The Watcher (23 page)

Once we settled in our seats with Watcher curled up at
our feet, Barret reached out his hand. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Conrad Nelson, your brother.”

“And I am Karin Nelson, your sister,” I said, shaking his hand.

It was still hard to believe that Barret was actually with me, as I had made up my mind I would be going without him. But there he was, sitting beside me and holding on to my hand.

“Opa is relieved I will be out of Berlin.” Barret leaned closer and whispered, “However, he knows of particular danger ahead in Hamburg, and he wants us to go immediately to Denmark.”

“What danger?”

Barret put his finger to his lips. “I will tell you when we get to Hamburg.”

I
slept most of the way to Hamburg with my head resting on Barret's shoulder, except for the times I took Watcher out for a walk at various stops. Security was strict; at each stop, Barret and I had to show our papers.

I could see where bombs had destroyed areas of towns that had been undamaged when I'd traveled through them a year ago.
Allied planes are coming closer,
Opa had said.

“We will soon be there,” Barret whispered as we approached Hamburg. “We need to get in touch with our contact.”

I sat up and removed the list of names from the hiding place in the heel of my boot. “The name is Otto, and the address is listed. Shall we call him first?”

“
Nein.
Phone calls can be traced. Let's find a place to eat. Then we'll get a taxi.”

Outside the station, we found a nearby restaurant.
After a discussion with a waiter about letting Watcher come in with us, he led us to a table in the rear of the dining room.

While we waited for our food, I whispered to Barret, “What was Opa's warning? You said you'd tell me when we reached Hamburg.”

Barret leaned closer and covered his mouth with his hand. “Opa says Hamburg will be bombed by American and British planes any day now. It will be a disaster—not a few planes, but hundreds.” Barret paused, took a sip of coffee, and sat closer to me. “The Allies call it Operation Gomorrah.”

“That name Gomorrah means complete destruction, doesn't it?” I asked. “I can't help but wonder how Opa gets all this information. And that he tells you everything, Barret.”

“
Ja.
He has his secret sources and he trusts me. He worries about me . . . with my . . . disability . . . that I need to be aware of what is going on, especially if anything happens to him.”

“But it also puts you in a dangerous position. What else did he tell you—about Hamburg?”

“The first planes will drop silver foil that will make German radar useless. It is something new that the Allies are trying. We have to get out of Hamburg before that takes place. Opa says once the actual bombing starts, there will be total destruction.”

“When will this take place?”

“Very soon. We must get to Denmark quickly.”

When we went out to the street, we were shocked to hear terrified voices of people running and pointing to the sky. Watcher barked, and leaped at thousands of leaflets that fell from a plane that circled the city. White packets dropped onto the streets, sidewalks, and cars.

“What's happening?” Barret asked.

“We're being bombed with some kind of leaflets.” The screams and shrieks of pedestrians mixed with the wails of air-raid sirens. I looked up, but the plane had disappeared into the clouds.

I reached down and picked up a leaflet. “It's not foil. Just paper.” Relieved, I read the title: “ ‘The Manifesto of the Students of Munich.' Barret, it's the sixth letter from the White Rose group! The whole city is bombarded with copies of it!” I wanted to cheer. Even though the student leaders had been executed and the rest were in jail, somehow their work went on and more people than ever were reading their message. I was relieved to see the plane had disappeared before Nazi planes went after it.

The taxi ride to our first contact seemed long. Eventually the cab pulled up to a sidewalk and a row of apartment houses. “I hope you kids have money to pay for this trip,” the taxi driver said as he pulled our backpacks out from the trunk.

“Our grandfather gave us a little spending money,” Barret said as he got out of the taxi with Watcher.

“Danke,”
I said, handing the driver the exact amount along with a small tip. Already Frieda's purse had helped us on our journey. The driver would be shocked if he
knew the treasure in jewels we had with us.

We went inside to the vestibule of the apartment house. We did not know the last name of our contact—only the apartment number: 301. I pushed the button for apartment 301.

“Who is there?” asked a man's voice.

“I am looking for my father, Herr Nelson. Is he here?”

“He went back to Sweden. I am Otto. Come in.” The buzzer went off, and I held the door open for Barret and Watcher.

“It worked!” I whispered.

We walked up three flights of stairs to Otto's apartment. A middle-aged man with a beard and mustache stood in a doorway, waiting. “I am Otto,” he said, motioning for us to come in.

A short, round woman, with white braids encircling her head peeked out from the kitchen. “
Willkommen!
I am Ulla, Otto's sister,”

“How do you do?” Barret said. “I am Conrad Nelson, and this is my sister, Karin.”

Ulla came slowly into the hallway, her eyes on Watcher. “Does the dog bite?”

“Not unless we tell him to,” Barret answered.

“Actually, he's a sweet dog,” I added quickly.

Otto led us into living room. “Sit down, children. We have much to discuss. I am waiting to hear from a fisherman who will take you by boat to Copenhagen. However, it will have to be under secret and dangerous circumstances. Dangerous because the German navy is patrolling all the
waters around Copenhagen and often stops boats to investigate the ships. They will immediately arrest Jews, as well as those they think might be members of the Resistance.”

“We are not Jews, and we do have papers to prove we are German citizens,” Barret offered. “Perhaps we should go by train?”

“It will be equally dangerous,” Otto said. “All border crossings into Denmark are under strict surveillance.”

