Page 120 - LEIBY

120 Leiby – Border Smuggler

“Here are all our codes and passwords,” he announced self-
importantly.

Leiby and Alexander could barely restrain themselves from
breaking out into a victory dance.The codes were in their hands!
Alexander carefully folded it and placed it into his pocket. But
there was no time for celebrations, time was running out. Leiby
left the room and ran as fast as he could to the adjacent street.
He reached the address that the drunken Pole had mentioned
and raced up the stairs to the top floor, and hurled open the
dilapidated door with an almighty kick.

“Who’s there?” An elderly woman looked at him, quavering in
fear. “What do you want?”

“The boy! Where is he?”

“What boy?”

“Babushka, if you don’t hand over the boy immediately, you’ll be
charged with treason. Have a little respect for the Polish eagle!”

Leiby strutted inside the house, pushing aside the toothless
woman.

She tried her luck at flattery. “You’re a good, brave Polish
soldier…”

“Where’s the boy?”

“He’s sleeping, they told me to hide him today so that no one
would harm him, I don’t know who would want to harm him…
here he is.”

At the far end of the room, covered with a pile of blankets, lay a
five-year-old boy, fast asleep. An open bottle of wine stood just
beside him, and Leiby realized that he had been given wine in
order to sedate him.

“They’re professionals, those wretched Poles,” Leiby muttered,
frustrated. “They’ll soon get their just desserts!” He lifted up the
boy and began walking out of the door with him in his arms.

“What are you doing? You’ll wake him up!”