Just as they closed the trap door to their hiding place
Sasha’s newborn daughter started to whimper. No doubt her feelings of
discomfort were caused by sensing her mother’s growing terror at the situation
that was unfolding over their heads. In addition the soldiers were smashing and
breaking things in their haste to find this group now hiding beneath their
feet. Yet somehow the baby was being kept quiet. From past experience with this
particular child Victor was prepare to smother the baby if need be to save the
rest of the group from slaughter. One sickly baby, compared to a dozen others,
was not a hard choice for him to make.
It was completely dark as the hiding place was well
insulated from light and prying eyes. They had been very careful in both
designing and building the space and had actually been through this type of
search before and had not been caught. It would seem that the village to the
South was constantly renouncing them and slandering them to whatever authority
happened to be “investigating” this or that. One easy way to save your life in
this day and age was to deflect the insanity that had gripped the world onto
someone else. Show the NKVD a shiny object and they left you along. Today they
were that shiny object and they had no idea why; all they knew was that they
had to hide. Before they let Sasha and the baby into the hiding place they had
all agreed that if the baby started to cry it would be killed to save them all.
Even Sasha agreed. She might have agreed as an attempt to save herself and
daughter but it wouldn’t have mattered. If the baby even started to cry is
would be smothered.
Everything was proceeding well. Then just as the soldiers
were making the most noise the baby made a fussing noise. One little utterance
but you knew what was coming and nothing could stop it. But it had stopped
immediately and was not heard by the troops over their heads. It was utterly
dark so most did not know what had happened to make the child be quiet. Had it
been smothered? Had it stopped on its own? A couple of the women were
struggling to hold back tears for they knew that you cannot stop a baby from
crying once they started fussing in that manner. Sasha or someone, had done
something drastic and immediate, to quiet the child and they feared the worst.
There was no groping sounds for a nipple no cooing or sucking sounds, just
complete silence; utter and devastating silence.
It seemed like hours before the soldiers left. No one
made a sound and they stayed still for another hour after the soldiers had
left. As the leader raised the opening a little the others were amazed at what
they saw. Sasha had her mouth over her child’s face. It covered both nose and
mouth and she was breathing for them both. You could tell the baby was fit to
be tide but her mother had matched her exhales with her own and no sound was
forthcoming. She then sent a small puff of air from her lungs into the baby’s
mouth and nose thus providing the needed oxygen. Then she would suck it out
again and in essence exhale for the child as well. You could tell she was
exhausted but would not stop until everyone had exited the space.
It seems that Sasha was a member of the Young Pioneers
and before the first war a British delegation from the Royal Humane Society Campaign Group for
first aid and resuscitation had put on a demonstration of a technique they had
been using and advocating since the turn of the century. It was used in many of
the swimming beaches and pools of Great Britain. Sasha had been fascinated by
the demonstration and had even become an instructor in this life saving
technique. She had even saved a boy’s life at Young Pioneer Camp who, had for
all intents and purposes, died of drowning. Yet to the amazement of all
involved she brought him back to life.
No one knew what this technique was called and no one
mentioned it again. Some kind of witchcraft was obviously performed. But the
days of witches was over. Was that why the soldiers came? No one really thought
so but one never knew. Sasha disappeared in the night with her baby so nothing
had to be done anyway.
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