The Cuckoo's Cage

Chapter Five: Part One

Elli couldn't help but watch the gate. It had been a week or so since the strange officer had come to visit, and he hadn't been back since. She was always hopeful that he would come back. Perhaps then she could finally get some answers. Probably not though. This place only ever gave her more questions. A loud cough pulled her focus back. She sat back against the wall of her hut, enjoying the last week of August as much as she could. Normally, she always looked forward to Autumn. Anna always did, and it was rather infectious. But it got so horribly cold in winter. She didn't want to have to go through it again. She thought about Anna instead. She had thought a lot about the first man that had come to visit her all those months ago. Everyone said that she had been in a relationship with him. It confused her greatly. He was so much older, perhaps their father's age. Why on earth would Anna be with him? And she couldn't understand why everyone referred to her as the Cuckoo Bird. Alte had tried to explain about them laying eggs in the wrong nest, but it still made no sense. Anna didn't have a nickname. She hated anyone calling her anything other than Anna. Except Karl... he always called her Little One. A loud cough broke her train of thought again. She got up and wandered inside their hut.

She watched from the doorway as one of the other women rubbed Alte's back, soothing her as the cough consumed her. She was getting worse every day. And it was spreading. Elli's own throat had begun to itch so terribly. Elli made to go to her when one of the other women, Marcie, took her hand.

"I found something out today," she said, Elli looking at her curiously.

"What was that?"

"Your sister didn't leave with the Sturmbannführer." Elli's eyes lit up.

"Really?!"

"Really. I heard the guards discussing it today. They said that she's living with the Commandant now."

"I knew she wouldn't leave me! What else did they say?" Marcie averted her gaze, clearly not wanting to say it. "Just tell me!" pleaded Elli.

"Treasure, that's enough!" said Alte, spluttering before she erupted into another coughing fit. Marcie nodded at Elli, then let her go over to Alte. She went and stood beside the shelf that they slept in.

"That doesn't sound nice," said Elli, Alte looking up at her. Her brow was sweaty

"No, my Treasure, it isn't," she said, her breath rattling.

"It's much more like the one that woman had when we were unloading the train." Alte nodded. "But that was ages ago!"

"These things can lie dormant for a while."

"I thought you said it would go away after a week?" The coughing took hold of her again, Alte covering her mouth with the back of her hand. As she pulled it away, they could both see small red specks on her skin. She wiped it away on her shirt, Elli's brow heavily furrowed.

"I guess I was wrong," muttered Alte. Elli kept staring at her. Alte's lips were pursed as if they were holding something back. Elli kept looking at her, her eyes pressing for answers. Alte sighed. "I've seen it before," she explained, "when I was a child. My younger brother had it."

"What is it?"

"Tuberculosis," she said, her voice quiet and throaty.

"Is that bad?"

"Yes," replied Alte. Elli's lip trembled.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked. Alte didn't answer. Elli felt tears sting her eyes. "I don't want you to go."

"I'm sorry, my Treasure. I don't want to leave you either." She took Elli's hand, both of their faces covered in tears.

"I've been coughing too," she whispered.