly we each got a soft leather cape with a hood. This would keep us warm and dry and protect us from the wind. We were fully kitted out. Meg then got a carved wooden cat and Marek got a small leather bag of wooden toys to play with.

Every body was pleased with their gifts and these kind people were pleased for us. Meg gave Dada her cigarette lighter and he was very happy. He said he didn’t smoke now but it would be useful in the forest and now he also had petrol to refill it.

Baba then brought over a basket of provisions for us to take. We had two large heavy black loaves, four rings of reindeer sausage. A small bag of salt, a bag of flour and small bags of dried herbs, mushrooms and herb tea. There was also a small wooden jar of honey for Marek. These were loaded into the box with the water and mugs. There wasn’t room for Tan’s helmet and it wouldn’t fit over his new hat so Dada made two holes in the tin bowl and put some wire through it and said we now had a cooking pot. It fitted over the handle of the sledge.

It was sad going to bed that night thinking that this was our last night in such cosiness.

Where would we sleep tomorrow I wondered? At least we were well kitted out, clean and well fed. I hope everything will turn out well for us. I wanted to cry but just sniffed a little. 

38. Journey onwards

We got up early and had a quick breakfast and got fully dressed. Tan was busy with the sledge and checking the leads. Every body was quiet. I was ready to blurt out crying but held it back. We wanted to be away quickly and not to delay the “Good Byes”. Only Marek carried on playing with the dogs as if nothing new was going to happen. I’m sure Harry sensed something because he was more alert and stood around rather than lolling in front of the fire.

We hugged and kissed Dada and he gave Tan and me a small leather bag of coins and notes to hang around our necks ands hide in our clothes. This money was for our train tickets and food. Both Tan and I started to cry and we left through the door, in tears.

Baba and the boys would take us across the river and show us the track in the forest to follow to the next village, which was two days away. The boys pulled the sledge and we followed using our new sticks. Crossing the river was difficult and we were glad to have Baba and the boys to help us over the broken ice. The forest was thinner on this side and we soon came to a clearing and Baba pointed the way. We all burst out crying and hugged and kissed each other. 

Finally Baba shooed us on and we went off waving until we lost sight of them around a bend. We were now alone as before but with much better gear. The track was much easier than making our own way. Tan pulled the sledge and I pushed so we moved along quite quickly. 

When we came to a down hill bit the sledge slid on its own. I stood with one foot on a runner and using the other for scooting and steering. Marek loved going fast down hill and shouted and yelled in delight. We had to wait at the bottom for Tan to catch up.

We were in good spirits and stopped only a few times for a rest and to eat some food.

We got Marek to walk a little so that he wouldn’t get too cold but he had to jump on the sledge on any downhill bit. Harry just trotted along beside us but would run off into the forest to chase something. He would then appear ahead of us wagging his tail

He often came back licking his chops and Tan said that he was probably raiding the traps.

We didn’t come across any other traveller but saw plenty of signs of people being about. There were lots of sledge marks on the ice and occasional remains of fires and stumps of trees that had been cut down. Tan said that there was less dry wood around and we would have to stop early for shelter.

We came to the top of a small hill and could look over the top of the trees. In the far distance we could see wisps of smoke rising. That must be the village. We cried and hugged each other. It was too far away to reach today but we were sure that we would find it tomorrow.  Tan said that we should get well away from the road to set up camp.

We made the usual camp under the low branches on a bed of pine needles. We made a fire and melted lots of water because now Tan could stick his helmet full if ice in the middle of the fire and lift it off with a stick, by its handle. We slept well, covered by our capes and Marek’s blanket. Harry of course added to the warmth, except for his cold nose.

39. Our first village. 

I didn’t like leaving the woodcutter family. They had been very good to us but were not able to help us join Mum and Dad. Meg wanted to stay but I had to explain that once Dada had fully recovered he would be able to look after the family and we would just be a burden. He had given us some good advice and we should move on. 

We were much better prepared to travel than before and the sledge was wonderful. We would be able to travel more quickly and get to the villages where we would be able to buy food and get shelter. It was terrible leaving them and I couldn’t help crying along with Meg. Baba and Dada were such a great help to us. We will miss them.

Dada told us it would take us about two days to get to the next village where we could get some food and shelter. We would then go on from village to village until we got to a town with a train station. I don’t know how long that will take us but we need to get on before the thaw comes. Then travel will become impossible for a month or so because most places will be flooded.

We noticed Marek rubbing his mouth and quietly crying. Meg had a look and saw that the skin around his mouth and nose was dry and cracked. She said we needed some skin cream. Where are we going to get skin cream in a forest I thought?  Then Meg told me to get my packet of grease out. She is full of good ideas.

Meg smeared some grease around Marek’s mouth and nose and said it would be a good idea if we did the same. It smelt funny and had a horrible taste but it did the trick. Marek would come up and point to his mouth and we knew he needed more. It’s a good job we had plenty but I didn’t think we would use it on our skins. Ahh well! 

With the help of the sledge and the good tracks we quickly came in sight of the village or at least the smoke from the village. We would have to stop over night before it got dark. We now knew how to get comfortable and warm for the night and we could melt lots of water and even make some herb tea. The dry reindeer sausage was very tasty but a bit tough.

Next morning we got going quickly, eager to get to the village and see some more people and maybe get more news and help. Meg got very good at guiding the sledge so while I was pulling she was able to guide it and avoid the bumps. Going down slopes and hills, Meg managed to sledge down and get some way up the other side. I used to be left behind but it gave me a breather before being the cart horse again. I wish we could train Harry to pull. I think he would be too difficult for us to control. 

We reached the village at about midday. There were about ten shacks scattered over a small hillock overlooking the river. There were a number of people about and we were told where we could get food.  We tied the sledge to a pole outside a large shack and got Harry to guard it. 

Inside was a big table with benches. Most of the spaces were taken by men busy eating. The food smelt quite good and we were hungry for something hot. A large lady in a grey apron came over and I asked her in Russian if we could buy something to eat. She seemed to understand me and offered a bowl of soup, some potatoes and bread. She took the money and told us to sit on the floor by the open fire. She brought us a bowl of watery soup with three potatoes in it and a large chunk of hard bread. We got our spoons out and the lady suddenly cheered up and pointed to the carvings and said something about the woodcutter. She also brought us another potato each.

We gave Marek most of the bread so that he could dip it in and soften it. The potatoes I cut up with my bayonet and we ate a good hot meal and felt much better. It was difficult to understand the lady but she managed to tell us that we could stay overnight in a barn that we had passed at the end of the village.

We thanked her and went out into the freezing cold to find Harry surrounded by a fan club of six children, standing a safe distance away, looking at the dog and our sledge. They ran away when we came out. We trudged over to the barn and were met by a gruff old man who said how much he would charge us and showed us where we could sleep.

Meg took one look at the smelly place and shook her head. I agreed. It was dark and cold. There was no fire and no possibility of a fire. It was pretty horrible so I was glad to turn it down and we continued on our way to find a camp site.

40. Hot food

I’m glad that Tan agreed to leave that smelly cold place. The old man was going to charge us a fortune to stay there. More than we had paid for the meal, which was good, filling and warmed us up. At least Tan will light a fire and we have plenty of covers to keep warm. Also Harry!

We seemed to have covered quite a distance away from that village on a fairly flat track, when Tan said he would go ahead and find a camping place. We soon saw him on the track waving to us and he led us off the track to a hollow under some low branches. Our normal camp site! We soon had the pine needles piled up and a tent made from our sticks and capes. The fire was blazing and Harry was roasting himself. I told Tan that this was much better than that horrible barn but I did miss the hot food.

Dear Tan is so good and full of ideas. He suggested we make camp bread. I told him we needed an oven but he explained that scouts make bread without ovens and we should try, since Baba had given us a bag of flour. He got me to mix some flour and water into a thick dough. He said I should add a pinch of salt to make it taste better.

 He came back with some cut and peeled sticks and we wound and stuck snakes of dough on the sticks and held them over the fire. When they went brown we tried them. They were quite good, a bit like biscuits but hot. We needed to cook them a bit longer so that all the dough was cooked. Marek liked them so we made a lot and sat munching them when Tan suddenly jumped up and came back with a small wooden pot.

Well, Marek went wild. He knew what was in the pot and we ended up with a feast of scout’s bread smeared with honey. Deeeelecious!  Harry got some hard sausage to chew. We used up half a bag of flour and I couldn’t wait for the next camp when we could have some more, now that we knew the best way of making them.

41. Trouble ahead

We had a good night’s sleep after last night’s lovely meal of hot bread and honey. I wondered why Baba gave us the flour but now I’m glad she did. Meg woke us up early and we were quickly on the road. The next village was two to three days away so we needed to get going.

The track was quite level with only a few hills so we were making good time. Harry was off hunting and he would meet us ahead on the track from time to time looking pleased with himself.

We got to the top of a small rise and Marek was looking forward to a fast swoosh down when two men with rifles over their shoulders came out of the trees and stood in our way.

They looked like Russian soldiers with badges on their fur hats so I said to them in Russian that we were just following our parents who were ahead of us and asked them had they seen them. They just stood there watching us so I pulled at the sledge to give them a wide berth and continue, but they moved over to block my way.

I was a bit frightened and said to them to let us by but one of them just stepped up to me and hit me hard in the face and knocked me over onto the ice. Meg and Marek started to shout at them. 

One of them grabbed the rope and started to pull the sledge and the other was going towards Marek, waving his arm to make him get off the sledge. Then a dragon came hurtling through the air to our rescue with huge bare teeth and an enormous growl. It struck the soldier in the middle of his back, sinking it fangs into his thick coat. The man fell with a mighty thud, with the ton weight of Harry on his back. His head hit the ice with an almighty smack and he lay there, with a huge strip of coat ripped off his back and in Harry’s jaw.

I was a little dazed by the blow and reached over to get my stick when I saw the other soldier dropping the rope and getting his rifle. He was far too slow because mighty Meg let out her horrible scream which startled him and she also thwacked him really hard on the elbow with the knob end of her stick. 

He dropped the rifle and looked in amazement and pain at Meg, holding onto his elbow, when Harry launched himself at him and pounded into his chest. The soldier was knocked over, with his fur hat flying and Harry sinking his teeth into the man’s arm. He managed to roll over pushing Harry away and just fled into the forest. Harry chased him and hurried him on, snarling and nipping at his ankles.

The whole thing was over in a flash and I was still trying to get up. Mighty Meg had Marek onto the sledge and was already pushing off down the slope. I got on my feet and saw the other soldier on the ground groaning and holding his head. I grabbed the two rifles and dragging them, set off running after Meg.  My cheek hurt and I was frightened and I had two rifles to slow me down.

I eventually caught up with Meg and Marek. We stopped for a moment to check that we were all OK and then set off again in a hurry. Me pulling the sledge and dragging two rifles. Meg shouted that we should stop and get rid of the rifles, but where? She said to hide them in the snow. There was a pile of snow just off the track and I carefully slid the rifles beneath it so that the snow looked undisturbed and then we were off again as fast as we could go.

