Witness to a Nightmare

A story dedicated to the lives lost at Oradour-Sur-Glane on 10th June 1944. I had written a story similar years ago, but that one has long ago been lost. I'm hoping this version is better.

Albert sat down, removed his shoes and placed his feet in the water.  This had always been his favourite hiding spot. He removed the clumps of bread and cheese from his pocket, broke up the bread and threw the pieces into the river waiting for the fish to surface.  As he watched, he took a bite of the cheese. His Thoughts drifted as he played moments just passed “Mama, can I go to school after lunch? My best friend Roger will be there." “Not today. It’s Papa’s birthday tomorrow, so I need you to come with me to the markets. I am going to make a special cake that we can all enjoy after mass.” She placed a loaf of freshly baked bread on the table beside half a roll of cheese.

As Albert watched as his mother pour some milk into his glass, he grabbed a piece each of cheese and bread, and stuffed them into his pocket as he backed toward the door. “Ok, I’ll just go and tell Roger then, I’ll be right back” he yelled as he raced out the door trying to ignore the frown on his mother's face.

Albert knew he was no longer in sight of his home by the time he approached Milord Barn. 'Which way do I go,' Albert wondered, 'to the left is the school and Roger, but I don't want mama to find me... I'll go right.' Albert crossed the road and headed down to the river where he could at least have his lunch before deciding what to do next.

A splash from the water brought Albert out of his daydream. The fish had started to surface and were racing each other to get to the crumbs.  It really was too hot a day to go to market,' Albert thought to himself, 'maybe if I just sat here a little longer, mama would go to market without me.'

With the cheese gone, he laid back against the tree and watched the shadows grow as the sun started its slow journey toward the horizon.

Not long after, motor cars could be heard driving into the village.  Albert looked up to the bridge, but only saw a horse and cart heading away from the village at a casual pace.  The cars sounded closer now so Albert glanced back up the way he had come.  At the end of the road, he could see people gathering.  Leaving his hiding place, he raced back up the road to see what was happening. 

When he neared the corner, he could see the whole village there surrounded by men with guns.  The cars parked on the road had black spiders on them.  He recognised the mark, it was the mark of the man his mama called Der Fuhrer. Mama had explained to him when he was younger that these soldiers were bad men and papa was part of a secret group that is trying to get rid of them.  Staying hidden by the corner of the building, he poked his head around to try and see if he could see his parents. Yes, he could. It seemed as if all the village was there, with the men lined up on the other side of the street, and women lined up on this side near the church.  Both his mama and papa were amongst them.

Albert glanced in the direction of the school. Soldiers were there too, guns pointed at the children. Eyes wide open in fear, Albert worried for his friend, but with the soldiers already there, there was nothing he could do. Glancing to the left, he saw a soldier heading in his direction.  He ducked back behind the corner.  Only then did he see the car parked nearby., Albert ran to the car and squeezed under it.  It was a tight fit, even for a small boy like him, but he hoped it would keep him hidden.

From his vantage point, he watched as the soldier rounded the corner toward the car he was under. Just as the soldier approached the car, a second could be seen coming around the corner.

“Come” this 2nd soldier called, “We are needed, the signal will be given soon.” The two disappeared back around the corner as one of them said “Now we will have some fun.”

Albert breathed out and took a few seconds to catch his breath.  ‘fun,’ he thought, ‘perhaps games?’

Crawling out from under the car, he raced back to the corner and peeked around.  Most of the kids were in line marching to the church, his mama had already disappeared inside the church.  It appeared as if all the women and children were being marched in there.  ‘Is this where the fun will be?’ Albert thought to himself.

He glanced in the direction of the school and caught his breath.  Albert knew that red hair anywhere, his friend Roger was lying in the middle of the school yard not moving. Albert wanted to go to him but there were still soldiers everywhere.  Across the square, his papa and all the men were being marched into different buildings.  The one his papa went into was Milord Barn, the very Barn he passed earlier in the day.

Leaving his spot by the corner, he ran to the nearby pea bushes that surrounded the back of the church.  After crawling through the bushes, Albert was about to head for one of the Church windows to see what the fun was when just at that moment, two soldiers walked around the corner and stood not far from the bushes where Albert sat huddled.

Time seemed endless before guns could be heard on the other side of the church.  The soldiers seem to be shooting everywhere but at what? What were the they shooting at?’ With the two still nearby, Albert felt helpless

Suddenly screams could be heard from inside the church.  Madame Rouffanche, a neighbour was climbing out of the window, behind her another woman carrying a baby.  The soldiers who had been standing by Albert began shooting at the three. They kept shooting until the three on the ground, no longer moved.  The soldiers then disappeared around the building laughing as they went, the sound of their voices overshadowed by the screams inside the church.

Albert sat there motionless for a long time, not knowing what to do or where to go.  His mama was in the church! What were the soldiers doing to them!  Nearby Albert noticed movement on the ground.  Madame Rouffanche crawled along the ground to some pea bushes not far from him. She managed to completely hide under the bushes, then became still.

In the distance loud noises could be heard as the soldiers went into each house.  Albert thought of the special cake his mama was going to make that they were going to eat after mass. 

After the sun had set, the sky still glowed red. It was then he realised the church was on fire and all the nearby buildings. He didn’t want to think then what had happened to his mama and papa. Eventually all grew quiet, and Albert felt brave enough to leave his hiding place from under the pea bushes and race back to the river.  Fearing the soldiers were still around, he climbed the tall tree that had provided him cover earlier in the day.  Only then did he see the destruction of the village and the bodies everywhere.  Across the river Glane, people were gathered in groups, trying to enter the village to find out what was happening, but were barricaded by soldiers, so many of them, blocking the roads.

Tears welled in his eyes, 'I'm never going doing down,' Albert decided, 'I'm staying up here forever.' Time passed, the sun rose on a new day, Sunday, 'Albert remembered, 'papa’s birthday.' He looked around, the soldiers had finally left, people started to enter the village. Albert could see his grandfather who lived in another village cross the bridge and it was then did he come back down from the tree, into a world that had changed for him forever.

***

This is dedicated to the 642 who lost their lives on the 10^th June 1944 in Oradour-Sur-Glane.  Albert is purely a fictional character, created just for this story, but others named that were mentioned in the story existed.

Roger Godrin, who was shot and played dead to avoid being killed was the youngest survivor of the massacre. He died of natural causes on 11^th February 2001, aged 65.

Madame Rouffanche, although shot 5 times, survived her injuries.  She was able to give evidence at the trial in Bordeaux in 1953.  She eventually returned to Oradour-Sur-Glane when the village was rebuilt and lived there till her death in March 1988.

Timer: Approx. 10 minutes reading time.

 

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane_massacre (story & map)

http://www.dday-overlord.com/eng/kubelwagen.htm (car)

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=pea%20bushes&qs=n&form=QBIRMH&pq=pea%20bushes&sc=1-10&sp=-1&sk= (Pea bushes & images of local bridges and the river Glane and it’s protective cover of trees) (image of the River Glane and it’s protective covering of trees.

http://www.oradour.info/appendix/timeline.htm (timeline of events & the outcomes of Madame Rouffanche & Roger Godrin)