Fireshadow (10 page)

Fourteen

October 1943

‘Pieters, a word, please!'

Stutt stood expectantly, waiting, as the rest of the men, dismissed for the morning, wandered idly off to sleep the day away or play cards in the mess.

It was Sunday, a day for recreation and no work parties. Later some of the men would be allowed to walk under guard into Marrinup, the nearby logging town, to play football on the town oval or just to watch the passers-by. It also meant that, unless something urgent happened in the hospital, Erich too had the day off.

‘Yes, sir?'

‘Walk with me.'

To Erich's surprise, Stutt proceeded not towards the mess as he usually would, but in the other direction, towards the gates.

‘I visited Günter in the infirmary this morning.'

So that was it.

‘Yes, sir.'

‘He filled me in on the details of your little incident with Thomas last night.'

Meddling fool.

‘Why was I not informed about this immediately, Pieters?'

‘I did not think the incident sufficiently important to bother you with, sir.'

‘No? What did Günter think?'

Stutt clearly knew the answer already.

‘He was of the opinion that I should let you know, sir.'

‘And you decided otherwise?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Can I ask your reasoning, Erich?'

‘Excuse me, sir?'

‘Your reasoning. A guard threatens an unarmed prisoner going about the course of his allocated duties, with a loaded weapon – safety off, I'm told – and you don't think that the incident is serious enough to warrant a report to your commanding officer? Did you read the regulations handbook I gave you on arrival, Erich? Are you familiar with the Red Cross guidelines?'

Erich could never have imagined Stutt this angry. He didn't seem the type.

They reached the double gates to the compound and Erich followed Stutt through the first one, across no-man's-land, and over to the external gate, where a guard stood waiting.

‘Well?' Stutt looked expectantly while the guard fiddled with the lock.

‘I do not wish to antagonise the man further, sir, as you advised me after parade the other night.'

‘So you think he'll just go away, is that it, Pieters?'

Erich didn't answer, uncertain what to say.

‘Listen carefully to me, Pieters. These camps have rules and procedures that everyone – guards and prisoners alike – are expected to follow, for good reasons. You're the one who is always so pious about still fighting a war, so you'd be well advised to think about the rules of warfare. If you're prepared to allow this guard to make life difficult for you, then that's your funeral, but as the ranking German officer in this compound I am not going to allow this, this
child
, to think that he has the right to bully German prisoners of war. Do you understand me?'

‘Yes, sir.'

Erich retreated into sullen silence. Accompanied by a guard they started towards the camp commandant's office. As they passed by the small German detention compound, Stutt nodded at it.

‘By rights, Erich, I should have you thrown in there for a week or so, as much for your own safety as for ignoring my rules, but I won't, for one reason only and that's that the doctor and Günter can't manage without you at the moment. But you can rest assured that if there is one more incident of this type then I won't have the slightest hesitation in putting you in there.'

Erich considered the small compound. This was the first time he'd been close enough to see it, though there wasn't much to look at. It was a small yard and building, contained within a solid fence topped by razor wire. Stutt noticed him studying it.

‘The fences are concrete, so you can't see anything outside. The cells are either too cold or too hot, depending on the season, and the roof leaks during the winter. You can trust me, Erich, it is not a pleasant place to spend time.'

Nothing more was said until they reached the commandant's building, which stood in a grove of gum trees on the other side of the guards' and officers' hut lines. Somewhere in the bush beyond, Erich could hear the faint hum of generators. Stutt stopped at the bottom of the two steps that led up to the front door.

‘I will do the talking in here. You do not speak unless spoken to, and answer questions asked of you as fully and formally as required. You will also stand to attention when speaking. Do you understand?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Good. Come on.'

The guard waited outside, lighting a cigarette and rubbing his hands against the cold, while Erich followed the officer through the door.

It was quiet inside. Stutt led him through a small, unattended reception area to an open door off to one side, and knocked quietly.

‘Enter.'

The camp commandant sat at his desk, which was covered by small, neat piles of paperwork. Erich hadn't seen him closely before and was surprised at the man's age. He was younger than the doctor, but clearly older than Stutt, probably nearing retirement. His uniform was neatly pressed and ironed, and he carried himself with a military bearing that reminded Erich uncomfortably of his own father. Like the doctor, the commandant wore a groomed and waxed moustache on his top lip. He looked up from his paperwork as the two men entered.

‘Heinrich, come in.'

‘Good morning, sir. I am sorry to disturb you on a Sunday.'

‘Not at all. I was just wading through paperwork. A distraction will be welcomed.'

‘It is not a pleasant one, I am afraid.'

‘That's unfortunate. Please take a seat.' He gestured at the one wooden seat in front of the desk and Stutt made himself comfortable while Erich remained at attention slightly behind him. ‘What seems to be the problem?'

‘This is Private Erich Pieters, Doctor Alexander's orderly . . .'

Stutt proceeded to outline the story of Erich's two run-ins with the guard, at rollcall and in the hospital. He made no mention of the doctor's grand-daughter though, which was strange. Perhaps Günter had not told him the story in its entirety. When Stutt had finished, the commander turned and considered Erich, seemingly for the first time.

‘Do you speak English, son?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Is all this true?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘You don't have anything to add?'

‘No, sir.'

‘One thing puzzles me, Commander.' He turned his attention back to Stutt. ‘Why exactly has Thomas taken such a dislike to your young soldier here? Do you have any explanation?' The question, though asked of Stutt, was directed at Erich.

For a second Erich considered telling him about the girl, but if Stutt had deliberately failed to mention it, he must have had his reasons. Beside, if her name came up, then the easiest solution would be for the commandant to prevent her assisting in the hospital, and that wasn't what Erich wanted either.

‘I really do not know, sir. Perhaps I have inadvertently offended him at some point. He would be able to inform you, I am sure.'