We saw Harry waiting for us further up the track and stopped for a quick rest beside him. Harry the hero got big hug from all of us and lots of petting plus a bit of sausage. We all gave each other a hug and felt better. I told Meg that I was very frightened when the soldier hit me. She told me that she was just very cross and hit the soldier with her stick for hitting me and upsetting Marek. I told her that the soldiers wouldn’t have hurt her or Marek and that they only wanted to take our sledge. She said she wasn’t going to let any soldier take it, anyway. I didn’t know how, but we were all glad that Harry had come to the rescue and hoped that the soldiers would get into big trouble for losing their rifles and off we went in greater spirit. I loved that scream of hers. Even I got a shock when she let fly. Good old Meg!

42. Piotr the driver. 

That was a bit scary with the soldiers. I was more cross than frightened. That bully of a soldier hitting poor Tan for nothing made my blood boil. Hero Harry was marvellous. The way he came to the rescue by knocking one soldier over and chasing the other away. I hope he didn’t hurt them but maybe they deserved it trying to rob us poor children. I hope they get into real trouble from their Army Captain for losing their rifles and tearing their coats. Tan said he took the rifles so that they wouldn’t shoot at us. I should have hit that nasty soldier harder. Tan said he was getting his rifle to shoot at Harry. So it serves him right that Harry bit his arm. Poor old Marek was just shouting because he was angry that the men were stopping his swoosh down the hill. Any way, we ran away and I don’t think they will catch up with us now. It was nice when Tan gave me a hug and told me I was a brave girl. I like having a brother and a dog. Well, I have two brothers now with Marek.

We stopped for a short break to have something to eat. Tan said we needed to get on as far as we could today and tomorrow we should get to the next village where we could buy more food. I’m looking forward to tonight’s feast of scout’s bread with honey. Yummy! I hope we can get some more flour and honey at the next village. Maybe we should try putting some herbs, which Baba gave us, in the mix?

As we reached the top of a small rise Tan stopped and held his finger up for silence. Marek and I stopped singing our silly song that I had made up and wondered what was going on. Tan came back and said that there was a lorry ahead of us, at the bottom of the hill. It had stopped but he couldn’t see any body there.

We waited while Tan went ahead through the trees to get a better look. He came back after quite a while and said it was an army truck but it looked, from a distance, abandoned. He said that the way through the trees was very difficult and that we should get past this truck as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Tan put Harry on a leash and I told Marek to keep quiet. Tan did one better and dipped Marek’s spoon in honey. That would keep him busy for a while. We hurried down the slope trying to keep the sledge off the crusty ice and started to pass the lorry when Harry stopped and growled. We couldn’t see anybody but the front of the lorry was up and smoke was rising gently from the engine.

Suddenly Harry stiffened and growled again and we saw a man come out of the trees carrying an armful of snowballs. He stopped. His jaw dropped and snowballs went spilling from his arms and then a broad grin appeared on his face.

He looked at us in amazement and said, “What are you kids doing here? You gave me a fright. I didn’t expect to see anybody along this track. You are a long way from the next village. Where are your parents?” 

He just kept talking in a nice way, dropping more snow balls until he only had one left which he threw at the truck. All this was in Russian and Tan translated it for me when suddenly the man started talking in Polish and we could all understand. I told him briefly that we were making our way to the next village to meet our parents. We didn’t want to tell him too much at this stage since we didn’t know him at all.

He said he was a driver for the army and had been taken from a Siberian work camp to drive and repair lorries, since he was a mechanic. He was the last of a convoy of six lorries taking cement to an army camp. Since he was a mechanic they gave him the worst truck and the last place so that if any other one broke down he could drive up and mend it. 

He said his luck was down since his truck had a leaking radiator and was now over heating. He had mended it but was short of water. That’s why he was collecting snow to fill the radiator.

He said it was funny meeting kids and Polish kids at that and that if we helped him collect snow he would give us a lift. Well he seemed nice and he wasn’t a soldier or a guard so Tan looked at me and said we should help. I made snow balls, Tan scooped snow in his helmet and Marek collected icicles. The driver, whose name was Piotr, pushed the snow into the radiator and we soon had it filled. 

Piotr started the engine and then helped Marek, Harry and me into the cab. It was warm in there and we could take our mitts off. Tan and Piotr lifted the sledge onto the rack over the cabin and tied it down. They climbed in and Piotr moved some levers and the truck started off slowly along the track. 

Once Piotr was satisfied that everything was Ok with the truck he turned to us and said that we should tell him everything since he didn’t believe that any parent would have abandoned their children in the dark forest, kilometres away from any village. Especially Polish parents he added.

Tan looked at me and nodded so I told Piotr the main bits of our story and he listened carefully and sometimes asked us to repeat things or give more detail. When I finished he stayed silent for a long time and then scratched his head and said that we must be very brave and that he had heard many stories of people escaping from trains and work camps but never heard one as good as ours. He said he would like to hear it again later and in more detail.

He told us that he was delivering the lorry and cement to an army camp some two days away. He had been delayed by one day with break downs but he would be able to take us all the way towards the army camp and then we would have to make our way to a town which had a railway station. 

It was nice and warm in the cab and Harry was asleep in the foot well and Marek had curled up with him. Piotr said that we should reach the village in about three hours and we would get something to eat there.

Tan chatted with Piotr and I just fell asleep with my head on Tan’s shoulder and holding his arm. The next thing I knew we had stopped and Tan was shaking me gently awake.

43. New driver

I was a little frightened by the army truck and didn’t want any more trouble from soldiers so I was surprised when we met a nice driver and a Polish one at that. It was good to get a lift and to get out of the freezing cold. I told Piotr more of our story and Meg, Marek and Harry just slept on. Piotr just kept shaking his head in wonder and asked me to go on and tell more. He was angry when I told him about the soldiers. He called them lots of things and the nicest word was “Bandits.”

We eventually reached a village and stopped. Piotr said he would check if we could get anything to eat here and I gently woke Meg. Poitr said that we could get soup and bread at one of the houses so he drove over to it and helped us all down.

Inside the farmer’s wife sat us down near the fire and made us some herb tea from the samovar. She then put a black pot of soup onto the fire to heat. We had a big bowl of soup and black bread between us and Harry got a bowl to himself. Piotr wouldn’t take any money from me for the meal and we were soon on our way.

Piotr said he would have to drive through the night to catch up on lost time. He said this would save him a lot of bother at the army camp if he arrived very late. After we had driven for an hour Piotr asked if I would like to steer the truck and he would look after the pedals and things.

It was great. I sat on his knees and steered the truck along the track and he moved the pedals and levers. The steering wheel was big and heavy to move but once I realised I didn’t need to move it very far it was fairly easy to just follow the ruts along the track. Piotr then showed me how to use the gas lever on the side of the steering wheel to speed up and slow down. Piotr called these Russian trucks “tractors” and that Polish lorries had the gas pedal on the floor which you pushed with your foot to control the speed.

I got quite good at steering and didn’t need to use the levers or pedals. He said the truck did have brakes but they weren’t much good anyway. After a while Piotr eased away from under me and pushed a blanked for me to sit on so that I was higher and could look over the bonnet of the truck.

He said we had to drive slowly to save fuel and these trucks couldn’t be driven fast otherwise they would break down. I was enjoying this. It was warm and we were travelling along much faster than before. I was quite excited about reaching a town and getting to the train station.

I was concentrating on the driving and thinking about our next adventure when I heard light snoring next to me. Oops! I thought. I’m the driver now. Meg was too busy telling Marek a story and Harry was just enjoying the heat from the engine to notice that I was the new driver. I decided to move the gas lever to a slightly slower speed just in case I came across something on the track. As I lowered the speed the snoring just got louder. 

I must have driven for an hour or more when we jolted over some ruts and Piotr woke up. He was startled and said he was sorry to have fallen asleep but was glad that I had managed OK. We had a stop to stretch our legs and I suddenly realised how cold it was outside.

It started getting dark and Piotr put on the lights and also fixed a spot light on top of the cab. This shone a lot further ahead and also scared the animals so that they ran away instead of freezing in the lights. We took turns to drive. He would only let me drive for an hour while he slept and then I slept and he took over. 

We drove throughout the night and next morning arrived at a village where we had breakfast of hot tea and, thick porridge with honey. Lots of honey! Marek was delighted and Harry had the job of licking a lot of the honey off his face and hands.

44. The town at last.

Piotr is very nice. We were lucky to meet up with him. He will be able to take us a long way on our journey. He seems to think we are doing the right thing even though we seem to be going further and further away from Mama Dika and Dad. I hope they are OK. I should think they will be worried sick over us. I wish I could send them a magic message to tell them that we are OK. I sometimes just think very, very hard and hope they can pick up my message.

I was a bit worried when I saw Tan driving the truck and Piotr asleep at his side. Tan said it was quite easy and that all he had to do was steer the thing. Marek liked the truck and the warmth inside the cab made him sleepy. He liked to curl up with Harry on the floor. 

Tan says that  Piotr can take us about a half days walk from a town with a railway station and that Piotr will tell us how to go about getting a ticket and finding somewhere to stay overnight if we need to. We seem to have been lucky on most occasions with meeting good people, apart from those nasty soldiers.

I slept most of that night and Tan said he drove for an hour or so while Piotr slept and then Piotr took over. We must have covered a great distance. We stopped at some villages for breakfast and lunch which were OK but not as good as Mama Dika’s at home. What would I give for one of her dumpling stews? Better not think of it too much. Might make me cry.

Piotr stopped the truck and said that we were close to the army camp and it would be getting dark in a few hours. He said that we should pull off the road and sleep for the night but Tan would not agree and said that Piotr should go on and we would manage on our own over night as we had done before.

They argued for some time until Piotr suggested that he would drive us for one hour beyond the turning so that we would be much closer to the town and there would be still find deep forest for us to camp safely.

We stopped and said our good byes. It’s always difficult leaving nice people. Piotr gave us his blanket and said he didn’t need it and could easily get another one. He also gave Tan a lot of money in coins which Tan put in his coat pocket. We hugged and cried and waved Piotr off. We were back in the freezing cold but at least we had travelled a long way instead of going on foot.

We set up camp as usual and ate most of the food including yummy scout’s bread with the rest of the honey. An extra blanket helped us overnight and we got up early next morning and after a hot drink and bread, set off on our last walk into town I wondered what we were going to find there?

45. Beds for sale, Sledges for sale!

When Piotr was driving, he told me what we should do when we reached the town. He asked how much money we had and said we had enough to buy train tickets for all of us but we would need some coins to buy food on the train. He said he would give us plenty of money in small coins so that we could buy food at the stations on the way.

He also told us the best way of finding somewhere to stay overnight if we couldn’t get a train straight away. He said we should try and sell the sledge and get a good price for it. He then quizzed me on things we should do if we got into any difficulty and advised me on the best way of dealing with them. He was a great help and I felt that we could overcome any problems.

It was sad leaving Piotr but he helped us so much on our journey that we could never thank him enough. We camped out as usual and next morning we were off early and reached the outskirts of the town by mid day. The people weren’t very helpful and not very friendly. They just seemed to worry about themselves and just looked away when we asked the way to the station. We eventually came across a rail track and followed it until we reached a station. 

