10She stared at the ground, waiting for the black boots crunching along to line to pass her. They filled her view. She kept her eyes trained down; those who met their eyes were always punished.
"Look up." commanded a low emotionless voice. Her eyes slowly rose, staring straight, right into his military awards and emblems over his left breast pocket. Maybe if she just continued to be as silent and as still as a statue he would move on. But that would be impossible seeing as how she was trembling from the cold and, partly, from fear. She saw in the corner of her eye him reach for his pistol in its holster. She flinched and trembled more.
He kept his hand resting on the gun as he said, "Look up." He said it slowly reiterating every syllable; he meant business. Making sure she kept her face blank and emotionless, she looked up into his gaze. She met his starling blue eyes, and noticed that he was young, around twenty-four perhaps, to be a general as his uniform told.
His face was hard and cold as he looked her over briefly. "Can you cook?" She noticed his hand was still resting on his weapon, so she decided not to risk silence. "Yes." She said softly, focusing her eyes away from his face again. "Can you clean?" He demanded. Again she nodded. His lips thinned and his eyes flashed, "You are to answer 'Yes, sir' as is expected." She froze, not wanting to get him angry, and spoke, almost whispered, again, "Yes, sir."
His face merely became hard again as he continued, "You will be used as a servant in the officers' quarters, cooking and cleaning. You are not to leave unless instructed and to do all the tasks required of you. Understood?" She swallowed hard and answered, "Yes, sir."
"Very well, when I am finished here, I shall bring you to your new quarters."
With that he continued along the line of assembled children and few girls her age. They had been taken from the train after having just arrived. Before this she had been in a ghetto, until most of the inhabitants had died and the Nazis decided to send the rest off to concentration camps. That's how she ended up where she is today-being lined up against a wall with the rest of the camp's children and girls. The boys her aged had been sent to work in the quarries or fields and most girls her age would be sent to work in factories joined with the camp. But the children, she did not know what was to become of them, or her for that matter. She had assumed she would have continued on to work with the rest of the ladies in the factories and kitchens of the camp; she was almost twenty after all. But fate had turned against her.
She had heard rumors of what happened to those sent to work close to the Nazi soldiers, woman more specifically. She shivered and hugged her arms around her thin form. The cold looking general came back to fetch her. He was tall, at least a foot or so taller then her, and his uniform was clean and neat. He wore a long black coat to fight again the cold, but his head was bear as he held his cap beneath his arm, letting slightly curly dark brown hair blow around in the wind. I suppose not all Nazis hold every Arian quality, she mused.
He said nothing, walking briskly away from the railroad courtyard. She scurried after him, not wanting to lag behind.
As they walked through the chilly streets of the camp a light snow drift began to fall. The young woman began to shiver more as the temperature dropped. Suddenly the Nazi stopped abruptly directly in front of her, causing her (who was looking at the ground) to crash ungracefully into his back. Before she could fall onto the cold ground two strong hands grabbed her shoulders and righted her. It was the General, but as soon as she barely got her feet on the ground he let as immediately as he had first helped her.
But all he said was, "Watch where you're going, Jude." And merely started forward again. She stared. He made her bump into him! Realizing he was getting farther away from her, she quickly caught up with him and they resumed walking in silence.
Finally they arrived at a nice looking building, the officers' quarters. It was tall and made of brick with glass windows and a chimney—heaven compared to the low wooden barracks with slit open windows they had passed along the way—the ones built for the laborers, the slaves. The inside was nicely furnished and warm, and they were some uniformed soldiers lounging around a card table playing. Once the General came in though, they all stood up and saluted, while one woozy man wavered between falling over and throwing up. The general strode over and grabbed the offender by his collar as the others stood watching nervously afraid for themselves and their companion.
He began, not shouting, but speaking in a cold hard voice with a chilling effect.
He spoke in German but luckily the young Jew had been learnt it back in grade school—she was Polish.
"You're a disgrace to the army! Wobbling around like a half crazed lunatic barfing all over! For allowing yourself to even be placed in this state, I will expect you to be on guard duty at night and quarry duty during the day! And if I see this happen with you again- He paused and let go causing the poor man to slump on the ground, although he certainly became sober after the general started speaking, before he finished in an emotionless voice—I'll make you join the Jew dogs and sleep in the Showers." All the men froze and waited for what the soldier would say. "I won't let it happen again, Gen. Sillman, sir."
