Roots of Evil(108)

The others were already moving ahead, discussing the practicalities. The Russian girl was concerned about Alraune being frightened. ‘He might give the game away without realizing it.’

‘Not if Lu tells him it’s a new game—’

‘A version of hide-and-seek—?’

‘We could all tell him that; we could pretend it’s something we’re all playing.’

‘When do we do it?’

‘Tonight,’ said Ilena, looking at Alice. ‘We can’t delay.’

‘But what do we do first—?’

‘I’ll creep out to the Polish hut now,’ volunteered the Russian girl. ‘I can dodge the searchlights and the guards won’t see me.’

The huts were hardly ever locked any longer, so that the guards could make surprise visits, but patrolling parties moved around the camp all night. The trick was to dodge them and also the searchlights that constantly swept the darkness.

‘It’ll be quite dangerous,’ said Alice uncertainly. ‘Maria, let me go.’

‘No, I must go first to explain it to them,’ said Maria. ‘Their English isn’t very good, and I’ve got a smattering of Polish,’ said Maria. ‘Enough to make them understand that we want them to keep Alraune until tomorrow at any rate. That space over their hut is more than big enough. You stay here, Lu, until I get back.’

‘All right. But what about tomorrow? We can’t put the Polish hut at risk for more than a few hours.’

‘We’ll have to plan a couple of hours ahead at a time,’ said Ilena. ‘Maybe the laundry tomorrow night – maybe the kitchens.’

‘We’ll manage it somehow,’ said Maria, moving to the door. ‘I’m ready to go. Can someone watch from the window for the searchlights?’

‘I will,’ said Bozena. There was the faint ingress of light as a corner of one of the shutters was lifted very slightly. ‘All right, Maria? No, wait, they’ve swung the lights this way – oh no, it’s all right, they’re going away again – Now!’



A thin spiritless dawn was breaking as Alice, carrying Alraune in her arms, slipped out of the hut.

The crematoria chimneys jutted forbiddingly up into the grey-streaked sky and as she walked past them Alice glanced nervously in their direction. A sprinkling of coarse ash covered the roofs of the buildings nearest to her, and a heavy scent clung to the air. Then the ovens had been burning recently? Don’t think about it.

When I am through this, thought Alice, walking stealthily towards the Polish hut, and when I look back, there’ll never be any colour in these memories. Everything will always be in shades of black and grey.

She went doggedly on, her arms around Alraune, praying that he had understood sufficiently to remain silent. But he was apparently curious about this unknown nocturnal world and he did not make a sound. And it was easier than Alice had dared hope to dodge the guards, partly because they moved in sharp unison, the heels of their boots ringing out on the hard ground, giving warning of their approach.

The searchlights were still swivelling around the camp; in this light they were like huge pale lidless eyes. And if we find you, we’ll hang you or shoot you, my dears…But don’t think about that, either. Just think about keeping to the shadows, about staying out of the discs of horrid pallid light. And hide Alraune’s head against your shoulder, because he’s staring at the searchlights…

The women in the Polish hut were waiting for her; they drew her in, exclaiming over the little one who must be hidden from the Angel of Death, whispering volubly of their plans. For what was left of tonight, madame and the baby would stay in the little roof space – it was uncomfortable, but it would suffice. And then tomorrow, after morning roll-call, the small one could be smuggled into the laundry block – they had it all worked out. An armful of linen from the guards’ quarters to hide him: no one would suspect. The three who worked in the laundries would keep him occupied in a quiet corner – there were many such places in that block – and no one would know he was there. And after that, perhaps the kitchens.

‘No,’ said Alice, thankful that despite Maria’s warning some of them understood a little German. ‘No, I can’t impose on you after tonight. We’ll take him somewhere else. But your help tonight means more than I can possibly express in words.’ She thought they only understood about half of this, but she knew they understood all of the sentiment behind her words.

The space in the roof was smaller than she had been expecting, but it was sufficiently large for the two of them to curl up against the wooden rafters. Someone handed up a blanket, and someone else handed a half-cup of some warm substance; Alice could not tell what it was, but she drank it gratefully and gave Alraune a few sips. Tomorrow, after roll-call, she would set in motion yet another masquerade, and this time lives would depend on it. She would report Alraune as missing to the guards, and she would play the distraught mother. Would it work? Would Mengele be fooled? The timing was not good – it was too pat, too near to those schedules Ilena had seen, but it could not be helped. This was the best they could do. The guards would search for Alraune, and if they did not find him it was possible that Alice would be suspected of some plot, and would be executed.

She glanced down at Alraune, and reminded him that this was part of the new game, and that they must be quiet. Again he appeared to accept this, although his eyes rested on her suspiciously, and when Alice put her arm around him to make him more comfortable he resisted for a moment.