At the station I asked a porter the way to the First Class ticket office and he just pointed and walked off. We found the office tucked away from the main desks and as Piotr had told us, asked a lady in the queue if she could buy us tickets and showed her the money. I told her that we were going to our parents and our Aunty who we were visiting was too ill to come and buy the tickets for us. 

We waited a long time until the queue reached the desk and the lady bought us the tickets without any trouble and I asked her to get us reserved seats next to a window. This took more time and some more roubles but we ended up with four tickets and four reserved seats in a first class compartment.  

The first part of Piotr’s plan had worked a treat. He had said that they only sold cheaper fares for children in First Class and that this would cost less than the adult fare in ordinary class. Also he had told us that we wouldn’t be bothered so much by guards and soldiers in First Class.

The bad news was that the next train with seats was tomorrow at midday so we had to spend the night in town. It was time to try Piotr’s second plan and I asked Meg to help. We went to the main entrance of the station and sure enough there were lots of people shouting and selling things. Some were shouting “Beds for Sale” and I asked Meg to try and spot a nice person who might put us up. She is usually pretty good at sizing up people. She pointed out a lady that I should speak to, standing with a piece of cardboard with “Bed” written on it. She wasn’t shouting just standing there quietly looking at all the people going by.

I went up to her and asked in Russian if she could put up four children for the night because we had missed our train and would have to get one next day. She said she was surprised that we were looking for an overnight stay since her business was usually with adults. She agreed and said it would cost us two Roubles with dinner and breakfast. She was a bit surprised to find the fourth child was a big dog but she didn’t seem to mind and took our money.

She lived in a tall flat not far away from the station and said we would have to go by the market where she needed to buy some food for us all. Well, the market sold everything from apples to bicycles. I immediately asked if we could sell our sledge there and she just told us to shout “Sledge for sale” and somebody would come along and offer a price.

I got Meg to stand on the sledge shouting and I pulled it through the market, holding onto Marek and Harry. We soon had a crowd interested and shouting prices at us. A big man with a black fur hat shouted a price and others lost interest. He got the sledge and we got a lot of Roubles. I gave the lady another Rouble to buy plenty of food so that we would have a good supper tonight. It was quite exciting in the market and we walked away carrying lots of packets of food, under our arms.

46. A teacher helps us.

Tan was very good at the station. He knew what to do and we ended up with four tickets in a First Class carriage with booked seats. I wondered what it would be like. Better than the coal wagons I hoped. Will we have proper seats and windows, I wondered? Where will Harry sit and will there be a loo?

I was still wondering about lots of things when Tan said that we needed to go to the main entrance and find a bed for the night since the train left tomorrow. He explained that Piotr told him that there would be lots of people offering a bed for the night to travellers.

He made me feel very important by asking me to look for a nice looking lady so that we could ask her first. Well, most of them looked a rough lot but then I noticed a lady with a card and she looked somehow different.

Tan spoke to her and she gave him a nice smile and I liked her straight away. I hope she has room for all of us. It was good luck that she had room and would take Harry.

She also helped us to sell the sledge which was good fun. I shouted what Tan had told me and Harry barked every now and again. We collected quite a crowd. They seemed to sort themselves out about who was going to pay the highest price and so we just stood there and waited. With the money, we gave the lady more to buy extra food for us all.

She lived on the fourth floor of a tall block and we had to walk up the stairs. Good job we had sold the sledge. The flat was small but warm and the lady showed us into a small room which was filled by a bed. This would be our first proper bed for weeks and it was soft and had a fluffy quilt cover.  

The lady said her name was Irena and that she used to be a teacher but they had closed her school and she was without a job. She told us that her husband was also a teacher but had been taken off to the army. She was now alone and making ends meet as best as she could.

She didn’t ask too many questions about us but was a little surprised that we were Polish even though Tan spoke good Russian. Since the flat was heated by a central boiler she said there was lots of hot water and we could have a hot bath and even wash clothes. This was wonderful. We had lots of hot water and soap. We each had a deep bath and washed our underclothes and shirts. These we hung to dry on the hot radiators and Irena cooked us a meal in her small kitchen area.

We all sat at a small table with Harry to one side and had tasty soup followed by some meat, potatoes and hot pickled cabbage. We all had large portions and even Harry got lots of scraps and left-overs. This was followed by a big mug of hot herb tea with a sweet biscuit. It was yummy. 

Then a real big surprise. Irena brought out a bag of fruit. Some I didn’t recognise and some I had only seen in pictures. There were two apples and an orange and four figs. We had never eaten figs or oranges and didn’t even know how and what to eat. Irena cut the fruit up and we watched her eat bits and we followed. There was much pulling of faces when we tried the oranges but we liked the figs which were sweet and soft. Marek tried to eat the peel of the orange but took one bite and pulled such a funny face we all laughed. 

It was a good meal and Irena looked after us as if she was our mother. We all slept in the one bed. Well not Harry. He found a warm place near a hot radiator. The bed was soft and warm. Too warm, because we had to throw the covers off. Marek and I went to bed first and Tan spent some time talking with Irena.

47. General’s letter

When Meg and Marek had gone to bed, Irena took me to one side and said we should talk. We sat at the table and Irena asked me some questions and I decided to tell her our story. She was most surprised at what I had told her but agreed that times were hard for all people and we had done the best that we could.

I showed her that we had train tickets and reserved seats on the train going to the Caspian. She was a little amazed that we were so well prepared. She then asked what official papers we had and what identification we had. She said we would have trouble travelling on a train without them. They checked all passengers at each station and we would have big problems even though we were children.

After a lot of talking she suddenly had an idea. She would write us a letter as if it was from our father who was sending his children to their mother in the Caspian. The main point was that we would pretend our father was the real General Kronin, who was in the same regiment as her husband. She said she made most of her money from writing letters and that reminded me of Dad who did much the same thing in Warsaw.

She got a large sheet of white paper and wrote a long letter with lots of wiggly lines to make it look very important. She then got out an ink pad and put some very important looking stamps on the top and down the side. It looked very impressive. She then folded it carefully and put it into a white envelope. I gave her a kiss and offered more money but she wouldn’t take any more saying that we brave children needed it more than her.

I asked her if she would come to the station as our Aunt to see us off to make it more official. She agreed and I went off to bed much happier

48. First Class carriage

It was lovely getting out of a warm soft bed into a warm room and dressing into clean warm clothes. It was quite wonderful. Irena fussed over us as we packed and repacked our rucksacks. Tan decided that we didn’t need the sticks and we should leave them with Irena. Tan also left her his soft leather cape and his leather leggings. He said that it would be warm where we were going and we wouldn’t need these things. I wanted my nice cape since it matched my moccasins and skirt. Tan said it would be alright for girls, but boys looked funny in capes in town.

After a nice breakfast of bread, sweet biscuits and herb tea, Irena took us to the station early. Tan wanted us to be there before the crowds so that we could check out the train. We bought a packet of food and a bottle of milk at the market to have on the train. 

We arrived at the station about two hours before the train departed and found it already on the track. Irena asked a porter who pointed up the track towards the engine. It was a long train with lots of people piling on with lots of baggage. It was a proper train with proper carriages for people, not coal wagons. 

We eventually arrived at a long shiny carriage where there was a guard standing by the door. He didn’t look at all pleased when he saw us but checked our tickets and our seat reservations and lead the way aboard. There was a long corridor and compartments leading off, each with a sliding door.

He slid back the door to our compartment and gruffly pointed to four seats by the window and was about to leave us when Tan stopped him and gave him two Roubles and told him that this was to look after us and that our Mother would give him the same at the end of the journey. He cheered up and even gave Harry a pat.

The carriage was lovely and comfortable. There were two long soft bench seats and string luggage racks above. There were two mirrors and lights on either side. We bounced up and down on the seats to try them out and Tan put our sacks and food up on the racks and we looked around touching things and getting quite excited.

Irena watched us and was quite amused by our excitement then said she would have to leave us. We gave her big kisses and hugs and Tan said he would write to her when we got to the Caspian safely. She left Marek with a small bag of sweet biscuits. She had been very kind to us and we would miss her.

I slid the compartment door open and went along to see the guard. He smiled at me and showed me the loo with a small wash basin and the little cabin where he had a seat and a big samovar. The samovar was bubbling away and was heated by lumps of charcoal burning in the grate underneath. He seemed nice and I gave him one of my most charming smiles.

Back in the compartment Tan had managed to slide down the window and we could hang out and watch people climbing into carriages with lots and lots of luggage. Peddlers were coming up and down the track selling drink, food and fruit. It was all exciting and we jumped around feeling very happy and not feeling the cold.

Things got worse however when four grown-ups were shown into our compartment. They didn’t seem very happy to find three children and a dog in their compartment. They tried to move us from our seats by the window but Tan showed them our seat reservations and they just grumbled.

The two ladies started talking loudly and Tan later told me that they were saying bad things about us. They told us to close the window because it was cold and to sit down and not stand on the seats. They were really grumpy grown ups. I didn’t like them. In fact I decided I hated them. I only hoped that they would leave the train early.

49. Start of a long train journey

Good old Piotr was right all the way. We got our tickets with seats, found the right person to spend the night with and now we were on the train and had made friends with the carriage guard. This was possibly our last long journey. Irena said it took about three or four nights to get to the Caspian. Piotr and Irena were wonderful and helped us a lot. I hope Irena’s letter works with the guards and soldiers. It certainly impressed me and I had seen Dad write lots of similar letters to officials.

We were quite excited by the train and especially our compartment. It was very comfortable and we thought that we would have a good journey. The only fly in the ointment was the four grumpy grown-ups. They are going to be a bother. It’s a good job that Meg didn’t understand what they were saying. It wasn’t very nice. I hope they settle down and go to sleep or read their papers and leave us alone.

There was a long whistle from the engine and soon we moved off very quietly. None of the sudden jerks as on our first train journey. We sat down and watched the buildings slowly pass by and then we were chugging through the forests at a much faster speed than we were used to on our sledge. It was quite exciting and we were full of interest about every thing. The friendly guard was busy with other passengers but he would look in as he passed and wave or just smile. At least we had one friend.

Meg needed to take Marek to the loo but the grumpys made it difficult for them to pass and wouldn’t even open the stiff sliding door. I had to do it and they then complained about me. I wish they would just shut up and go to sleep. After about an hour or so they started to spread out and in the end had most of the bench seats.

There was hardly room for Meg and Marek to sit together. I complained to them and showed them our seat reservations and they just laughed and called me a stupid boy. Even Meg was getting cross with them and they just ignored her and called her nasty names. I hoped that Meg didn’t understand. I was getting very angry but couldn’t do anything. They wouldn’t listen to me and just laughed.

Borek the guard came to our rescue. He came into the compartment and asked if we wanted tea so I gave him our two mugs and off he went. Well, the grumpies got even madder and wondered why they hadn’t been asked and started raising their voices. Borek came back with our mugs full of hot tea and then asked the grumps for their tickets and their seat reservations.

