Jana Karpíšková

"We packed up, just the essentials. That's what they told us what we could take. The paintings, the chandeliers, everything was left behind, they stole it all." "And what were you allowed to take?" "That's what they wrote down. Table, chairs, blanket, bed. I got an art deco chandelier from my mother. They loaded the whole bedroom. They took my bike, they were allowed to. It didn't fit much." "And you could have taken the pets, too?" "Five chickens. And the stupid coachman gave my mother some old chickens. She had about sixty chicks in April. She wasn't allowed to take those at all. Žofie told me later: 'Nobody fed them, they all died.' They didn't even give me the dog." "You had a dog?" "My brother had one, and my dad had two." "And what kind of dog did you have?" "A dachshund." "What was his name?" "Žolina. A beautiful bitch." "They wouldn't let you take her with you?" "They said she would guard the farm." "Did she guard the farm?" "They killed her a fortnight later. Nobody wanted to feed her. Žofka wrote to me: 'They've already killed Zolina.' I would murder them."

"By autumn it was unbearable, they had taken our tractor and car..." "What year was that?" "1951. He got busted in November, as all the farmers were. By then we were so much in debt we had nothing." "How did the debt come about? The high deliveries?" "They made it up. The courts sentenced them. All of them, not just us. It was like a carbon copy. They did it on purpose." "Now let's go specifically to Odrlice..." "They came in the autumn, kicked the door and yelled. My grandmother and I were in the kitchen. They said, 'Where is he?' - 'You mean my son?' Grandma asked. 'He's in the field.' 'Well, we'll wait.' They kicked the door, the glass in the door shattered. It was 'fun'. I was thirteen. Grandma was crying. Mom's in a field somewhere. Then they busted him and took him away." "You witnessed it when he was busted? Was it the StB?" "StB. They kicked in the door. One was from Cholina, his name was Jeřábek. He was such an a-hole. He acted like an animal. Mom came in, grandma and I cried, and dad was gone. He was in Olomouc; then he sent us a note that he was sent to Vysoké Mýto, Karosa. Dad was the engine guy, he could fix everything, he was handy. He was there for a while and then they were sent to Jáchymov."