Today is a special day – John Kowalski's tenth birthday. He got up early – as always, before the rest of his family. John couldn't wait for the gift. Maybe it will be two times bigger? After all, his age is already written in two digits. And furthermore, he was very polite. Yeah. Two times bigger. It must be TWO sugar cubes.
Johny was waiting and waiting. New thoughts began to seize him. What if he will get only one sugar cube? His family isn't very rich after all. On the other hand, he was very polite this whole year.
Johny - despite being a dreamer – was very pragmatic human. Even though he had nowhere to hurry – it was saturday – he didn't want to waste any more time on thinking about the gift. He went to the kitchen. He knew Grandpa was hungry. He took out bread, butter and lettuce. He and his great grandfather very liked lettuce. When he was washing the leaves, he looked at them and he remembered... Jade verdancy led his soul into the abyss of the past...
He heard noise and yells. Voices filled with anger and endless frustration. Lettuce. Lettuce. Not blue, not pink nor blue. Not even green. It is the orange lettuce... It is rarely seen. It must be cared for. It must not be lost, it must not be stained. And – above all - it must not be eaten! Oh no, it must not. But Grandpa, mister great grandfather Wieslaw Kowalski, unfortunately ate it. Johny knew – no one eats money intentionally. Especially Grandpa – he is very polite. He didn't realize, he thought it was some kind of exotic lettuce. From beyond the end of the world. Like mango. But parents – mom and this man (Who is he? And where's Dad? He hasn't been at home for so many years... And this evil man is probably trying to replace him) – are still shouting. Johny is hearing about money, about the weird man with a name beginning with „Al" , about ban, the Cell, and obviously about Netherlands. Always when Grandpa messes up something, Netherlands are mentioned. Johny knows it exists – he saw it on the globe at school. There must be bad in Netherlands probably...
Johny's family contains: himself, mom, this man who wants to be his new dad, and younger step-siblings: two twins. And Grandpa – Johny's great grandfather, from the site of his true dad. Johny loved Grandpa very much. Mister Wieslaw was rarely allowed to leave the house, unless there were „zus and other formalities to do". He lived in a small room, among the junk. Parents gave him little food. They often mentioned that Grandpa is useful, cause money doesn't grow on tree and here: retirement pension.
Now mister Wieslaw is sitting in the Cell. The Cell is small cellar downstairs. Grandpa is sitting there as a punishment – mom and that man locked him over there. The Cell isn't pleasant –it has no windows, it's cold and dirty there. Mold is everywhere, and the only source of light is a small bulb. But Grandpa got accustomed to all of it – he was locked in the Cell so many times. Johny knew parents would be angry if they found out, how much bread was used to make sandwiches for Grandpa. Guilty Grandpa, who doesn't deserve the sandwiches. Johny knew he's naughty right now, he's going to get a penalty instead of sugar cube. But still, Johny, sincerely loved his great-grandfather. Well, he will sacrifice his birthday cube.
He assumed that parents were still sleeping, so calmly, but carefully, he descended the basement stairs. That's where the little room was – the Cell. He was carrying a tray, with seven sandwiches on it. He ate eighth one earlier. Key to the Cell was lying on a table next to Johny. He couldn't hear his great-grandfather - the door was soundproofed, because his parents couldn't bear his moans anymore.
He felt a wave of warmth. A wave of irrepressible, pleasant, thermal warmth. He remembered the campfire. This joy, fire, mysterious heat and... smoke, unpleasant smoke. No one likes smoke. Well, except for his stepfather. And now it's warmth, smoke and fire everywhere. Rest of the family were sleeping, and he remembered what's happening to a sausage thrown into the fire. He shuddered, he must do something. It is obvious. His house is on fire! He has to call Fireman Sam...
For the future: if you are in the basement, your house is on fire, the fire is blocking your escape route, and you are holding the key to the small windowless room in which your great-grandfather is trapped, open the door.
By pure coincidence, Johnny found himself in exactly the same situation. Of course, he decided to free Grandpa. Since he was not very good at manual activities, it took him about two minutes to open the door. He drove in to the Cell and saw Grandpa - pensive as usual, sitting on a bunk.
- Grandpa, fire!
Life entered Mr. Wiesław.
- We run away.
He ran out of the Cell. He kept forgetting that he was very tall, so he banged his forehead hard on the doorframe. After a while he took Jan on a piggyback and they started to run away. Grandpa was running. Through fire and ash. Through ruins and smoke. It's dangerous, but he didn't have much time. The roof did not exist. The floor was falling into nonentity. The house was on fire. Johny closed his eyes - he didn't like smoke. Grandpa closed his eyes too - he couldn't look at the four charred bodies. He kept running and running. The neighbors did not notice them, even though they circled around the light of the fire like stupid moths. Johny and Grandpa fled to the forest.
- What about Fireman Sam?
- I don't know who he is.
But Grandpa's forehead still ached...
