to make a fire, which took two hours. It was impossible to obtain bread and
milk, so boiled potatoes were our only meal during that entire day. Everything
was so horrible that my parents, aunt, and uncle were lying in a corner, overwhelmed, desperate, and describing our situation in total pessimism. I was
holding on the best in comparison. I ran from one person to another, brought
them everything, entreated, and calmed them down. I still cannot understand
how I was able to do that.
The worst time was in the afternoon. The bombing began and even
though it was not as fierce as back in Zduńska Wola, we still witnessed horrible
things. The aircraft were flying so low that you could clearly see bombs
being dropped. The cottage shook on its foundations after each detonation. We
ran in circles, unable to find shelter. We could hear horrible screaming and
calling coming from the town. Frantic people were running in the fields and
throwing themselves on the ground. A peasant living on the opposite side of
the yard was standing on the roof and waving his hands, which infuriated us.
He then hid away with his daughter in an underground trench, calling us to
follow. I do not recall how long it lasted. All in all, that day is one of my worst
wartime memories, no matter what will happen in the future.
By contrast, the night [was] peaceful: we slept through the night for
the first time for several [9] days. The next day, on Tuesday, we decided to
do something. If we stayed in that ‘crazy’ little town any longer we might go
mad. Therefore, early in the morning my father and uncle went to Łódź. Even
though we were afraid to separate, we still understood that there was no other
option. We had to see for ourselves how things were in Łódź and whether we
could go there. So we began to await their return.
My uncle returned very soon, after only two hours, with two other uncles
from Łódź. My father went to Lutomiersk to look for his brother. We were very
happy when we saw our uncles. I had almost forgotten that we had a family or
at least I did not think that we would see each other again. That fact encouraged
me a little. We immediately collected our things and we went to a tram
stop. People were looking at us with envy: where were we going? They could
not decide whether to stay or to go. They clung to one another.
The press at the tram stop was horrible. Hundreds of people with bundles
were waiting for a tram. Everybody wanted to board first. To have to
wait for another tram seemed something impossible to everybody. It was also
very important for us to depart immediately. It was almost a miracle that
