Teresa Kot
Class 6a
Maria Konopnicka Elementary School in Kielce
Kielce, 11 October 1946
My most memorable moment from the occupation
There was a general round-up of men for labor in Germany. It was in 1944. The Germans gathered all the people. My dad hid in the basement, while mom was taken by the Germans. I stayed at home; I cried a lot and prayed because I thought that mom would be taken to Germany and dad would be discovered and shot.
It all ended happily, because mom returned home, the Germans left and dad avoided deportation to Germany. It was partly my doing – I put a mat on the entrance to the basement and placed a doll’s cradle on it; perched on a small chair, I was rocking the doll and talking to dad.
When the Germans came to search the house, they didn’t find anyone, because they didn’t expect an entrance to the basement at the spot where I was playing.