The night slowly passes, like a nightmare. It is full moon, as if out of
spite. Hours pass so slowly. The sun is rising… A new day comes, the third day
of anxiety. The memorable day of 20 April 1940 begins.
[17] Hours pass, slowly. Four o’clock… Five… Six? Six? Six! I cannot think
about anything else. Who is at the market square? What is going on? Our next
door neighbour decided to go with her baby son. Sobs shook her whole body
while she was bidding farewell to us.
– Well, I must go. I have nowhere to hide! – she says, all in tears. She
walks away… Her silhouette dressed in a red winter coat vanishes slowly. I can
see her backpack, but then I lose sight of her. My cousin comes over.
– Nacia, what are you doing here? Go hide. There are only a few hundred
people on the market square. The gendarmes are threatening to execute
everybody who hid and did not come to the square. The police have dispersed
about the town to fetch more people.
My sister, brother, and I hide in our cousin’s attic. We lock the house.
My knees are shaking [18] with terror. It is already 8 [o’clock]…
They are not even close to 2,000 people. It is 9, 10, and then 11 [o’clock],
but they are still short of a thousand. The field gendarmerie is bustling
about the whole town. The town seems deserted. Even Christians are afraid
to stick their heads out. I do not have the patience to sit idly in the attic. I go
downstairs to ask around…
Suddenly, a militia man I know comes running.
– Nacia! What are you doing here? The situation is tragic. I flee. The Councellors
ran away in all directions! The Germans have taken 3 hostages! Two
policemen and a Councellor! They put them by the wall to be shot! Even
though they are all from Głowno!
There must be 2,000 people by 2 p.m. The residents of Głowno become
furious. They all disperse about the town to pull people out of their hideouts.
[19] The hostages will be executed unless 2,000 people assemble
by 2 p.m.
Oh, the cunning Germans! Now, they will surely have the required
number of people. They have set Jews on Jews! The Głowno residents will
surely drag the newly arrived Jews out of every nook and cranny. Furious,
Głowno residents rush from house to house. Fearing for their own skins, the
Councellors and the chairman rush out of the Community, seemingly to participate
in the search.
