Memoirs Of A Sparrow

Chapter Five

~Esther

The yard is big and open with nothing to hide behind. There's a small buggy in the barn and we walk to it carefully. She harnesses the buggy to her horse and tells me to get in the back. I climb in and she covers me with blankets and empty vegetable bags. She drives out of the barn and towards the main gate.

I wish I knew where Atticus is.

The wagon stops and my breath catches. Did they find us already? Could I run fast enough to get away?

"What is your business leaving the estate?" Someone asks.

    Right, there's a gate. And guards. 

"I'm a maid here, I'm going home for the night." Senia says.

I hear a key in a lock and then the gate opening. The wagon starts again and I let out my breath. We might actually make it. We stop again fifteen minutes later and Senia tells me it is safe to get out.

I get out awkwardly and see that we are at Atticus's parents house. Senia leads me into the house through the cellar.

"We're going to hide you for a few days but we don't want the children to know so you'll have to be quite even when no one is here." Senia explains.

The 'children' are Senia's youngest two siblings. They might give us away on accident.

In the cellar are a set of stairs to the main floor but instead of going up Senia walks to a cupboard beside them. She opens the bottom door and takes out a panel.

"You can stay here until it's safe to leave." She says.

    "Where's Atticus?" I ask.

    "He should be here soon, Max was helping him." She says.

I crawl through the cupboard and enter a small room. There is an oil lamp and some blankets but not much else. Light comes from the lamp and from a few small holes in the ceiling. I think I am underneath the kitchen.

I fold and arrange the blankets to make a sort of bed while I wait for Atticus. A few minutes later I hear steps and Max's voice. The panel opens and Israel is passed through the opening.

I pick him up and he smiles at me. I kiss him and hold him close. Atticus comes through the hole with more difficulty than I had but still makes it.

"Esther, you're okay!" He says when he sees me.

I put Israel down and squeeze Atticus tightly, happy that we're finally together.

***

The room is dark and we are tired, we sleep for a long time. I wake twice during the night to feed Israel and revel in freedom. A loud knock wakes us up in the morning, it's coming from the kitchen door.

Someone opens it and a voice says "Are you Mrs Denner?"

"Yes sir, I am." Atticus's mother, Marie, says.

    "We have a few questions for you if that's alright."

    "Of course."

"When was the last time you saw your son Atticus or your daughter in law Esther?" The man asks.

"I believe it was last week when we had them over for dinner." Marie says. "Is something wrong?"

"So you did not help in their escape and are not hiding them?" The man says.

"No, why would I need to hide them?" This is the first time what she says is a lie.

"Then you will not mind if we search your house." It's a statement not a question.