Run My Darlings, Run
Chapter 13
I skulked in the shadows, making sure everyone was really asleep. I had gone to a nearby farmhouse, about five miles away from the camp. All of the closer ones were burnt to the ground or deserted, scoured clean of anything worth taking. My feet were slowly healing, but I still experienced pain when I had to walk or stand for long periods of time, so the journey was hard.
While the owners slept soundly inside, I stole into the barn. My eyes searched the walls and benches for the tools I would need for the escape. A pair of rusty pliers, wire cutters, a metal spade, and a shotgun caught my attention. I hesitated with the gun, but I might need it as a distraction to get away. I thought carefully about what else I might need.
Food. I hesitated to steal food, but we needed it more than they did. I picked the lock of the kitchen door and crept toward the larder. I pulled open the doors and gasped in amazement. Dozens of cans, stacks of herbs, rows of fresh vegetables, juicy fruit, and a whole side of smoked meat awaited my eyes. Our family didn’t eat that much food in half a year. An empty bag on the table assisted me with carrying everything.
I grabbed half a dozen cans, what was in them I neither knew nor cared. Eight juicy tomatoes - two each. A bunch of grapes, a dozen apples. And half of the meat - more than enough food to satisfy our small family in normal times. But these were certainly not normal times. They might have been starved, be sick. The more food we had, the better our chance of survival.
Blankets, too. The nights were slowly but surely getting colder. In the early mornings I could see my breath in the air. There was a huge stack of blankets in the corner. I took four, one for each of us. A pile of coats as well. They all went into the bag.
The clatter of paws made me freeze. I turned slowly, carefully. A small shape lurked in the doorway, watching me intently. A dog. A small growl rose in its throat, its hackles rose as it stared warily at me. It lifted its nose, as if smelling the stolen meat in the bag.
“Good dog, nice dog,” I said softly. I didn’t want to startle the animal. Its ears perked up at the sound of my voice. “No need to hurt me boy, girl, whatever you are.” The growl softened, then stopped altogether. It sat down on its haunches and whined, once again lifting its nose in the air. For a moment I stared at it stupidly, then I realised what it was trying to tell me.
“You’re hungry,” I said slowly. The dog wagged its thin tail slowly. I saw how skinny it was. It was almost skeletal, its ribs pressing up against its skin, almost to breaking point. It was all skin and bones, not an ounce of fat on it. I took pity on the helpless creature. I put the bag down on the table, then turned back to the larder. I took out the meat, and with a knife sliced off a few meaty chunks. The dog thumped its tail against the hard, wooden floor. It drooled as it watched the meat dangle in my hand. Then it could take it no more.
It leapt off the ground, snatching the meat from my hand, almost taking it off. I withdrew my hand in a hurry, and watched it wolf down the meat. It vanished in seconds, the dog snaffling up every last bit. It looked around for more. Sighing, I cut more chunks, bigger this time, and placed them on the floor.This time I did not stay to watch as the meat disappeared down its gullet. Instead, I made a run for it, rushing back the five miles to the camp. Just before the farmhouse disappeared from sight, I heard a wistful howl. I stopped, and looked back over my shoulder. The dog sat on the step, shoulders hunched in defeat as it howled again. I couldn’t leave it there, I didn’t have the heart.
“Come on then you,” I called back. “Come on!” The dog gave a happy yap and ran after me, panting heavily. I fondled its ears gently, staring deep into its eyes. A polite check between its legs told me that this was a female. “What am I going to call you?” I whispered. “You already have a name I bet. Wish you could tell me.”
The dog seemed to smile up at me, its tongue hanging out of its mouth. It was laughing at me. It reminded me so much of Liesel, so much that my heart gave a painful thud against my chest. “How about, Tulpe?” Tulip. “That’s a flower. And my sister’s pet name is flower, so how about it?” Tulpe seemed happy enough with it. She gave a happy bark, and ran around in circles.
