Chapter Twenty-Nine: Carol of the Bells

December 15, 1940

On this day, Wilkerson declared his last patient well. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. There were a few sniffles here and there, but it was safe to say that the epidemic had ended. Though it was hardly shown by the exhausted men, everyone was glad. Those not sick had been taking care of those who were. That had been a physically and mentally demanding job, especially when deaths occurred. A total of fifty-three lives had been taken by the pneumonia, including one guard. The camp's morale was low despite having beaten away the sickness. Those who had been ill were still rather weak. Duerr kept the better food coming, though sometimes there were shortages and cut backs had to be made. Still, everyone was grateful for what they had.

On the east side of camp, what had been a vast, empty field, was now occupied with marked graves. Wooden crosses, spotted with a few stars, stood over the fallen soldiers. Each had been given a proper burial as best as the prisoners could manage. The officers had respectfully written a letter to each man's family as well.

The guards felt the prisoners' weariness, and it seemed that the entire camp was at a standstill. Day in and day out, everyone went through the day aimlessly. There were no work details, no work being done on tunnels, guards were passive, and Duerr pushed no one around for example. Everyone appeared to agree that enough--intentionally or unintentionally--had been done to stop any mischief. Everyone was tired and wanted the rest. The weather was cooperating for the most part as well. Nights were still freezing, but there was little snow.

A few days later, Peter finally sat down with the officers and explained everything about his excursion. He told in detail everything he had seen on the map. The information was nearly overwhelming, but for some days after that, Peter sat down with O'Neill to draw out a map. It was later hidden in the officers' barracks for later use. Peter and Louis had to repeatedly tell their stories to their fellow inmates. Louis had a more difficult time, but eventually everyone knew what he had seen and endured. From Peter's story, everyone was jealous of the gorgeous days he spent outside and the home cooked meal he had gotten from an equally gorgeous young woman. Peter denied having any motives toward the girl, saying that he had been there strictly on business. Still, everyone fantasized meeting here when they got to escape. Lawrence reminded them all that that would only endanger their chances of getting away.

"Truthfully," said Everley in reply. "After all this, if I met a bird that was pretty an' nice, I'd just learn Polish an' stick around 'ere."

"Polish," said Dean. "You can hardly speak English correctly."

On the 18th, Duerr gave the prisoners back an official hour of recreation where the prisoners integrate themselves. However, the rec hall was not opened again. Still, ground was covered by the officers who got together to go over the information that Louis and Peter had brought back. Plans needed to be altered as well, since the pneumonia had definitely set back things. There would be no Christmas escape as originally planned. However, they agreed that the recreation hall would be the main point of escape. Top priority was given to the tunnel under the hall. Now, they had to wait for Duerr to re-open it.

While able to mingle, Peter and Louis got together again with Stephen, Luke, and Marcel. They talked about the past couple of weeks.

"It sure has been rough," said Stephen. "I'm just glad you all made it through. I wouldn't have like tae be spending the rest o' me days here wit just ole Louie here."

Of the five, Louis and Stephen were the only ones who did not catch pneumonia. Instead, Louis had been cooking for everyone sick, and Stephen had spent most of his time burying the dead. His humor had dulled some by now, though he tried to poke fun every now and then. Everyone was trying to get back into the way things had been before. Still, there were holes in the groups of men where someone had passed away, and it was hard to get over.

"Oh, you would've made it," teased Peter over Louis's head. "You would've had great meals for the rest of the duration."

"Hey, Peter, can you kick the football around with me," asked Luke, as if the conversation they were having never existed.

"I guess," said Peter. He got up from the crate he had been sitting on. Luke jogged off across the compound some, set the ball down, and kicked it over to Peter. Unexpectedly, Louis jumped in front of him and stole the ball.

"Oi," said Peter. "Wot was that for?"

"I can do more than cook," said Louis defiantly. He picked up the ball. "'Ow about rugby?"

"Remember, you asked for it," said Peter as he jumped for Louis.

Being smaller, Louis dodged Peter easily, and tossed the ball to Marcel. Marcel caught it, only to have it stolen by Stephen. Stephen smiled triumphantly until he was tackled by Luke. Peter, Louis and Marcel were doubled over with laughter as they looked down at Luke and Stephen sprawled on the ground.

"You scrawnay kid," teased Stephen to Luke. "You're a Brit. You're supposed tae be on my side."

