Chapter 20

I panicked. I'd love to jump back in the building, but the door was locked, and before I got the keys out of my coat and turned them in the lock, they'd have shot me five times.

So I stood at the mailbox paralyzed with fear. It is true that I went outside at dusk, but I did not wander on the street. I was just standing at the door of the tenement house with the mail in my hand.

The soldiers approached me and one of them held out his hand.

"Gib es mir. (Give it to me.)" The command was given, but I didn't understand it, and the soldier repeated it again with obvious irritation in his voice. I was still pressing the envelope to my chest and was not going to give it to anyone. The other man, taller, approached me and grabbed my shoulders, then shook me like a rag doll. I squealed scared, and the tenement door suddenly opened. In them stood none other than another German, in the same greenish uniform as those soldiers in front of me.

"Was ist denn hier los? (What's going on here?)" Alex asked, clearly concerned with the whole situation.

"Sie verheimlicht etwas! (She's hiding something!)" One of them accused me, and Alex looked at me with a question. I showed him the envelope and he held out his hand for it. I measured him from head to toe and thought we were really close a few hours ago. Reluctantly, I handed him what I did not want to give to the other soldiers, and he looked carefully and felt the envelope, then handed it back to me.

"Verschwinde von hier, Mädchen. (Get out of here, girl.) " He spoke to me in German and opened the door for me. I just glanced at the surprised faces of the other soldiers and started up the stairs without any questions. I felt that my legs were so soft that I would probably be lying on those stairs in a moment, but it didn't. I returned to my apartment, handed Grandma the letter, and hid in my room, where I tried to control my whole body trembling.

I could hardly fall asleep and not for long, because the floor creaked at night, which meant that someone was walking around the apartment. I quietly looked out of my room and noticed that Mateusz was getting dressed to leave.

"So where are you going?" I asked in a whisper, and he jumped in place. I don't think he expected that I might stay awake.

"God, don't scare me." He replied also in a whisper, holding his chest. " I thought you were asleep."

"I was asleep indeed, but you just woke me up. Where are you going?" I asked the question again.

"Are you writing a book? You shouldn't care. Skip off to sleep, and not a word for Grandma that you saw me."

"But  ..." I objected.

"Go back to sleep. I'll be back by morning. '' He gripped the door handle and was on his way out.

"Tell me!" I made an effort not to scream. "Otherwise I will not fall asleep and tell Grandma!"

"Ugh, fine... In the morning, don't leave the house. It's going to be a lot of trouble. '' He just warned me and disappeared into the dark corridor of the staircase ...