Darkness came too quickly. The streets emptied. Adam knew the danger was growing. If they were caught out after curfew, they had no explanation, no papers.
Staying in the shadows, the refugees made their way across town. Finally they stood before a scarred, wooden door. Elisa double-checked the address. “This is it,” she whispered.
“What if you have the wrong address?”
Elisa took a deep breath. “I will pretend we are lost and we will go on.” She faced the door and knocked. A minute later it opened and a teenaged boy peered out. “Bonjour,” Elisa said, then asked for Jacques Billaud. A young man with intense blue eyes came to the door. He spoke to Elisa. The blue in his eyes deepened, and he stiffened. He started to close the door. Elisa pushed her foot between the door and the frame. “You are Jacques Billaud, are you not?” She said more, but all Adam understood was the pleading in her voice.
The man pushed, but Elisa did not move her foot. He shot a command at her. She didn't budge.
Adam knew that if he intervened it might make things worse, but he had to take a chance. “I am an American,” he said. “We need your help.” The man studied him, a look of understanding crossing his face. “My plane was shot down,” Adam continued.
Jacques eyed him suspiciously. “You are American?”
“Yes. You speak English?”
“Some.” He was noncommital. “Why have you come to my house?”
“Arnaude Cervier gave us your name. He said you would help us.”
“And how is it that you know Arnaude?”
“We were traveling, and we slept in his barn. He helped us.”
Jacques thought a moment. “And how are Arnaude and his wife? Too bad they have no children.”
“They have two...girls,” Elisa said. “Milice, they come and take the whole family. That is when he gave us your name.”
Jacques paled and looked stricken. “Come in.”
After a change of clothing and a warm meal, Adam and Elisa sat at a table with Jacques while Adin slept. Jacques filled some glasses with wine. He sipped his and looked at his guests. “How did you meet?”
“I saw his plane coming down and his parachute,” Elisa said. “I decide I must help him.”
Adam smiled at Elisa, and she brightened. “Without her I would have been captured a long time ago.”
Jacques frowned. “I have a plan, but it is very dangerous. You will go by boat even though the Germans have mined the coastline.”
“When can we leave?” Adam asked.
“It is not so simple. The Germans inspect the boats. The man who will help us knows the waters, but there are many mines.”
“We have no choice.” Adam looked at Elisa. “I can go alone. Elisa and Adin can stay until the occupation is over.”
Jacques looked at Elisa. “You are Jew, no?”
“Oui.”
Turning to Adam, he said, “She must go. If she is found…” He seemed unable to finish. Abruptly he said, “They cannot stay.”
“So, the Germans are killing women and children.” Adam felt sick.
“Oui,” Jacques said. “When they look upon the little ones, they see only future Jews. Hitler has ordered all Jews to be killed. There is no mercy.” He finished the last of his wine and set the glass on the table. “You will go together.”
Two days later Adam, Elisa, and Adin were smuggled aboard a fishing boat and hidden in the hold. Amid the overpowering stench of fish, they huddled beneath a tarp.
Nauseated by the odor and the closeness, they waited. Hours passed, but the boat remained at the dock. Something's gone wrong, Adam thought. When he heard the sound of German orders, he heard the whisper of death. His heart hammered beneath his ribs, and he could barely breathe.
Elisa gripped his arm. Adin whimpered. Lifting him, Adam held the child tightly against his chest, muffling the sound. Footfalls sounded overhead. Adin quieted, and the three refugees held absolutely still. A mix of French and German rained down from above, then more footsteps, then a barrage of orders followed by the staccato tread of boots. Finally it was silent.
Elisa let out her breath. “They've gone. We're safe.” She took Adin and cradled him. “We are safe.”
Shortly after that the boat moved and felt as if it were gliding. The sound of waves washing against the sides of the craft told Adam they were moving away from France and toward freedom. Soon the small vessel rocked in the swell.
Someone opened the hatch, and light flooded the hold. A ladder was dropped. “It is time to come up,” a man's robust voice called. “We're moving into the channel.”
Grateful to be free of the fetid hold, Adam steadied the ladder while Elisa climbed up. With Adin slung over his shoulder, Adam followed her. A sharp, cold breeze greeted him. He breathed deeply. Fresh air smelled wonderful.
The engines were fired, and the tiny ship headed toward England. Adam knew a sense of freedom and hope he'd never experienced before. He was going home.
With Adin balanced on a hip, Elisa stared at the lights on the shoreline. “I shall not see my home again,” she said sadly. “I pray for my family—if they are living.”
Adam rested a hand on her shoulder. “A good life is waiting for you and Adin. One day you'll be happy again.”
“I am hoping so.” She turned and looked at him. “But I cannot be completely happy. There will be no you and me in this new life.”
