⚠️Warning: This chapter contains historical references and dialogue related to the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. Remember that everything narrated is fiction and the author does not intend to offend any victim of this tragedy; Discretion is advised to the reader.
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March 29, 1945
There is a continent called America. On that continent, there is a country: the United States.In the United States, between New York and New Hampshire, there is a territory called Vermont.
Within it, there are forests; one of them is called Green River Reservoir State Park.
There is the entrance to another forest. In one of the openings of a tree is the entrance: that is the door that leads to Vermot, which is approximately 32 square kilometers.
It is a dimension that exists on Earth, but on a different plane. In this place, there are animals: moose, pumas, wild boars; there are streams, rivers, a waterfall, and two mountains in different places, as well as a hill full of trees.
In those trees, there is a cabin.There lies the new camp that Galton confined in 1803.
Going into the home, Jack "the first saint" is feeding the cows and sheep, which are the source of food for the place.
He then heads to the cabin to tidy up the bookcase, the lockable rooms, and the empty rooms, while cleaning Kamei-san's medical lab, an old one from the 19th century.
Jack spoke to himself:" When will Kamei-san return?Well, the truth is… on many of his trips I had to wait more than a decade.I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't return this year."
But… well… I guess I must get used… to being alone.As long as Galton's lunatic doesn't come back, I think I'll be fine."
It calms me… at least having books from this decade. I asked Kamei for them so I wouldn't get bored.But… I can't help… feeling… very lonely."
I watch the days and nights go by… and I ask myself… does it really take that long for a person to reach that place?I don't know what's beyond; I know nothing about the outside world."
I've been here since I was a child.I don't even know where I come from.
The only thing I know is that if I were to leave here and try to find the place where I was born, I might not be able to recognize it.
According to Philip's A Text-book of Geology, the earth changes over time."
Sitting, looking up at the sky, with a book called The Town of N (1935) by Leonid Dobychin, Jack wondered,"Could I find my place in all of this?
Although in these books they repeat the word 'school,' names I can't pronounce, and even places called Paris, London, and New York… could it be that Kamei-san is in one of those places?"
Hundreds of kilometers away, we are now moving through Germany.Galton waited eight hours to move, as the bleeding in his leg hurt.
From his backpack of provisions, the only thing he had was the meat of the rabbit he had hunted the previous time.But that was all he could give to Nuriel and Adelaida.
He didn't eat, prioritizing the saints over his own wounds.They were able to move from Buchenwald to a rural area called Harz.
With his injuries, plus the troops patrolling the transit areas, carrying the children took two days,until they reached a road that connects to a nearby town.
Adelaida, holding his hand, said to Galton,"Galton, can we stop, please? It hurts. Please, stop.""Girl, we don't have time.""Really, please…"
They stopped for a moment, and Adelaida could only try to squat down because her stomach hurt.
Galton noticed that her dress was stained:"Excuse me, child, I don't have a towel.""Listen to me, Galton. I'm cold; my hands are frozen."
Galton replied,"I'm surprised… the snow hasn't fallen yet and you're already cold…To be honest… you give me trouble."
Galton, unable to bear the pain in his leg, only applied a tourniquet.He wanted to remove the bullet.
However, when he tried to pull it out with his dagger, he only opened the wound without reaching it.He managed to remove it from his shoulder but feared that if he cut the dagger on his leg, he wouldn't be able to run as he was doing.
Galton's thoughts read:I have to go north. I have to go north.I must get them out of here.
Galton knelt on the ground. Tired, he left Nuriel lying on the ground and said,"Girl, if you're going to rest… then… I'll take… a few minutes."
Galton was dizzy. Adelaida replied,"I've never met, not even among the Jews of Mitte, a man as pessimistic and unpleasant as you.
The truth is, to begin with, I'm a prisoner!
If I'm a problem… then… why don't you just send me back to Berlin and let me look for my mother and sisters, as I've been telling you for a week?"
Adelaida began crying in frustration and shouted at Galton,"Why don't you just go to hell! Help! Help!"Galton replied,"Girl, shut up. No one is going to listen to you. The troops are meters away.""I don't care!" she answered.
"I don't care what happens! You kidnapped me, you stole me from my home, and you took away the only chance I had to find my family!