He left the compartment and soon returned and looked at the tickets and asked one of the men how many seats had they reserved. Was it four or six? The reservation was for only four Borek told him. The men looked at Borek quite puzzled as if they didn’t know what he was getting at when Borek produced two arm rests and got the men to move along. He fixed the armrest into the seat backs in the middle of each bench and the grumpies suddenly found themselves squashed tight and we had acres of room. He simply said to the grown-ups, “You reserved and paid for four seats and the kids here and the dog the same” and left slamming the door behind him.

Well, you should have seen the grumpies. They turned purple and for once they were speechless as we spread out and sipped our tea. Before they could say anything Borek was back with a large wooden board which he fixed as a table below the window and now we had somewhere to rest our elbows and put down our mugs. It was great. We had won the first battle but will there be others?

50. Soldiers check our papers

Tan told me that Piotr the driver had told him all these things to help us get on the train and now we are on the way to the Caspian where we will meet people who can help us contact our parents.  We seem to be going away from them rather than towards them but everybody has said that we should find the right people there. I hope so. Tan has been ever so good in arranging everything. 

It’s so nice being in this grand compartment. I think I will travel first class every time. It is so comfortable apart from the grumpies spoiling everything. At least Borek the guard helped us and now they are really squashed up and we have bags of space.

Tan said our big test would be when the soldiers come round checking papers but he thinks that the letter that Irena wrote for us will do the trick. We had to remember that our name is “Kronin” as on the letter and I was to keep quiet and let Tan do all the talking in Russian. I know some words in Russian. In fact I know a lot of words so I don’t know why he is so bothered.

We settled down and Marek sat on the table looking out of the window and I was pointing out all the bits of interest and Marek tried to repeat the words. Tan was checking the food in our packs and also our money. I hope we have enough to buy food when the train stops.

There was a loud noise in the corridor and we looked up to see soldiers walking up and down peering into the compartments. We heard the next door compartment slamming open and the soldiers shouting something. Didn’t sound very nice. After a time they came to our compartment and tried to slide the door open but it stuck and Borek had to open it.

The grumpies had their papers and tickets checked and were asked a lot of questions. They then looked at us in some surprise and demanded who we were. Tan translated all this for me later. The grumpies said that we didn’t belong to them and looked rather satisfied as if we were going to get into trouble.

Dear Tan didn’t say a word but just handed over the letter. One of the soldiers opened the letter and the other demanded tickets which Tan handed over along with the seat reservations. The first soldier looked from the letter to us and back a few times and then showed the letter to the second man with the tickets. They both relaxed and smiled at us and handed back the letter and tickets to Tan. They then clicked their heels, saluted and said have a pleasant journey.

The grumpies couldn’t control themselves and even dared to ask the soldiers who we were. Borek, who had been looking at the letter over their shoulder, said we were the General’s children. They just gasped in amazements and all started smiling at us.

51. Marek makes friends.

That was a relief. The letter worked and impressed the guards and certainly got the grumpies going. They at least will stop bothering us now. I hope it works with the other soldiers and guards. This compartment is nice and warm and we are going to be comfortable for a few days at least.

Marek is going to get a bit bored just sitting and looking out of the window. I will take him into the corridor and he can run up and down. The grumpies let me through to open the door but again it was very stiff and I had to squeeze through. I asked Borek if Marek could play in the corridor and he said that the “Little General” could drive the train if he wanted so I brought Marek out and he was happy to walk up and down, looking into the compartments and smiling at people. His walking had improved a lot and he was now very steady on his feet, even on the moving train. It must have been all the practise in the forests.

I got the packet of grease out of my pack and put some on the runners of the door. Borek came along and helped me run the door back and forth and now we had a sliding door that opened easily. Borek called me “Engineer” from now on and I had to grease the door to his cabin and also the one into the toilet.

When I came back to our compartment there was no sign of Marek in the corridor so I ran up to the end, looking in each compartment and still couldn’t find him. I ran back to call Meg and found that Marek was under the table playing with Harry and a little girl. Meg said that Marek had found her further up the corridor with her parents and they were now playing together. 

Her name was Katy or Katherine and she enjoyed being with Marek and Harry. After a while her parents came to check on her and she cried and didn’t want to go back with them. I said we would look after her and take her back in a little while.

I don’t know how they talked to each other? Katy spoke Russian, Meg spoke Polish, Marek spoke baby and Harry just licked them all. They seemed to get on and understand each other without my help. Meg got out Marek’s toy animals from her pack that the woodcutter had given and they played with them and Meg even got her fat, not so floppy, cat out for the first time and let them play with that. Bit of a surprise.

That reminded me that Mum had sewn some money into floppy and I had some in my coat collar. I hoped the money would last us at least as far as the train went and possibly another overnight stay in the town if we arrived late. I shall have to be very careful with the money that we have left. We may need it before we find help.

52. Grumps move on

Tan was wonderful with the soldiers. He wasn’t scared just gave them the letter and the tickets when they shouted at us. He didn’t even say a word. They were most impressed and saluted us. Borek now calls Marek “Little General.”  Tan is now called “Engineer Tan,” after repairing all the doors, window and locks. Even I can now open our door. It’s easy.

Marek has now found a new friend Katy and we all seem happy. Even the Grumpies have stopped bothering us for the moment though they don’t seem too comfortable squeezed into their tiny seat space. Serves them right for being so horrible to us at the beginning.

After a while Tan said we should take Katy back to her parents and that she could come and play again. I agreed because Marek was getting tired and was going to fall asleep. Tan and I left Marek cuddling up to Harry and took Katy back to her compartment. Her Mum and Dad seemed very nice and talked to Tan for a long time in Russian. I just played with Katy.

We then walked back to our compartment followed by Katy’s Dad. He talked to the Grumps for a long time and suddenly they started packing up and putting their cases in to the corridor. Borek came to help them and suddenly they were gone. I kept asking Tan what was going on and he just said “Good riddance” and told me to wait and see.

I then saw Katy running in with a satchel and plonking herself on the seat next to us. Soon this was followed by her parents and then Borek struggling with some cases. I suddenly understood. They had swapped places and now we had some nice people in the compartment with us. This was just great!

53. Train stop

Poor Meg just kept asking me what was going on and I just wouldn’t tell her until it happened. It was quite a surprise for her and she was very pleased. We now had nice people in our compartment and lots of space. The grumps swapped because they were getting more space in their new compartment with only six people in it.

Borek came round and said that we would be stopping soon at a small station and there would be lots of peddlers selling food and drink. He told us if we waited until the engine hooted ready for off we could buy things at fraction of the price at the beginning.

The train slowly pulled up along side a building and the trackside was full of bustling people, waving bread, fruit, sausages and bottles and shouting. There was quite a noise out there and I had to lower the compartment window so that Meg, Katy and Marek could stand on the table and look out. I took Harry out for some exercise and hurried back when I heard the train hoot for off.

When I got back there was great excitement in the compartment and the table was full of bread, cakes and fruit. Katy’s dad told me that Meg was wonderful at bargaining with the peddlers and they were willing to get rid of their goods for very little when the train was about to pull out.

 I looked at all the food and thought we had a feast there. Meg looked at me and said, “Don’t worry Tan. It didn’t cost much and I also got a big sausage for Harry.” That was a relief because I wondered what we were going to feed Harry on.

When the train pulled out, we checked on all the food that Meg had bought and what we had with us and divided it up and put some away for later. Borek filled our mugs with sweet tea and brought in another table for Katy’s parents that fixed to the door. Katy’s Dad was a bit surprised and taken aback when I brought out my large sharp bayonet to cut up the food. It was easier to use than my little pen knife.

 We first ate the bread with some sausage, though Harry got most of that. Then we followed up with cake and Marek and Katy seemed to get the biggest share of that. Katy’s mother then peeled the oranges and handed them out followed by chunks of nice apple and bits of very sweet melon. Meg and I never had melon before and we were both surprised at how good it was. Marek just ate everything that was sweet and stuck his hand out for more. Katy’s mum was called Kuba and she gave us a towel to wipe our hands with after our sticky fruit. It was wonderful.

Borek brought us a pack of cards and the four of us apart from Kuba and Katy’s dad Pavel, played a simple card game called “Battles.” Even Marek quickly picked up on how to play and eventually Katy and Marek were left battling it out for the last cards of the pack with some help and cheating from Meg and me. Katy won and was very happy and Marek was just happy to take part and I don’t think he knew about losing or wining which was a good thing.

It was getting dark and Borek showed us how to turn on the lights which was by simply screwing in the bulbs. The switches were not working. He also showed us how to turn the table and a back rest into a bed so that we could lie across the seats and be comfortable.

Eventually we bedded down and covered ourselves with our coats but Marek just had to snuggle down under the bed board with Harry. Katy soon followed. Harry didn’t seem to mind, just nuzzled them with his cold nose. We turned off the lights and pulled down the blinds and were soon off to sleep, dreaming about huge melons falling from trees. Kuba told me next morning that luckily melons don’t grow on trees.

54. Endless journey

It was fun to have Kuba and Pavel with Katy in our compartment. Katy played with Marek and they loved playing at soldiers marching along the corridor. Tan played chess with Pavel on the table which had a chess board carved on it. I chatted to Kuba. She seemed to understand my Polish and I think I understood her Russian but that horrid Stanislav said that I just talked without listening. It’s not true!

We just got on fine. Kuba got her sewing kit out and mended all of our clothes. I hadn’t realised that they were quite grubby and worn. She cleaned them down and repaired the holes and tutted a lot.

When we stopped at a station they let me buy the food. Before the whistle went I just shouted hello and Hi to the peddlers and smiled and waved to them. Some would even stop and give me a bun or an apple. When the whistle blasted, I got to work and waved them over and bought the food that we needed and more. 

They seemed to understand me and I was able to bargain with them. Quite often they would let me have a string of oranges or apples for very little money, especially when the train started moving. Some times we ended up with more fruit than we could eat and then Borek got some and I would offer them to the other passengers. Even to the grumps, who seem to have settled down in their new compartment.   

Tan would always take Harry for a walk when the train stopped and I was always worried that he would miss it when the engine tooted. He told me he often went to see the engine and talked to the train drivers when they were busy filling up with coal and water.

He was always given a paper bag of charcoal to take to Borek for his samovar which kept us in tea.  Tan would also help Borek to lift shiny canisters of water into the carriage.

At night we would settle down with Harry being cuddled by “the twins.” We couldn’t separate them. They were always together playing nicely, either with their toys or marching up and down the corridor. Some of the men from the other compartments would join them on their marches to get some exercise, I think.

In the mornings Kuba would get a basin of warm water from Borek and we all would wet a piece of cloth or handkerchief and have a wash or be washed by Kuba. Marek and Katy were always in a hurry to get marching at those times. When are we going to end this journey I wondered? But we were enjoying our time on the train and everybody was friendly.

55. Train journey nears its end.

I liked taking Harry for a walk when the train stopped. It was great to go up to the big engine and talk to the drivers and firemen. They seemed quite friendly even though they were busy. They sometimes let me climb up onto the footplate and I loved to pull the rope and let the steam out of the whistle. I would then have to call Harry and rush back to our carriage before we pulled away. 

They would often give me things to take to Borek. Usually charcoal for his samovar but they once gave me a small can of grease so I could free up all the doors and windows on our carriage. All the people were very friendly and were pleased to have their doors working freely.

