Kindertransport Read Online Free PDF

from the measles, but the doctor said I was no longer contagious. This was the day I was to go to England! I was excited and fearful all at the same time. Here I was,
eleven years old, and leaving home all by myself. It was hard to separate the two emotions. One minute I wanted to laugh, the next to cry. To overcome my confusion, I talked. Nonstop.
    Mama got permission to go with me on the train as far as Wiesbaden, where her mother, my Oma, lived. I had said good-bye yesterday to Herr and Frau Gumpel. They said they wished they could come too. But the train was only for children. I hoped that they would be able to leave Germany soon, too. They looked so sad.
    Mama said that she and Papa thought they would get to England in about six weeks, “God willing.” The way she said it, I was not sure whether I believed her. A thought kept coming into my head: What if we never see each other again? I tried not to think about this.
    Before we left for the station, I walked from room to room, starting upstairs and all the way into the cellar where the wine was kept, and where the laundry was done. I wanted to remember every corner forever. Piepsi, the canary, was perched in his cage under the rubber tree, which by now had reached to the ceiling. The little bird cocked his yellow head and looked at me with his bright, shiny eyes, but he didn’t sing. I was sure he knew I was leaving.
    Herr Kopfer, our neighbor the magician, drove Mama, Papa, and me to the station. We thought we were early, but when we got there, some children were already on the train. I kissed and hugged Papa hard. He tried to
smile, but something funny was happening to his mouth. I hugged him again, so he wouldn’t see my scrunched up face. He and the other fathers did not have permission from the Nazis to come into the train. We all tried so hard to be brave.
    Mama and I climbed aboard. I waved to Papa until he was only a tiny speck in the distance. The train turned a curve, and he was gone.
    An hour or so later we pulled into Wiesbaden. I pressed my face against the window to look for Oma. I had been here many times before. But today I could not get off the train. Instead, Oma came to the train to say good-bye to me. I saw her round, sweet face, anxiously peering into each car before we had even come to a full stop. Mama stood up suddenly, gave me another kiss and said: “Remember to be a good girl.” Then she quickly jumped off the train. The platform teemed with people of all ages. Many wore Nazi uniforms. The train filled up with more children. Their parents stood under the train windows, looking forlorn. Some were crying. The children were excited. Some cried too, others were silent, with their lips pressed together. The hands of the big station clock under the steamed-up glass dome moved on relentlessly. The station master shouted: “ Alles einsteigen! ” “All aboard!” and slowly we started to move again. I leaned out as far as I could. Other children behind me pushed and shoved to get a last glimpse as well. While we were still moving slowly, Oma reached up and slipped a small package into
my hand. There wasn’t even time to say thank you as the train began to gather speed. I slipped Oma’s gift into my coat pocket, waving with my other hand until I couldn’t see Mama or Oma anymore. Tears were streaming down my face.
    Now the steam engine had gathered full speed. Soon I saw that we had left the city and were hurling through the countryside. I suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. When I came back out, some children were laughing and pointing at me. I looked down and saw that my blue wool-knit dress was tucked into my matching underpants. I was furious—perhaps at them, perhaps at myself, perhaps at this whole situation. Quickly I fixed my clothes and sat stiffly in my seat. I had to keep rubbing my wet eyes.

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    JOURNEY TO ENGLAND
    T he train rushed past pine woods, shimmering lakes, rivers, and distant