Chapter Twelve
"Ardeth you are totally crazy. After everything you have been through, twice and you want to go back there. Why for Gods sake?"
"I am not going back today. I am going back to Egypt first then I will go back to Germany. I have to. There are children there who have no parents, no relations what so ever, they are going to need someone to help them. They won't even have a home to call their own"
"My friend wait till the war is over, they say it will be after xmas. The allies are advancing everyday. Hitler will be overpowered and then there will be peace."
Ardeth got up and walked to the window. Outside Evy was talking to Alex and waved when they saw him standing there. He waved back and then turned to Father Shandor, who was looking rather worried.
"Don't worry so much, by the time I have sorted out what I need to in Egypt, it will be xmas anyway. Then I will come back if you will have me here"
"Of course you can come back here, anytime but what exactly are you going to do?"
Ardeth explained that he was going to open an orphanage in Egypt for the children that would be left in the camps, if any of course. After what he had seen them do to the children he couldn't just walk away, not even after all he had been through.
"I have to talk to Evy first and ask her something but then we will be going back, probably tomorrow. I will write and let you know when I will return."
He left the Father and went to his room to change and then joined Evy in the gardens. He told her what he wanted to do. She looked shocked at first and then hugged him.
"You are a wonderful man, never thinking of himself, always thinking of others, no matter what the consequences. I think it is a wonderful idea but shouldn't we wait till the war is over"
"No, the longer we wait the more children will die. Between now and December there will be untold numbers dead and they will not be able to be saved but the rest, they will be given a chance. I have something else to ask you"
"What is it Ardeth?"
"I know you and Rick are finished and I am sorry about that in one way but in another, I am glad because it means I can ask you this question. Would you become my wife?"
Evy almost threw herself at Ardeth and embarrassed him by smothering him in kisses, even if it wasn't very lady like.
"Oh yes Ardeth, I would love to be your wife but will the Med-jai accept me, I will be a divorced woman and have another mans child"
"Oh Evy, they will accept you, anyway, you forget your son is second-in- command, he is Med-jai. They will accept whoever I choose to be my wife"
They spent the rest of the day talking and planning what they would do when they got back to Egypt. When Alex came back from a hunting trip with the brothers, which they did once a week, he was asked to go and talk to Ardeth.
The man told him that he wished to marry his mother and was it alright and also about the orphanage he was going to setup.
"Oh I am so pleased about you and mum. I am sorry that dad has gone but you never knew how bad it got, mum thought I didn't know but I did. That means I can call you dad now"
"Oh no, I forgot that" laughed Ardeth winking at him.
"But the other idea, it is good in theory but how are you going to get the children out, it won't be easy. Apart from anything else, we don't know where they will be. We'll never get them out of Auschwitz, you know the security there."
"We will plan all that once we have the orphanage sorted out. I think we could bring back about fifty children. Anyway, I am going to get some sleep, we are leaving tomorrow for Egypt"
Alex bid him goodnight and went to see his mother before he went to bed also. He would be glad to be back in Egypt even though he had enjoyed his stay at the monastery.
Ardeth laid on the bed and gazed at the ceiling, he was putting on a good front for all of them. He didn't know if he would ever get over this, he dreaded going to sleep, the nightmares woke him so many times and during the day, the thoughts stayed with him. He was so tired that he was almost asleep on his feet.
He had been ill from exhaustion not long ago because of this and if he didn't get some sleep soon, he would be again. If he could just hang on till he got back to Egypt, maybe things would be better there. He hoped so. At least he had persuaded Evy that he didn't want them doing anything till they were married. Not because he didn't want to, but if she spent the night with him she would find out his secret.
Within two weeks they were back in Egypt and arrived in Cairo where Jonathan met them. He was shocked to see their appearance but they looked better than they did a few weeks ago.
"Evy, where have you been, we have all been worried about you. Thought you were going away for only a few days. Glad to see you back ole mum" he said. "Ardeth, Alex, welcome back"
"We are fine…now" she said "Let's go back to the house, we need some rest and something to eat. The food on that ship was terrible"
It took a few hours for them to relate to Jonathan and Masala, who had arrived on hearing that they were due back today, all that had happened in Germany. He couldn't believe what they had been through and what was going on over there.