"I was just having some fun," argued Luke. He quickly got up and picked up the ball again. Peter pushed Louis away to distance himself as Luke threw the ball to him. He had to jump up to grab it, and no sooner had he touched the ground did he get hit full force by Marcel. Hitting the ground hard, the football was abandoned as Peter and Marcel rolled up into a wrestling match. Their smiles were visible, though, so no one was worried that it was a real fight. Still, they had to break it up when Stephen spotted some guards moving in. When they got up, the guards left them alone, and the friends went back to talking while Luke and Peter passed the football.

"You know," started Luke.

"Wot do I know," interrupted Peter.

"We should do something for Christmas."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Like wot? We don't exactly 'ave all the privileges anymore."

"We could come up with something," argued Luke.

"You can," said Peter. "I think I'll just take a step back an' watch the proceedin's. I'm tired."

"How can you be tired," asked Luke. "You've been in a bed for the past two weeks."

Peter pegged the ball at Luke playfully. Luke caught it in his chest, and put it back on the ground.

"Well then, I'll come up with something," said Luke.

"Look, matay," said Stephen. "It's likelay that nothin' special is goin' tae happen this Christmas. We're in prison, right? Besides, we don't have anay time, and the Major won't be lettin' us do anythin' for awhile."

Luke pouted, but continued to pass the ball.

Well, the following day, it appeared that Luke was losing the battle. The weather turned horrendous. A blizzard came through overnight, and it was so bad on the 19th and 20th, that roll call was cancelled both days. Everyone was ordered to remain inside. The guards came around and counted every man in his barracks. The wind howled for two days and two nights, and shook the barracks; some were sure the measly structures would collapse. Hardly any of the prisoners got real sleep because it was so cold. Most men were huddle with blankets on their bunks, usually packed in next to one another for more warmth. The stoves could barely keep a few men warm, much less every man in the barracks.

Luke got the ingenious idea of spreading the warmth by making little fires in the water buckets. The men took the buckets back to their bunks and two or three would huddle around it to keep warm. On any other day, it would have been considered a fire hazard. But when they guards saw it, they ignored it. It wasn't soon until the guards were employing the same method to keep warm in their barracks. The only good thing that anyone could think of that came from the storm was that good progress was made on the tunnel from the infirmary. Since the guards were never around, it was easy to get to work.

On the 21st, everyone was glad to wake up to a bright, sunny day. The snow had stopped falling, and the clouds were gone. It was still cold, but there was no wind. This meant roll call outside. However, everyone found that opening the doors was out of the question. A three foot snow bank lay outside. The prisoners left their barracks through the windows. This, of course, took more time to get everyone lined up. Too many people were having fun jumping out of the windows into the snow. Once order was gotten, roll call took place. Duerr announced that they would be going back to work on fixing the damage that the storm had caused.

Around camp, many fences were damaged from the harsh wind. Two guard towers had toppled over, as well. Fortunately, no one had been inside them at the time. Also, the snow banks needed to be shoveled away from all the structures. There was work outside of camp, too. The roads were in bad shape, and the town had damage. So, some work details were sent out. Peter and Louis were surprised to be among those leaving camp. However, Duerr was not separating them. Louis was stuck with Peter's barracks, which was taken to the town church. The townspeople were in shambles because a large portion of the church's roof had collapsed. With Christmas services only a few days away, they pleaded that the church be fixed. So, Barracke 14, plus Louis, found themselves suddenly become roofers.

Since so much of the roof had collapsed, they were ordered to strip the rest, and put on a completely new roof. The work was tedious and hard, especially in the cold. But, they were fed well and the sun was out each day. They ended up working from nearly dawn to dusk, even on Christmas Eve. Once the roof was finished, they had to repair the inside of the church that had been damaged.

While they worked, they were privy to music. A boy was there nearly as much as they were, on the piano, which was untouched. He sat there, alone, always practicing his Christmas tunes. When the prisoners inquired about it, he shyly told them that he had to perform at Christmas Mass. On the first day, he was shaky at the songs. The only one he had down pack was O Come, O Come Emmanuel. The one that gave him the most trouble was Carol of the Bells. Still, the prisoners were happy to listen to all his tunes including Silent Night, Ave Maria, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Joy to the World. The prisoners even took to singing some a few times, when the boy had the song down. The boy enjoyed their presence. However, the guards did not appreciate them singing all the time. And the priest, who always watched their work, was passive. He would sometimes help the boy get around a tricky part, but mostly he watched.

The one song that seemed to stump the boy the most was Carol of the Bells. He would get to a part and stumble over it repeatedly. But he worked at it constantly. Whenever he accomplished something, the prisoners would give a cheer. One time, he listened to Peter and Everley whistle the entire tune while they nailed down new shingles. Then, he went right into the song and smoothly played the first half. This egged on other prisoners to whistle spots for him so that he could hear it before playing it. This appeared to help.

