‘They’re coming!’ Irini whispered urgently. I closed and bolted the stable door, and we scurried into the hay pile, burying ourselves. The scent of damp grass enveloped us.
Zeus continued to snort and grumble. If we were shot for defying the curfew, our bodies would be left to bloat in the sun, as a warning to others. Would the soldiers see the horse was saddled and come into the shack to investigate? Thank goodness I hadn’t put the bridle on first as they would be sure to notice that.
The vehicle stopped and doors slammed. German voices approached. Two Nazis seemed to be right outside the stable. I remembered the pitchfork and its slim, sharp tines near the door. If they probed the hay pile we would be speared, and I wouldn’t be able to endure such a thing in silence.
We clung to each other under the itchy mound, hardly daring to breathe. Something tickly crawled up my leg. I clenched everything. Footsteps and German voices came closer. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
‘Shush!’ I said, as loud as I dared to Zeus.
Through the straw, I saw the Nazis’ torchlight dance around the inside walls. The narrow beam hit our bundles in the back corner. The soldiers seemed to be discussing the situation.
Zeus was panicky, making exaggerated nods and snorting. A hand reached over the half-door, groping for the bolt.
Zeus lunged forward and nipped the intruder’s fingers.
The German withdrew. ‘Was zur Hölle?!’ he yelled, cursing the horse.
We were terrified but, perhaps due to nerves or exhaustion, Irini started giggling silently as the Nazis stomped away. Hugging each other with our heads pressed together, we vibrated with contained laughter. Moments later, when the jeep engine sprung to life and the soldiers continued their patrol around the city perimeter, our brave charade disintegrated. Our mirth turned to misery. Wracked by sobs of both terror and relief, we cried into the crook of each other’s neck, gulping for air, clinging to one another, tears raging.
‘I want my mother,’ Irini said.
‘Me too,’ I sobbed back. ‘Papa would know what to do. I miss him so much.’
‘We should imagine they are here. What would your father expect us to do now?’
But thinking about Papa only made me more upset. I wondered if the Germans would check the stable again on their next round and, if they did, what would happen when they discovered the horse had gone?
We untangled our limbs, climbed out of the itchy hay, and hugged for a moment.
‘Without you, Dora, I’d go mad.’
‘Don’t think about it,’ I whispered. ‘We’ll always be together, Irini. Nobody can take away what we have.’
She nodded and squeezed me hard. ‘Let’s tie the bundles and sling them over the horse’s back.’ Luckily, they weighed almost the same, so it wasn’t difficult to balance them.
We bridled Zeus. Irini sat upfront and took the reins. Her parents had a mule, which she rode competently. I got behind her and hung on.
Afraid and vulnerable, we listened for soldiers and then walked Zeus towards Filerimos. We gave the city a wide birth, keeping to the shadows and soft ground.
Once we were clear of the suburbs, the view from Zeus’s back took my breath away. Now I understood why Danial loved riding. Poor Danial. When he comes home, I will show him what good care I have taken of Zeus. I’ll learn to ride, too. That will please him. I wish I had left a note for the stable boy. He’s bound to worry when he finds his precious horse gone.
Halfway up the mountain, a gap in the trees appeared. Irini stopped so we could look down over Rhodes Town.
Beyond the city, the sea was the colour of liquid silver and the bright moonlight danced over its gently rippling surface. In a landscape of dull mauve and dark blue, the island of Simi was nothing but a careless smudge above a veil of mist on the horizon. No sign of the three old ships. Where were they?
I patted the horse. Can you see further than me, Zeus? Can you see the ship that carried your Danial away?
I squeezed my eyes closed and whispered, ‘I’m thinking about you all. Can you hear me? Papa? Anybody? My spirit’s with you. Come back safe.’ Desperate for them to know they were in my heart, I pleaded, ‘Whatever happens, don’t any of you ever give up. Irini and I are doing all we can to help end the war. Hang on, please, just hang on.’ I listened intensely, trying to hear Papa’s thoughts, but my head was dark and empty.