The General merely looked coldly at the present Nazi officers, "I expect it to never happen again… to anybody." With that, he turned around and catching sight of the terror stricken Jew, asked in perfect Polish, "What is your name, Jude?" Knowing it would be wise to keep her fluency in German secret for as long as possible, she replied back in Polish, "Rebekah…Rodumin, sir." The officers stared at her, but didn't say anything know that the General wasn't in the right mood.
"Rebekah," he said softly, testing the name on his tongue. He continued, "She will be our house keeper and if you need mending, food, etc. You will either get it from her or, if for some reason, you will give it to me and I to her. Understood?" They nodded. "If there is any trouble of any kind, you will report to me." He didn't elaborate. He turned to Rebekah and spoke again in Polish, "You will have your own rooms next to the kitchen. NO others. If there is a problem or question come to me or whoever is presently available." He stopped to think if anything else was needed. One man with a scar through his eyebrow asked, "Does she speak German?" The General repeated the question in Polish.
She looked timidly to the ground, "I was taught German, yes, sir." She saw his boots step closer, "Well, say something then." He was testing her. Training her eyes on his boots she repeated, "I know it, sir…well, enough." Her grammar and accent were impeccable. He burst out laughing, a scornful laugh. "Well enough! You must have been a book-nosed scholar!" (A/N reg. text will now be German, and italics- Polish.) Some of the men smiled, but she was still resolutely staring at his shiny black boots.
Suddenly he said mockingly, "Like my boots? Want some of your own don't you?" This elicited a laugh from the group and she reddened in humiliation, immediately looking away. "Head bowed, like a good servant—a Jude." The men laughed again. She hated him and his cronies with all her heart right then. She wanted to hit him and shout demanding what he would feel like in her situation. Parents murdered in front of your eyes, separated from what family you knew…working and rarely feed by your captors. She clenched her fists and bit her lip refusing to fall for his bait.
She heard him come closer, until she felt him looming over her. "We have a once rich, still proud young Jew here." Silence. She felt a chill crawl down her spine. "Do you have any questions—any requests?" He said in a cold mocking manner. It took every ounce of courage left in her to ask, "Will I be able to go outside?" She heard a couple soldiers laugh, but the General didn't and they soon stopped. It grew silent again and she regretted ever posing the question. She felt fear slowly grew inside of her. Was he angry? Why wouldn't he speak!? Would he-
"No." He said quietly. "You will always remain inside, and if caught breaking this rule without permission, there will be penalties." Then he added as an after thought, "Any family members with you in this camp?" She looked up ever so slightly and noticed some officers looking at her scornfully, and some with blank faces. She looked down again, and shook her head slightly, "I …don't think so." And she didn't. As far as she knew her parents and grandparents were dead and the others were either in another camp or…also dead.
"Where are they then?" She closed her eyes and cursed him in her head. He probably asked that just to make her feel beaten, make her understand her position. "Dead." She said in a flat dead voice, actually looking up into his eyes. He held her stare with an emotionless one in return. "Pity. Now they won't see what a beauty you've become." He said mockingly. She raised her hand to slap him, but she was weak and slow and he easily caught her wrist in a tight grip.
He twisted it in a weird angle and she cried out in pain. "Never, ever, do that again! I might not be so forgiving next time." His voice was harsh and hard and his face was a stone. She felt tears prick at her eyes, but his grip remained. "I'll show you to your room." He said as he pulled her along side him. The other men in the room went back to they game, but with much more to talk about.
He pulled her through the kitchen and into a small side room. It was bare except for a small bed with blankets and a little nightstand. There were no windows and a small candle for a light. He carelessly pushed onto her bed and stood in the doorway. "Learn your place, Jew. I expect nothing of what occurred to be repeated and remember who has the upper hand. You may think me cruel, but I am much…kinder, in some aspects that you wouldn't even think of. Be glad you aren't stuck with some other—male, commander." He left and locked the door behind him, leaving her in darkness. After she was sure he his footsteps were gone she wept into her pillow, cursing the day she was ever arrested.
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