I don't know what that thing you gave me is, but I realize there's something wrong with me.
It feels like everything moves so slowly for me.
And tell me, why didn't you give it to Nuriel? Tell me, why did you give that shiny thing to me and not to Nuriel?!"
"Because I can't do it! This child is sick!Now, what I have to do… is get him… to the border and see how the hell I'm going to heal him…
I know nothing about medicines…I know nothing about bandages, much less how to detect symptoms of diseases.
The truth is… I can't believe I'm saying this, but… how I miss Kamei-san.""I don't care. I don't know who Kami is… I don't know who you're talking about… I don't know him! And I don't even know you!"
"Girl! Shut up!""I'm not going to shut up! Take me back to my mom! Take me back to my sisters!"
"They're already dead!"There was a silence, letting the trees' whistle be heard.
Galton replied,"I don't know why, but this pattern always repeats itself. All who are saints, for some reason, lose their siblings and parents, either because of illness or because some event kills them.
If you go back to Berlin, the only thing you'll find is the corpse of your sisters and your mother."
Adelaida shouted at him,"You're lying, you liar! You don't know.
You're not God. You're not omnipotent or omnipresent to know!"He replied,"Girl…"
Tears began to fall from Galton's eyes as he said,"You have no idea about anything! Look at my face! Look into my eyes!I can't handle this! I'm already very tired!
I've lived almost two thousand years. I've lost count.And if it weren't for mankind recording it, I wouldn't even know my age!"
(His voice starts to drop, breaking, tired)"Girl, don't think I don't understand you.I understand enough because I have lost everything too.
I have lost the people I loved.And especially one…"
(A silent cry from the man, barely a whisper)"Zaziel."Galton let a small cry be heard.
But not loud enough.He was trying to control the anger he felt, but it overflowed from his eyes.
At that moment, Nuriel broke the tension, saying,"I know what you feel."Adelaida and Galton went silent and listened to what Nuriel had to say:"I know what you feel.
I know what it's like to lose someone you love."I was a child when the Germans arrived in my nation…
They told us we weren't civilians, we were useless…They confined us somewhere, took our food…
And my father, he had a job at the bank, but he…"Nuriel tried to cry, but couldn't; only her voice broke.
"The only thing I know is… my mom may have died…Why… now I know where they take the sick…
My sisters too… I couldn't find them in the medical records at Auschwitz.So I suppose they died too… I never found my father."
"Dr. Weill told me to leave, and Élodie… she…""I lost everything."
"And I'm only 15 years old.""I think, even before I met you, I was like you."
Nuriel paused, struggling to breathe."There's a way you can help me," Nuriel sighed. "You just have to go to the nearest town… and steal… carbolic acid."
"You just have to inject it into me… and… I might… feel better."—Nuriel's voice was breaking. "I have to thank you."
"My mind was chaos before I met you all.""I'm glad I can finally keep, at least, my mind active."
"My mind has to stay active."Adelaida asked,"Carbolic acid? What is that?"
Nuriel replied weakly,"It's medicine for Jews."Adelaida didn't understand, nor did Galton.
(Let's transport ourselves now to the end of the Bon River, on the Black Sea border with Kamei-san and Dánae…)
"Listen, Dánae. We're going to cross the Black Sea, okay? It might take us a couple of days to cross.
But… I want to avoid battles as much as possible. I'm afraid you might get hit by a bullet. Because I have medical skills.
But… those weapons… they're really made to kill.""Well, as long as I don't get wet," Dánae replied.
Kamei-san responded,"Don't worry. I'll make an improvised raft.It should be enough to cross."
Dánae said,"One question. Where are we heading? To reach America… right? Is it near Kotovsk?"Kamei-san thought to himself: I have to think carefully about what I'm about to decide.
He replied to Dánae,"See, Dánae, I… You might not believe me, but it took me three years to get from Vermot to here.And, frankly, I wouldn't want to wait another three years… I'm thinking of maybe taking a shortcut."
"What shortcut?" Dánae asked.Kamei-san thought to himself:I can't go to Poland; it's destroyed.
Stalingrad… my companions probably died. England and France are no good either;they would interrogate me, and seeing Dánae, they'd suspect her because of her Russian origin and language.
