“Be careful,” I added, my concern for her deeper now. A moment later, she disappeared into the sewer. I started for home, overwhelmed. Now seeing Sadie meant sneaking out at night and breaking curfew—not to mention the fact that today, I had very nearly been caught. How had all of this happened? Once I had kept my head low and planned to ride out the war without being seen. Now life was getting more dangerous by the day and there was no going back. I couldn’t abandon her now.

12

Sadie

After leaving Ella, I started back toward the chamber. Earlier, after the Germans had appeared on the street, I thought that she might not be able to come and see me at all anymore. She was intent on trying at the new location, though. She had not given up on me—and for that I was grateful.

As I rounded the corner, there was a sudden clattering. Someone was in the tunnel. I leapt back. Then I recognized Pawel’s familiar voice. I relaxed slightly. It was Sunday, not Pawel’s usual day to come see us, but occasionally he visited unannounced, bringing an unexpected bounty of apples or cheese that he had found. Who was he talking to? I wondered. I heard an unfamiliar voice demanding answers, followed by Pawel trying to explain.

I peered around the corner. Pawel was surrounded by three Polish policemen. My heart stopped. They had found him coming into the sewer to help us.

“Where are you going with that food?” one of the officers asked.

“It is just my lunch,” Pawel insisted, though the size of the satchel he carried made that impossible. The policemen kept barking questions, but Pawel refused to answer. I wanted to go help him, but that would only make things worse. He saw me over the shoulders of the police and his eyes went wide before he signaled silently for me to get away.

I jumped back around the corner. I needed to run to the chamber to warn the others, but there was no way to slip past the police and I didn’t dare risk detection. Instead, I pressed into a crack in the wall, willing myself to become invisible.

The police continued interrogating Pawel and I heard a sickening sound as one of them struck him. He would not give us up, I realized. I was seized with the urge to race to him, to protect him as he did us. There was a scuffling sound, followed by Pawel’s cry of protest as the police started to drag him from the tunnel. I knew in that moment we would never see him again. I bit my lip, struggling not to cry out.

As the police forced Pawel to go with them, the satchel of food he had been carrying fell from his hands into the river with a splash. I did not know if the police had taken it from him, or if Pawel, in his desperation to help us, had thrown the bag, hoping it might land close to me. But it was in the water now, floating on the current, contents scattering. I wanted to reach for the bag, but even if I dared step from my hiding place, it was too far gone to catch. I watched with a sinking feeling as the last potato disappeared around a corner.