Behind the Bedroom Wall (5 page)

Ignoring the question, Frau Rehme said to Korinna, “This is Sophie Krugmann, and this is her daughter Rachel, who's five.”

Rachel had a mass of curly hair that tumbled to her shoulders. Her wide eyes roamed the room and finally fell on Korinna. She smiled. Korinna glared at her until the little girl pulled back into the shadows, her smile gone, lips trembling.

Sophie hugged her daughter close and kissed the top of her head. When she looked up again, her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Are we safe with her knowing we're here?”

Herr Rehme said, “It's too dangerous to move you right now. Maybe in a week or two, but right now ...” His voice trailed off as he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. “Right now we have no choice.”

Sophie turned to her young daughter and said, “I told you to wait until later.” Then she looked at Korinna's mother. “I told Rachel to wait, but she gets so restless with nothing to do and no one to play with. She likes to walk back and forth, back and forth.”

So that's what she had heard, Korinna thought, staring into the shadows. It had sounded like a trapped animal.

Frau Rehme smiled with understanding. “It's all right, Sophie.”

“But now she knows,” Sophie said, nodding toward Korinna, her voice weary and tinged with fear.

“She was bound to find out sooner or later,” Herr Rehme said.

Sophie took a deep breath and looked up at Korinna. “Do you love your parents?” she demanded.

Startled by the direct question, Korinna could only nod her head.

“Then don't report them. I know you hate us—you've learned to hate Jews in school and at your meetings. But don't take it out on your parents. They'll be shot as traitors,” Sophie said bluntly, her dark eyes drilling into Korinna's light blue ones.

“That's enough, Sophie,” Korinna's mother said firmly. “Do you need more blankets?”

Sophie shook her head and moved back into the darkness, to join her daughter.

“Gute Nacht,”
Korinna's father said as he pushed the wardrobe back into place.

“Good night,” Sophie replied softly before the hole was completely covered up.

Korinna sat stiffly on the side of her bed. Her mother sat next to her, and her father leaned back against the
Schrank
. The candles burned behind him, leaving his face in shadow.

“Make them leave!” Korinna cried, a tight ball of anger and fear constricting her throat. “Get rid of them!”

Herr Rehme shook his head. “You heard what I said, Korinna. It's too dangerous right now. The Gestapo has been searching houses and making many arrests lately. The man who owns the next hiding place the Krugmanns are going to thinks it's too risky right now to move them. The Krugmanns have to stay.”

Korinna crossed her arms to ward off a chill that left her trembling. “How long have they been here?”

“Only a few days.”

“So they were the mouse noises I heard,” Korinna said through tight lips.

Korinna stiffened as her mother reached out and patted her back. “We felt it was best not to say anything to you. We know how involved you are in your
Jungmädel.
We thought you might ...,” her mother paused and looked at her husband. “We thought you might not like the idea.”

But Korinna knew what her mother had been about to say. They had thought she might report them for the good of the Fatherland. And she should. She had to. For the Fatherland. For the Führer!

“Sophie's husband and another daughter, Ruth—she's fourteen—are staying somewhere else,” her father said, leaning forward to brush his fingers across her cheek.

Korinna ducked her father's hand and moved stiffly to sit closer to the head of her bed. “Why couldn't they all stay in the same place? Someplace else,” she added vehemently.

Her mother sighed. “There's barely enough room back there for the two of them. Luckily Rachel is small. Like our place, most hiding places aren't big enough.”

“And are too dangerous,” her father added.

Her parents moved toward the door. Her father turned around and said, “Korinna, you mustn't say anything about this to anyone. Many lives are at stake. Do you understand?”

Korinna looked at her hands tightly clasped in her lap. It was her duty as a loyal German to say something —didn't her parents realize that? Her parents were traitors! Why couldn't it have been Rita's parents, or Eva's parents?

“Korinna?” her mother prodded.

Korinna closed her eyes, trying to ignore them. How could she promise anything? She was so confused. Her parents were harboring Jews right here,
right behind her own bedroom wall!
If she didn't report them she'd be a traitor, too!

Korinna heard her door close with a quiet click as her parents left her room. Lying down on her stomach, she nestled her head in her arms.

Her parents were traitors.

For a long time, Korinna tossed and turned as the candles burned lower and lower. She was afraid to be without the light, knowing the enemy was so close. She could hardly believe she had been sleeping peacefully these last few nights with hated Jews so near. Now that she knew what was on the other side of her wall, she'd never be able to sleep easily again.

