European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

It was cold and dark.

There was not a lot to eat and we had to be quiet.

Not being allowed to talk was very hard for me.

I was such a lively and inquisitive child.

There was nothing to play with either.

There was nothing to talk about -

not even with the adults. Even they did not talk much.

I cannot remember what we had to eat, either.

I can remember a partisan brought a loaf of bread and a can of milk once.

We were so happy that we could at least eat properly.

But we only got a little piece and one or two mouths full of milk.

I was so disappointed. I thought:

‘Why does she give us so little all the time?’ We did not understand that she had to economize.

After a while she gave us some more and explained that she had to ration.

It was always dangerous to stay in one bunker for too long;

far away from the farmers, resulting in bad provisions.

So we went over a mountain into Yugoslavia.

That time we walked the whole night.

So long that I fell asleep walking.

When we were outside at night I always watched the stars.