I was sure Otto and Ulla noticed the disappointment on our faces because Ulla spoke up quickly. “You are welcome to stay here with us until Otto makes contact with the captain. You will be safe here. Did anyone see you as you came up the stairs? Anyone in the apartments below?”

“I didn't see anyone,” I said.

“How long do you think it will be before you hear?” Barret asked.

“Only a day or two.”

“No sooner? We must to get out of Hamburg soon . . . in case it is bombed.” Barret chose his words carefully.

“Oh, Hamburg is safe. The city is encircled with antiaircraft defense stations, and now we have complete radar protection. It's safer here than anywhere.”

“Oh,
Ja,
” Ulla added. “The radar can tell us in advance if bombers are coming from a hundred miles or more. And there are about two thousand shelters.”

“
Ach!
You will be out on the sea before Hamburg is bombed,” Otto assured us. “You'll be fine here for now.”

“What do you think, Conrad?” I asked Barret.

“It's the only thing we can do.”

Later, when we were alone, I whispered to Barret, “Should we tell these people about the coming bombing? After all, they are risking their own lives to save us.”

“When we are safely on board the ship,” Barret answered.

For the next few days we stayed in Otto's apartment. I slept on a cot in Ulla's room while Barret slept on a couch. Watcher slept in the kitchen, where Ulla fed him scraps, and lost her fear of my big dog.

Every morning Otto went into Hamburg to meet with his “sources.” One day he came home much earlier than usual. We heard his footsteps running up the stairs and then he burst into the apartment. “The Gestapo is going house-to-house in this area, searching for members of the Resistance.” He peered out the window. “They are on this street now! Thank the good Lord I made it back here in time,” he said breathlessly. “They will be here soon. We could try to bluff them—I could say you are my niece and nephew. However, I am concerned they will be suspicious, even with the guide dog. They'd take you away for questioning.” He turned to me. “I am wondering if your mother—Adrie—might have a search out for you, Karin. Opa told me that your mother has connections with the
Abwehr
. She knows you took your dog. So I prefer that you all hide.”

He rushed us into his bedroom and opened a closet door. He reached behind the clothing that hung inside, turned a latch, and a section of the back wall opened. “Get in, get in!
Schnell!
”

I took Barret's hand and pulled him through the clothing and into the dark recess of the hiding place. “Come, Watcher!” I whispered, and my dog followed. We could hear banging on the doors below. Watcher began to whine. His ear perked up and he let out a yelp.

“They're here. Don't let him bark,” Otto warned. “Keep him quiet.”

“Hide!” I commanded my dog. Immediately he stretched out onto the rough floor of the secret place and put his head on his front legs.

Otto closed the hidden door and left us in complete darkness. Barret and I clung to each other, and I burrowed my face in his chest to drown out the sounds of my fast breathing.

I could hear Otto straighten out the clothing that hung in the closet and then quietly close the closet door.

Within moments there was more loud banging and men's forceful voices. The sound of heavy boots echoed, and I felt myself trembling. The Gestapo were in the bedroom! The closet door had opened. If we were found hiding, we would certainly be considered guilty and arrested.

We didn't breathe. We didn't move. Watcher obeyed my “hide” command, and remained silent. I could tell the police were shoving aside the clothing on the closet racks. Then the outer door slammed and the footsteps faded. I realized how protected I had been when living with Adrie. Now I was nobody—and could be questioned or treated cruelly, like anyone else. Even more reason for us to get away from Germany soon.

L
ater that evening Otto told us, “I've arranged for you to leave tomorrow on a fishing trawler. This captain is willing to take you to Copenhagen, since you have German papers. However, officers on German ships search private boats, so you must be prepared to answer questions in the event that this happens. German ships patrol the waters around the Baltic Sea and Copenhagen regularly.”

“Just take us to the boat and we'll be on our way,” Barret said.

“
Gut!
Be ready to leave early in the morning.”

Dawn was slowly lighting up the eastern sky when we climbed into Otto's car and headed out. We were far beyond the outskirts of Hamburg when we heard the sound of air-raid sirens. My heart sank.

Otto pulled over to the side of the road. “I have no idea
if there are shelters nearby. But we are so far out of the city, we should be all right. The U-boat pens, the ports, and the industrial section of Hamburg are the likely targets.” Otto thought for a moment, and then said, “There's a shortcut to the little fishing village where your boat is waiting. It is a dirt road most of the way, but it is more direct to the dock where the boat is hidden.”

I peered through the window to the overhead sky. “They're dropping something—glittery things.”

“It's the foil,” Barret exclaimed. “They're blocking German radar. The bombers are on their way. There will be hundreds of planes! We've got to get out of here before the bombs start falling.”

“How far away is the boat?” I asked Otto.

Otto stepped on the gas and we turned down a hard-packed, bumpy dirt road. “We'll be there soon.”

After a while, we heard the thunder of planes that now darkened the sky. Bombs began to drop like eagles diving for their prey. We could see sudden bursts of flames rising from the direction of the city.

“They're dropping fire bombs, too!” I cried out.

“These are only the first group,” Barret said.

As we approached an open area near the shore, I could see part of the Hamburg skyline. Flames had quickly shot up hundreds of feet into the air. “The wind is building up from the fires and tossing sparks and embers everywhere,” I exclaimed. “I can see trees and houses—buildings—everything is burning. The fire is spreading like a tornado all over Hamburg!”

“Keep heading along the water, Otto,” Barret called. “Hurry.”

We were soon in a wooded area where trees blocked the view of the city. Yet the whole sky was brilliant from the fires. After several miles, we drove through a small village.