A Flicker of Light (27 page)

At that moment, against all sane judgment, Aaron decided to go to the camp hospital and meet with the doctors. He’d heard gossip about them amongst the other prisoners, but he refused to believe that any physician
could be a cruel sadistic killer. A gruesome revelation awaited him.

T

he camp hospital could be found housed in a large white building made of wood slats. A light dusting of virgin snow soaked into a pair of shoes that Aaron wore; he had taken them from the feet of a dead prisoner several nights before. Logic told him he treaded on dangerous ground, but with Saul’s life hanging in the balance, he could see no other way. Pulling open the heavy oak door, he entered. A long corridor ran down the center of the building; on either side were rooms where patients lay covered in white sheets. The hospital appeared like any other hospital he had seen, until he reached the room at the end of the hall. There, in the corner, stood a six-foot by eight-foot tank filled with water. Attached to the inside of the tank he saw a thermometer, the temperature read at freezing. Inside the tank the bodies of two men and a woman, who’d turned a pale blue, floated naked and unconscious.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” A deep baritone voice sounded from behind Aaron. He turned to see a man wearing a white coat and a shinning silver stethoscope.

“My name is Aaron. I am a doctor.”

The man in the white jacket snickered, “Indeed and a prisoner as well. Not only an inmate, but a stinking Jew.”

Aaron’s throat closed, he suddenly found it difficult to swallow. He’d counted on the doctor to show some degree of humanity; he now knew he’d been wrong.”

“I am Doctor
Ra
scher
, and so pleased to make your acquaintance. So, Jew would you like to participate in the fun?” Doctor
Ra
sc
her
indicated the tank with his right hand. “
Gruppenfuhrer
Zitman
, come now and prepare this prisoner. We will take these others out and see if they can be revived. I hope you’ve done an accurate job of documenting the time, Herr
Zitman
.” Then
,
turning back to Aaron
,
the doctor beamed, his white teeth gleaming in the fluorescent lights. “What we are doing here, you will be interested to know, Jew doctor, is we are freezing these participants within seconds of their death, then we revive them if we can. This is a very important experiment for the German soldiers. You see we have many pilots who go down in icy water. Here we learn what to expect as far as their survival rate. I am sure you would like to help the cause, and even if you wouldn’t, well, you came here so we wouldn’t want you to waste the trip.”

The doctor turned to his orderly
,
demanding he strip the clothes from Aaron’s body. Within seconds
,
Aaron stood naked, his clothes torn, his shoes pulled from his feet. Two guards grabbed him on either side. He fought with all of his strength
,
and it took two more, four in all, to restrain him. In the end they submerged him in the tank of icy water. At first the pain was excruciating. Aaron felt as if his skin would freeze off. But he refused to cry out. Tears came to his eyes and he shivered, his body shaking uncontrollably. But after a time, his nervous system went numb, and mercifully, Aaron passed out. When he awoke, he found himself wrapped in a blanket. Dr.
Rascher
stood over him.

“You are a strong one. This is good for the experiment. Warm up, Jew, then we do it again.”

The experiments continued. Three times they revived and re-submerged him until he lost consciousness. After surviving the third time the doctor seemed to gain a sort of respect for him.

Aaron lay quaking on a cot
as Dr.
Ras
c
her
entered the room.

“You did better
than any of the others. M
ost die after two submersions in the tub. Too bad you are a Jew. You
would have made a good air force pilot for Germany.” Dr
.
Ras
c
her
snorted, “So, since you’ve proved yourself worthy, I’ve decided that you will be spared. You will serve as my assistant.”

Too weak to speak, Aaron watched the doctor as he left the room. Then he fell into a deep slumber.

When he recovered, Aaron
’
s assignment was to administer medications to the patients tha
t Dr.
Ras
c
her
had infected with m
alaria. He sighed with relief that he would not be required to inflict any torture because he would have had to refuse. It sickened Aaron to know that healthy people had been purposely given a sickness by this insane excuse for a physician. The SS planned the testing of new medications for the disease, Dr
.
Ras
c
her
explained. Each of the patients had previously received a hefty dose of the infection, and now the doctor awaited the onset of the illness. Once the patient began to show symptoms, Rasher expected Aaron to give each one the tablets that had been indicated on their chart. Then Dr.
Rascher
demanded Aaron keep proper notes indicating the effects of each of the drugs. Aaron realized that he had an advantage by working in the hospital. Here he had an opportunity to help those that he came in contact with. As soon as he discerned which medications proved effective, he intended
to make sure that all of the victims were treated with them. He would fill out the charts as
Rascher
required of him, but the only drugs he planned to administer to anyone would be those he knew to be successful in curing the disease. The other pills, he would dispose of.

The doctor appreciated Aaron’s neat and efficient record keeping, and unaware of his true intent, Dr.
Rascher
grew to like him the way one values a loyal pet.

“You are not bad for a Jew, Aaron. I must say, I am glad you did not die. You’ve proved quite useful here.”

“Thank you, sir. May I make a request?” Aaron asked.

“Go ahead.”

“May I take some of the drugs to treat a friend of mine who is in the men’s barracks? He suffers from typhoid, sir.”