By Christmas Eve, as the prisoners cleaned up the inside of the church, the boy had mastered all his songs. At the end, he played every one of them through, as the prisoners sat in the pews and listened appreciatively. When he played Carol of the Bells as his finale, they cheered exuberantly. The boy and priest laughed, but the guards then quickly lined up the prisoners to go back to camp. Still, as they marched, they kept singing or whistling the Christmas tunes. Even the guards could not help but smile sometimes.

But when Everley put his own words to The Twelve Days of Christmas, which had underlying tone of beating the Nazis, they were made to stop.

Whatever their mood may have been at the church, the mood of the camp was still low. It was Christmas Eve, and the first time that most of the men had spent Christmas away from home and family. There were nostalgic feelings all around, and everyone went through dinner and to bed quietly, mostly thinking of past Christmases. No one expected to wake up to anything tomorrow, except another day at Stalag XXXA.

***** ***** *****

Christmas Day, 1940

Luke rolled over and his eyes were struck by light coming from the window. He gave a slight groan, realizing that the guards must have opened up the shutters because it was time to get up. So, he sat up blearily. Out of habit, he looked at his watch. His heart stopped. It was nine o'clock in the morning! Looking around him, he saw that everyone was still asleep, snoring loudly, and oblivious to the fact that they were sleeping in. Luke smiled, and lay back against the wall, relishing in how well-rested he felt. Then, something caught his eye. There was a parcel at the foot of his bunk. He quickly reached over and snatched it up. He was surprised at its size and weight, but quickly tore it open. He gaped when he pulled out a brand new jacket specifically made for cold weather. He pulled it all the way out and his jaw dropped even further when he saw it was full-length, and made by the British Army. He set it aside carefully, and then looked inside the parcel to find two pairs of wool socks, a pair of gloves, and a scarf, all British Army manufactured.

Luke rolled over the side of the bunk and looked below him to the middle bunk where Peter slept. The man—as expected—was sound asleep. But Luke was too excited to care.

"Peter! Wake up! You're not going to believe it! We've got presents!"

Peter sat up so quickly he slammed his head into the bottom of Luke's bed. He groaned and rubbed his head wearily. "Cor blimey, Luke! Why are you shoutin'?"

"We have presents!"

"You're dreamin'."

"No. Look!" Luke picked up the parcel that was at the foot of Peter's bed, and tossed it into his lap. Peter looked down at it for a moment and then tore into it. He wore the same expression Luke had when he pulled out a full-length RAF winter jacket, two pairs of wool socks, a pair of gloves, and a scarf as well; this time all manufactured by the RAF.

By this time, Luke had woken up the rest of the barracks, and everyone was gasping at the sight of winter clothes. Everyone had received a winter jacket made by their respective branch in the military, along with the wool socks, gloves, and scarves. Luke never forgot to announce that they had slept in as well. A few minutes later, they noticed that some prisoners had gone outside. As if they were at home, everyone quickly got dressed and joined their friends outside for Christmas morning. They were all strutting around in their new jackets. There were a lot of handshakes and some hugs as people wished one another a Merry Christmas. Even the guards were in good spirits. Berg allowed a few snowballs to hit him without retaliating. At the fence that separated the French and British, a crowd had formed. The French had received the same gifts too. There was joyous camaraderie in the air.

Eventually, roll call had to be done. No one really complained as they lined up in their new outfits. When Major Duerr came outside the officers called everyone to attention. If anything, out of gratitude to the man they were sure had provided them with the gifts. Duerr, who was usually stoic, gave a small smile.

"All prisoners present or accounted for, Herr Major," reported Berg.

"I hope you all enjoyed your time to sleep in this morning," said Duerr to the prisoners. "I will tell you now that it will not happen often."

"We'll take it whenever you feel up to it, sir," cried Everley from within the ranks. The men chuckled, and even Duerr could not suppress a smile.

"I will keep that in mind, Corporal Blackwell," replied Duerr. The men laughed harder at Everley's astonished expression. He had thought the Major could not see him. "Anyway, your gifts are from the Red Cross, so I took the liberty of delivering them to you so that we need not fight the confusion of who gets what. If you take care of them, they should last you long. You will most likely not be receiving anything like that again. Also, there is no work today." He paused while another cheer rose up. "And there will not be until after the New Year." A more raucous cheer followed that statement. "So, get your rest while you can. You will have only one meal today, and that is because all our resources are going to a nice dinner tonight. This was not planned until the town's congregation arrived this morning with chickens. They gave them out of thanks for all the work done in town. So, everyone will be getting chicken tonight." This brought out the loudest celebration so far. When it settled down, Duerr continued. "So, Merry Christmas. I hope you have a good day."