I was called the “Engineer” and often asked to mend lights or door locks which generally just needed cleaning and greasing. I even had to mend locks on cases and handbags. It kept me busy and I had a good chat with people. They all thought we were the General’s kids and treated us nicely. I didn’t tell them anything different. It meant that the guards and soldiers just left us alone. 

Only Marek loved the soldiers and he always saluted them. Even Borek saluted the Little General. Somebody had given Marek and Katy some walking sticks so then they were marching up and down with rifles on their shoulders. They took it quite seriously and would go into compartments and demand papers. It was all good fun and people seem to like them.

The train journey is getting very long and the scenery is much the same. Forest and more forest. Now and again we get close to the river and there is much flooding so the rivers look like seas. Pavel told me that for a month or so all the roads are flooded and totally unusable. Good job we are not walking in this. We would need a boat rather than a sledge. It was certainly getting warmer and the snow had almost disappeared. I wonder what we are going to see at the end of this long train journey? It has been a lovely home.

I’m a little worried about Marek but he seems to be OK. He doesn’t seem to miss his mother but gets lots of cuddled from Meg and Kuba. He loves Katy and they are together all the time. He speaking a lot, lot more but most of it is Russian from Katy. I hope his Mum doesn’t mind. They both love Harry and insist on sleeping down on the floor with him at night and during the day when they want a snooze.

Meg is now busy talking to Kuba. They both seem to be talking at once. One in Polish and one in Russian but they somehow manage to understand each other. I told Meg not to talk about our Polish family or our new adopted Russian family. I didn’t want anyone to find out we were not the General’s children.

Meg is great at bargaining with the peddlers. She seems to be able to buy mountains of food for very little. Pavel insists on paying for it all even though we still have some money. He says she saves us a fortune. People in the other compartments think that being a General’s daughter she has lots of money and can spend it freely. Good job they don’t know the truth. At least Harry gets a regular feed. I was worried about his food when we started.

Borek told me that we had one more night on the train and we would arrive at our last stop probably late in the afternoon or evening since the train had been delayed by the flood problems. I wondered what we would do when we arrived at the station. At least we knew how to find somewhere to stay.

Piotr, our lorry driver said it was the same at all stations and that there would be lots of people selling a bed for the night. He suggested that we should try and find a place for a few nights and that would give us time to contact some French or English people. We will see.

56. At last.

The train tooted and finally we were coming into our last stop. Everybody was busy packing and Tan put all of our stuff in the packs and our heavy outer clothing went into his sack. It was much warmer and we didn’t need to wear it. Everybody was getting excited and Tan told me not to hurry off the train and to pretend that we were to be met by some one.

It was strange pretending to be somebody else’s children but Tan said it helped in keeping the soldiers away from us and not being too nosey about our papers or the fact that we had no papers. Anyway, I was good at acting and quite liked being important.

Finally the train stopped and the whole carriage was filled with soldiers and people wanting to carry cases. Borek made sure that we were left alone and Tan gave him some more money for looking after us so well. He seemed pleased. Of course it was dreadful parting from Kuba and Katy. We all cried and Marek was very upset. It took a long time for them to leave and we waved from the carriage window.

I took out some sweets from my iron rations for the first time and gave one to Marek to suck. It calmed him down and stopped him crying at least.

When most people had left the carriage we got our things together and climbed down with Borek’s help. Tan and Harry ran up to the engine to say goodbye to the drivers and firemen and then we walked slowly to the station entrance. There was still a bustle of people and lots of soldiers but they were too busy talking and smoking to bother us.

At the entrance Tan said we would find lots of people selling beds for the night and again I was to spot the nicest lady to ask first. It was difficult because there were a lot of people milling around and eventually a lady actually came to us. Tan said we were looking for a place to stay for a few nights until our parents came for us. The lady looked at the dog and beckoned over another lady.

Tan talked to this other lady and she offered us a cabin in her garden where we could keep the dog and be comfortable. I liked her because she had a nice smile and seemed friendly so I told Tan we should take it.

We walked for hours it seemed and eventually got to a small house in a large garden. There was a fence around the garden and the lady showed us to a hut. It didn’t look too good but was much better inside. It was getting dark and she lit a candle for us and showed us around. We found where we could get water and where the loo was. 

There were two bunk beds in the hut with a small table and a bench. There was also a charcoal stove with a pot. The woman then left us to settle down in our new home. It was a bit different from our carriage but it would have to do. The bunks had thin mattresses on them and we decided that we would double up the mattresses and Tan would sleep on the top and Marek and I would sleep on the bottom and the other bunks would be used for storage.

The lady brought us some hot coals for our stove and Tan put some water in the pot so that we could have some tea. We shared out our food which was some bread, squashed cake and an orange each. Harry got a piece of sausage. The tea was good and we were hungry and tired. Marek had stopped singing after his dinner and soon fell asleep on his bunk. We soon followed and Harry stretched out on the floor. It was warm and we didn’t need any covers.

  

57. The town

It was good that we found somewhere to stay even though it seemed a long way out of town. Meg is good at spotting the right lady and at least we have a quiet place to our selves. With two mattresses the bunk bed were quite comfortable and it was quite warm at night.

In the morning I made some more tea and we had the last of our bread for breakfast. Harry went off exploring. We looked around and saw that things were better than we had first thought and that we would be quite comfortable. 

We would need to find a market and also places where we could make contact with French or English people who might help us. I would have to ask the lady, Zofia, to direct us. She seemed quite nice and I’m sure she will help. 

It was quite warm and sunny so we took off a lot of our clothes and then all had a long drink of water. We set off as directed by Zofia and soon arrived at the edge of the town. I carried an empty pack for our food and kept Harry on a lead. Marek was walking holding onto Meg’s hand and looking and pointing at all the different things we passed. 

The town was certainly different from Warsaw.  It seemed much spread out with low buildings and lots of space. There were palm trees along the road side which gave us some shade and the whole place was very dusty and dry.

We seemed to be going in the same direction as many other people and eventually arrived at a busy market. There were many things for sale that we had never seen before and it was full of colour and different smells. It was quite big and we walked around for a while to get our bearings and then got up the courage to buy some food. 

Well I shouldn’t have worried. Meg took over and soon we had the sack full and even some meat for Harry which he ate straight away. Less to carry I thought.

A man pointed us in the direction of some hotels where foreigners stayed and off we went. Well it wasn’t much use because the hotels were behind big gates and the gate keepers just shooed us away. We saw some people drive in and out in big cars but all we could do was wave.

We really needed some help from grown ups and Piotr and Dada had told us that the English and French could contact big organisations like the Red Cross and others who would be able to get messages to the Siberian camps. It was getting hot so we returned home with our food. No luck that day.

58. The Caspian Sea

It was a long walk to town and back and we were tired. I could see Tan was worried and gave him a nudge and told him we would try something else tomorrow. Zofia came to see how we were and suggested that we should sleep during the hot afternoon. We lay on the bunks and left the door and window opened and snoozed. It was nice.

When we woke we had something to eat and Tan asked how far away the sea was. Zofia pointed in the direction of some palm trees and off we went not knowing what to expect. After a long march we reached the shore and it was wonderful. 

All we could see before us was sand and then water stretching out far as we could see. In fact the sky and water seem to join together and it looked like one big sea. We sat in the shade of a palm tree and just gazed at it all in amazement. Tan and I had never seen the real sea before, only in books, and it looked marvellous.

Harry ran off towards the water and started barking and jumping at the waves eventually a wave caught him and he was drenched and ran off towards us shaking himself. We laughed and decided to join him in the fun. Tan told us to take our shoes and socks off and he rolled up his trousers. 

We paddled in the waves and Marek was hit by one and tumbled over. Soaked to the skin. He didn’t like that and the mouthful of salty water was too much so he started howling.  Tan took him to the shade of a palm tree and I removed most of his clothes and left him playing in the sand with Harry running back and forth.

 Harry was no longer scared by the water and was jumping in the waves and even swimming. We decided that he wasn’t going to have all the fun and joined him. We took off our clothes to our pants and ran into the water. It was warm but it wasn’t nice to get a mouthful of salty water.

We splashed around and found that if we lay on our backs we could float without sinking. Tan said it was because of all the salt in the water. It was lovely but I soon learned to keep my mouth shut and keep the foul tasting water out.

Marek joined us at the edge but wouldn’t be tempted into the water even with Harry knocking him over and playing with him. We tired after a while and sat under the palm just gazing at the scene. It was wonderful. Marek started to shout and point. We stood up and looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a tall chimney in the distance with a flame burning at the top. We hadn’t seen it before because of the faint mist. 

Tan knew straight away what it was and told us it was to do with the oil that the French and English engineers were getting out of the ground. These were the people we would have to meet to get help. At least he cheered up.

We had our last play in the sea and even Marek went in up to his knees and was knocked down by a wave but he didn’t cry, just shouted in glee. We collected our things, put on our shoes and walked back to our new home feeling much better. 

Our skin and hair was covered with salt and it started to itch so when we got back to our hut we washed ourselves in buckets of water and rinsed our clothes. They dried in a jiffy. Even Harry got a wash. 

Zofia showed us around her garden and pointed out all the different fruit trees growing there. There were figs and dates and things called pomegranates and lots of plants that we didn’t know or hadn’t seen before. She said they all needed a lot of water because of the hot sun. She also warned us to keep out of the sun as much as possible and not get sunburnt.

The evening was lovely and we pulled the bench and table outside and ate our food watching the sun set in lots of wonderful colours. When it was dark we all fell into our bunks and slept like logs for the night. Harry slept in the open doorway where there was a slight cooling breeze.

59. We meet an English woman.

Each day we walked to the market to buy food in the morning and scouted around trying to find some foreign people. All the offices, Hotels and factories were fenced off and we couldn’t get any where near people working there but we didn’t give up. 

In the late afternoons when the sun was not so strong we went to the sea and played. We managed to buy some straw hats to keep off the sun which were a great help but Marek’s kept floating off and we had to send Harry to fetch it.  Occasionally we saw a fishing boat go by in the distance but we were usually alone on our beach.

We were running short of money so I asked Meg to spill out her money bag onto the table and I did the same. I then told her to bring her floppy cat and I went for my coat and bayonet. Meg was a bit cross when I started unstitching my collar but soon understood when I pulled out some Rouble notes.

I told her to do the same with floppy and after a lot of protest she pulled out a handkerchief wrapped around some coins. Floppy cat was floppy again! We counted up our money and did some sums and found we had enough money for about four days of buying food and paying Zofia for the cabin.

Next day I would take Meg to the Market and we would sell our heavy coats and my watch. We didn’t really need them and I hoped we would get quite a lot for the watch since it was still working.

We left Harry and Marek with Zofia in the garden and went off to the market early in the morning before it got too hot. We had seen lots of people walking around selling odd things so we thought we would give it a try. We tried selling the coats first and we eventually found a buyer. A lady was going North and needed warmer clothes and was happy to give us some money for them. Not a lot but enough to buy some food for the day.

 I then tried to sell the watch by waving it in the air and shouting. I soon created an interest and I think I got a good price for it. Well it meant that it bought us a few more days of shelter and food.

