Monika glanced over her shoulder. No one followed. The chaos had helped her—taking the girls had gone unnoticed. A crowd had been gathering in the plaza—those whose curiosity couldn’t be contained—and the throng of people shielded her escape. She hurried down the street, the two Jewish girls beside her, and merged with pedestrians. She tried to blend in with the others should anyone be watching, but knew that she couldn’t. Not with two dark-haired little girls with smudged faces and dirty dresses.
As they walked down the street, she looked at the girls with a sinking feeling. She had to protect them. She was willing to do it—she would do anything to help innocent children—but it came wrought with danger. She didn’t know what laws she had broken, but she assumed there were many. Now she had to flee. She had no other option. She had to save the girls, avoid arrest, and protect her husband’s reputation. He was a high-ranking military officer who didn’t deserve a scandal he might not endure—a wife who helped Jews.
“Where are you taking us?” one girl asked as they rushed down the street.
“Away from the soldiers,” Monika hissed, making sure no one could hear. She leaned closer to them. “What are your names?”
“I’m Hedy,” said the oldest. “And this is my sister Ruth.”
“How old are you?” Monika asked.
“I’m seven,” Hedy said. “Ruth is six.”
Monika smiled. They were sweet children. Some of their innocence was still intact, even with all they had been through. “You’ll have to trust me,” she said. “I’m trying to help you.”
When they reached the corner, Monika looked back. Two soldiers had left the plaza and were coming down the street, still a full block behind them. They stopped a woman with black hair who had two children with her. She rooted through her purse and gave them her identity papers.
Monika gasped. The soldiers were looking for her. Once they finished with the woman, they would close the distance between them quickly, unhindered by two little girls moving as fast as they could. She had to keep going. It was her only option. But she couldn’t outrun them. She had to outsmart them.
“Hurry, children,” she said. “Come this way.” She turned at the corner, hoping the soldiers hadn’t seen them.
The girls followed with no complaints, two children with dirty faces looking lost in a world that had left them behind. “Why are you walking so fast?” Hedy asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Monika said. “But we have to hurry.”
“We’re going as fast as we can,” Ruth said.
Monika looked at the girls, abandoned at such a tender age. How many more Jewish orphans wandered the streets, their parents taken away and never returning? Many Jews lived in Vienna, but their numbers dwindled daily. Few associated with them, convinced by propaganda that they were subhumans who spread disease, couldn’t be trusted, and destroyed civilizations.
As they rushed down the road, they were viewed with suspicion—arched eyebrows, tilted heads, or inquisitive stares. An older couple stopped in front of them. The woman frowned with disapproval, eyeing Monika in her expensive skirt, blouse, and pearl necklace with two little girls in soiled dresses. Others paid little attention, but she knew it didn’t matter. They would betray her instantly if questioned by soldiers or policemen—with no regrets. It was a dangerous time to be alive. She could trust no one.
“What’s wrong?” Ruth asked, eyeing her warily. “Are we in trouble?”
“No, you’re not in trouble,” Monika said, trying to reassure them.
A policeman came from the opposite direction, approaching the nearest corner. Monika looked over her shoulder—the soldiers were still coming—and then looked at the policeman. He was strolling down the street, gazing in shop windows with no apparent destination. He would pay little attention to a woman with two little girls. But Monika couldn’t take that chance.
They reached a narrow alley between two buildings, and she led the girls into it. To her dismay, it didn’t pass through to the adjacent street. It was more of an alcove, home to side doors from adjacent shops and rubbish cans. She led the girls to the back, ten meters from the pavement. A stray cat lounged on top of a rubbish can, ready to hiss if disturbed. He eyed them suspiciously for a moment and then protested loudly before scampering away.
“What are we doing here?” Hedy asked.
“We’re resting for a moment,” Monika said, not wanting to alarm them.
“I’m hungry,” Ruth said, looking up at Monika with big brown eyes.
“We’ll eat soon,” Monika said. “I promise.”
They waited for a few minutes, but Monika didn’t see the policeman or soldiers pass by. She tentatively moved forward, staying close to the building.
“Where are you going?” Hedy asked.
“Wait here for a minute,” Monika said. She pointed behind a rubbish can next to the wall. It would hide them, should anyone look in.
She went to the edge of the alcove and peeked around the building. She didn’t see the policeman. He must have turned at the corner. But the two soldiers were coming. They had stopped to question an older man, probably asking if he had seen them.
“Come on, girls,” Monika said, leading them back to the street.
“Where are we going?” Hedy asked.
“I’m taking you to my house,” Monika said.
The girls seemed satisfied. Monika quickly hugged them and then eyed the pursuing soldiers. They still talked to the old man. The leader, a stocky man holding his rifle, turned abruptly and saw her. He stared for a moment and then shouted to his companion, pointing to her and the children. The soldiers came toward them, walking briskly at first and then breaking into a trot.
Monika’s heart raced. “Hurry,” she said, trying to stay calm.
She led the children forward, holding each of their hands. She paused at the corner, saw the policeman down the street on the right, so she turned left. It would lead to her flat, in a roundabout way. She brought the girls thirty meters farther and turned right onto a narrow lane.
“Is this where you live?” asked Ruth, the youngest.
“Almost,” Monika said.
She glanced back to see how close the soldiers were. They were gaining, having turned the corner. They looked in both directions, saw her at the edge of the alley, and started running.
Monika had to react quickly. “Let’s play a game,” she said to the girls, forcing a smile.
“What game?” Ruth asked.
“Let’s see how fast we can run,” Monika said, still holding their hands. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“Halt!” one soldier called.
She looked back. The soldiers were at the end of the alley, hurrying toward them.
Monika and the children raced to the end of the alley. She turned right—the soldiers could no longer see them—and kept running. But she wasn’t sure where to go.
A strange man watched them from a crooked doorway. “Quick,” he called to Monika. “Hide in here.”
