How Augusto hated to turn in the man who had brought in the book, but the message had clearly stated "Away he is taken, for the devil he must endure. He will live or he will die. Do not burden yourself, you will see him one day, in shackles or in robes of white linen" Augusto had never called the Gestapo before.
Perhaps Adalhard should never have accepted the friendly looking man when he had come into the little bookstore that cold snowy day. But the man had such bright eyes and he seemed to bring joy and warmth to Adalhard's heart. How could he have refused the man? Adalhard wept a deep, heart crunching weep. But for all the crying he felt no difference. For all the despair and sickness around him he felt, almost glad he was where he was. for he was in only a prison now. He could have been sent to somewhere worse, like a concentration camp. He felt, almost a small joy, brimming just beneath the surface.
One of the other men who sat on the dirty floor beside him saw the smile that was always playing with Adalhard's thin lips, asked, "How can you always smile so?"
Adalhard laughed gaily and answered, "I think of how fortunate I am, for in here I do not have to face the worries of the world, I see only one worry, and that is to stay alive. And even so I do not fear death."
The other man could not help but smile, Adalhard always made him smile, he always said just the right things,no matter how crazy they sounded, "I fear death, why do you not?"
"I do not fear because, there is nothing to fear, I know what awaits me, and I have faith that it will be even better than I dream about here in this dirty sick cell," replied Adalhard growing serious.
"How can you know what is beyond death I always thought that was one of the greatest mysteries of all time," said the man confused.
"And wouldn't it be an adventure to discover that mystery?" Adalhard said enthusiastically.
The other man nodded hesitantly, not completely convinced, but decided that he had enough to chew on for the day, and he told Adalhard, "You are like a light, and the joy you some how have is like another light, that is within you. So you, in the dark rats hole of a place you are like a light to us, you are a like light within light.
Adalhard felt over joyed at this remark and started to sing an old German hymn, Ach Gott vom Himmel. The other men started to join and soon all the men within the cell were singing.
There was a pounding on the door and then a voice, "Shut up you rats!"
But at this Adalhard just raised his voice, only when the the guard stormed into the cell did Adalhard stop singing.
"Who began this nonsense?" demanded the guard.
One of the more cowerdly men in the cell slowly pointed to Adalhard and the guard smiled a snakes smile. The guard lunged for Adalhard and Adalhard put up no fight. He was repeatedly punched and beaten. Not one man made a move to help him.
Adalhard was said to be a danger to the other men and was put into a lone cell. This to some people would have been not so bad,at least alone they didn't have to deal with men getting sick, and disease. But to Adalhard is stung. He liked being the other men, although it made him feel guilty, but Adalhard drew his joy from being around those men, and his joy increased a little every time he made them smile.
There was a pounding on the heavy door. Adalhard stood just as three men walked in. They seized Adalhard and dragged him into a great truck. His eye was swollen and his mouth was still crusted with blood from the beating he had endured. All was silent in the back of the truck, Adalhard looked at all men's faces, his eyes lingered on one man hos head was back and who's eyes were close, and although no sound came out his lips were moving.
"What do you say?" asked Adalhard to the man across from him.
"I am praying, and what do you say?" asked the man in return to Adalhard's question.
"I...I cannot put to words what I say," answered Adalhard truthfully.
The man nodded, "My name is Alex, and yours?"
"Adalhard," he replied, "where do you think we're going?"
"I know where we are going," answered Alex.
"Then where are we going?" asked Adalhard.
"We are going to Dachau," replied Alex,and as he said the name there was a shiver that passed through all of the truck.
"Hey why don't you both stop talking about thing none of us wish to hear," snapped one of the other men.
"Why do you not wish to hear of things you can't do anything about? You are going to Dachau and you might as well face that. Or do you wish to be kept in the dark,just because that suits you best?" replied Alex.
The man looked away.
"What will we be doing there?" asked Adalhard.
"We are building a complex on the original camp," answered a different man.
Adalhard nodded distantly, "What is the camp like?"
"You are asking the men that are going with you, and trust me we are not sent back to prison," said th man sitting next to Adalhard.
"Dachau was the first open," added another man.
Adalhard nodded taking in what they were saying.
"Women are there now," said another lustfully.
"Stop that man!" said Peter when he saw the lustful look in the man's eyes.
"Oh why don't you all just shut up!" said a man angrily.
And with that they all fell silent, except for Adalhard's humming.
After what seemed like hours the truck stopped and when they opened the back dim light shone and there, waiting for them, was a great crowd, men and women. Adalhard jumped down and landed in deep mud. The faces of the men and women were gray and very thin. Adalhard nor any of the men with him were allowed to talk to the somber faces, but were hurried off to the infirmary.
When Adalhard enter the building he was taken by a man in white and rushed into a white washed room. There he was stripped searched, and was given a different pair of pants and a different shirt. The cloth was a rough material, and made his skin itch. Before he was aloud to leave the building he had a white powder poured over his head.
Adalhard nearly ran over a small plane woman. "Excuse me, sorry miss."
The woman only stared at Adalhard and walked past him.
Adalhard looked after the woman shocked at her rudeness.
Later at supper, the same woman sat down beside Adalhard and began eating. On his other side another man sat down.
"My name is Alex, what is yours?" asked the man.
"My name is Adalhard," he answered kindly,and looking at the woman asked, "and what is your name?"
She didn't answer until she was finished her small bowl of mush, "My name is Sonia." her voice was soft and musical.
"I like that name," commented Adalhard.
Sonia smiled.
There was a loud crack and a scream. Adalhard jumped up and saw a commotion at the other end of the diner hall. And there Adalhard saw his friend Peter's body on the ground with blood trickling down the back of his neck. Peter was dead. Adalhard felt a squeezing at his heart. Although he had know Peter only a short time he had liked him very much,what he had said was always comforting. Adalhard saw the guard who had struck Peter drag him out side, and Adalhard followed the stream of people out of the door and out to an open area, away from the endless sea of barracks.
Adalhard leaned down to whisper in Sonia's ear, "How may barracks are there? It seems as though they never end."
Sonia smiled and replied,"There are thirty-two of them."
Adalhard's eyebrows rose in suprise at how many barracks there were.
Adalhard's attention turned from Sonia's face to the guard that had, bu now, built a pile of logs, branches, and sticks, and were now throwing the body on.
"What are they doing!" asked Adalhard anxiously.
"Shh! This is the crematorium, or whatever its called, they always burn the dead bodies," explained Alex, who had followed the crowed as well.
And so Adalhard watched the burning of his friend. And for once Adalhard never felt that inward peace he had worked so hard to maintain. Ir felt as though it were burning up with Peter. Then he felt a reasuring hand on his shoulder and on his fore arm. Adalhard looked to his left and there stood Alex, and then he look down on his right and there was Sonia. Her plain, beautiful face looking up at his.
