At last I reached the basin Saul and I had found. The pipe leading to the street sat high on the far side. There was no way to hoist myself up, I realized. Last time Saul had helped me, but I had not considered how I would be able to manage the high wall to the pipe without him to boost me up this time. I scrambled down into the basin. My eyes had adjusted now, and in the semidarkness, I could make out some boards on the ground. I collected them and made a pile against the wall I needed to climb, hoping that it would be enough. I reached high above me for the pipe. I missed and fell, sending the boards scattering. I looked up. There was simply no way for me to reach the pipe on my own. But if I didn’t get up there, I would not see Ella, nor be able to get the food we needed. I restacked the boards and tried to heave myself up the wall with sheer force and determination. My limbs were weak from hunger and it seemed impossible. I took a deep breath and summoned every last ounce of strength I had as I leapt for the top. My hands grasped the edge of the pipe and I pulled myself up, scraping my knees against the rough metal edge.

I crawled through the pipe and, a few seconds later, reached the end. I peered through the grate here that was rectangular and bigger than the one had been on the street in Dębniki. I did not see Ella. I wondered if she had been unable to get out. Perhaps she might not show at all. My anxiety rose. When we had planned to meet here, I had simply hoped to see her. But now, with Pawel and our food supply gone, I needed her help. I could not get out of the sewer pipe without her. Without the food stores Saul had mentioned, we would all starve.

At last, I heard footsteps above the grate, growing louder. I slipped back into the shadows, in case it was someone else. But a minute later, Ella appeared.

Through the grate, I could see Ella’s face, her expression expectant and grave as she searched for me. “I’m here,” I whispered.

Ella smiled. “You managed it!” I moved closer. The space beneath the grate was shallow and I had to half sit, half lie down just to fit in it. “It worked,” I said.

My satisfaction faded as I looked in her hands to see if she had any food, but saw none. “I had to sneak out quickly,” she said, reading my thoughts. “So I couldn’t go to the kitchen. I’m sorry.”

“It’s no matter,” I replied, though my empty stomach burned.

“How are you?” she asked.

I paused uncertainly. I often worried that if I told Ella of my troubles, she would find me boring and not want to come see me anymore. But my hunger loomed, too large and menacing to deny. “Honestly, not well. We have nothing left to eat. The sewer worker who had been helping us was arrested.” I saw concern flash over her face, as if realizing fully for the first time the dangers she might face as a consequence of helping me. “I need to find more food.” I hated to even ask. She had done so much for us.