Anna yanked Renata’s arm closer and pulled her to an abrupt stop. “Look!” She pointed ahead.
The boys from the bakery were emerging from Mr. Kaplansky’s butcher shop, the place where Baba shopped for their meat. The butcher was a sweet man with a kind smile who had always had a candy for Anna when she accompanied her grandmother to his store. The boys were laughing and shoving one another. “You stay right there, old man,” one of them called over his shoulder. “We’re just going to do a little redecorating out here.”
The anxiety Anna had felt earlier suddenly swelled once more. Something told her that they couldn’t get in the middle of whatever was happening up ahead. Perhaps if they didn’t move, they wouldn’t be seen. She gripped Renata’s arm more tightly.
One of the boys carried a small tin in one hand. In the other hand, he held a paintbrush. Had he been holding those things when they were in Mrs. Benna’s store? Anna couldn’t remember. While the boy’s friends stood and watched, he dipped the brush in the tin and began to paint on the large window in front of Mr. Kaplansky’s store. He painted big, black strokes—up, down, and across, while his friends egged him on. A moment later, he stood back. There on the store window was a giant Star of David. “Don’t stop!” another boy demanded. “Finish it off!”
Anna and Renata remained glued to their spot. Behind her collar, Anna’s face had grown hot. Suddenly, she spied Mr. Kaplansky staring at the boys from his doorway. His eyes were dark and angry. One of the boys spotted him and shouted, “Hey, we told you to stay inside.” The butcher quickly ducked back into his shop.
Anna glanced around. Why doesn’t someone do something? she wondered desperately. The street had become strangely quiet, and those few people who were out hurried by, burying their faces into their jackets and scarves.
Just then, Anna spotted Constable Zabek, the police chief, approaching from around the corner. His daughter Sabina also attended Anna’s school. Finally! Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Help had arrived. Constable Zabek was a portly man, and the front of his uniform was pulled tight across his round belly, the buttons threatening to pop. The police chief strolled over to Mr. Kaplansky’s store and took a long look at the scene in front of him. But instead of doing anything, instead of shouting at the boys to stop, or driving them off, or even arresting them, the police chief simply stood next to Mr. Kaplansky’s shop with his hands clasped behind his back. He had a small smile on his face and watched everything that was happening with a detached kind of curiosity, as if he were watching a crowd of children in the playground.
The boys continued to jeer. “Finish it. Finish it. FINISH IT!” Each chant grew louder than the one before. And as they repeated this refrain, the boy with the paint can dipped his brush once more and then painted a slow, thick X through the Star of David. His message was clear. Jews were not wanted here.
Constable Zabek looked over at Anna and Renata, who were still frozen. He pulled himself to his fullest height. “You’re not here to look at the view,” he bellowed. “Move on!”
That was all it took. Anna and Renata grabbed hands, and together they ran. It was only when they reached the corner, close to their houses, that Renata pulled free and faced Anna.
“I’m going home,” she said.
“But I thought you were coming over.”
“Not now. I can’t. I need to go home. I’m sorry, Anna.”
And with that, Renata took off in the opposite direction. Anna felt another chill surround her as she turned and headed for home.