Kanada by Eva Wiseman Page A

decided that our pockets were the safest place for the coins. Nobody knew that we had them, so nobody would try to steal them from us. When the money was safely stowed away, Sari and I exchanged shoes.
    “Your shoes are so comfortable!” she sighed. Her clogs felt tight against my toes, but I kept quiet.
    Agi began to unbutton her blouse.
    “Oh, Sari, I wish that I had something to lend you too!” said Eva. She looked down at her tattered dress. “I'm as shabby as you are.” She scratched her head and flicked two fat lice into the air. Her face brightened. “That's it!”she said. “I'll pick off all your lice. That'll be my gift to you!”
    “The bugs will come right back,” said Sari.
    “They probably will, but they won't be so bad for a while,” replied Eva. “Keep your shirt on for a little longer, Agi, until I debug Sari.”
    She picked off the lice crawling over Sari's body and clothes. She even captured the ones hiding in Agi's shirt before the two exchanged their clothing.
    “You look nice,” said Agi as we examined Sari in her borrowed finery.
    Sari pulled herself up straighter. “I have the best friends in the whole world,” she said. “How can I ever repay you? I promise to give back the shoes and the shirt tomorrow night.” She turned to Eva. “And not to be itchy from lice that is the best present!”
    Our spirits were high when we returned to our block for the night. Agi and Eva slept next to me, but Sari slept in the last bunk on the far side of the room.
    “I wouldn't have thought that it was possible, but I had a wonderful birthday today,” Sari told us before she bade us goodnight.
    A few minutes later, the front door of the barracks banged open and the Kapo entered. She was accompanied by an SS guard and a heavy-set man in an SS captain's uniform. I was glad to see the Kapo scratching her head.
    “Attention!” She sounded nervous. “Disrobe completely, except for your shoes! Then I want everybody to line upbeside their beds. Herr Doktor wants to have a look at you!”
    “A selection! We're having a selection!” The message shot through the barracks as fast as a bullet. “They're going to kill us!”
    “Silence!” thundered the Kapo. “There is no need for panic!”
    The room became so quiet that I could hear my own pounding heart. The doctor marched between the rows of naked women standing at attention beside their bunks, the Kapo right on his heels. From time to time, he pointed his finger in someone's direction. The Kapo would escort the designated Häftling to join the others at the front of the room. The SS guard kept his rifle aimed at them.
    I felt a tremendous rush of relief when the doctor walked by me. Nor did his finger move when he went by Eva and Agi. When he reached Sari, his finger pointed in her direction. In the blink of an eye, the Kapo led Sari to the doomed group waiting by the door. Sari passed by me, her face vacant. The SS soldier opened the front gate, and the women who had been chosen to be murdered were driven outside at gunpoint. Just before the door slammed closed behind her, Sari turned around.
    “Your shoes,” she cried. “Jutka, I forgot to return your shoes to you!”
    I never saw her again.
    That night I dreamt of Canada. Once again I was sitting in a sleigh pulled by beautiful white horses across a field ofblinding snow, and everyone I loved was there. Then, suddenly, we arrived at a busy city, its tall buildings and crowded, snowy streets full of shiny cars. The streets teemed with smiling people, not a single uniform in sight.
    “Canada!” I cried. “We have made it to Canada!” The sleigh turned a corner, and Miri, Klari, and Tamas were waiting, shouting for us to stop. Papa pulled in his reins, and the sleigh came to a grinding halt. We scrambled down. Miri and Klari hugged me, and Tamas took my hand. He leaned forward and looked deep into my eyes. He was the old Tamas, with warm brown eyes and a gentle smile. My heart began to dance