KADDISHEL
A Life Reborn
escaped or been killed — but it was relatively safe now. The like- lihood that the Germans would come back that night was very low. The bunker was dug into the ground, with logs stacked up against each other, and it had a very low roof. My cousin Boris carried me there on his back because I could not walk. This was the first of many times that my cousin Boris carried me to safety. Every time we needed to change location to evade the Germans, Boris picked me up and carried me on his back. He was very devoted and saved my life more than once. Much later, on her deathbed, my aunt Chava told him to take care of me. Out of sheer desperation, my uncle and aunt put me into this bunker for the night while they pondered what to do next. I re- member them explaining to me that the woman was complete- ly hysterical and would not let me stay in her house any lon- ger. They said they could not force her to be quiet and let me stay in her house. There was a bench in the bunker, and my aunt and uncle made me as comfortable as possible on the bench, then secured the door and left. I am sure they felt terri- ble leaving me there, but they thought I would be safe for the one night. The bunker was not as safe as they thought. During the night, again, animals came and scratched at the door, trying to break in. Coyotes howled all night long. It was the beginning of April and the snow was melting. I heard water seeping into the structure all night, flowing in under me. I could hear it coming and coming and coming. I put my hand down and touched the water as the level rose. I was frightened that the water would rise until I drowned. But the bench was at just about ground level, and when the water reached ground level it stopped coming in. The next morning, my aunt opened the door, stepped down into the bunker, and fell into the water. When she had left me the night before, the bunker had been dry, but now it was half filled with wa - ter. She was horrified. She and Usher were always concerned for my safety. After that, my uncle made a decision to move to another lo-
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