I don't know what conflict started this war, but I need to protect Dánae from being interrogated.I can defend myself against one or two men, but not twelve.
Only three possible destinations remain: Greece, Italy, or Iceland.Germany would be dangerous; if I go there, they'd execute me.
"What are you thinking?" Dánae asked.
"No, I'm not thinking about anything. I've already decided.
We'll go to Italy and take the shortcut from there.
We're going to visit a friend of mine. If he's still alive."
"How do you mean, 'alive'?""See, child, this handsome face is two thousand years old."
Dánae looked at him incredulously:"You liar."
Returning to Galton. The only thing he was thinking about now was how to resolve this critical situation,
but the depressing silence was broken by the sound of a mule, and a man calling from a distance,"Hey, are you okay? You're on the ground!"
Desperately, Adelaida ran toward the man and shouted.
At first, Galton thought the girl was fleeing.
However, he calmed down when she said,"Please! Help! I have two wounded!"
At that moment, we move two hours to the peasant's house, who said,"My God… the war has been horrible…First the young, and now the refugees. Honestly, I've never agreed so much with the antisemitic methods they took."
"Well, yes, I don't like them, but… reaching such extremes… The child is sick…From here, I can see his ribs."
"This isn't right.""And you, sir… you're wounded; I can see blood running down your legs."
"There's no one to help us now," Galton said."I think maybe there's someone who can help you," the peasant replied.
"See, all the doctors left, except one.But yes, you'll have to convince him to treat you. That man has been retired for almost twenty years,
and frankly, I don't think he wants to treat you.But if you try, maybe he'll help, but you must be careful—don't make him suspicious about the cart…
So the only thing I can do for you is take you there. Schierke is isolated, but it has soldiers."Galton and Nuriel were inside the cart, taken by the peasant toward the doctor's house.
Adelaida was only behind the cart. She had no intention of escaping.After what she had shouted, she analyzed the situation herself:I don't know what I'll achieve, if I even help them.
But frankly, after what Nuriel said, I sense that she wasn't talking about medicine…this is… the first time I feel… genuine pity… for a Jew…
But just as she was telling herself this, Galton collapsed at the entrance and dropped Nuriel to the ground.
Adelaida tried to lift both of them, and the old man saw them and said,"Girl! I don't allow vagrants here! Get out!"
She apologized and said,"They're wounded. Please, help them. I beg you, please."The old man replied,"I already told you, by order of the SS… I've told this village.
I'm retired. There's nothing I can do. My hands haven't stopped shaking for two decades; I can't even hold a syringe.""Please, I beg you," said Adelaida. "This is the first time I've asked something like this from my elders.
I beg you, please… help them."And seeing their deplorable state, he said,"Girl, help me carry them to the house."
The house was desolate but cozy. Among its old objects stood an Imperial music box from 1873 and a pile of portraits of a young man and a young lady,silent witnesses of another era.
Adelaida was somewhat fascinated and even commented,"This house reminds me of my grandmother's house."The old man replied,"That's what happens when a man lives a long time.
Part of the past stays in things, and we hang those things on the walls or keep them in drawers, to remember that we were once in those places or had those experiences.Girl, help me with the man."
The girl, clumsy but obedient, followed the old man's instructions.
With typical beginner movements, she managed to remove the bullets and stuck casings from both Galton's leg and stomach.
Meanwhile, Nuriel underwent several examinations, as despite being retired, the old man still had his medical supplies, including syringes and scalpels.
"Sir, you know a lot about this, right? Excuse me… I'm guessing… why?
I heard from the gentleman who brought us to you that you were a great doctor."
The old man replied,"
Yes, girl, I was a doctor before my accident.
There's an anomaly in my nervous system that doesn't allow me to keep my hands still.It happened after the Great War.
However, it wasn't as complicated, it wasn't as violent as it is now."
Adelaida replied:
"Is it curable?"
The old man replied,"I don't even know if it's a disease or a condition," he said."Listen carefully.
Be careful when injecting him; he's too thin, so you must be gentle with the vein.The secret is to place your thumb here: tilt the syringe and all you do is insert it while pressing your thumb so the vein doesn't move.