I had my arm around Irini. She sniffed hard, and I guessed she was evoking her parents and her older sister too. Her body shuddered and she sobbed, and I longed to make her feel better but couldn’t think of anything to say.
‘Do you believe they’re okay, Dora?’ she whispered. ‘I’m afraid Giovanni might be right, that our families are being killed because they are Jewish.’
‘What can we do? I’m scared for them too. We must try to stop the war, then they’ll come home and everything will be as it was.’
We sat in silence for several minutes, praying for our loved ones, then without speaking Irini nudged the horse on.
*
We were sleeping when Giovanni turned up this morning. ‘Get ready for a meeting with the Andartes,’ he said, dropping a bulging sack near the fireplace. ‘They want to speak to you again.’
‘What do they want?’ I slid out of bed and left Irini and Evangelisa to sleep. ‘Let’s go outside.’
He led the way. ‘Not for me to ask, is it? Where’d the horse come from?’
‘Zeus, he’s ours. Irini and I crept home last night to fetch our things.’
Giovanni blinked. ‘You went into town? That was bloody stupid.’ He took me by the shoulders and shook me gently. ‘You could’ve been shot!’
His eyes sparked with alarm and I wanted to fall into his arms. Instead I shrugged. ‘We needed stuff. How are we supposed to live without clothes and food? What time will we go to the rebels?’
‘Noon. I brought potatoes for your pot.’ He nodded at the hut. ‘Wasn’t sure if you had any rabbit left.’
‘Thanks. Appreciated.’
‘You owe me.’ His stern face softened and my heart melted. I gazed into his big brown eyes and wondered if this was love. ‘One of the Andartes will come here tomorrow. He’ll take you to their headquarters again.’
‘Here?! But I don’t want anyone knowing where we are.’ I thought of Nathanial’s unruly rebels, horrified that they would learn where we slept.
‘They already know where you are. They know everything. I’ll bet they know you went into town last night.’
‘Not possible. We only decided ourselves late yesterday afternoon.’ I hesitated, remembering the sound of breaking glass that saved us from being caught. ‘Will this rebel want to eat? Is that why you brought potatoes?’ He nodded. I put my hands on my hips and informed him, ‘Then you, Giovanni, can tell Evangelisa to peel them, because I’m not.’
‘They’re fresh. Don’t need peeling. I just pulled them up. Stolen, so they’ll taste all the sweeter. Scrub them, cut them, and shove them in with the leftover rabbit. They’ll be delicious.’ He stared at me for a moment. ‘You ever shot a gun?’
‘Do I look like I ever shot a gun?’
‘Only askin’, calm down. If Nathanial wants, will you learn?’
‘I’ll do anything to help stop the war before my family get to the prison camp.’
‘Good answer. It’s not difficult; just takes practice to hit a target.’
‘What about Irini? Will he ask her to learn too?’
‘Not sure, we’ll see. He might have other plans for Irini and your sister, or he may want you to teach Irini, once you’ve got the hang of it.’
Thursday, 27 July 1944
I have hardly had time for my diary, not that there have been developments worth writing about since our trip into the city. Evangelisa has tried on every one of her dresses. It is uplifting to see her so happy. I rescued the first diary, and the letter I’d written and hidden under her clothes. There’s no point in worrying her.
When I returned from the Andartes’ villa, Irini rushed out of the hut to greet me.
‘Dora! ‘she cried clearly delighted, taking my hand and leading me into the hut. ‘Come and eat. I was afraid the rebels would scoff all our stew so I saved us a bowl.’
‘Thanks.’ While we ate, she was talking to me about Evangelisa’s frocks, but I hardly heard her. My mind was full of the war and the rebels, and our families. Once I had taken the edge off my hunger, I asked her, ‘What do you think, Irini? Can we help the Andartes disrupt the enemy? Help end the war before anything bad happens to our parents?’
