Chapter 1: A Bit of Good Fortune
“RUN!!” I hollered, feeling it wasn’t going to end well.
The girl tripped and the boy tripped over her body. They were both flat on their faces. The rock rolled toward them like a train. I wanted to shut my eyes but they were fixed open in horror and fascination. Suddenly the rock hit something sticking up in the path and diverted, bouncing over the children, bouncing off the side of the mountain and now crashing towards me.
It smashed through the fence and stopped a safe distance from where I stood. I was relieved. How lucky was that? I ran to the hole in the fence and shouted for the kids to come now. I took their hands and started back into the woods, ploughing a trail through eight inches of snow.
I heard a sobbing cry, “Wait! Please wait!” I turned. A small crowd of people were standing just inside the broken fence. Dressed in grays and browns, heads wrapped in paisley shawls and scarves and wool hats, these adults huddled wide eyed with worn, pinched faces. “Please, take our children too!”
I didn’t have time for this. Already the soldiers were on their way and this waste of time was going to get us all killed. “Bring them yourselves.” I ordered and turned back to the forest. They burst out crying. I turned back. “I can’t take them! It will slow us down. We’re already almost too late. Just follow us and do the best you can.”
I turned my back on the huddled group and started to walk but couldn’t resist their pitiful sobs. I could not comprehend why they couldn’t make themselves step past that stupid fence. I turned in great frustration and marched back to them..” OH MY GOSH!!! COME ON children!!”!. The crowd pushed their little ones forward.. 15 in all. Some as old as 11 I would say. Two infants were thrust into my arms. I whirled around doubting my sanity and marched forward.. “Step only in my tracks! Follow my foot steps. Older kids help the littles.” Everyone obeyed and we fled into the forest.. But it was too late. I heard the jangling of weapons from the soldiers.
The path I was on Tee’d at a high snow bank. The soldiers were coming from the left. Suddenly I had an Idea. “Quickly now” I whispered to the tallest two kids. Step on my hand and get on top of this bank.” They seemed to know exactly my plan and acted quickly then, I tossed the children up to them. They caught them and laid them in the snow urging them to be silent. I grabbed a branch to cover my tracks and dove over a fallen log on the opposite side of the trail.
I laid there trying to be invisible, praying urgently for God to spare us.
“They’re not here…they must have already gone past!” a voice shouted. The soldiers picked up their pace and continued to the right at great speed. Once we could no longer hear them I got up and whispered to the two older children to help the littles by handing them down to me.
They did so then jumped down themselves. I steadied them as they landed. Everyone was COLD and WET and ill prepared for snow. We trotted to the left in the opposite direction of the soldiers. As we crossed a farmers field many of the little ones began to drag and cry quietly. They were blue. We had to stop and warm them up. I saw a farm house in the distance and headed that way promising warmth and maybe food. This seemed to cheer them up a bit and they persevered, stepping in tracks I made in the deep snow.
I knocked on the door and a very scared woman peeked out and saw us. She immediately began to shake her head “no” and close the door. I put my foot in the door and begged, “PLEASE! They are freezing. It will only be a minute to warm up and then we’ll leave I promise” With great anxiety and regret she relented and let us in, peering fearfully across the field into the distance.
The kids were cheered by the warm room and some even smiled and began to talk to each other. The woman was staring anxiously out the window and suddenly cried out. “Soldiers!” I couldn’t believe they had back tracked. I took the children and hurried them to the back of the house hiding them in cupboards and closets with urgent commands to BE SILENT or we would all be dead.
Then, with the two newborns in each arm and slid on my back under the bed. It was about 2 feet off the ground. I lay there wondering if the babies were even alive. How were they so quiet? The soldiers banged on the door. The woman of the house insisted that no one was there and that she hadn’t seen anyone.
They pushed past her as she protested!
Again I plead with God to help the children. The soldiers came into the room where I was hiding, walked around and walked out slamming the door. I heard other doors slamming as well and the soldiers saying..”No one is here” suddenly I heard a faint sound of a child from the room across from mine. As the soldiers were leaving the house, one must have heard the sound because he suddenly said “hold a minute!” I heard him go into the bedroom across from me.
I began to scoot out from under the bed as fast as I could. I laid the babies quickly in the center of the bed and opened my door just as the soldier was emerging from the room and about to shout that he had found the children.
He was tall, blond, in uniform and carrying a large gun. I was no match for him yet, instantly I knew what I must do and didn’t have time to argue with myself. He looked at me incredulously as I emerged from the room like a panther and leapt up his body wrapping my legs around his waist, my arms under his armpits and squeezed as hard as I could as I closed my jaws upon his jugular vein and ground my teeth until the blood flowed. Was I going to hell? I was killing a man. “God have mercy on my soul," my brain screamed as the soldier pummeled my sides trying to smash me off of his body and throat. My ribs were cracking but I kept my bulldog grip until he fell and the weight of his body on my broken ribs caused me to lose consciousness.
I awoke to voices. My beloved Reg was talking gently and trying to get me to open my eyes. My mouth tasted awful. I wanted water so bad. I considered sitting up but was stopped by the pain of my crushed ribs.” Are the children alive?” I croaked.
“Every one of them” Reg said affectionately as he smoothed the bangs off my forehead. “You done good, Stuby” Stuby…not a romantic name, but it was Reg’s affectionate name for me that tickled his funny bone. My mouth pouted. I was no longer stout but I was still shorter than him by a foot. Whatever. “Can I have some water or a wet rag to clean out my mouth?” He left and returned with a wet rag. I took it and began to wipe out my mouth. “I need to sit up and spit.” I said.
Hold on, Ali will be here soon to heal your ribs. Then you can do what you want…It’s a FREE country!” I laughed, and it hurt. He had been saying that for decades every time he did anything he wanted to. Even when our country stopped being a free country for a while.
Ali burst through the door. She was full of light and love. “OH Heather, the stories people are telling about you! Good heaven’s, you are a legend even still.” I smirked half heartedly, “Well, I actually killed someone. I didn’t like THAT.”
“HAH! Ali squawked. “Well that was in self defense. I’d be worried if you liked it. Now be still” She and Reg laid their hands on my head and Ali began to speak healing words in the name of Jesus Christ, then Reg began to speak in the same name and a warm energy began to flow from their hands, into my head down my neck, rushing through my heart and lungs and I felt my rib bones move and my swollen muscle tissue return to normal and I sat up with no pain.
I hugged them both. “You two are amazing!!! THANK you!” Then I ran to the sink, rinsed my bloody mouth and threw up.
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