 We sat under the shade of a palm tree and nibbled at an orange. They were nice and juicy and we had to be careful not to drip juice onto our selves. We then noticed a smart looking lady shopping at one of the stalls. She bought a large string of oranges and started walking away when the bag split open and oranges rolled everywhere. 

Well, Meg was up in a shot, picking up the fallen oranges and I helped. The woman was looking a bit helpless but Meg had it all organised. She got another string bag from the stall keeper and we loaded the oranges in and I handed it over to the lady. 

She gave us a nice smile and thanked us. As soon as I heard her words I knew she wasn’t Russian and I nudged Meg to keep smiling and asked the lady in Russian, if she was French. She replied that she was English and I said that we were hoping to meet an English lady and could we carry her bags as she shopped? She understood me and I took her shopping bags and Meg got hold of her hand and off we went to finish off her shopping.

Meg just took over and made sure she got the best fruit and the best vegetables all for a good price. I just carried everything and wondered how we could just start to talk to her. Well it was easy. She said that she wanted a drink and we took her over to a tea stall under some shade, where there were some seats. I ordered a herb tea for her and a lemon drink for us. She seemed to like that and said that we were looking after her nicely. I asked her if she worked for the oil company and she told me her husband was an engineer there.

As we sipped our tea and lemon in the shade I told her some of our story. Not all but just enough so that we could ask if she could help us. She asked a lot of questions and I told her that we needed to get in touch with our parents who were in a Siberian work camp and that English people could usually do these things by using the Red Cross and the English offices.

I told her we didn’t know how to do that and that they wouldn’t let children into offices so we were really stuck. I stopped now and again and explained to Meg in Polish what I had said. She just put on her most charming smile and sipped her lemon.

She asked where we were living and I told her and also that we had Marek and a dog. She didn’t quite know what to believe so I told her that we had money and didn’t want any of hers. Meg and I even showed her our little leather purses around our necks. We weren’t begging just needed some help from grown ups who knew about these things.  I was hoping she was believing me and might be prepared to help.

We finished our drinks and I insisted on paying for them which wasn’t very much but I think it impressed her. We had a lot of shopping by now and I offered to carry it all home for her. She said that there was no need and that she had a car and a driver near by so we followed her to her parked car.  I loaded the shopping into the boot of the car and shook her hand and said that we hoped we could meet again and maybe she could think about helping us.

We waved her off and a short distance away the car suddenly stopped and she got out and walked over to us. She said she would like to give us a lift to our home and she would like to see where we lived and meet the rest of the family. 

Well it was wonderful riding in the front of the car with Meg and the lady in the back.  I wished I could drive it. It was the first time for both of us to be in a real car. It was great as we swooshed past leaving a cloud of dust. I directed the driver and Meg just chatted nicely to the lady in Polish. I hope she understood something.

We got to our place in a flash. Far too quickly. Zofia met us wondering what was going on and I introduced her. We went into the garden and sat the Lady under a shady tree and Zofia went off to make some lemon drink for us and I chatted to the lady. Meg rushed off to find Marek and Harry. 

Soon Zofia returned with a jug of lemon and some glasses and Meg turned up with a spruced up Marek and Harry on a lead. Marek must have been told to be on his best behaviour because he came up to the lady, stood to attention and saluted her like a good little General should, We all laughed and then Meg introduced Harry who had been taught by Pavel on the train to hand up his paw. He did this and the lady shook his paw. I think she was impressed with us. We sat and chatted sipping our lemon drink and Harry lay out with one paw on the lady’s shoe. I sat there with butterflies hoping that the lady might say something good.

60. Help at last!

Tan was a real gentleman. I didn’t know where he got his manners from. Mama Dika used to call him a peasant at home but now he was charming with this English lady. All I could do was smile sweetly and be as charming as Tan. It’s easy really.

Mama Dika said I could charm the stars from the skies. Well I’ve never tried but I can make people like me. It was just great luck to be in the right place. We didn’t think that these people would come and wander in the market just like us. We should have realised that they had to shop and eat like the rest of us.

Anyway, it was wonderful for the lady to take us home in her grand car. It was ever so nice but I had to keep on chatting to her so I didn’t take much notice of the scenery we drove past. I don’t think she understood Polish but I think she liked my voice. I suppose she was just checking us out and checking out our story and being very careful. We could just be telling lies and things but I don’t think she thinks that.

I don’t think Zofia has ever had a car at her door because she made us all very welcome with lemon drink and a seat in her shaded garden. It was a good job Tan sent me off to find Marek. He was in a mess playing in the dust with Harry. I had to wash him down, dress him and bribe him with another sweet out of my iron rations for him, to be good.

Well he was a sweety-pie and the salute made us all laugh. I don’t know why he did it but it went down well. Even Harry was brilliant by handing her a paw and you should have seen him lie down next to her with his paw on her foot. He was working hard for us to make friends.

The lady had finished her drink and was just listening to Tan and I’m sure she was making up her mind on something. She looked at Tan and grabbed his hand and said that she had thought things over and that we needed lots of help. She and her husband would try and help us contact our parents.

When Tan told me I rushed over to her and gave her a hug and nice kiss. I was thrilled for us all. She then told Tan that the best thing would be for us to move over to her house and stay with her and her husband, the oil engineer, until they arranged help for us. That was a surprise and she got another hug and kiss from me.

Tan nearly spoiled it all, telling her that she should talk this over with her husband first, but she had made up her mind and we were going in the car with her, all of us.  Tan told Zofia that we would be leaving straight away but we might be back if things didn’t work out and gave her some money. Not too much I hope.

We quickly packed and climbed into the back of the car and the lady climbed into the front. We travelled to the other side of the town, past the factories and offices until we came to some big houses with large gardens. The driver stopped in front of one, opened the gates and drove up to a big house. 

We unpacked our things from the boot and the driver took the shopping into the house. We stood on the front steps and Tan was asking the lady to show us the hut in the garden where we would stay and she was just waving us in doors. He can be so silly at times my dear brother. I just got hold of Marek’s hand and led him in. Tan and the lady followed and Harry lay out on the cool steps in the shade.

She took us upstairs and showed us two big bedrooms and a bathroom and said this was where we could sleep. They were huge rooms and the big white bathroom had a large bath with a spray thing above it. She showed us a cupboard full of fluffy towels and said we should clean up first and then she would come and collect us to meet her husband  

61. Living like Kings and Queens

 It was all unbelievable. We had more good luck in one day than in the whole of our journey. This lady is fantastic and I hope her husband likes us. We must get cleaned up and look as nice as possible for them. I told Meg and Marek to go and have a bath and wash their hair. 

Well, they had fun in the bath especially with the sprinkler thing. The soap smelt lovely until Marek got some in his eyes. When they had finished washing and playing then I jumped into the bath and had the sprinkler going too. It was great until I noticed that there was rather a lot of water on the floor. I mopped it up with the towels and cleaned up as best I could.

At least we were clean and smelled nice. Meg brushed Marek’s hair and also said she should do mine. I let her. After all we were in wonderland. I thought any minute we would wake up from a nice dream.

I suddenly realised that in all this time we didn’t know the lady’s name. That was bad and how were we going to introduce ourselves. I was in a panic and feeling embarrassed when the lady shouted and came upstairs.

 The first thing I blurted out was asking what we should call her and her husband. She laughed and said that for tonight we should call her Mrs Pickerson and her husband Mr Pickerson. We practised that until she waved us to stop and come down.

We climbed down the stairs and she showed us through into the garden onto a shaded terrace, set with tables and chairs. There were drinks set out on one table and some cakes. But Wow! Just out at the end of the garden was the sea. It was fabulous. We could just see the sand and waves and the sea went on and on for ever. It was amazing and we clapped and hugged each other with joy. It was wonderful.

After a while Mrs Pickerson got us to sit down and sip our lemon and she handed out the cakes they were scrumptious. Even better than that! Harry found his way around to us and got a few crumbs. Not many though. 

Mrs Pickerson said that her husband would be home soon and she would like me to tell him our story and she would tell him how they could help, so I sat and thought through carefully what I would say. Meg I think, was bribing Marek to be extra good with promises of more cakes and sweets. Harry just chased his tail for a while and slumped in some cool place.

 62. Mr Pickerson

We heard a car draw up and some talking from the front of the house. A huge man came walking through the doorway into the garden. He had a big hat on his head and was dressed in a checked shirt and dark trousers and big boots. He looked hot and was wiping his brow with a handkerchief. His wife was saying something to him in English and he was just looking at us with a puzzled frown on his face.

We lined up to be introduced, including Harry at the end of the line. He came up to me and I shook his hand and said “Good day to you sir’ in Russian and added” Mr Pickerson.” He just nodded and move towards Meg who stuck out her little hand and sweetly said “Hello Mr Pickerson” and curtsied. I don’t know where she got all that from. I didn’t know she knew any English and I wondered who taught her how to curtsy. Girls!

Any way Mr. Pickerson dropped his frown and was then introduced to the little General, who not only saluted, but clicked his heels. We couldn’t help but laugh, which broke the ice and Harry did his paw trick, which again, went down well.

Mrs Pickerson said something to her husband and he just shook his head and sat down pointing to the seats for us to sit. He took off his hat and plonked it onto Marek’s head who promptly tipped it back and went marching off with Harry in tow. 

He watched them for a while and then turned and looking at me said in perfect Russian that apparently I had a very good story to tell. I blurted out that I hoped he would listen to our story and was saved by Mrs Pickerson bringing him a drink and saying to wait until she had sat down with us.

I told our story again in more detail than before and they just listened and nodded for me to go on. It took a long time and we had to stop a few times for more drinks and cakes which a lady brought out. She also brought out some candles for us because it was starting to get dark. When I got to the bit about the market place this morning, Mrs Pickerson stopped me and said that was enough and she would tell the rest later.

Well Mr Pickerson just looked at Meg and me in amazement and wiped his brow with his handkerchief. I realised how big his hands were. He was huge. A giant of a man. He sat there silently and nodded his head as if in amazement and said that that was the best story he had ever heard and asked me if he could ask a few questions.

 He asked about our parents in Warsaw and what they did. I also told Meg these questions so that she could follow what was being said. He asked many questions until Mrs Pickerson stopped us and said we should eat but Mr Pickerson said we should eat here in the garden and he would clean up later. He was too interested to leave now.

The lady brought some dishes of food out and Mrs Pickerson served them out onto plates. Meg brought Marek to the table and he sat with us on some cushions and ate away happily after inspecting his metal spoon carefully and deciding it was as good as his wooden spoon, or nearly as good as. 

We had a nice meal of lots of little bits to start with and then the lady brought out some meat on sticks. It reminded me of our camping days in the forest. I don’t know what the meat was but it was very tangy and tasty. I must have eaten a lot because Mrs Pickerson just kept piling it onto my plate and the heap of empty sticks kept growing.

Mr Pickerson ate very little. He just kept asking questions and his wife was just telling him to slow down on the talking and do more eating. We finished off with a dish of fruit cut up into pieces covered with sweet cold icy stuff called ice cream. I loved that. I don’t know how many portions I ate but I must have been a disgrace. 