‘Why not?’ she said quickly. ‘When you dress younger, no one will suspect what you’re capable of. It’s not as if we can do anything else, is it?’
‘Right, but will they treat Evangelisa with respect? She can be a bit naive, and we were exaggerating when we claimed she could cook. All her total culinary skill amounts to right now is washing a few potatoes.’
Irini raised her eyebrows. ‘If they don’t treat her right, they’ll have us to deal with, won’t they?!’
‘I’ll bet the very thought has them terrified,’ I said.
Saturday, 29 July 1944
My first Andartes job is to sabotage a load of pumpernickel headed for the army barracks. I have to damage as many packets as possible. Nathanial said the foil wrapping kept the bread fresh for years, but once air got inside, it soon perished.
Giovanni has untied my wrist and replaced his catapult with four short lengths of split bamboo and a tight bandage. It feels so much lighter, and he is glad to get his beloved catapult back. I washed my hair yesterday and Irini tied it in rags, so I have a head of stupid ringlets this morning. Evangelisa has lent me one of her frilly party frocks and a pair of white ankle socks that we’d brought from our house in the city.
Armed with a skipping rope with two sharp pins sticking through the handles, I am about to travel to the port on the crossbar of Giovanni’s bicycle. If luck is on my side, I will update my journal, with all that has taken place, when I return.
*
Dear Diary, what a day this has been! Once again, I found myself in the clutches of a German soldier. A terrifying moment, but I have come to realise that each time I survive being horribly frightened, the event leaves me a little stronger. I conclude that this is how you become brave. You get to realise that you will survive if you are calm, and strong willed, and determined enough.
I know my family will be very determined to survive. They overcame many problems in the past, like having to move from our lovely village of Paradissi, to the Jewish quarter in Rhodes Old Town. This has made them strong enough to deal with anything the Germans throw at them. But let me tell you how my first day as a member of the Andartes went.
I travelled to the port balanced on the crossbar of Giovanni’s bike. My tension mounted as we neared the town. Giovanni seemed unconcerned.
‘How will you pay for this?’ he said pulling harder on the brakes as we rolled downhill.
‘You’re going to charge me?’ Déjà vu, Giovanni the mercenary, I thought.
‘You owe me for the potatoes too,’ he said. ‘Three kisses wherever I want, and not a cent less.’
This game of his, charging with kisses, had become a joke between us, but in my mood I struggled to respond with a quip that would hide my anxiety.
I’d hardly slept, worried I might fail and let everyone down. Now, my darling Giovanni had sensed my unease and was trying to take my mind away from the assignment. I appreciated the gesture. On the bicycle’s crossbar, between his arms, I turned to look at his face.
His eyes flicked to mine and then returned to the road. He whispered, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.’ Then he carried on with the distraction, ‘What about you kissing me somewhere that is normally covered with clothes?’
‘I’m not even going to answer!’ My tension continued to build until I noticed him grinning like a madman and I laughed too.
‘That’s better,’ he said pulling up near the port. I practised a little skipping on the side of the road, careful not to stab myself with the pins. The ringlets danced and my skirt flounced as I jumped the rope.
‘Definitely ten years old.’ His smile fell as he took my hand and placed it on his heart. ‘Stay safe, Dora Cohen,’ he whispered seriously.
‘Will you wait for me, Giovanni?’
We gazed into each other’s eyes for a moment before he nodded once, and I skipped away.
*
At the port, I spotted the pallet with the pumpernickel packets near the edge of the quay. I hopped along, slowly getting closer to the bread while singing skipping songs. Once behind the pallet, I tapped my rope handle down the rows of aluminium foil, piercing each packet. I skipped about once more, then did the same on the side facing the ferry boat.
The remaining sides were not so easy. Anyone could see me. I looked around and caught sight of Nathanial watching me from a dockside kafenion.
With my arms out, I twirled. Behaving like a child wasn’t difficult. Two German soldiers came and stood next to the pallet. I glanced at Nathanial and saw him make a sideways nod, telling me to leave.
