Berlin blood

There was no sun in the morning—clouds were moving around, obscuring its rays—but this did not upset the travelers. They walked to the border, but Paul was worried: he did not know how far the Gestapo and the British had advanced to the border, but he hoped that they would let him through, and no one would have any questions about who he was. Laura supported him as best she could. Mostly she told stories from her childhood: how one day she, together with Edda, her cousin, climbed the highest tree to watch the festival, and leaned on a thin branch. She was shorter than Edda, did not calculate her strength, and the branch crunched, and Laura flew down. There were a lot of screams, and blood poured from the knee like a fountain. Laura recalled this episode from her life as her first serious injury to herself. Wounded knees bleeding. Only Edda encouraged her, as did her grandmother, who was treating the wound after the incident. Then everyone sat down to drink tea and cake, and in the future not only Edda, but also Laura herself laughed at this. They approached the border in the afternoon, when the sun was hot and there was not a single cloud in the sky. There were many more people wishing to get to Spain than Paul had imagined, but he tried not to show it, besides, if Laura noticed this, she would begin to worry more than him. — I see what you are going through. Paul looked questioningly. “I’m not worried,” the man made a confident voice. — No, you’re worried. “I see,” the girl pointed to her hand, clenched to the white knuckles. The man didn’t answer. “Don’t worry, you don’t stand out much from everyone else,” Laura pointed with her eyes at the boy standing and trying to get used to the role of the Spaniard, who was not doing well. — Let’s assume. Listen, where is the village where your sister lives? “It’s not far—we’ll get there in half a day.” “So many,” Paul sincerely wanted to be as far away from this place as possible, because this border, due to the large concentration of unfamiliar people, looked like a concentration camp: everyone wanted one thing — to get into the country and remain unnoticed. “Okay, let’s go,” the girl pushed him forward. *** Moritz realized that he would not be forgiven for his second mistake. Besides, where could he be now? In Spain or France? Or maybe he went to Belgium? There were so many options — my head was simply bursting with guesses. They pinned the case on him alone. Yes, he admitted that he was a fool and missed it. Now it is important for him to kill both of them and do it before the Germans. Moritz calculated his strength and looked at the sky: most likely, the Germans followed him to Spain, knowing that it was more or less calm there, which means Paul would run from there, but where? There are two choices: Portugal or France. Moritz exhaled. Portugal is too far away — people go there for only one purpose: later to board a ship and sail to America. Paul did not have money for a ship to America. He walked towards the public telephone to talk to Jerry. Having reached him only the fifth time, Moritz briefly talked about what he decided to do about Paul, to which Jerry agreed with him, and also told him to be careful: information had been received about the contract killing of Paul by the Germans. Moritz was not surprised by anything, but he did not want to go to the other world before Paul, so he said that the Germans would have to work hard if they wanted to kill two at once. Jerry laughed, but warned him, they said goodbye, and Moritz went to the station. *** It was their turn. Paul was terribly worried, but after handing over forged documents and answering the reason for his arrival in Spain, he and Laura passed safely and were overjoyed. They walked along roads with lush greenery and people who were just as happy. Laura felt at home and led Paul through the small towns near the border. Having gone a little inland, they found themselves in the village of Tavaskan, and the first thing that struck the man was the architecture. For a moment he found himself in a fairy tale with medieval houses, with glass shutters and wooden supports, with brick roads that had been here long before he was born. The local residents greeted them very cordially: it was clear that the girl was known in this small and cozy village. They walked through the main square and, turning the corner, found themselves at a two-story house, on the balcony of which sat a girl, a little older than Laura in appearance: blonde hair, green eyes and freckles. — Edda! — Laura screamed with all her might, and the girl, turning her head, gasped in surprise, and then rushed down the stairs and, opening the front door, ran into Laura, drowning her in her arms. “Laura, damn it, I’m so glad to see you,” the girls jumped together, and Paul, who stood and watched this spectacle, simply could not help but be moved by the picture, and somewhere even a note of envy slipped through his soul. “You have no idea how glad I am to see you.” And who is it? — Edda turned her gaze to Paul, who was standing to the side. — And this is my boyfriend. -You have a boyfriend?! Surprised. Will you introduce me? — The girl turned her gaze to the man. — Oh, yes, of course. Paul, this is Edda, my sister. Edda, this is Paul. He greeted her, and after a few minutes of exchanging glances, the three of them entered the house. “Laura, tell me, you didn’t come just like that?” — Of course not, I don’t do anything for nothing. “I know this, that’s why I’m asking, why did you come?” — the girl lowered her eyes. “Because of him,” Laura pointed to Paul. — You see, he’s not an ordinary man,” Laura took out one of his awards, hidden during their first meeting. Edda, looking at her, understood everything. She frowned, and then went to the door and locked it. - Laura, do you understand that you could get into trouble? What are you even thinking about? — Edda gave the award to Laura, and she hid it in the pocket of her bag. “We already have problems: I fled from Italy, and my father and grandmother were shot by Italian communists. But I think not because of Paul. Mostly because they wanted to take out the anger associated with the past. “Oh, my God, Laura,” it’s clear from my sister that she is in complete shock. The girl already wanted to leave, believing that her sister would not help her, but she stopped her with a gesture. “You’ll tell me everything at dinner.” I’m alone, so there’s no need to be afraid of anyone: it’s unlikely that anyone will appear here. You can stay here, but I must say it won’t be for long. — Certainly. Paul stood and looked at the view from the windows: small houses spread out over plowed fields. I watched how people went home from work, how small cafes opened for night festivities. Life went on as usual. Despite the fact that there was a war all around, it was not present here, only if in the newspapers, from where it was not even taken out for discussion. Paul did not feel that people here felt dejected or sad: the residents kept their coffee on the shelves in their houses and their lives in order and did not fill their heads with unnecessary thoughts, they rejoiced every day and were happy in their lifetime. They did not care about the huge cities whose inhabitants suffered from the news. This is probably what makes small towns and villages different. They retain more life and, despite the time around, these were small islands of life. Of course, they had something to discuss, but these topics came into conversations quickly and went away. There was no need for people to spoil their mood. — Paul, are you here? The man turned at the girl’s voice. — How was the conversation with your sister? “I thought she would take it worse, but everything turned out okay,” the girl went to the window and also began to peer into the distance. — I’m glad in any case, now we are relatively safe here. — Do you think they won’t kill me? — the girl put her head on the man’s shoulder. — No, at least I think that you can live in peace for a week, and then the hunt will continue. I will leave you under the supervision of my sister, and I myself will go and take them as far as possible. — Are you sure this will work? — I think yes. As one of my acquaintances said, not only the Germans are interested in my capture, so I think I will take them away from you. “Please be careful,” the girl looked sadly into his eyes. — Certainly. He kissed her on the forehead, and a little later gave her a light kiss on the lips. It’s so good that now and from now on she belongs to him, and no other man can encroach on her anymore.