Book Description

EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK:ODDS AGAINST ME By MINA SCHELLER-WILDFEUER PART 1: TRANQUILITY CHILDHOOD Bruckenthal evokes my fondest memories. With nostalgia I recall walks through immense wheat fields – a huge yellow ocean with slight ripples of waves gently swaying in the summer breeze, a glorious intense orgy of colorful wildflowers interspersed throughout it: the vivid blues of cornflowers, brilliant reds of poppies, immaculate whites of daisies. I was surrounded by nature’s best. The sweet fragrance, the breathtaking beauty of it filled me with overwhelming joy. Carried upon the currant of happiness I dang out loud. On lazy summer days, when the atmosphere became heavy with the heat, I lay down on the cool, dark, rich earth, looking up into the translucent blue sky through hot simmering air. Made drowsy by the monotonous buzz of bees, I let myself overflow with a child’s dream. It was the loveliest corner in the world. PART 2: WAR REFUGEES Hour after hour, I, a twelve year old, shuffled behind the wagon, battling harsh howling winds, gust of snow and sleep. Sometimes when slowing down, I could feel the steamy warm breath and hear the occasional snorting of following horses near my ears. What if I should fall down? Would I be trampled to death, rolled over by the churning wheels? The trek came to a hold. I was fatigued beyond endurance, almost hallucinating. An overturned wagon on the side of the road, the casualty of mortar fire, beckoned me. Next to its dead horse, still in harness, was leaning against an embankment with its head grotesquely twisted and its legs stiffly sticking upward. Large lumps, faintly bearing human shape, were half buried in a snow tomb. I climbed onto the deserted wagon and curled up between baggage. It snowed heavier. Big beautiful snowflakes floated silently down. Soon, everything would be covered softly, just one white, serene wonderland. I would be asleep, finally blissfully asleep, maybe forever. My eyes closed. I felt myself drifting off peacefully. PART 3: POSTWAR BAD OLDESLOE, GERMANY Hunger was our steady companion. The prayerful sentence “Give us this day our daily bread”, so carelessly uttered by many took on an urgent meaning. To subsidize the meager rations, being near the starvation point, Mother and I went foraging for food. Droves of hungry people from the big City Hamburg, joined us in that venture. They came by trains that were filled beyond capacity. Humans were hanging on the outside like overripe grapes. The trains hardly came to a stop, when everyone jumped down and descended on the already harvested fields, in hope of finding leftovers. We all walked and picked through the scratchy stubble of reaped wheat fields. It was a painful experience. Legs and hands were cut and bleeding. The reward came when found grains were carefully separated from salvaged husks, and Father pounded the kernels into coarse flour. The bread Mother made from it was delicious but hardly enough for five. Putting it into a locked box, she doled it out a few slices at a time. PART 4: AMERICA! AMERICA! THE “GENERAL LANGFITT” I sank down in wet planks in a vacant corner, licking the salty air. Some of my fellow travelers, reeking if garlic, were strolling on deck. Garlic was supposed to be a remedy not only against vampires but also for seasickness. Others, their faces showing greenish hues, joined me. We didn’t exchange pleasantries, simply nodded sympathetically whenever one of us left to lean over the railing. I couldn’t bring myself to return to the mess hall. The thought of food repulsed me. Nevertheless, I was hungry. One night, unable to sleep, listening to the snoring around me, the growling stomach and the constant rattle of the nearby engine, I spotted a couple of oranges alongside the bunk. Impossible! My eyes must have deceived me. But no, soon more followed – big juicy oranges. Neither did I care