I smiled, for the first time since they took Liesel. Maybe it was a mistake taking Tulpe, but I was grateful for the company. And she could be useful for hunting. “Come on Tulpe, let’s go rescue my family.” Tulpe cocked her head on its side. I smiled again. “Our family.”
While the owners slept soundly inside, I stole into the barn. My eyes searched the walls and benches for the tools I would need for the escape. A pair of rusty pliers, wire cutters, a metal spade, and a shotgun caught my attention. I hesitated with the gun, but I might need it as a distraction to get away. I thought carefully about what else I might need.
Food. I hesitated to steal food, but we needed it more than they did. I picked the lock of the kitchen door and crept toward the larder. I pulled open the doors and gasped in amazement. Dozens of cans, stacks of herbs, rows of fresh vegetables, juicy fruit, and a whole side of smoked meat awaited my eyes. Our family didn’t eat that much food in half a year. An empty bag on the table assisted me with carrying everything.
I grabbed half a dozen cans, what was in them I neither knew nor cared. Eight juicy tomatoes - two each. A bunch of grapes, a dozen apples. And half of the meat - more than enough food to satisfy our small family in normal times. But these were certainly not normal times. They might have been starved, be sick. The more food we had, the better our chance of survival.
Blankets, too. The nights were slowly but surely getting colder. In the early mornings I could see my breath in the air. There was a huge stack of blankets in the corner. I took four, one for each of us. A pile of coats as well. They all went into the bag.
The clatter of paws made me freeze. I turned slowly, carefully. A small shape lurked in the doorway, watching me intently. A dog. A small growl rose in its throat, its hackles rose as it stared warily at me. It lifted its nose, as if smelling the stolen meat in the bag.
“Good dog, nice dog,” I said softly. I didn’t want to startle the animal. Its ears perked up at the sound of my voice. “No need to hurt me boy, girl, whatever you are.” The growl softened, then stopped altogether. It sat down on its haunches and whined, once again lifting its nose in the air. For a moment I stared at it stupidly, then I realised what it was trying to tell me.
“You’re hungry,” I said slowly. The dog wagged its thin tail slowly. I saw how skinny it was. It was almost skeletal, its ribs pressing up against its skin, almost to breaking point. It was all skin and bones, not an ounce of fat on it. I took pity on the helpless creature. I put the bag down on the table, then turned back to the larder. I took out the meat, and with a knife sliced off a few meaty chunks. The dog thumped its tail against the hard, wooden floor. It drooled as it watched the meat dangle in my hand. Then it could take it no more.
It leapt off the ground, snatching the meat from my hand, almost taking it off. I withdrew my hand in a hurry, and watched it wolf down the meat. It vanished in seconds, the dog snaffling up every last bit. It looked around for more. Sighing, I cut more chunks, bigger this time, and placed them on the floor.This time I did not stay to watch as the meat disappeared down its gullet. Instead, I made a run for it, rushing back the five miles to the camp. Just before the farmhouse disappeared from sight, I heard a wistful howl. I stopped, and looked back over my shoulder. The dog sat on the step, shoulders hunched in defeat as it howled again. I couldn’t leave it there, I didn’t have the heart.
“Come on then you,” I called back. “Come on!” The dog gave a happy yap and ran after me, panting heavily. I fondled its ears gently, staring deep into its eyes. A polite check between its legs told me that this was a female. “What am I going to call you?” I whispered. “You already have a name I bet. Wish you could tell me.”
The dog seemed to smile up at me, its tongue hanging out of its mouth. It was laughing at me. It reminded me so much of Liesel, so much that my heart gave a painful thud against my chest. “How about, Tulpe?” Tulip. “That’s a flower. And my sister’s pet name is flower, so how about it?” Tulpe seemed happy enough with it. She gave a happy bark, and ran around in circles.
I smiled, for the first time since they took Liesel. Maybe it was a mistake taking Tulpe, but I was grateful for the company. And she could be useful for hunting. “Come on Tulpe, let’s go rescue my family.” Tulpe cocked her head on its side. I smiled again. “Our family.”