The gate in the fence that separated the British and French was opened up to allow them to integrate. Peter, Luke, and Stephen found Louis and Marcel quickly. They spent the whole day together. Mostly, everyone played games. Some guys sung Christmas carols. Even the officers got involved some times. The guards watched, but not for mischief. If a guard got hit, he would usually throw a snowball back. Everley bothered Berg so much, that eventually Berg hit him three times in a row with snowballs, catching Everley completely by surprise. Everyone laughed at the shocked Corporal. Berg was pleased with himself. Still, the guard and prisoner had an ongoing battle the entire day.

Finally, dinner was served, and somehow, all the prisoners fit into the mess hall for their chicken, which was accompanied by some recognizable vegetables and mashed potatoes. They even had milk. Everyone savored it all, knowing it could be another year before they saw it again.

After dinner, Duerr opened the rec hall when the camp chaplain requested that a service be held. It was not mandatory, and since there was still daylight, those who had no interest were allowed to wander around the camp as they wished. Peter had no interest, but his friends forced him to come. He stayed in the back, though, leaning up against the wall next to the door. But halfway thru the service, he left.

It was getting to be dusk, but mostly everyone was inside the rec hall. The compound was even sparse of guards. Peter found a bench outside one of the barracks and pulled out the letter from Mavis that had come in September. It was worn, but it had never left his breast pocket. Every once and awhile he would take it out and re-read it. He could envision her talking to him while they walked through the park, and hear her light voice. He scanned through the letter again.

I know you don't care much for religion and all that, but it can't do you any harm to just pray a little. I mean, you've made it this far, haven't you?

Peter frowned.

"You okay, mon ami?"

Peter looked up. Louis was standing in front of him. The Frenchman came and sat down beside Peter, as he folded up the letter and put it back in his pocket.

"Yea. Just thinkin'."

"About 'ome?"

"Yea."

"Oui. Je sais. I miss it so much. Especially now, when we would be celebrating this day together. We would be having a great family dinner. It would be the best food ever tasted."

"Yea," said Peter wistfully. "We would usually go out to eat, just because that was always a treat. Mum wouldn't 'ave to cook, or clean, or anythin' like that. So, we'd get dressed in our nicest clothes an' go to a better restaurant than usual." He smiled. "But mornin's were best. We'd wake up an' Mum would already 'ave a nice big breakfast ready. I dunno 'ow she always did that…but we'd 'ave a wonderful breakfast, an' then we'd leave the dishes. We'd just leave them on the table, an' Mavis an' I would wash them on Boxin' Day. But we'd leave the dishes on the table, an' then go sit down an' exchange gifts. Even though it was never much, it always meant somethin'. It just meant somethin' that we'd still buy gifts for each other. The last Christmas we all 'ad together, I bought them both dresses I'd seen them eyein'. I saved up me money for just that occasion. It was the best Christmas present I'd ever been able to get them. An' they loved it. They wore their dresses to dinner that night, an' I was so 'appy for them."

"What did they get you," asked Louis.

Peter smiled. "Mum got me a watch. It was this silver watch, an' it was one of the grandest things I've ever 'ad. Fortunately, I would never wear it while I was workin'. So, it got back to me sister when I was shot down." Then, he chuckled. "An' Mavis, she got me a fairy tale book. You see, when we were younger, I used to make up fairy tales an' tell them to 'er before bed. So, she bought me that book I guess in remembrance o' that. I told 'er I'd keep it for me own little ones if I ever settled down." He looked at Louis. "Wot about you?"

"I 'ave too many sisters to tell all about presents," replied Louis. "Mostly, though, I just loved spending time with my family. Presents, Christmas carols, the whole town gathered at church. Sometimes we went into Paris in the afternoon to see more family. But I always just enjoyed being with everyone. And the traditions, as well. On Christmas Eve, mon grand-père would sit next to the fire, and the whole family would gather around 'im while 'e read the second chapter of the Book of Luke, telling us the story of the birth of Jesus. Afterwards, we sang Silent Night." He leaned back against the barracks, and looked up at the sky, as if he was seeing something else.

Peter followed his gaze. The sun was now almost gone, so some starts were visible.

"You think we'll see Christmas again with our families, Louie," asked Peter.

"Of course I do," answered Louis. "That is one of the things I am fighting to survive for. Christmas time again."