Cibi notes her sisters’ wary faces and makes the decision for them. ‘Thank you. We’ve got a little money.’
‘Keep your money,’ Imrich says.
Cibi nods and holds out a hand. ‘I’m Cibi, and this is Magda and Livi. We’re sisters.’
As they walk, Cibi and Livi tell the men about their time in Auschwitz, about the death march and then their escape, the full horror of their ordeal spilling easily from their mouths as the boys nod and listen. Cibi feels better afterwards, and decides she will talk to whoever is ready to listen, but Magda has added very little during this exchange. Learning once more of the horrors her sisters endured in her absence only compounds her guilt.
They navigate their way across a bombed-out estate of houses, until they reach Frodo and Imrich’s apartment block.
‘Who owns the building and how come you can stay here?’ asks Cibi, as they begin to climb the flights of stairs.
‘No idea, we’re squatting. But there’s running water. No electricity, though, so it’s a little romantic dining by candlelight.’ Frodo laughs.
‘We’re all survivors here,’ says Imrich. ‘Some of us have already found work. We share what we make. It’s a bit like a commune.’
On the second floor, Imrich leads them to Apartment 8. He knocks and a female voice calls out, ‘Come in.’
The door opens onto a small lounge. Two girls around Cibi’s age, who had been lounging on a mattress in the middle of the room, jump to their feet. They hug the men, and Cibi instinctively feels they can trust these young people.
‘This is Klara and Branka,’ says Imrich to Cibi. ‘The girls need a home,’ he tells his friends.
‘Of course,’ says Klara, the taller of the two women. ‘There’s plenty of room for you – a whole room, in fact, which you could share.’ She turns to Branka. ‘We just need more bedding, don’t we?’
‘Klara and I sleep here.’ Branka points at the mattress. ‘And Kamila and Erena share the other bedroom. We’re a cosy family.’
Cibi’s eyes well up. She feels for her sisters’ hands. ‘How do we thank you?’ she says.
‘Don’t be silly.’ Klara laughs, throwing her arms around Cibi. ‘You’ve just forgotten what it feels like to have friends. We all have.’
Magda and Livi watch in silence as Cibi weeps in Klara’s arms; their brave older sister, undone by this simple gesture of kindness.
Frodo and Imrich make their excuses and leave and the sisters are shown to their new bedroom.
‘It’s perfect, isn’t it, Cibi?’ Magda asks.
Cibi is rubbing her eyes, but she’s smiling and nodding.
‘Help us with dinner,’ Klara calls, and once the girls have opened a window to air out the room, they join their new landlords in the tiny kitchen.
Cibi and Livi find the cutlery and an odd assortment of plates and lay the table. The sun is setting and the room dims.
‘I’ve got some candles in a drawer, I’ll get them,’ says Branka. ‘Magda, can you find something to put them in? We don’t want them falling over and burning down what’s left of the building.’
As Branka pulls two candles from a drawer, Magda gasps. ‘I’ve got just the thing,’ she says, leaping from the table. Moments later she returns, holding the silver candlesticks, now liberated from the pillowcase. ‘Will these do?’ she asks.
‘They’re perfect! Where did you get them?’ Branka asks, delightedly.
‘They’re all we have left of our mother,’ says Magda, in a whisper.
‘Mumma would love the thought of them at our first meal with new friends,’ Cibi says, her voice dropping to a whisper too.
‘I’ll light them,’ pipes up Livi, taking the candlesticks from Magda. ‘Cibi’s right. Tonight we eat by the light of Mumma’s watchful eyes.’
*
Later that evening, after a meal prepared with the apartment’s final two residents, Kamila and Erena, the women retreat to the large flat on the top floor which has access to the rooftop. Survivors from other apartments gather to share their stories of life in the camps, and life after.
The sisters learn that every day, the men and women go out looking for work. Some are lucky, and those who aren’t are tasked with making their living conditions more comfortable, by scouting the other flats for food, furniture and toiletries.
‘Tomorrow, you must visit the Red Cross offices,’ Branka tells the sisters. ‘They’ll register your return and help you find family and friends.’