Chapter Twelve
I had been dragged outside on barefoot and I could feel Frost already starting to bite into my exposed toes.
‘I don’t know what you are talking about sir.' I was shaking like a leaf from fear and from the cold, the pain in my feet increasing. I had earlier retrieved the rocks from my boots stealthily handing them over to Eel just before I dropped off to sleep.
‘Mister Daniel Snow is it?’ The husky voice inquired. I could see mist escape from his mouth and nostrils.
‘Yes sir that’s me.’ I replied shivering.
‘Want a cigarette?’
‘No sir, I don’t smoke.'
‘You’re an American I believe.'
‘Yes sir I am.'
'A spy?'
'No sir.'
‘What we’re doing in an SS officer’s uniform?’
I remained silent. I knew that Eel had brought us these uniforms from I don’t know where.
‘Are you deaf Mister Snow?’
‘No sir am not.' I said in reply, 'actually sir, I happen to be a stage actor, and in my line of work, we do happen to wear different types of costumes for our stage acts and since we were to perform for the Fuhrer, one of the costumes I wore I believe, is that uniform you are referring to.’
‘You take me for a fool Mister Snow?’
‘No Sir I don’t.’
He turned and spoke to the other shapes in the dark. I heard several footsteps briskly retreat in the cold.
‘Mister Snow,’ the husky voice turning back to addressed me, 'your colleagues, the two men and the woman.Are they actors too?’
‘Yes they are.’ I said quickly. I knew that once I had opted to go down this road, I wasn’t about to change my story.
‘Do you know where you are Mister Snow?’
‘Yes sir, in a concentration camp.’
Just then, the figures returned and this time I was joined by a shivering Uncle Henry, Eel and Doctor Lynn. All three looked rather haggard.
‘Welcome,' the man said as all three were bundled next to me and each other. 'Your young friend over here says you're all actors.’
No one answered.
‘Okay,' the man said after waiting for a response but not getting any.
'The reason I brought all you actors out here, and I must apologize for interrupting your beauty sleep, is, my Fuhrer wants his stone back and am meant to understand one of you has it.’
We all remained silent, our eyes staring bravely into the bright torch lights.
‘My name is Heinrich Müller,’ the man continued, ‘and I’m the Chief of the Gestapo.’
Even with the bright light aimed at my face, I could still see that he was smallish man with piercing eyes and thin lips.
‘Who of you has it?’ He asked, his voice getting louder.
We all remained silent. Next, I heard the crackling sound of guns being cocked. My heart thumped hard within me.
‘I will only ask one more time. Again, who of you has the Fuhrer’s stone?’
‘I do!’ Eel said shooting his left hand in the air. ‘I have it on me.’
‘Ah, that’s the spirit.’ the man said, his husky voice mellow.
Just then, I heard a loud hissing sound above my head, looking up, I saw about a dozen very bright lights in what appeared to be a circle.
‘Yes, right on time.’ The Gestapo Man said as the lights of the cylindrical object approached the ground in total silence. It seemed to be drifting in midair effortlessly aided by some invisible current. As it neared the ground, a ray of blue light shot from its center onto the ground. Its spreading aft was framed by halos of white light which emanated from inside it. The entire disk plunged into darkness before powering back up again. It had landed. A door seemed to pop open and out stepped a figure, then another, and finally a strange looking figure emerged. He was taller than the first two, way taller. All three shapes came towards us.
'Herr Hitler!' The Gestapo man and his band of guards saluted the figures as they approached, before moving swiftly out of the way.
'Herr Ileus!' the Fuhrer exclaimed. 'Why are you dressed up like this?' he was staring intently at Eel from head to toe and back up.
'I was arrested on my way from paying you a visit.' Eel replied smiling.
'I believe you still have the rock in your possession, yes?' the Fuhrer asked.
'I do. I do. As a matter of fact, I have all three rocks.'
'Good. I also have brought our master along too, Herr Xuryae.' before he too stepped aside to let the giant being through.
My heart pelted as the mist dissipated and the being came into full view. He had a cylindrical shaped head with antennae tip shaped ears, two massive black eyes which blinked like a lizard's. I could see that the being had four gill-like openings on either side of his elongated neck. His arms and legs were spiky and scaly, feet flat like a duck's with claws at the tips and although he wore a long black overcoat, I could see he also had a tail which touched the ground.
The creature approached, bending, sniffed at my face sending my heart pulsating rapidly. It had a foul odor like tar. Its cylindrical black eyes blinked at me before moving to Uncle Henry, Doctor Lynn and finally to Eel. Once it smelt Eel, It held out its duck like hand to him, he placed his right hand into it, went down on one knee, his head bowed low in a respectful gesture. It raised him up again and spoke strange words to him. Eel replied and in a moment, he too transformed into the likeness of the creature. That's when it hit me. We had been double crossed.
Xuryae, the Fuhrer, the Gestapo man, their body guard and Eel lifted off the Sachsenhausen concentration camp grounds in the spacecraft leaving us in the dark, surrounded by a band of armed guards.