When the candles finally burned out, Korinna's eyes were still open. She slipped out from under her warm blankets and tiptoed over to the window. Pushing open the curtain, she hoped there would be some moonlight to light up her room, but the sky was black. Even the snow on the ground looked black. Korinna shivered in the cold air and got back into bed, leaving the curtain open.

When a pale glow filled the room as the morning sun inched over the eastern edge of the city, Korinna finally fell asleep.

When she awoke, the curtain once again covered the window, blocking out most of the sunlight. She heard footsteps come up the stairs and someone knock on her door.

Her mother quietly pushed the door open and peeked in. “Korinna? Are you awake?”

Korinna closed her eyes and lay still. She heard her mother come in the room and place something on the foot of her bed. She smelled warm rye bread and potato and carrot soup. They had gathered plenty of vegetables from their garden during the summer. Korinna's stomach growled. She was just about to “wake up” and thank her mother for bringing up some food for her, when she heard the soft swish of her wardrobe being pulled away from the wall. Korinna grimly realized the food was not for her.

“Guten Morgen,”
Frau Rehme said in a loud whisper, lifting the tray off her daughter's bed.

Korinna heard Sophie grunt an indistinguishable greeting. At least she could be civil, thought Korinna angrily. She didn't like to think of her mother waiting on this rude woman. It was humiliating having her mother serve a hated, thankless Jew.

“Did you sleep well?”

“It was cold,” Sophie said with a mouthful of food.

Frau Rehme sighed. “I know. It was colder last
night than it has been in a while. Tonight I'll give you my extra blanket. That should help.”

Korinna could barely contain herself. Let the Jews freeze! Her mother shouldn't be giving up her warmth to help the enemy. What was she thinking?

“This soup is very good,” Rachel said softly.

“Thank you. It's Korinna's favorite, too.”

“Is that the girl I met last night?” Rachel asked.

Korinna guessed her mother nodded, because then Rachel loudly said, “She's pretty!” forgetting to keep her voice down.

“Shhhhh,” Sophie hissed.

“Korinna's still sleeping,” Frau Rehme whispered. “I don't think she slept very well last night.”

“Doesn't she have to go to school?” Rachel asked, her mouth obviously stuffed with something.

“Shhhhh,” repeated the little girl's mother.

“Not today,” Korinna's mother said. “Today she'll miss school just this once.”

“I miss school everyday,” Rachel said sadly. “I miss my friends.”

“I'm sure you do,” Frau Rehme said softly. “But someday soon you'll have many new friends to play with.”

Korinna couldn't catch the little girl's reply. But whatever she said had made her mother laugh softly. Korinna realized she hadn't heard her mother laugh very much lately. Jealousy burned in her empty stomach.

“... what will she do?” It was Sophie speaking. Korinna had missed some of the question, but she knew immediately the Jew referred to her.

“I hope she'll do the right thing,” said Korinna's mother, pausing. “But she's very involved in her
Jungmädel
and she honestly believes ... well, they teach her many things at those meetings,” Frau Rehme said, sounding apologetic.

“Why do you let her go?” Sophie asked.

“We have no choice. If she didn't join the group, she would be made to join anyway, and she'd be watched with suspicion. And Bernd and I, too, would be watched more closely. It's best that everyone thinks we're loyal to the Führer, then they don't suspect us of helping Jews.”

“They've lied to her,” Sophie stated flatly.

Her mother sighed and started to reply.

Korinna fumed. How dare her mother speak about her to this horrible Jew! And what did Sophie know about the wonderful things they did at
Jungmädel
meetings? Her
Jungmädel
leaders didn't lie to her. At the meetings she learned patriotic songs, she baked, she hiked outside, she made friends, and she even got to march in parades. They listened to the Führer's speeches, which filled them with pride for their Fatherland. If anyone had lied to her, it was her very own parents!

She was so angry she missed the rest of the conversation. All she heard was her mother reminding the
Krugmanns to be quiet. Then the wardrobe tapped lightly into place.

She lay very still, too upset to talk to her mother. She wanted to talk to someone about all the awful things that were going on in her house, namely the Krugmanns, but that person couldn't be her mother. Obviously, her mother wouldn't understand. Maybe she could talk to Rita.

Korinna heard her mother step softly to her side. A cool hand brushed the hair off her forehead, and a kiss as light as a sigh was left on her cheek. Then her mother left.

Korinna wiped the kiss away. Her mother was a traitor. How could she ever love her mother or father again the way she used to, knowing they weren't loyal Germans? Tears slipped through her tightly shut eyelids and slid across her nose and down onto the pillow. Why did things have to get so terrible? Why did her parents have to change?

Actually, they hadn't changed, she realized miserably. They had always been traitors. She'd just never known it.