The End of the Most Beloved Possessions
On January 22, 1940, after night had fallen, Fred rapped at Mina’s bedroom window to inform her that I wanted to marry her, right then, that very hour.
Five minutes later, she was rushing down the main street after Fred, dressed in her wedding gown. She assumed she didn’t have to worry about Ludwig, that he was with me. And she wasn’t wrong about that. Only we weren’t waiting for her — we were asleep, tied together with a rope, at the other end of the village.
What with her nephew’s long legs, she had to make a considerable effort to match his pace. Her steaming breath vanished in the dark. As they passed the edge of the village, neither of them saw the wooden crate by the side of the road. In it was the new city sign that had just been delivered. It would be erected the following morning, hastening the secularization of the community — most Segendorfers still had no idea that, very soon, they would be Königsdorfers.
“Where’s Julius?” asked Mina, gasping for air. “Where are we rushing off to?”
Fred didn’t say a thing, and ran faster. Mina tripped and went down on the cobblestones, scraping her hands, and as Fred helped her up again, she saw the moon in the sky, but no stars.
Soon they were crossing one of the bleak fields on the outskirts of the village where stands of winter rye grew. Four dark-green cars were parked in a half circle. Their motors were idling and sounded impatient, and all of their headlights were on, throwing bright light onto a bus in the middle of the field. Shadows flitted between the vehicles.
“Where is Julius Habom!” Mina wanted to know, stopping short. Fred grabbed her arm — she couldn’t break loose, and fell to the ground.
“Don’t be so rough!” shouted Markus, coming closer and offering her his left hand. In the other, he held his pistol.
Men in surgical masks loomed behind him. The wintry ground crunched beneath their feet. As Mina screamed that she was here for her wedding, and began to thrash around, they gathered her up and carried her onto the bus.
“Are they going to hurt her?” asked Fred.
“No,” said Markus, checking his makeup compact to ensure that his toupee was properly situated, and thanked Fred, saying he’d done well.
From within the bus there was a rumbling, followed by a high, mechanical buzzing. Mina’s screams were smothered.
Fred covered his ears. “Where is Julius?”