‘Perhaps. I shall certainly speak to him. If it is true, then this is a very serious allegation indeed, Commander, and you can rest assured that I will do something about it.'

With a brief nod, Stutt stood and walked towards the door, gesturing Erich to follow. Not another word was spoken until the two were back inside the German compound.

‘You didn't mention the girl, Erich, why?'

‘Neither did you, sir. I was simply following your example.'

‘And I was leaving you the opportunity to tell the commandant everything relevant to this case.'

Erich shrugged. ‘In any case, this is really nothing to do with her, sir. The doctor enjoys having his grand-daughter's company, and I would not like to be the one to deprive him of it.'

‘Commendable. But you will need to be very careful around her, because, as I told you, further incidents of this nature will reflect badly upon you and quite possibly on her as well.'

‘I understand, sir.'

‘Good. You are dismissed.'

Stutt turned and headed towards the mess. Erich watched him go, angry at the lot of them. Stutt, for interfering in events that were clearly none of his business, Günter, Alice, Thomas. All of them were making it difficult for Erich to concentrate on the important business of fighting the war, any way he could, of remaining a German soldier.

A group of men was assembling near the gates and one of them, seeing Erich standing alone, called, ‘Youngster! Coming into town?'

‘
Nein
!' Erich waved a polite thank you. ‘You have fun without me.'

‘
Ja
. We will.'

Erich turned away and, after a moment's hesitation, walked towards the hospital.

‘Good morning, Youngster, what brings you to work on a Sunday?'

Günter, his leg still swathed, was sitting in the sun on the front steps of the hospital. Erich wondered for a moment how he'd managed to get himself out there, but concentrated on the more important business at hand.

‘Why did you tell him?'

‘Him?' Günter feigned ignorance.

‘Stutt. I told you I'd see him myself if I thought it necessary.'

‘I know you did. But as a prisoner and a patient I have every right not to be threatened by a guard while lying injured in hospital.'

‘He was threatening me,
dummkopf
.'

‘And in doing so, every one of us. Listen to me, Erich; these men in here, they have enough to worry about having to go out into the forest every day; cuts, injuries, falling trees' – Erich's eyes flicked involuntarily to Günter's stumpy leg – ‘and they miss their families, and they're cold and wet, and in short the last thing that we need in here is some young guard on a vendetta against the Germans.'

‘He's only interested in me.'

‘Don't be naive! Do you think for a moment that this is really about the girl? Come along, Youngster, you claim to be perceptive. What do you think is the real reason you've become his number one victim?'

Erich considered for a moment. He didn't get an opportunity to respond. Günter answered his own question.

‘I told you last night. It's your family history. This is a young man who never got the opportunity to prove himself against any real Nazis, and between you and me, it's made him the butt of almost every joke in the guardroom. He's angry and shamed, and now here you are, young, arrogant and German, the ideal target. The rest of us are all too tired to fight any more, but not you – and that makes him angry.'

‘You talk rubbish.'

‘Not at all. Stutt told you on your first morning, I imagine, that you'd passed a screening process to get posted to Australia. If they really considered you to be a dangerous Nazi threat, then you'd be elsewhere. I guarantee it. No, this boy hates you because of what you represent, more than for any other reason.'

‘So you are saying that I should ignore my pride in my country and my family?'

Erich waited for him to respond but Günter had fallen silent. At length he leaned back, turned his face to the sky and sighed.

‘It is good to be out again, after all these weeks. Good to feel the sun on tired old bones.'

‘How old are you?'

Günter turned away from the sun and stared at him. ‘Why do you wish to know?'

‘Just curious.'

The older soldier looked away, back into the sunlight, closing his eyes as he answered. ‘I am twenty-eight.'

Erich had no reply and after a few moments settled on the step alongside Günter where they sat in silence until Günter spoke again.

‘Youngster?'

‘
Ja
?'

‘Do me a favour and get my tobacco for me. It is back in my hut, in a pouch beneath my cot.'

Erich looked again at the man beside him. Twenty-eight. And somehow he had always seemed so old, even before his accident.

‘I will be right back.'

Jogging lightly across the parade ground Erich thought about what Günter had been telling him. The tobacco pouch was where it was supposed to be and on the way back Erich stopped in at the mess where a group of sailors was engaged in a card game.

‘Youngster! Want to play a hand?'

‘No. Just getting some fruit.'

There were apples in a bucket near the kitchen and Erich grabbed a couple, one each for Günter and himself, before heading back towards the hospital. Coming around the far end of the mess he looked down to where Günter was still sitting on the steps. He wasn't alone any longer, though. Thomas was also there, at the base of the steps, standing with his back to Erich and his rifle slung under his arm, sloppily as usual. Erich slowed to a halt, staying as quiet as possible. Fragments of the conversation floated to him.

‘. . . need to be certain you don't decide to make trouble for me,' Thomas was saying.

Günter shrugged a gesture of not understanding. The guard continued, regardless.

‘And you reckon you haven't seen him, eh? Well, I might take a look inside, just to be sure.'

He shoved past Günter and up the steps, deliberately bumping the stump of Günter's leg as he did so. Even from a distance Erich could see the man tense with pain. Thomas vanished into the hospital and Günter spotted Erich. He gestured Erich to disappear and, not needing a second warning, Erich ran back around the side of the mess hall.

After twenty minutes waiting, trying to ignore the increasingly boisterous catcalls from the card game, Erich cautiously checked outside and, finding the yard clear, bolted back across to the hospital. Günter was still on the step.

‘What was that about?'

‘Nothing to worry about, I think, Youngster.'

‘Nothing to worry about?' The sudden change in Günter's attitude was unexpected.

‘
Nein
. I don't think our little friend will bother us again for a while.'