They had heard tales of killings and tortures and about the death camps, but no-one knew how of it was true and how much propaganda. He was certainly glad that Ardeth and Alex were back. Ardeth went to bed, he was tired but hoped he would be able to sleep better now that he was back home. He left the others downstairs.
"Is he serious about starting an orphanage here for those childred?" asked Masala.
"Yes he is" replied Alex "and I support him totally. You couldn't even imagine what they did over there. Some were burnt alive, it was horrific. If it wasn't for Ardeth and Karl, I would never have coped out there. Trouble is while he was looking after me, no-one was looking after him and he is still suffering from that place."
"What do you Alex?" asked Evy.
"He tries to hide it but I know he doesn't sleep at night because of the nightmares. He had them while we were there. I was the one who held him at night and told him it would be okay, not knowing if what I said was true"
"Alex why didn't you tell me" she asked.
Alex got up and picked up another sandwich of the table and went and stood by the fireplace.
"Because I knew he wouldn't want me too. I promised I wouldn't say anything till we got back here, at least to myself anyway. He is going to need a lot of help and I think this thing with the children, will do him more good than you could imagine. Mum, don't say anything to him, I am sure he will let you know when he is ready, he is very proud and very stubborn"
Masala laughed and agreed with the stubborn bit, he could have told them many things about Ardeths stubbornness. He asked them where they proposed to have the orphanage.
"The old lodge" said Evy.
Masala looked puzzled and asked what on earth was the old lodge.
"Sorry" said Evy "It is the big house right near to the pyramids. The one that no-one has lived in for years. I call it the old lodge, don't ask why. It is going for a song and with work, it will be ideal"
Jonathan wanted to know who was going to do the work, as far as he was concerned the place needed pulling down and a new one build, it would be easier and cheaper.
"I will get help somehow" said Evy. "We have till xmas to get most of it done and then Ardeth wants to go back then to get the children. I think it should be left till the spring. Father Shandor is convinced that the war will be over by then. I am not so sure and I don't want Ardeth to end up in one of those places again"
"You will have all the help you need" said Masala "The Med-jai will be glad to do this. With the war going on even over here in places, it is hard for us to do what we do. It is too dangerous for us to go wandering round the desert as we used to. Once the war is over, then for us too it will be better"
Evy thanked him and said that they would go and see about buying the place the next day. She knew who the owner was and it shouldn't be difficult, they would probably be glad to get rid of it. Masala said he would return to the camp that night and be back in the morning. He wouldn't be getting Ardeth to go back with him that night, he would leave him.
Ardeth had told him to wake him as soon as he was ready to leave but they thought it best not to tell him. As it happened he had gone to sleep but it wouldn't be for long. About 2 hours if that and he was up again, the dreams invading his thoughts.
All he could see were the ovens and the bodies, over and over again. Men picking up bodies and throwing them into ovens, the bodies that were not dead and then it started all over again. He sat on the bed, his head in his hands, trying to shut them out.
He knew this would go on all night and he paced the room trying to get some relief from it, but to no avail. Everything he tried, failed and he ended up laying on the bed just giving in to it, watching the pictures in his minds eye, like the most horrific film every made.
"Please…no more" he said out loud.
By the time they had been back four days, Evy had purchased the house, more or less moved in and with the Med-jai were cleaning it from top to bottom before they started on the repairs.
Masala and a couple of the others, looked very funny in their black robes covered in dust, cobwebs and plaster from the ceilings, with brooms in their hands.
"Oh I wish I had a camera" said Evy one morning laughing at them.
"Don't even think about it" said Masala.
He looked at Ardeth, who was trying not to snigger and had to go and get something from outside to stop himself laughing. He had never seen them in such a state.
Alex found him, leaning on the wall, rubbing his eyes before he went back in the house.
"Ardeth…you're still not sleeping are you?"
"Alex…how did you know?"
"Come on, you haven't slept for several weeks for more than a couple of hours at a time. I have heard you pacing the floor for hours at a time. I never said anything, I hoped it would get better here, but it hasn't has it?"
