‘Do you know it’s my birthday today, Leah?’ Cibi is now suspicious. How could Magda be here and she didn’t know it, didn’t feel her sister’s presence? ‘You wouldn’t be so cruel to say such a thing just because it’s my birthday?’
‘No! That’s a horrible idea. I’m not a Nazi, Cibi.’
‘I’m sorry, Leah.’ Cibi is ashamed, and then alarmed when she remembers where Leah works. ‘You didn’t see her at the crematoria, did you?’
‘Yes. No! Not exactly, I was at the crematoria but I could see the selection taking place at the station. That’s where I saw her.’
‘And Mumma, my grandfather?’
‘I didn’t see them, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there, I just didn’t see them.’
‘Do you know where she is now?’ Cibi feels a sudden urgency. She looks around the camp, as if Magda might be standing in the shadows waiting to leap out and announce her presence.
‘All I know is that she’s with the survivors, and they were heading towards the family camp, but I don’t know if that’s where they ended up. She is in here somewhere, Cibi. I promise you.’
Cibi pulls the girl to her chest and hugs her tight. ‘This is the best birthday present I have ever had, Leah,’ she tells her friend.
*
As desperate as Cibi is to tell Livi about Magda, she decides not to say anything until she knows for sure Magda is here and that their sister is alive.
Once again, she struggles to concentrate on her work, her mind racing, but this time it isn’t due to despondency, but to a growing desperation to find out where Magda is. And then she seizes her opportunity. Unwrapping a large parcel containing not only food but women’s clothing, Cibi checks to see whether the addressee is alive or dead. She knows everyone from the Theresienstadt family camp is dead, but she checks anyway. A red line has been drawn through the name. Cibi also knows that, according to Leah, the new selection has probably just been taken to the family camp. If Magda is anywhere, she is there.
Cibi takes the parcel to Volkenrath’s office. ‘I have a parcel that needs to be delivered to the family camp. Is it OK if I take it over?’
‘Just do your job,’ comes the short reply. Cibi breathes a silent sigh of relief.
To walk or to run? Cibi does both. The longer she takes to get there, the longer she can cling to the possibility that she is about to be reunited with her sister. As she approaches the camp she slows to a dawdle, preparing herself for whatever she might find. She decides to tell Livi nothing if Magda is not there. Right now, her biggest fear is running into her little sister, as the family camp is only metres away from where Livi stands each day at the front gates.
At the gates of the camp, the block leader insists she hands over the parcel. She reads the name and tells Cibi that the person this parcel is addressed to could not possibly be here, that there is no one there from Greece. Cibi tells her that Elisabeth Volkenrath asked her to deliver the parcel personally. The kapo holds her gaze for a moment, but then reluctantly waves her through.
Cibi steps inside every block in every row, calling out Magda’s name, before moving on to the next. The girls and women are dressed in civilian clothes and they still have their hair. Not for long, though, thinks Cibi grimly. Most of them wear head scarves, making it difficult for Cibi to identify Magda’s thick brown hair. Twice, Cibi thinks she sees her, only to be bitterly disappointed.
With only two blocks left to check, Cibi notices a group of young women sitting in the sun, plucking at blades of grass while they talk. Such a normal scene, Cibi feels dizzy at the sight of it. One of the girls stares into the October sun, leaning back on her elbows. Cibi can’t see her face, but she recognises the posture.
She shouts, ‘Magda!’ Cibi’s voice is trapped in her throat and all that comes out is a stifled squeak. But one girl in the group is looking at Cibi, bemused by this flushed figure standing perfectly erect, clutching a box and struggling to shout a name. Now the whole group is nudging one another, pointing at Cibi, and finally the girl staring at the sun turns too. For a moment, Cibi can’t move, can’t speak, she hears a buzzing in her head. Is this a dream, will she wake up?
Or is that really Magda standing up, calling her name, running towards her?
The sisters collide, shrieking. They say each other’s names over and over. Now they are crying, asking questions, giving no answers. Right here, right now, the only thing that matters is that they are together.