In between spoonfuls I answered the questions and explained what was being said to Meg. By this time, the lady had taken Marek away, probably to bed. I remember looking at my watch to see the time and realising that I had sold it on the market that morning. What a change in such a short time. From a hut to a palace it seemed.

Eventually Mr Pickerson looked at his watch and said it was time for us all to go to bed, since we must be tired and that he would see us in the morning. We went up the large staircase and found our large bedrooms. There was a little light on by the bedside and the beds looked super. 

Meg decided to sleep in the room with Marek and of course Harry at the foot of the bed and I was told to go to my own room. I got undressed and climbed in between the cool sheets. It felt wonderful. Even too soft and too comfortable. I lay awake for ages thinking about all the things that had happened today.

 The next thing I knew I was being gently shaken by Mrs Pickerson with sunlight streaming through the windows. Was this all a dream? But oh no, it wasn’t. There was Mrs Pickerson with a glass of orange juice, just beaming at me. I was in heaven!

63. Living in a palace.

Next morning Mr Pickerson stayed until lunch time talking to Tan and asking questions. Marek and I went off with Mrs Pickerson who showed us the gardens and the beach and sea at the bottom. Harry stayed with Tan to give him support. 

We had a great time on the beach, picking up shells and building sand castles for Marek. We sat under a palm tree for shade and the lady cook, Lila, brought us some drinks and sandwiches. Tan and Harry joined us and I had to give Tan a hug and ask how he got on. He said fine and just tucked into his sandwiches and fruit. So back to normal then, I thought.

Mrs Pickerson was very nice and chatted to me in English and also in Russian when Tan was around so that he could understand. I think I understood what she was saying but was not sure if she understood my Polish but we got along fine.

Tan finally told me that Mr and Mrs Pickerson had had a long chat overnight and were going to let us stay as long as we needed and that they were going to find out how they could help us to contact our parents. They didn’t know how yet but they thought that they could find out.

Tan had to write down all the information he could remember about Mama Dika and Dad. Their names and addresses in Warsaw, where they were born, where they worked and as many personal things he could remember. This said Tan would help in the search to find out where they were in Siberia. I hoped that all this would work.

Mrs Pickerson told us to call her Aunty Jayne because it was less formal and not so much of a mouthful for us. Her husband was to be Uncle Peter. We liked that. It was friendly. She also told us that she had invited some Americans and some other English people over for dinner that night and asked if Tan would mind repeating his story again for them. Tan said he wouldn’t mind but added that I was the best story teller. I liked that. He is a nice brother. Well, most of the time. 

I told Aunty Jayne that I would have to learn English and I would be able to tell her everything. Tan’s not a very good story teller. He always misses out the interesting things about who said this and who said that and what people were wearing and things that Mums and Aunties like to hear.

We went back to the house and Aunty Jayne said we should all go to the Market and she would buy us some better clothes for this weather and that she would pay for them and we shouldn’t feel embarrassed about it. 

In the market Tan got some shirts, shorts and sandals and a smart sun hat. I got lots of pretty clothes which I chose myself and some smashing sandals. We also kitted out Marek. I made sure we paid a good price for everything and Aunty was very pleased. She also bought lots of other things like swimming cosies and jim-jams and also some underwear. We had to go back to the car a few times with a load of parcels and bags.

Lila came with us and bought the food. There seemed lots of it and the boot was full. I wore my new clothes straight away but Tan was too shy to change in the Market. He is a silly boy at times. I looked lovely.

64. Dinner 

Uncle Peter was marvellous even though I was frightened by his size. He listened very carefully to all that I told him, only asking questions at the end and then I wrote down all the information that I could give him about our parents.  He said that there was sure to be somebody at his works that knew about these things and that he would start the search straight away. 

He warned me that it might take a long time because things were very slow in Russia and we shouldn’t worry. He told me that Aunty Jayne would take us to the market to buy some clothes but I kept it as a surprise for Meg.

Marek loved the sea but he also loved to go with Harry and visit Lila in the kitchen. They always got something sweet to eat and drink there. Marek seems to be growing bigger and running about like a little boy now. He has also picked up a lot of Russian words from the train and from Lila. I will have to make sure that we speak to him in Polish so that his Mum will be able to understand him when they meet up.

Buying clothes was bit of a bore especially the time it took Meg to try on all the clothes and parade around. Aunty Jayne seemed to like it so I just sat in the shade with Marek and sipped at some lemon drink. 

Our old clothes were far too hot for this weather. I liked the hat. It was like the hat Uncle Peter had but smaller. We also got some swimming cosies to go in the sea. Aunty Jayne said she would teach us all to swim. I’m looking forward to that.

When we got back, we had baths and changed into our best clothes. They were far more comfortable than our old clothes. I wonder what we should do with them. I really would like to keep my fur hat.

Aunty Jayne came up and helped Meg and Marek get dressed and I got her to cut my hair because it was getting a bit long and I didn’t want to end up looking like a girl. Marek wanted his done and then Meg had things done to her hair and spent the time before dinner prancing before the mirror.

We heard cars come and people’s voices downstairs and eventually, after getting quite excited by it all Aunty Jayne came up to collect us. We were shown to a big room with lots of comfy seats where quite a few people were standing sipping drinks.

Aunty Jayne introduced us all and we shook hands, Meg curtsied nicely and Marek just had to salute everybody. Harry wasn’t there so no paw tricks yet. They all seemed pleased to see us and shook hand and kissed Meg and saluted Marek. I couldn’t remember their names but there were two American couples, a French couple and an English couple and all of them worked for the oil company. They all spoke a little Russian but talked in English to each other.

Aunty Jayne led us into the dining room and a huge table was set up for dinner with lots of plates, glasses and flowers. It looked lovely. Uncle Peter made me sit at the head of the table so that people could see and hear me and he sat next to me. Meg, Marek and Aunty Jayne sat at the other end of the table. 

Lila came and served us huge plates of melon to start with and poured me a big glass of sweet orange.  Uncle Peter told me to eat up because I would need all my strength to tell our story. When I had finished he told me to tell the first part.

I told them about how we lived in Warsaw and up to the point where we got on the train and got parted from our parents. There were a lots Ughs and Aaaghs and I had to stop every now and again when some bits were translated into French and American.

They all clapped when I finished the first bit and Lila brought in some small plates of fish. It was very tasty and reminded me of the big fish Harry brought us by the river. I chatted to the American next to me and Uncle Peter went around answering questions and serving people drinks. It was friendly and I wasn’t scared or anything.

I told the whole story in chunks between various courses and when I finished they all clapped and stood up and raised their glasses to Meg and Me. Made us feel most important. We then went back into the next room with the soft comfy chairs and Lila brought in Harry to be introduced. Marek went around the room with Harry and he gave everybody his paw to shake and people had to grab their glasses as his tail nearly swept them off the little tables and onto the floor.

65. Showing off our packs and iron rations

It was really grand and I felt like a Princess. No, more like a Queen. The dinner table was beautiful and they were all lovely people. As Tan told our boring old story I chatted to Aunty Jayne and the two nice ladies next to us. Poor old Marek just knelt on his chair and stared at people. I had to remind him to eat up. He liked his sweet orange drink and Lila kept topping him up. 

Every now and again they would all stop and look at me and say nice things, I think. It was that big brother of mine telling them about me for sure. Anyway it felt good and I just smiled back and continued chatting.

The ladies seemed to understand me and if they didn’t then they smiled at me. When Tan stopped for a rest and to eat, some of the ladies would come around and give me a nice hug and a cuddle and a kiss. I felt very important.

When we finished dinner Aunty Jayne led us into the nice room and we all had fun when Marek dragged Harry around to introduce him. I kept holding onto Harry’s tail because it was wagging so much that it knocked a small table over and people were grabbing their glasses and laughing. I told Harry to lie down in the middle of the room and Marek played with him there. Uncle Peter then asked Me and Tan to bring down our packs and things to show them.

Aunty Jayne came up and I got dressed in my leather skirt, moccasin boots, fur hat, mitts and leather cape. It was hot but worth it. Tan just put on his fur hat and took our packs down. They just loved my outfit and I skipped around to room just showing it off, even though it was hot. The ladies wanted to feel and look closely at the soft leather and skin but Uncle Peter spoiled it when he asked Tan to show them his gear. I sat and took off my cape, mitts and hat and these were passed around the ladies to get a second look.

Tan sat in the middle of the floor and opened his pack and spread out all the things. They were amazed at the big bayonet and how sharp it was and at his emergency box and the metal bowl which he popped on his head like a helmet. 

Well I was glad when he had finished so that I could show them my things. I showed them my little sewing kit and the wooden bottle and I opened my Iron ration tin to find only one sweet left and some bits of dry sausage. The other sweets and dry bread had been used up on Marek. I gave him the last sweet and he gave me a kiss.

I threw the dry sticks of sausage to Harry who sniffed them and pushed them around with his paws and eventually ate them. He can’t be hungry. I then held up my prize of a bar of American chocolate in silver paper. I still wonder what it tastes like? 

Every body clapped and crowded around us looking and touching our things and then Uncle Peter said that it was late and that it was time for us to go to bed.

We all trooped off with him including Harry and Marek got a piggy back. Uncle Peter took us to our rooms and thanked us all and told Tan that he had made a good start in finding our parents but it would take a long time.

Lila came up and made sure we were all in our jim-jams and got us into bed. Marek was very tired and I had to shake him awake and shouted to Tan to come in to our room. Tan and Harry came in and asked what was the matter and I just pulled out the bar of chocolate and suggested that we should taste it otherwise it would melt away. 

He quickly nodded and I carefully opened the packet and it smelt good. We all had a close sniff at it, even Harry and Tan, then carefully split it into four pieces and handed them out. Harry’s went down in a flash and Tan had to pull him away from Marek. Marek sniffed his first then licked it and then stuffed the whole lot into his mouth with great delight. Tan and I broke ours into bits and sucked at each bit until it was all gone.  Tan said that if he had known it tasted so good we would have eaten it the first day on the wagon train. That seemed years and years ago.

66. English and American.

We spent many pleasant weeks beside the Caspian Sea enjoying our new family. Uncle Peter was busy with work and we only saw him in the evenings and sometimes on Sundays.

Aunty Jayne didn’t work and seemed pleased to have us around and immediately started to teach us to swim. Marek was swimming like a fish without her help. I think Harry taught him to swim. It was difficult getting them out of the water and only Lila with her sweet cakes managed it most times. They loved the water and Lila. Marek now spoke more words of Russian, thanks to Lila, than Polish and I was worried for him. 

Meg liked swimming but didn’t like to get her hair wet. In the end she loved it. I got special lessons from Uncle Peter and I was able to swim the crawl. Marek had no style at all but swam better than all of us.

Very quickly Aunty Jayne said we should learn English and that I should teach her more Russian. Well my Russian wasn’t up to much but I enjoyed learning English or American. We sang English songs and read out loud from books and I retold our story slowly to Aunty Jayne in Russian and she repeated sentences after me until she understood. If not I had to say them in my best English.

Once again Marek picked up English words and songs faster than we could and was off marching around singing full blast. I must spend more time talking to him in Polish or he will just forget the little he knows. Meg and I struggled but soon managed to say the basics words and a few sentences.