"No…I can't stop seeing those bodies, they haunt me at night and even during the day. I have tried everything, I am so tired. Please don't say anything to your mother"
"She already knows, more or less, it told her when we got back but also said to leave it for a while and see what happens. Ardeth you have to deal with this somehow, or you are going to be ill again. No-one can cope with this on their own."
He sat on an old crate by the corner of the house and looked at Alex.
"How have you dealt with this Alex. You seem so calm and seem to have coped with it all"
"I am not as strong as you think Ardeth. I had nights where I couldn't sleep, the same as you and I paced the floor. But then I started to write down all that I had seen and all that had happened to us. It helped. Maybe you should try that, it could help. You have to do something, you look really pale this morning"
Ardeth said he would try that night if he couldn't sleep and promised that he would do something if that didn't work.
For a week he did that very thing and wrote down everything from the very first thing that happened to him. Going back to the first time he went to Germany. Trouble was he was still not getting any sleep. The more he wrote the more he remembered.
Evy noticed that he was getting paler and then one day he didn't go to the house at all. She asked Alex if he had seen him that day.
"No, I haven't seen much of him all week to be honest. I told him that writing everything down might help him come to terms with what went on. I know he started doing that but whether it helped I don't know. I went to the camp for three days and he was doing something upstairs here when I came back. But I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon"
"I am going back to the house to see where he is, I'll take Masala with me. You know what they have to do here. I must admit I haven't really spoke to him for a couple of days, I have been trying to get this place ready"
Alex said he would get all the things on the days list started and would see her when she got back. Getting in the car, Masala went with her back to the house.
Ardeth had been writing for nearly twenty-four hours solid. He had locked his door to be alone and hadn't even eaten anything. So far he had filled two exercise books with his thoughts and memories. Then about 6am he sat back and read what he had written.
Somehow it didn't seem to be him who had written it, it felt like someone else and he felt tears running down his face as he read what was one the pages. The stories in the book were horrific and he wanted to stop reading it but couldn't put it down.
His mind was racing with thoughts and a headache was getting stronger and stronger. He couldn't fight any more and everything started to fade out as he collapsed, his head on the desk.
"Ardeth you are totally crazy. After everything you have been through, twice and you want to go back there. Why for Gods sake?"
"I am not going back today. I am going back to Egypt first then I will go back to Germany. I have to. There are children there who have no parents, no relations what so ever, they are going to need someone to help them. They won't even have a home to call their own"
"My friend wait till the war is over, they say it will be after xmas. The allies are advancing everyday. Hitler will be overpowered and then there will be peace."
Ardeth got up and walked to the window. Outside Evy was talking to Alex and waved when they saw him standing there. He waved back and then turned to Father Shandor, who was looking rather worried.
"Don't worry so much, by the time I have sorted out what I need to in Egypt, it will be xmas anyway. Then I will come back if you will have me here"
"Of course you can come back here, anytime but what exactly are you going to do?"
Ardeth explained that he was going to open an orphanage in Egypt for the children that would be left in the camps, if any of course. After what he had seen them do to the children he couldn't just walk away, not even after all he had been through.
"I have to talk to Evy first and ask her something but then we will be going back, probably tomorrow. I will write and let you know when I will return."
He left the Father and went to his room to change and then joined Evy in the gardens. He told her what he wanted to do. She looked shocked at first and then hugged him.
"You are a wonderful man, never thinking of himself, always thinking of others, no matter what the consequences. I think it is a wonderful idea but shouldn't we wait till the war is over"
"No, the longer we wait the more children will die. Between now and December there will be untold numbers dead and they will not be able to be saved but the rest, they will be given a chance. I have something else to ask you"
"What is it Ardeth?"
"I know you and Rick are finished and I am sorry about that in one way but in another, I am glad because it means I can ask you this question. Would you become my wife?"
Evy almost threw herself at Ardeth and embarrassed him by smothering him in kisses, even if it wasn't very lady like.
"Oh yes Ardeth, I would love to be your wife but will the Med-jai accept me, I will be a divorced woman and have another mans child"
"Oh Evy, they will accept you, anyway, you forget your son is second-in- command, he is Med-jai. They will accept whoever I choose to be my wife"
They spent the rest of the day talking and planning what they would do when they got back to Egypt. When Alex came back from a hunting trip with the brothers, which they did once a week, he was asked to go and talk to Ardeth.
