Beyond the Shadow of Night(41)

So they searched the next day, and the next, Asher’s mind becoming more ragged and desperate with every wasted hour. Then Papa told him that they needed to spend some time begging—that surely Asher could see that. Asher didn’t reply, but the next week they spent four days looking, and the next, only two. At the end of that week, Papa sat Asher down and told him that they simply couldn’t afford to spend any more time looking for Izabella when they could be begging instead.

Reluctantly, Asher was forced to agree. Papa also told him that if God meant for them to be together, they would meet again one day, and in the meantime survival was more important. He said a date with destiny would be useless if Asher wasn’t around to take advantage of it.

So eventually Asher put thoughts of Izabella and her mystical violin music to the back of his mind, and concentrated on the task of survival.





Chapter 14

Warsaw, Poland, 1942

On the streets of the Jewish sector of Warsaw, some people looked fitter and healthier than others, and Asher had worked out that these were the new people.

It was hard to believe, but more people came into the ghetto every day, all crammed into the same square mile of Warsaw. When asked where they’d come from, the answer was always some other Polish town or city. The country was being trawled for Jews, and the catch dumped inside the walls of this city prison.

Early in the year, however, there was a seed of optimism for the Kogans.

They’d all heard the rumors of work—although they dared not even bring the subject up for discussion. But one day, while Asher’s mama was cooking, his papa returned home with the closest thing to a smile Asher had seen for a long time.

“There’s work,” he said, taking his cap off and twirling it on his finger. “Hard work, but any work is good work.”

“Is it dangerous?” Mama said. “I need to know.”

“Not really,” he said. “Let’s sit down and eat.” He sniffed the air. “What are you cooking today, Golda?”

“Some kasha, and a few pieces of challah.”

“Any gravy?”

Mama shook her head.

“Never mind,” he said.

They all sat down to eat, and Papa spoke with hope for the first time in many months.

“I’ve signed Asher and myself up for it. It’s good, honest, physical work. And no . . .” He lowered his voice. “. . . no bodies.”

It gave Asher a warm feeling inside. He was going to help his papa provide for the family. He was going to be a true man at last.

“Asher too?” Mama said, frowning. “Hirsch, you know he’s not old enough for heavy physical work.”

“Pah!” Papa said with a laugh. “The boy can cope. He’s almost as strong as me.” He patted Asher on the shoulder. “Eager muscles. Young bones. He’ll be fine.”

“Don’t you think you should ask him first?” Rina said.

“Rina,” Mama said. “Don’t speak to your papa like that.”

Asher noticed that Rina’s stare persisted.

“I don’t mind,” he told his sister. “We need all the food we can get, don’t we?”

“But you don’t know what the work is,” she replied.

Asher shrugged. “I don’t care. It’s work, so it’s food.”

“So tell us,” Mama said to Papa. “Where’s this work?”

“The brick factory. They need to increase production.”

Rina laughed. “They build huge walls all around this place, then wonder why there’s a brick shortage?”

Papa continued. “They’ve just been granted a big order by the authorities. They’re allowing more coal to come in to fire the furnace, and also more food for the workers.”

“The furnace?” Mama said, slapping a hand down on the table. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Calm down, calm down. Asher and I won’t be anywhere near the furnace. We’ll be helping to load the bricks onto the trucks.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is? You can’t trust anyone these days. How can you be sure?”

“Sure?” he said. “What can anyone be sure about in these times? It’s a job. Even a chance of a job is good news.”

“We’ll see.”

Papa tutted at her.

“Have they told you what the bricks are for?” Rina asked.

“I don’t really care,” Papa replied. “But apparently there’s an important construction project to the east that needs a lot of bricks. It’s an urgent project so the work is all day, every day.”

“But that will kill you,” Mama said. “Both of you.”

Papa waved the thought away with the back of his hand. “Ah, so what’s happening now? Look at us, we’re all losing weight. Without food we’ll all be dead in six months anyway.”

Asher ate the kasha, but his mouth tasted something more. He imagined fruit, perhaps even meat.

“Come on,” Papa said. “We should be grateful for a drop of good news in an ocean of bad.”



At first, Papa’s optimism proved well founded. He and Asher worked like dogs at the brick factory and were exhausted at the end of every day. But there was food on the table. Compared to many around them, they ate like kings.