Some times Aunty Jayne invited the other ladies over to the house so we would have beach parties and then we had to speak only English. Meg seemed happy chatting to the ladies who brought her clothes and things to try on. I just got another swimming cossie and generally lived in that all day.

In the evenings we dressed up for dinner and Meg had to have Aunty Jayne dressing her and doing her hair. Marek and I just left them to it and went downstairs and waited for the guests to arrive.

They always brought sweets for Marek and had to have a salute in return. Some body brought him a toy wooden rifle and then he became a bore. Just marching up and down singing English songs with his rifle over his shoulder and Harry trotting behind him.

Uncle Peter always had a word with me each evening and told me what he had done and who he had written to or spoken to about our parents. He said that we should expect to hear from them but didn’t know when. He said that Marek’s mother would be more difficult to find since we didn’t know their names or anything. He hoped that our parents might be able to help.

67. Another long journey.

We had a lovely time with Aunty Jayne and I was soon able to talk to her in English. I wish she wouldn’t spend so much time with Tan and learning Russian. Waste of time I reckon. She could then spend more time with me.

Everybody loves Marek and he is so funny. We told them that on or train they called him “Little General” and here they just began calling him General Marek. I wish he wouldn’t swim so far out in the sea. Even Aunty Jayne worries. I love going shopping with her to the market. We buy all kinds of things.

At dinner, when we have guests, the ladies always want to sit next to me so that we can chat. It’s great. They tell me all about England and America. It’s all exciting and sometimes I just listen. One of the ladies plays a violin and we have sing songs. All in English of course. The men go off onto the terrace and chat and drink. They often ask Tan to go along and tell them about our life in Poland. They seem ever so interested Tan tells me.

One day when there were no guests at dinner, Uncle Peter said he had something important to ask us and we sat quietly for once and listened. He asked us if we would like to go to England? He said it would be just as easy to contact our parents from there. In fact he said it would be easier.

Tan and I just looked at each other and both thought the same thing. Was this going to be another Siberia trip? We were just silent but Uncle Peter explained that he would be finishing his work in the Caspian soon, and that they would have to leave for England to find other work. He said we could stay on here, with some people we had met, if we wanted and he would still carry on searching for our parents.

I looked at Stan and could see he was unsure and then Aunty Jayne said she would love us to go with them and that sealed it. We agreed but first Tan asked if Marek and Harry were coming. They said “Definitely YES” because they were part of the family and Tan and I went round and gave Aunty and Uncle a big hug and I gave them both big kisses and got some back. We raised our glasses of orange and said “Salut!” and “To England”.

Then Uncle Peter said that there was one big problem. We all looked at him in horror even Aunty Jayne. He looked at us seriously and said that if we wanted to go to England, we would have to now start calling them Mum and Dad. 

We still all looked puzzled and he broke into a smile and said it was all pretend and it was only to get the right papers to leave Russia and get to England. We relaxed and I tried to call Aunty Jayne “Mum Jayne” and she said just “Mum and Dad” will do. No “Peters or Jaynes.”  Just as if we were at home.

We were quite excited for the next few weeks preparing for our journey. Dad said we would start of with a long train journey to the Black Sea, then by ship to France and then another train and another ship across the English Channel and finally a train to London where we would be met by my pretend dad’s family. It was all exciting and we bought more clothes and books for the journey.

68. Ships and trains

We all had to go by car to a leaving party at a friend’s house. They had arranged it because we were all packed up and ready to go the next day. Even Harry was invited.

Meg was dressed in a pretty dress and Marek was in a sailor’s outfit which didn’t go well with the General thing but he looked smart. I had proper shorts and shirt and had to wear a funny cap which they said was an English school cap.

We had a lovely time and everybody made us promise that we would write to them because they would love to get letters from us. We said our goodbyes and sang a song for them which Mum had taught us. Well they all stood around in a circle and we all sung it and people were in tears. We left quickly and almost forgot to collect Harry, who was out in the garden.

In the morning we had our last swim and our last bath and finally dressed for the journey.  Marek didn’t want to leave Lila behind but she just gave him some sweets and shooed him away. We were driven to the station and spotted Zofia there. Our first landlady. We gave her lots of big hugs and told her we were off to England. She cried a little and waved us off.

The train journey was super. We had a whole compartment to ourselves and the guard gave us a chess set so I could teach Dad how to play. We arrived at a big sea port on the Black Sea and a car took us to a big tanker carrying oil to France. There were some other passengers but mostly French and some didn’t speak English. Marek and Meg liked the ship but Harry and I felt queasy all the time and spent most of the journey in our cabin with me on top and Harry underneath the bunk.

We eventually arrived at a big port in France and were driven to a train station. I felt much better immediately and even Harry perked up. We were both ravenous and spent most of the time in the restaurant eating. I don’t know how much I ate but the waiter just kept bringing me and Harry food and it all disappeared. 

The mountain of food was just making up for the last ship journey and the next journey across the Channel. I wasn’t looking forward to that at all. We crossed the English Channel at night and I just slept through until we got to the English port. Meg told me I had missed seeing the famous White Cliffs of Dover. I was just thankful it was over.

The train journey in the morning to London was good. There were lots of interesting things to see. Lots of buildings and lots of cars on the road and big red buses filled with people. It was exciting to see all the things we had read about in the books and Mum and Dad spent all the time pointing things out and explaining things to us. 

The only sad bit was that we had to leave Harry in a dog’s home in Dover. We would collect him later when they checked his health and things. Dad said they were very careful with animals in England. We missed him but I hoped it wouldn’t be too long before he joined us.

69. London and England

Poor Tan and Harry. We didn’t see much of them on the ship. Marek, Dad and I had a whale of a time exploring the ship and looking at the engines. They even sat me on a stool and let me steer the thing with a big wheel for a time. It seemed easy. We just couldn’t get Marek out of the engine room. He was just fascinated by the noise and smell of the engines. 

He also likes shuffle board on deck and would play for hours. A French lady also liked to play and they seemed to get along happily. He’s also picked up lots of French words and seems to chat quite well with the French group. He misses Harry and goes down to see him every now and again but Harry just won’t budge out of Tan’s cabin.

The train journey through France was different. Did you know that they have separate carriages just for food? We spent a lot of time there because Tan and Harry were ravenous.  We could still sit and look out of the window and Mum pointed things out to me while we waited for Tan to finish. 

We arrived in England early in the morning and Mum woke me up and we got dressed quickly because she wanted to show me the White Cliffs of Dover. We left Tan, Marek and Harry sleeping.

I cried having to leave Harry at the dog’s home but Mum said it was for the best and he would be well looked after. Marek was more interested in the other animals and I don’t think he realised that we would leave without Harry. It was only later on the train to London that he noticed but we managed to distract him with some cake and pointing some cows out to him in the passing green fields.

We were met by Dad’s brother at the station who took us in his car a long way to his house where we would spend the night. We didn’t go straight there but were shown Big Ben, a castle called the Tower and huge pillar with a sailor on top with big lions sitting around it. There were lots of grand houses but it was the same as in Warsaw, there seemed lots of houses that had been knocked down by the bombs during the war. Everything looked so different that we just stared as Mum and Dad explained things to us.

Next morning we had a late breakfast of porridge with sugar and milk and some tea. It tasted strong and I had more sugar in mine. Tan and Marek ate theirs in silence and we were wondering what was going to happen next in our new England.

Dad came in and said the car was ready to take us to our new home. This was North of London and we would be spending a lot of time there. 

70. Our new home.

It was raining as we got into the car and Dad drove and I had to turn a lever to wipe the rain off the windscreen. Mum, Marek and Meg sat in the back. It was quite exciting when we got out of the buildings and into the fields. They were very green and we saw cows and sheep. We also saw tractors pulling carts and things. It was a long journey and we stopped for something to eat in a café by the roadside. It was strange but quite nice to eat different foods.

I offered to drive for Dad since it was a long journey. I told him I knew how to steer and he could have a sleep but he just smiled and said that only he knew the way. I suppose he was right. I would have to wake him up every time we came to a junction but I thought I would be helpful.

We eventually arrived at a big house with a big garden and a view across some green field to some forest. It looked grand. We went inside with Mum and there was a large log fire burning and couple of ladies cleaning the windows and brushing the floor. 

The place smelt musty and mum said it hadn’t been lived in for the time they had been away at the Caspian. The fire was burning bright and it reminded me of our camping times in the cold forest.

We went out to explore the garden and the sun had come out and everything looked pretty. I held Meg’s hand and we smiled at each other. Marek looked at us and got hold of Meg’s hand too and we just stood there looking over the fields and smiling in the sunshine.

Our thoughts were broken by a shout from Dad. He wanted us to go in so we turned and slowly walked back to the house. He was sitting at a big table with Mum at his side. He waved his hand for us to sit down and put his big leather briefcase on the table. 

He then smiled and said from now on we were to call them Uncle Peter and Aunty Jayne. I felt Meg squeeze my hand gently. He then took out an envelope and pulled put a piece of white paper from it. It was an official letter and I could see a large cross in red at the top. 

He slowly read it out in English. It was short and simply said “Thank you for your patience and we have managed to follow up your enquiry to a reasonable conclusion” followed by “yours faithfully” and a scribbled signature. Uncle Peter turned the letter around so that Meg and I could read it.

I placed the letter between us and read the typed words out aloud to Meg. We looked at each other and Meg looked at me with a puzzled frown. We didn’t notice that Uncle Peter had slid another piece of grey paper in front of us. It was hand written, in Polish and started “My dearest Stanislav and Malgosia”. I just broke out into tears and hugged Meg and Marek. Through the tears I read the letter out to Meg and then just said in English to Uncle Peter and Aunty Jayne “They are both well and promise that we will all be together again, one day.”

Koniec!      The End!

Grandad Marek

“Grandad, Grandad. That was a lovely story. It made me cry.”

“I loved it also Grandad. It also made me cry but not as much as Lucy.”

“Hey you two! Just look at the time. Your mother will be back soon and I’ll be in the dog house and there’s not enough room in there for me and Blackie! Off to bed with you. Quick!”

“Grandad! Did Meg and Tan meet up with their Mum and Dad?”

“Oh yes Lucy. Grandma Meg and Grandad Stan were eventually allowed back to Poland but their health suffered. We all managed to go over and see them including your other grand parents the Pickersons. Of course that was my first real meeting with them and it was lovely.”

“Grandad! Did you meet up with your Mum and Dad?”

“Well Mat. I was on the train with my mother. I don’t know what happened to my father. I did research the family history but got no where since I didn’t know my own family name and all the official records of the people were long destroyed. But my own mother was so scared for me to go to Siberia that she bribed a guard to leave me at a station on the way so that some one would come along and find me and look after me. Well you know who found me. According to Meg and Stan’s parents she quickly died in the work camps from over work, and worry and despair of abandoning me. Well things worked out well for me so I am grateful to her. Kids didn’t survive too well in the camps.”

“Grandad, tell us what happened to all of you when you got to England.”

“That’s another story to tell Lucy. Another time. Now off to bed with you both.?”

“Grandad. Can we now call you Grandad Marek?”