The man told him that he wished to marry his mother and was it alright and also about the orphanage he was going to setup.
"Oh I am so pleased about you and mum. I am sorry that dad has gone but you never knew how bad it got, mum thought I didn't know but I did. That means I can call you dad now"
"Oh no, I forgot that" laughed Ardeth winking at him.
"But the other idea, it is good in theory but how are you going to get the children out, it won't be easy. Apart from anything else, we don't know where they will be. We'll never get them out of Auschwitz, you know the security there."
"We will plan all that once we have the orphanage sorted out. I think we could bring back about fifty children. Anyway, I am going to get some sleep, we are leaving tomorrow for Egypt"
Alex bid him goodnight and went to see his mother before he went to bed also. He would be glad to be back in Egypt even though he had enjoyed his stay at the monastery.
Ardeth laid on the bed and gazed at the ceiling, he was putting on a good front for all of them. He didn't know if he would ever get over this, he dreaded going to sleep, the nightmares woke him so many times and during the day, the thoughts stayed with him. He was so tired that he was almost asleep on his feet.
He had been ill from exhaustion not long ago because of this and if he didn't get some sleep soon, he would be again. If he could just hang on till he got back to Egypt, maybe things would be better there. He hoped so. At least he had persuaded Evy that he didn't want them doing anything till they were married. Not because he didn't want to, but if she spent the night with him she would find out his secret.
Within two weeks they were back in Egypt and arrived in Cairo where Jonathan met them. He was shocked to see their appearance but they looked better than they did a few weeks ago.
"Evy, where have you been, we have all been worried about you. Thought you were going away for only a few days. Glad to see you back ole mum" he said. "Ardeth, Alex, welcome back"
"We are fine…now" she said "Let's go back to the house, we need some rest and something to eat. The food on that ship was terrible"
It took a few hours for them to relate to Jonathan and Masala, who had arrived on hearing that they were due back today, all that had happened in Germany. He couldn't believe what they had been through and what was going on over there.
They had heard tales of killings and tortures and about the death camps, but no-one knew how of it was true and how much propaganda. He was certainly glad that Ardeth and Alex were back. Ardeth went to bed, he was tired but hoped he would be able to sleep better now that he was back home. He left the others downstairs.
"Is he serious about starting an orphanage here for those childred?" asked Masala.
"Yes he is" replied Alex "and I support him totally. You couldn't even imagine what they did over there. Some were burnt alive, it was horrific. If it wasn't for Ardeth and Karl, I would never have coped out there. Trouble is while he was looking after me, no-one was looking after him and he is still suffering from that place."
"What do you Alex?" asked Evy.
"He tries to hide it but I know he doesn't sleep at night because of the nightmares. He had them while we were there. I was the one who held him at night and told him it would be okay, not knowing if what I said was true"
"Alex why didn't you tell me" she asked.
Alex got up and picked up another sandwich of the table and went and stood by the fireplace.
"Because I knew he wouldn't want me too. I promised I wouldn't say anything till we got back here, at least to myself anyway. He is going to need a lot of help and I think this thing with the children, will do him more good than you could imagine. Mum, don't say anything to him, I am sure he will let you know when he is ready, he is very proud and very stubborn"
Masala laughed and agreed with the stubborn bit, he could have told them many things about Ardeths stubbornness. He asked them where they proposed to have the orphanage.
"The old lodge" said Evy.
Masala looked puzzled and asked what on earth was the old lodge.
"Sorry" said Evy "It is the big house right near to the pyramids. The one that no-one has lived in for years. I call it the old lodge, don't ask why. It is going for a song and with work, it will be ideal"
Jonathan wanted to know who was going to do the work, as far as he was concerned the place needed pulling down and a new one build, it would be easier and cheaper.
