Read Online Hiding Edith by Kathy Kacer - Free Book Online

for Jews. Our gear is all ready. So quickly, run to your rooms and grab any last things you might need.”
    Like well-rehearsed actors, the children went into action in an orderly but urgent manner. Edith pushed her way through the crowd and stopped in front of Shatta, who was still instructing her staff in preparation for their departure.
    “Don’t make the beds,” she commanded. “There’s no time. Be sure every group has its food packs. Bouli, bring the medical supplies.” Shatta kept shouting instructions over the rising noise.

    “Shatta,” Edith asked, breathless and frightened. “What about my brother and the little ones? Where are they going? What’s going to happen to them?”
    Shatta placed her arm around Edith’s shoulders. “Gaston and the younger children are too small to hike into the woods,” she said. “They are being hidden in homes around Moissac. We have many friends here in town, Edith, enough to ensure all of them will be safe.”
    In that instant, the house was ready for their “camping trip.” The children were fit and had the skills they would need. Regular staff meetings had been held to perfect the plans. Cases and sleeping bags were ready to go. Food was packed. Camping kits were organized. The tents, which weeks earlier had been inspected, were folded and packed. The house was set for flight.
    “Come on. Let’s get our things. Don’t be afraid.” Sarah squeezed Edith’s hand tightly. “I’ve done this before. We’ll be safe. You’ll see.”
    How many times in the past four years had she been told that she would be safe? Papa, Mutti, Shatta, and now Sarah had given her the same assurance. Would she really be safe today? The memory of fleeing Vienna and then Brussels came back to Edith in a powerful vision as she grabbed some clothing and ran out of her room.
    On the way down the stairs, Edith passed Eric, who was struggling up against the current of children. “Did you forget something, Eric?” Edith asked.

    “I’m not going,” he said. “The older boys are staying here.”
    Edith could not believe what she was hearing. “You’re doing
what?
What are you talking about? You’ll be arrested.”

    Eric Goldfarb
    “Never!” Eric replied. “There are lots of good hiding places in this house — in the attic, behind the woodshed. It’s really us older boys the Nazis want. The soldiers may not care about a group of youngsters camping in the woods. But if we’re with you, it would make things more dangerous.”
    Edith grabbed him by the arm. “Stay safe, Eric.”
    “I’ll be here when you get back,” he said, smiling. “Don’t worry about me.”
    Edith joined the crowd of children assembled in the dining room. Counselors were calling out the names of children, giving each one a pack with sleeping bags, food, tents, or other gear. When everyone was accounted for, the doors were opened and the children spilled out into the street.
    The morning air was warm and the sun shone brightly, as the children and staff marched quickly through the quiet streets, headingfor the hills behind Moissac. Shopkeepers were just opening their stores, unlocking their doors, opening blinds and colorful awnings. They nodded slightly as the children walked by but said nothing.
Are they really our friends?
Edith wondered.
When the Nazis come, will they keep our secret?
This would be the true test of their commitment to the safety of the children. She felt a trickle of sweat work its way down her neck. The pack was heavy, but she could not slow down. She shifted it slightly and picked up her pace.

    A photograph of the courtyard of the house in Moissac, taken by Eric Goldfarb.
    As she rounded a corner on the outskirts of the town, she glanced up at a small house close to the street. One shutter was open slightly and, behind it, Edith could make out the face of a little girl. As the campers passed by, the child raised her hand and waved. It was the last thing Edith saw before she and the