Page 64 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

‘Yes, my love?’

‘I implore you to be careful. We are only assuming that Kreeg did not recognise me tonight. He is a shrewd operator, and very dangerous. If anything happened to you, I would surrender myself to Eszu willingly.’

‘I know. That is why we are going to try and bring this toan end, one way or another.’ Elle kissed me. ‘Goodbye, my love. I will return with information when I am able to.’

With that, she unlocked my bedroom door and left my lodgings.

And now, here I sit, frozen with fear that something will happen to Elle, or that Kreeg knew it was me in the café. Every so often I draw my curtain slightly and peer out onto the street below, half expecting to see a man in an SS uniform staring back up at me. I predict I have a long night ahead.

Elle returned at ten the next morning, looking pale and shaken. She could hardly get any words out, so I sat her down and fetched her a cup of sweet tea from the small kitchen on the ground floor. As she sipped, I held her in my arms until some colour had returned to her face.

‘It was awful, Bo. So awful.’

When she finally felt able, Elle described the horrific scene she had just witnessed at the Gewandhaus – the city’s largest concert hall. The square outside boasted a statue of the great Felix Mendelssohn – the Jewish founder of the original Leipzig Conservatory. This morning, members of the Hitler Youth had torn down the statue and hammered it into a pile of rubble.

‘Their faces were furious and their teeth gnashing, Bo. They were like rabid animals, blinded by rage and hatred. I simply had to hold my nerve and walk past, showing as little emotion as possible.’ Elle shut her eyes in an attempt to block the memory.

‘Goerdeler will be enraged,’ I said. ‘How could anyone hate a man who gave so much to the world?’

‘I’ll bet you anything that it was his poisonous deputy, Haake, who organised it. It would make sense for him to make an intimidating move whilst Goerdeler is in Munich. Now, surely, he will be forced out. Then Leipzig will be lost.’

‘Elle, I’m so sorry.’

She took out a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes. ‘There’s more. I saw Kreeg, stood near the rubble, shouting instructions at the children. I think he oversees the Hitler Youth brigade.’ I shuddered to think of his influence on innocent children. ‘I should be able to learn his movements relatively easily as a result. I just need to find out the brigade’s schedule. Then I will know where Kreeg will be at all times.’

‘Well, I suppose that if there was a silver lining to this morning, it is that.’

Elle cast her eyes to the floor. ‘I would not say so, Bo.’

I chastised myself. ‘That was a stupid thing to say. I won’t let them hurt you, my love, I swear.’ She gave me a sad smile. ‘Do you not have tuition to attend, by the way?’

‘No. Principal Davisson has shut the conservatory. He has deemed it too dangerous for the students, so I’m going to meet Karine in Wasserstraße.’ She stood up.

‘Elle, I don’t think that’s wise. Karine is visibly Jewish. If there is high anti-Semitic sentiment on the streets today, then I worry for your safety.’

‘Bo, we must remember that we have a duty to our friend. We both know that Pip doesn’t see the severity of the situation. He’s far more concerned about finishing his assessed piece.’

I nodded. ‘I’m supposed to be playing cello in the orchestra...’ I waved the thought away. ‘Anyway, I can’t let you go out by yourself today. I want to accompany you.’

Elle considered it. ‘I admit, I would feel better if you did. Kreeg and his Hitler Youth brigade are hosting a book burning by the rubble of Mendelssohn’s statue. They are demanding that students throw scores written by Jewish composers onto the inferno...’ Elle became understandably choked. I stood up and took her in my arms. ‘Put on your large coat,’ she eventually instructed. ‘Your hat, too. Let’s not take any chances.’

We sat in a secluded alcove in the Wasserstraße coffee shop, and waited for Pip and Karine to arrive. When they joined us, Karine was shell-shocked and had clearly been crying. Nonetheless, Elle’s best friend was predictably resilient when addressing the table.

‘Now that this has happened, we have no one to protect us. We all know that Haake is an anti-Semite. Look at how he tried to enforce these horrible laws from the rest of Germany. How long before they stop Jewish doctors from practising and Aryans from consulting them here in Leipzig?’ she asked.

Pip put his hands up to call for calm. ‘We shouldn’t panic, but wait until Goerdeler returns. The newspapers say it will be in a few days. He went from Munich to Finland on an errand for the Chamber of Commerce. I’m sure that when he hears of this he will head back to Leipzig immediately,’ he said.

‘But the mood in the city is so hateful!’ Elle blurted out. ‘Everyone knows how many Jews are studying at the conservatory. What if they decide to go further and raze the whole place to the ground, like they have done with synagogues in other cities?’

‘The conservatory is a temple to music, not to political or religious power. Please, we must all try to keep calm,’ Pip reiterated.

‘That is all very easy for you to say,’ Karine remarked to him in an undertone. ‘You are not Jewish, and will pass for one of their own.’ She studied Pip’s wavy red-blonde hair and light blue eyes. ‘It’s different for me. Just after the statue was taken down, I passed a group of youths on my way to the conservatory and they screamed out “Jüdische Hündin!”’ She dipped her eyes at the memory. All of us knew that it meant ‘Jewish bitch’. ‘And what’s more,’ Karine continued, ‘I cannoteven speak to my parents. They are in America to prepare for my father’s new sculpture exhibition.’

Pip suddenly looked as if his blood was boiling beneath the surface of his skin. He took Karine’s hand. ‘My love, I will keep you safe, even if I have to take you back to Norway to do it. No harm will come to you.’ He grasped her hand in his and smoothed a strand of glossy black hair from her anxious face.

‘Do you promise?’ Karine asked, with heart-wrenching sincerity.

Pip kissed her forehead tenderly. ‘I promise.’