"I will get help somehow" said Evy. "We have till xmas to get most of it done and then Ardeth wants to go back then to get the children. I think it should be left till the spring. Father Shandor is convinced that the war will be over by then. I am not so sure and I don't want Ardeth to end up in one of those places again"
"You will have all the help you need" said Masala "The Med-jai will be glad to do this. With the war going on even over here in places, it is hard for us to do what we do. It is too dangerous for us to go wandering round the desert as we used to. Once the war is over, then for us too it will be better"
Evy thanked him and said that they would go and see about buying the place the next day. She knew who the owner was and it shouldn't be difficult, they would probably be glad to get rid of it. Masala said he would return to the camp that night and be back in the morning. He wouldn't be getting Ardeth to go back with him that night, he would leave him.
Ardeth had told him to wake him as soon as he was ready to leave but they thought it best not to tell him. As it happened he had gone to sleep but it wouldn't be for long. About 2 hours if that and he was up again, the dreams invading his thoughts.
All he could see were the ovens and the bodies, over and over again. Men picking up bodies and throwing them into ovens, the bodies that were not dead and then it started all over again. He sat on the bed, his head in his hands, trying to shut them out.
He knew this would go on all night and he paced the room trying to get some relief from it, but to no avail. Everything he tried, failed and he ended up laying on the bed just giving in to it, watching the pictures in his minds eye, like the most horrific film every made.
"Please…no more" he said out loud.
By the time they had been back four days, Evy had purchased the house, more or less moved in and with the Med-jai were cleaning it from top to bottom before they started on the repairs.
Masala and a couple of the others, looked very funny in their black robes covered in dust, cobwebs and plaster from the ceilings, with brooms in their hands.
"Oh I wish I had a camera" said Evy one morning laughing at them.
"Don't even think about it" said Masala.
He looked at Ardeth, who was trying not to snigger and had to go and get something from outside to stop himself laughing. He had never seen them in such a state.
Alex found him, leaning on the wall, rubbing his eyes before he went back in the house.
"Ardeth…you're still not sleeping are you?"
"Alex…how did you know?"
"Come on, you haven't slept for several weeks for more than a couple of hours at a time. I have heard you pacing the floor for hours at a time. I never said anything, I hoped it would get better here, but it hasn't has it?"
"No…I can't stop seeing those bodies, they haunt me at night and even during the day. I have tried everything, I am so tired. Please don't say anything to your mother"
"She already knows, more or less, it told her when we got back but also said to leave it for a while and see what happens. Ardeth you have to deal with this somehow, or you are going to be ill again. No-one can cope with this on their own."
He sat on an old crate by the corner of the house and looked at Alex.
"How have you dealt with this Alex. You seem so calm and seem to have coped with it all"
"I am not as strong as you think Ardeth. I had nights where I couldn't sleep, the same as you and I paced the floor. But then I started to write down all that I had seen and all that had happened to us. It helped. Maybe you should try that, it could help. You have to do something, you look really pale this morning"
Ardeth said he would try that night if he couldn't sleep and promised that he would do something if that didn't work.
For a week he did that very thing and wrote down everything from the very first thing that happened to him. Going back to the first time he went to Germany. Trouble was he was still not getting any sleep. The more he wrote the more he remembered.
Evy noticed that he was getting paler and then one day he didn't go to the house at all. She asked Alex if he had seen him that day.
"No, I haven't seen much of him all week to be honest. I told him that writing everything down might help him come to terms with what went on. I know he started doing that but whether it helped I don't know. I went to the camp for three days and he was doing something upstairs here when I came back. But I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon"
"I am going back to the house to see where he is, I'll take Masala with me. You know what they have to do here. I must admit I haven't really spoke to him for a couple of days, I have been trying to get this place ready"
Alex said he would get all the things on the days list started and would see her when she got back. Getting in the car, Masala went with her back to the house.
Ardeth had been writing for nearly twenty-four hours solid. He had locked his door to be alone and hadn't even eaten anything. So far he had filled two exercise books with his thoughts and memories. Then about 6am he sat back and read what he had written.
Somehow it didn't seem to be him who had written it, it felt like someone else and he felt tears running down his face as he read what was one the pages. The stories in the book were horrific and he wanted to stop reading it but couldn't put it down.
His mind was racing with thoughts and a headache was getting stronger and stronger. He couldn't fight any more and everything started to fade out as he collapsed, his head on the desk.
