Page 90 of The Watchmaker of Dachau

‘I can’t…’ Anna tried.

‘You can – now breathe, come on, in and out.’

‘They’re coming – oh God! They’re coming!’ Liesl was screaming inside the house and grabbing for the handle to the front door.

Anna looked to Greta who already had her hands under Anna’s armpits, pulling her upwards with a strength Anna did not know Greta possessed.

‘Pick that up and hide it.’ Greta pointed at the bundle of papers.

Anna, still sobbing, nodded, picked up J. A. L.’s writings and shoved them down her dress, holding them against her body with one arm.

The engines in the driveway started up, Schmidt’s voice shouting for Friedrich to get in the car, then peppered shots rang out as if there were snipers in the trees at the back of the garden.

‘Come with me.’ Greta grabbed Anna’s arm and made for the front of the house, down the gravelled driveway as the black car driven by Herr Becher, Liesl in the passenger seat, shot past them, the next car driven by Schmidt with Friedrich in the back seat, who, upon seeing Anna, turned and looked out of the rear window, his hand on the glass his goodbye.

‘Isaac?’ Anna mumbled to Greta.

‘Isaac’s gone, Anna. He’s gone.’ She held Anna’s chin in her hand and made her look at her. ‘You’re in shock but you have to try, you have to still try.’

Anna shook her head and felt a wave of fear overcome her – Isaac, the planes, Friedrich, it was all too much.

‘I can’t!’ Anna screamed now. ‘I can’t.’

Greta held her face in her hands once more. ‘Look at me, Anna,’ she commanded. ‘Look at me.’

Anna tried to calm her breathing and stared into the old woman’s eyes.

‘Now, listen. You have to do as I say. You have to put one foot in front of the other and move. If Isaac were here now, if he were in this situation, what would you tell him to do?’

‘I’d tell him to run – to escape,’ she stuttered through thick sobs.

‘Good. Now, calm your breathing. Good, that’s it.’

Anna concentrated on Greta’s eyes, on her voice, and found that her breathing slowed, the sobs becoming small hiccups.

‘Good. Now come on.’ Greta moved them on once more.

They had not walked for more than a minute when a car pulled up, driven by the guard with the scar above his eye.

‘And where do you think you are going?’ he asked.

‘I was just taking her back to the camp,’ Greta said.

‘Is that so? Seems you are going the wrong way.’

‘Oh, so I am.’ Greta turned the other way. ‘Silly old me. Can’t tell my left from my right, can I?’

‘I’ll take her,’ the guard said.

‘No, no – it’s no bother.’ Greta still held on to Anna’s upper arm.

‘I said, I’ll take her,’ he repeated.

Anna turned to Greta. ‘Thank you. I’ll be all right.’

‘You mind yourself.’ Greta stroked Anna’s cheek. ‘You make sure you live.’

‘Get in!’ The guard was impatient – more shots were ringing out; a plane droned overhead.