RYSZARD HERMEL

Ryszard Hermel
Class 4a
Elementary School no. 1
Skarżysko-Kamienna

My most memorable moment from the occupation

I was still sleeping soundly in bed when a neighbor burst in, shouting: “Round-up!” My parents were already dressed because my father was about to go to work. “Do they only catch men?” Mom asked. “Everyone, it seems,” replied the neighbor. Judgment day had begun. Daddy had a good hiding place for himself, a little attic above the porch. They immediately went upstairs and mommy was supposed to close the planks behind father. Mom had the worst trouble with my sister. Finally, she told her to get into the cabbage barrel in the pantry. It was hard for my sister to fit in there. Then Mommy locked the pantry. Barely alive, she went to bed and tied a towel around her head. They’re not coming, I thought. Then they banged on the door. They burst into the kitchen. They called out, “Where’s the father?” “He went to work,” I replied. They burst into the room and one nudged Mommy, the other looked under the beds, then kicked the closet door open. He took all the things out of the closet and threw [them] on the floor. The Germans looked at all the corners and left. Fortunately, they did not look in the pantry. Only after a few hours did the father and sister come out of hiding. There was no lunch that day, but none of us even wanted to eat.