Hanna #4
When an orderly called for help in taking a man who hadn’t made it down to the basement, I was horrified at the sight that awaited us there.
The space was almost completely filled with the dead.
I had to turn away, trying not to retch as the stench of death filled my nostrils.
We had no option but to lay out the corpse we’d brought on the stairs.
“So many killed,” I whispered.
The man nodded, then gruffly replied, “And this is just the beginning. You girls need to get out of here. Tell your mother. You don’t want to be here when our boys start fighting hand-to-hand.”
“Have you heard anything?” I asked, still desperate for news of Per. “What happened to the ones who got away from the marketplace?”
He shook his head, his expression grim. “Who knows? There’s been no word of them.
But I do know some were shot, trying to evade capture.
They were the first bodies to be brought in.
They’re lying over there.” He gestured toward the shrouded forms laid out in the far corner. “Boys I’ve known since they were kids.”
Nausea rose in my throat. “Did you see whether Per Hansen was among them?”
“Per? No, I heard he and a few of the others did manage to get away. They were rumored to be the ones who blew up the viaduct. They’re a tough bunch, that lot, and they won’t be caught so easily.
I heard they’ve headed for the mountains.
They’ll be back to fight again soon enough, though, I’m sure.
That’s why you and your family need to get out while you can. ”
On the way home that evening, I called at the Hansens’ again to tell Nina what I’d heard about Per. Her face lit up with hope. “Thank you. I’ll tell my parents,” she said, as she hugged me with joy and relief. “It will help them so much to know he escaped.”
“Will you leave on the boats?” I asked.
“Not while there’s a chance Per will come back.”
That night, Mamma, Liv, and I tried to force ourselves to eat a little supper. The three of us were exhausted, wrung out by the horrors we’d seen. We pushed the salt cod and potatoes around our plates as we discussed what to do.
“You two should see if anyone can take you to the fishing hut farther down the fjord. You’ll be safer there,” Mamma said.
“But I’m going to stay. I can be of use here.
One of the doctors told me there’s a Red Cross first aid station being set up at City Hall, to help take a bit of pressure off the hospital, and they need volunteers. ”
Liv and I exchanged another look. “No, Mamma,” she said. “We won’t leave you here. Either we all go, or we all stay. Hanna and I can be of help, too.”
From the water, the sounds of another bombardment began. “And it doesn’t sound as if it’s any safer over there, in any case,” I said. “Even if we could find anyone to take us.” All the fishing boats had left now, carrying their cargo of refugees to safer havens among the islands.
Our mother set down her fork, giving up all pretense of attempting to eat.
She looked from one of us to the other, reading the determination on our faces, and sighed.
“We still need to be ready to go if it gets too dangerous. We’ll keep our things packed.
And if I say it’s time, then we all go with no discussion, understood? ”
We nodded, then got to our feet and began clearing the table. “Go to bed, Mamma,” Liv said. “Hanna and I will finish here.”
She folded each of us into a tender embrace, stroking our hair.
I rested my head against her shoulder, feeling the softness of her woolen shawl against my cheek.
It had been her own mother’s, knitted in a traditional pattern as finely intricate as lace, and she always wore it in the evening, once her day’s work was done.
“How lucky I am to have you,” she said. “You did well today. Pappa would be very proud of his julefuglen.” Then she slowly made her way upstairs, her steps heavy with tiredness and with the grief she carried in her heart for all we had lost.
As we washed and dried the dishes, there was a soft tap on the door.
Liv hurried to open it and found Erik standing there, a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder.
She flung her arms around him with a little cry, and he held her tightly, unable to speak at first. Once he’d found his voice, he told us the latest news he’d managed to glean.
“Norway won’t give in to the Nazis. We won’t desert our country and our king. There’ve been broadcasts from Troms? and ?lesund, rallying Norwegian troops.”
He paused and glanced at me. “A message came through from Per. He and some of the others are fighting up by the border. They desperately need support. Alone, it’ll be hard for them to hold out much longer.
The Germans are conscripting any young men left in town, trying to force them to fight on their side.
Anyone who’s refused has been shot. You should all try to get out while you can. ”
I shook my head. “We’re staying here, where we can be of help.” We told him how we’d spent the day at the hospital and that we’d be volunteering to help at the first aid post.
“Be careful,” he warned. “When the fighting starts again, it might be safer for you to take shelter in town, rather than staying here so close to the harbor.”
I laughed hollowly, remembering the words of the hospital orderly telling us not to stay in town.
We were caught between the mountains and the sea, and the attacks could come from either direction.
But we promised Erik we’d stay in the basement at the town hall if need be.
I supposed that might be the safest place available to us.
“What about you?” Liv asked him, hanging on to his hand for dear life. “Where will you go?”
“To Fagernes. I need to make sure my parents are all right. A few of us are going to try to regroup there and decide how best to fight back.” He turned to Liv.
“But I’ll return as soon as I can, I promise.
Don’t worry, with the help of those British ships, surely we can drive the Germans out.
As soon as it’s safe enough for the families to return, we’ll get the children back and open the school again.
Just think about that, nothing else. Think about our future, Liv.
The time when this will be over, and we’ll be together again. ”
I stood. “I’ll be getting off to my bed.” I wanted to give the pair of them a few moments together before Erik had to slip away, under the protection of the darkness that now hid the devastated harbor from view.
As I unpinned my plaits and brushed my hair, I thought of Per.
He knew those mountains like the back of his hand, but it would still be bitterly cold up there on the border.
I hoped he could ski fast enough to stay safe.
I hoped he had found his way to a hut, with some of his comrades, and that for tonight, at least, he had something to eat and a place to sleep beside a warm stove.
But I couldn’t help imagining how desperate those boys must be feeling, fighting such a powerful enemy all alone in the darkness.