“Hmmm.
What is it about you Jews that you expect so much? I give you a lit
tle and you want the whole farm,
” Dr
.
Ras
c
her
said as he took a deep breath. Then, sighing, he looked at Aaron, “Oh
,
very well. I am far too soft with your race. But sometimes you people can appeal to me.” He shook his head, marveling at his own generosity.

“Thank you, sir. May I go there tonight?” Aaron had not returned to the barracks for nearly an entire week. His meals had improved dramatically
,
and he’d slept in a bed at the hospital, in the malaria ward. As long as he worked under the direction of the doctor, his attendance at roll call ceased to be mandatory.

“Yes, but be sure to be here first thing in the morning. I will let the guard know that you are to report directly to me.”

“Yes, sir, I will, and thank you.”

“I am far too charitable,
” Dr.
Rascher
said as he patted Aaron’s head and left. He’s all right for a Jew, the doctor thought.

The day dragged on, but when night descended upon the camp, Aaron left the hospital and headed for the barracks with a vial of pills tucked into his pocket.

Across the courtyard he strode. The bitter wind bit at his skin. Due to his ice water experience, he had become overly sensitive to cold. As quickly as possible, he raced to find Saul to administer the
medication
. Sleeping men lay closely packed together, and except for snoring, all was still. Carefully, Aaron stepped over resting bodies until he
came to the area where he and Saul had always retired for the night. In their place he found strangers.

He shook the man who lay upon the straw where Saul had slept. “Where is the man who used to sleep here?” Aaron asked.

“I don’t know, I moved here because I noticed an open space.”

A coworker Aaron knew from the factory lay awake a few feet away. Hearing the conversation he fixed his eyes on Aaron. He felt relieved that the darkness hid the pain in his face. “Aaron, I am sorry. Saul got very ill. He passed on.”

Aaron let the bottle of pills he’d stolen drop from his hand and slumped down to a squat. His head hanging low, he sat for a while as his tears flowed freely. He had lost the only friend he knew at Dachau
,
and he had not even been with him when he died.

C
hapter
33

The Outskirts of
Munich

P

etra and
Siegland
found themselves overwhelmed with work. The soldiers who occupied the house required food, clean bedding
,
and clothing. To make matters worse, Petra had missed her period again. Now she had no doubt that she was pregnant. Her breasts had begun to swell, and she was finally getting over the morning sickness.
Siegland
had noticed it too. She did not miss the golden glow that had washed over Petra’s face. Once again, Petra found herself a mixture of emotions: joyous to be with child, but constantly worried abo
ut the future -
not only hers, Aaron’s and the
Bruchmeiers
, but the baby’s as well. She dared not attempt to look for Aaron. She could not risk being followed. She would not unwittingly lead the SS to the man she loved. So instead she stayed close to
Siegland
, and prayed nightly that her lover was safe.

Then one night as the family slep
t together in one room, an
Ober
furher
brought a young woman of questionable repute back to the barn for a private tryst. It was one of
the Nazi officers who’d been in charge of the camp prisoners. He lit a candle for light. Then he took her into his arms. His lips met hers and she sighed as his hands reached for her breasts. Then he pinned her arms above her and for a moment he laughed as he sucked hard on her nipples. When he grew fully erect, he unzipped his pants and raised her skirt, moving her undergarments aside as he entered her. Filled with lust, he settled on top of the girl with wild abandon. When he finished he dismounted from her. Then he stood up, when he stomped his boots to remove the hay from his uniform, he heard the hollow sound of the wood beneath him and realized there was an underground cellar in the barn.

Curious, he tossed the girl out of his way like a rag doll. Then he pushed the hay aside with his foot and discovered the entrance to the underground room. He pulled the latch, opened the trap door, and stepped inside. He grabbed the candle and fixed his eyes on the stairs. Slowly, he began his descent. When he reached the bottom, he witnessed a sight that staggered him. The
Bruchmeiers
had deceived the Nazi Party. They had squirreled away food like thieves. Anger filled him as he eyed the radio with the dial set on to the BBC.

He stormed up the stairs and marched up to the main house while the other SS men and soldiers slept. He thundered across the threshold into the bedroom where Klaus and
Siegland
shared a bed. Petra was sleeping in the corner on a small cot.

“What have you done,
Bruchmeier
?” The Nazi bellowed at Klaus.

Klaus, awakened so abruptly, did not instantly comprehend.

“
Bruchmeier
, do you hear me?”

“Officer, I don’t
know what you are talking about,
” Klaus said
,
clearing his throat.

“You don’t? We’ll see
about that.” He grabbed Klaus’
arm and pulled him from the bed.

Siegland
jumped out of bed. “What is this? What do you want? Why do you do this? We are good to you, no? Stop, you will hurt him.”

Daisy leapt from her place at the foot of Petra’s bed. With all of the strength in her body, the old dog tore at the officer’s pants leg, trying to free Klaus.

A single shot from the Nazi’s gun and the animal lay dead. Petra ran to kneel beside the elderly mutt. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at
Siegland
,
who cried too.

“Shut your mouth, sow; you are in trouble too. All of you are in trouble for ste
aling food from the Reich,
”
t
he Nazi said glaring at
Sie
gland
.

A
knowing look passed over Klaus’
face. They’d found the reserves in the cellar. He’d take the blame and the punishment, if only he could somehow protect
Siegland
.