Page 232 - LEIBY

232 Leiby – Border Smuggler

His face was pale with dread,he looked in fright at the unfamiliar
faces around him and tried to run after the farmer woman. The
Russian soldier blocked his way.

“Where do you think you’re going, boy? You’ve been a shepherd
far too long, here you’ll be able to study and get ahead in life.”

The boy stopped short. School had been the stuff of dreams
for the village boys. Only the vassil’s children had attended
the gymnasium in the city, and when they had returned home
dressed in their blue students’ cloaks and red berets, all the
village children had held their breaths in awe.

“It’s very pleasant here in the orphanage,” Sandy wheedled.
“There’s good food and parties sometimes.”

The boy shrugged sullenly.“I don’t want to be here, I’ll run away.
Wherever there’s Jews, there’s problems…”

“That was during the war, it’s not like that anymore,” Sandy
tried to calm the angry boy.

Pavel clenched his fists. “I hate Jews! They killed our messiah!
Let me go back to the farm with Stefanya.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” The Russian soldier gripped the
boy’s shoulder and led him firmly to the adjacent building
where the orphanage was housed.

“A new boy has arrived… come and enroll him,” he ordered the
dorm mother.

“What’s your name, child?” she asked tenderly.

The boy threw her a withering glance.

“He’s called Pavel,” Sandy volunteered the information.

“Shut up, dirty Jew,” the boy hissed. Sandy cowered and fell
silent.

“Pavel, come, I’ll show you your room. A bed was vacated just
yesterday.”