I skipped up to the soldiers, then stood on one leg with my hands behind my back. They smiled at me. I mimicked the irritating adulation thing Evangelisa did, swinging from side to side and gazing at them.
‘I can count to five hundred,’ I said childishly. ‘Can you?’
One of the Germans flicked the backs of his fingers at me and they carried on talking.
I turned to face the pallet. Pointing at them and counting loudly. Then, pretending to have lost my place, I tapped each packet with the handle of my skipping rope and started again. It worked. The soldiers laughed, and I had almost finished when another German joined them. The first two stood to attention and saluted.
I had one row left, so I stuck at it, pricking every packet while calling out the numbers.
‘Oi!’ the officer yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me away. ‘Weggehen!’ he shouted. ‘Go!’
I appeared upset by the soldier’s rough handling, gathered my skipping rope, and ran off the pier.
‘Well done!’ Nathanial said at the villa. ‘You’ve impressed me, little one.’
Bursting with pride, I nodded respectfully. My first assignment in a plan to end the war. ‘I can do much more if you give me the opportunity, sir.’
Wednesday, 2 August 1944
Dear Diary, once again, I have been too busy to keep up with you on a daily basis. Nathanial assigned various acts of sabotage to me. Irini has been my lookout and helper, and I depended on her for my safety. This has further tightened the bond between us.
We put sugar in army petrol tanks, jammed wood up exhaust pipes, and wedged sharpened metal brackets behind the tyres of stationary jeeps.
After every job, Irini and I have a ritual of mutual appreciation. We shake hands vigorously, step back, and while saluting each other we chant, ‘Another job well done, corporal!’
The euphoria of success helps numb our deepest fears. At the same time, we grow even closer, protecting Evangelisa from any information that might cause her distress, and praising everything she does.
Thursday, 3 August 1944
Once again, I am summoned to the villa. Giovanni will come to the hut to fetch me, and I long to fall into his arms when we get into the woods. For now, I must put my diary away, and wait for him. I will record the day’s events, whatever they may be, when Evangelisa is asleep this evening.
*
Giovanni and I arrived at the villa flushed and breathless, I stood before Nathanial in the lobby and he gave me a knowing look before he spoke.
‘Be careful, little one, you’ll burn your fingers,’ he said nodding towards the door where Giovanni waited. He allowed the words to sink in before he continued. ‘Tomorrow, I’m sending you to our mud tunnels to learn to shoot.’
‘Mud tunnels? Why? Where are they?’
‘In the bamboo groves. The mud dulls the sound of the gun. It’s the only suitable location that isn’t too far away. There’s an old man there, Kapitanos Nikos, who knows every nook and stream of the place. He’s the best shot on the island too. You’ll be safe with him, and he’ll teach you well.’
Time had passed quickly since my family departed on the rusty ships. I wondered where they were and what was happening. ‘If it will help end the war, I’ll become your best shot,’ I said.
‘You’re a true freedom fighter, little one. I’m going to give you help. Xanthi’s just joined us. She’s older than you, but like Irini and Evangelisa, she’ll be under your command. Once I see you work well together, you can have more helpers and larger tasks to accomplish. Do you understand?’
Although thrilled that he trusted me with my own band of freedom fighters, I was also anxious about the consequences if I messed up. ‘I look forward to my next orders, sir.’
He laughed. ‘You’ve got spirit. I like it.’ He became serious. ‘You remember, everything that’s passed between us is confidential. Never repeat anything to anyone. Understand? I meant what I said the first time you came here.’
‘Yes, sir. Not to the shepherd, my friend, and especially not my sister, right?’
He nodded. ‘If you do, you will be killed, along with the person you pass the information to. These rules apply to everyone in the Andartes. Now, I’ve important cargo for the Kapitanos.’ He raised his arm and clicked his fingers. A rebel approached with a brown leather satchel and a wooden crate, and then moved away.