Jaroslava Suchá

“Then as the war went on, my father would instruct us in many ways; all the residents would go down to the basement, everyone would bring some cold weather clothes and maybe a box of chocolate and so on, in case something would happen. And as dive bombers would begin the raid, my crazy father would sit behind the chimney with binoculars and he would run down telling us what the situation was.”

“When the Germans came, our director Knot gave a speech at school, which sounded like he had just memorised it, stating how great everything will be from now on and so on. Then I raised my hand, being just a little girl, and he asked me: 'What would you like to tell us, Jaruška?' And I said: 'That´s not true what you are saying, Mr. Director. My daddy said that our country was finished.' Mr. Director went on, and after he finally dismissed the class, he hurried to see my father and he told him everything. He said: 'Children, you know. The only thing they won´t tell is the thing they don´t know. Now they all bring their snacks wrapped in German newspapers.' After that, my father would make me sit in an armchair while he would sit down on a chair in front of me, and it would say: 'If they would pull out your hair, if they would stab something under your nails, from now on, not a single word on what´s happening at home!'”