Don't do it two millimeters from your thumb; do it one, that way it won't escape when you inject."
"Do you explain like a teacher, sir?" Adelaida said.
The old man replied,"Of course, because I was once both a teacher and a student."
"Where did you study?" Adelaida asked.
He answered,"Don't get distracted!… I studied at the University of Heidelberg."
"That's impressive."
"Don't get distracted."
After giving Nuriel glucose serum (dextrose), they sedated Galton with morphine so he could sleep in the guest bed.
After washing his hands, the man sat down and said,"Both of them are in serious condition.The boy shows malnutrition, also symptoms of tuberculosis, though I'm not sure yet if it's tuberculosis or something else, not to mention that, because of his thin body, he may have contracted anemia.
I can tell by the color of his skin."
"And the man… well, there's not much to say about him.
He lost a lot of blood and has three holes in his body: one in the shoulder, another below the abdomen, and another in the leg, each about two and a half inches deep.
It must have been very painful to carry a Jewish child all the way here."
Adelaida asked,"Sir, I have a question.
Is the serum yours?If you stopped practicing medicine, why do you have it?"
"I need that serum."
"But your hands… how do you inject it?"
"There's a young man who comes twice a week.Son of a close friend and he's interested in medicine."
Adelaida had another question:"You don't have prejudices against Jews?They're supposed to be our enemies, Germany's enemies."
Even saying this, Adelaida didn't fully believe it.
She just wanted to understand why an old man like him would help strangers.She waited for his answer.
The old man replied,"I've lived a long time, long enough to see many things.
Girl, I'll tell you something: if one day I open my eyes and am born as a Jew or another ethnicity, would those on the other side be my enemies? Or people from other countries?
Our Lord Jesus Christ was Jewish.
I don't know if you'll believe me, but I'll tell you something: only fools look for enemies.I don't know why they need an enemy to feel important.
Maybe I'm German, but one day I could seem like a madman from England, Paris, or any country that says we're not people."
"If I help this boy, it's because I'm tired of seeing people suffer.That's why I didn't want to go to the war.
That's why I also don't want to be medical staff in their slaughterhouse.
The bad thing about being a doctor is that, when you save human lives, they send them back to the battlefield to die.
I just extended their suffering a little.Helping in the Great War made me realize the hypocrisy of this country and I decided to abstain again."
"Also, girl, why do you say they're your enemies?If they were so much, why did you help them?"
She replied,"Maybe for the same reason as you, or for one I don't understand yet.If I'm honest, I don't know what to answer."
The man said,"Not knowing is interesting because it allows you to find your own conclusion.That's the good thing about being young."
The old man got up,"Come, help me cook.We have to prepare food for the patients."
"Yes," Adelaida replied.
At dusk, Galton woke up, barely visible from sedation.The old man sat down and spoke to him:"Tell me, man.What are you doing in this place?"
Adelaida was already sleeping in the other room, as the old man faced the man and said,
"A man like you doesn't seem from this land.You have garments, as if you were from centuries ago.Maybe a remote village?"
Galton was stunned, but due to the sedative, he couldn't speak.
The old man said,"You don't have to tell me anything.I've lived many years, but when my wife died, my hands shook so much I couldn't bury her alone…
But… a man appeared, with braids behind his ears and very long hair, he was very kind to me…he helped me bury her with the neighbors.
I couldn't have children, and most of my friends died in the Great War."
"That young man stayed with me for five months.But… that man was so strong he could literally lift a cow onto his shoulders with one hand.
He taught me to hold onto love and to believe again.I believe strongly in Jesus Christ.
I don't remember his name, but he didn't seem from this land either, he spoke a lot about God… and about a man.
Any of these days, God could take me in His infinite glory.Along with the Virgin Mary."
"So listen carefully, Jewish man.If I die before you recover, I will leave the notes on what to do, so a friend can take care of you."
The old man got up and said,"One more thing: if you got these wounds by being reckless, I suggest you stay here as long as possible until the war ends.
Believe me, there's no need to expose yourself to so much danger just because you're in a hurry."
Galton just looked at him, and the old man left, saying before closing the door,"God bless you, young man."
Galton just stayed there in the silence, thinking,"So… he passed through here."