then. They have fear in their eyes. There is no point talking to them. They
are half-conscious.
Suddenly, I notice a familiar-looking red coat. It is our neighbour. She is
running, holding her son by the hand. I call her. She grows even more scared
and she speeds up, her strength failing. I run after her.
– Mrs Łęczycka! Calm down! Stop running!
– I can’t. They are going to chase me! – she shouts. I have no choice but
to follow her, and I rush into her home with her.
– Water! – That is her first cry. She collapses onto the floor. Our Christian
landlady and I lay her down on a bed. We sprinkle her with water and give
her tincture. Instead of a breath, a strange wheezing sound comes out of her
throat. Her exhausted lungs work with difficulty.
– Water! They were chasing us without stopping! Where is my backpack?
Water!
It is difficult to figure out the meaning of her words. It is her little son
who finally explains that his mama abandoned her backpack and ran away
with him. All their documents and money were in that backpack.
– They won’t come in here, will they? – the neighbour moans. I walk
out onto the road. The tumult is even greater than before. Everybody is carrying
several pitchers and (12) glasses, which are then handed to those who
are being chased, so that it appears as if they have come here to distribute.
Many Jews manage to flee in that way. Chased, they keep running. They are
frantically looking around, their clothes flying as they run…
The town is agitated. We are afraid to stay in Głowno because we do
not know how the authorities shall react to the Jews’ return. We decide to
walk to the countryside to our parents. Our parents had stopped in the
countryside on their way to Sobota. They sent a letter to us through a peasant
woman. The heat is unbearable. We become thirsty on the way. After
several hours of walking, we finally see our parents. We need to look for
new lodging since the peasant who has been sheltering them does not want
so many people at his place. The entire day, we walk from peasant to peasant.
By dusk, we are exhausted and we decide to return to the town. On our
way back, we ask the peasants who are coming back from the town what
is happening there. They say it is calm. The gendarmerie is not keeping
guard. We stop on the outskirts of the town and my sister and I walk ahead
to see what is going on. Głowno is peaceful. They packed the rest of the