'Goddamn Eel!' Uncle Henry hissed angrily as we were led back to our respective dormitories by the guards. 'He has played us for fools leaving us to die in Nazi Germany inside a goddamn concentration camp! I can't believe he could do this to us, I can't!'
'Yankie Mund Halten!' commanded one of the guards before striking Uncle Henry hard with the butt of the gun in his back.
Back inside the pungent dormitory, lying on my hard bed, I failed to sleep. I felt so devastated inside me. The mere thought that Eel could betray us was unpalatable.Tears began to fill my eyes. It didn’t make any sense.
We had been to so many places with him, survived numerous perils, he was our blood relation after all. I was angry at myself, angry that I could have opened up my heart and trusted someone who couldn’t be trusted. But again, he was an alien. Who knew what aliens were capable of? I had also come face to face with Xuryae, a memory so frightening that my skin cringed inside my beddings. Our chance of getting out of the camp alive was now nil. We were trapped inside this giant cage. I recalled that we had set out to try and save our sun, an impossible task and what a bunch of idiots we were to even think we were capable of such an undertaking. I felt pity for Doctor Lynn, we had bumped into her office, turned her life on its head and now she too was a prisoner in a concentration camp. My Uncle too wasn’t going to enjoy the fruits of his Nobel Prize. Me for my part, just a few days ago, I had been cooking shrimps back in San Francisco but had ended up travelling through space and time. Well, it had for the most part been exhilarating, but now, I was staring death in the eye, a prisoner in a war that had begun and ended before I was even born.
Morning came as I still stared at the Asbestos roof above my head. The siren rang, doors flew open and our guards rushed in hitting our beds vehemently with batons.
‘Folgen Si Mir!’ They yelled.
I climbed down from my deck and stood staring at Uncle Henry cowered in his bed. The tall angry man was upon him shouting as I bent down placing my right foot into my leather boot. I felt hard objects inside.
'It can't be!' I muttered almost audibly.
'What is it Danny?' Uncle Henry whispered as he stood up to join the line for morning roll call. The tall guard had moved onto screaming at the other prisoners still lying in beds beyond us.
br /> 'The rocks! They are all here!' I whispered excitedly back pointing to my boot.
'Quick, retrieve them!' He said facing the other way.
The guard was back in a flash.
'Gib mir die stiefel.' He said pointing at the leather boots. I reckoned he meant I put them on quick and get into line, so I stuck my other foot into the other boot.
'Gib mir die stiefel!' He yelled again, his blue eyes widened, this time one hand stretched out to receive them. So, I reluctantly withdrew my foot and handed both boots over to him meanwhile Uncle Henry kept staring at me in utter disbelief. The man took the boots handing them over to his assistant.
'Achtung!' the blue eyed German solider called out in a loud voice and we all stood on alert arrayed in silence facing each other on opposite rows in the dormitory corridor. At least by now I knew what that word meant.
In the right corner of my eye, I could see a shape walk into the door way. His boots clinked on the concrete floor as he moved inspecting us. As he neared to where I stood, I smelt his cologne, a sweet flowery scent. Finally, he came and stood right in front of me. It was Mister Anton.
'Ist er einer der Amis?' Mister Anton spoke. He seemed to inquire from the tall guard.
'Ja,' the guard answered in reply.
'Und woist das sonst?' Mister Anton spoke again, his mint breath filling my nostrils.
'Der Lange neben ihm.' The tall man replied pointing at Uncle Henry who stood next to me.My heart rate increased rapidly. What did they want with Uncle Henry?
'Bringt sie zur Feuerplatz.' Mister Aton said with a smile on his face before turning and heading back towards the door.
Uncle Henry and I were immediately pounced on by about four guards, frisked and shoved towards the entrance.
'What's going on? Let go of me dammit!' Uncle Henry protested as he tried to free himself from their grasp but was kicked, slapped and in a matter of seconds guns were levelled at him. I too did receive some kicks and shoves on my way out.
'Marsch!' the blue eyed guard commanded.
Outside it looked somber and gloomy. I saw that Doctor Lynn too had been brought out and stood between two female guards. She looked frail and frightened. We were shoved towards a lower ground area which had wooden planks neatly piled up horizontally and up nailed into the wood, were four rectangular wooden plates, head rests or target placements.
We were each pressed against the wooded area facing the four guards and they moved a meter or so backwards.
'Henry!' Doctor Lynn cried out anxiously, 'We are going to get executed!'
'Bereit!' Mister Anton's voice called out loudly. The guards cocked their weapons.
'I know Di, but I want you know this,' Uncle Henry said panting, 'I have always loved you and I never meant to hurt you. You too Danny, you are the son I never had.'
'Ziel!' Mister Anton's loud voice called out again.
Rifles were raised and levelled at us. My heart blasted within me as I looked into the tiny round holes of the weapons aimed at me. My hands were trembling, I tried to remain composed.
'Henry!' She replied perplexed, 'why of all moments do you choose this moment to profess your love for me?'
'Yes Di, I love you with all my heart!'
'Feuer!' the command came.