My Name Is Naomi

Chapter Seven

Someone was shaking her awake, but she didn't want to wake up. She was bone tired. She didn't want to face reality because the real world was harsh and cruel. The person continued to shake her shoulder and they hissed in her ear, "Get up! We have to get moving!"

Naomi struggled awake and saw bright blue eyes, urging her to get up. She pushed herself slowly to her feet and whispered, "What time is it?"

He raised a finger to his lips and peeked out of the tent. He waved her forward, not acknowledging her question. Naomi inched out into the cold of the night and followed Wolfgang around to the back of the tent. He waved her forward towards the trees and motioned for her to hide in the shadows as another Nazi soldier marched by. He nodded to Wolfgang before moving on down the line of tents. Wolfgang immediately joined her. His hot breath tickled her ear as he whispered harshly, "We have to move quickly, or they will have my head if either of us get caught. Follow me and stay hidden."

Naomi nodded, still feeling slightly sleepy, but the sharp, cold night air was beginning to wake her up. She reached for Wolfgang's hand and held onto it as he led her through the dark of the forest. They marched on through the cold snow. Some of it fell into her boots, making her feet cold. Wolfgang continued to tug her along and it felt like they had walked for hours until they finally came to a stop. Wolfgang held up his hand, signaling for her to stop. Naomi immediately collapsed into the snow, feeling exhausted.

"Can we rest?" she asked, tugging tiredly at her braid. She brushed some of the snow from her hair.

"We have to keep moving."

"But I haven't eaten or gotten hardly any sleep. We need to stop." Naomi insisted.

"If you value your life, you will keep walking. I know a place just ahead that will be good for hiding in." Wolfgang grabbed her hands and yanked her to her feet. "Just a little further, soldier."

"I'm only a Jewish girl."

"To me, you're a soldier. You've done more and endured more than any of those men at the camp." Wolfgang marched on, pushing a tree branch out of his face.

Naomi hurried after him, fighting against the exhaustion that was weighing her down, trying to pull her back into the soft, cold comfort of the whiteness that was surrounding her. She tromped forward, finally matching his stride. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She took a deep breath and decided to ask the question she had been afraid to ask for a long time, "Where have the Germans taken my family?"

Wolfgang stumbled slightly, but regained his posture and pushed forward. Wolfgang tugged on his jacket, wrapping it tightly around his torso, "It depends."

Naomi grabbed his arm to stop him, but he wouldn't look her in the eyes. "Wolfgang, I have to know. What happened to them?"

"Probably the same thing as all the other Jews. They were taken to work camps...concentration camps. Or they died in the cattle cars on the way there. I'm sorry." he looked at her face for a reaction.

Ayala? In a concentration camp? Naomi felt sick. She shook her head, "I have to save them. My sister..."

"The best thing you can do right now is get to America just like you planned."

"But not without Ayala! She's so young...she can't deal with that on her own!" Naomi insisted stubbornly. She turned around. "We have to go back-""

Wolfgang grabbed her, stopping her from leaving, "And for what? So you can get captured and killed, just like the rest of them?! I'm risking my life to help you!"

"Yes, but only so I can go to another country I've never been to. I have no plans for when I get there. No family." Naomi explained, feeling frantic. Her shoulders sagged. "I have nothing there for me."

"But you can make something there for yourself. When you are given an opportunity like this, you have to take it and run with it." Wolfgang said. "Don't take any of this for granted. You, a Jewish girl, have defied the odds. You've escaped. You only have to keep going."

Naomi studied him, seeing determination in his eyes. Determination to get her to where she needed to be. She nodded sharply. "Okay."

Wolfgang turned around and walk off into the open field of snow. She realized he was letting her make a decision. She could turn her back on him and run off to find Ayala. She could be caught and sent to another concentration camp away from her sister, or worse, killed. Or she could follow this German and hope he was being true and leading her to America.

She took a step towards Wolfgang and followed him through the forest.

.............................................................................

They finally stopped at a large, eerie mansion. Naomi gaped at the awesomeness of it. The building was gigantic. Bigger than any place back in her neighborhood. Wolfgang waved her to the doors and tested the lock. The door slowly swung inward. Naomi followed him inside and they immediately ransacked the kitchen.

Naomi found jars of jam and pickled vegetables which she placed carefully in her pack. Wolfgang found some slightly bruised apples, but they were still good. They ate the apples and sat down on the dirty floor of the library. Wolfgang began making a small fire in the wood stove. Nothing to large that would draw the attention of unwanted visitors. Naomi huddled near the bright flames, trying to warm her hands. Wolfgang sat next to her, their shoulders touching as they tried to share the warmth of the fire.

Wolfgang peered around the room, "I assumed the family had immediately abandoned this place once the war started. That or they were taken away by the Germans..."

"The family was Jewish." Naomi said simply. It wasn't a question, she knew.

Wolfgang nodded, "Correct."

She rubbed her hands together, "It's sad how they had to abandon everything and leave. Just like my own family." she looked at Wolfgang. The firelight was casting shadows across his face, outlining his sharp jaw and cheek bones. "What about you? Do you have any family?"

"My sister and mother. They both live on a farm, far away from this mess." he shrugged. "My father died from small pox a long time ago."

"I'm sorry."

Wolfgang nodded, but he didn't say anything. He finally sighed and stood up, "Get some rest, okay? I'll wake you up when it's time to move again."

"Alright." Naomi said, lying down. She curled up on her side and immediately fell asleep, exhaustion overtaking her body.

Copyright © 2016 by Rosanna Parker

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