EDELWEISS PIRATES

Boys were bumping into boys. They were falling over one another and jostling for space as the march came to a confused halt. The trumpets petered out with a few squeaks and squawks and the drums stopped banging. The air was filled with the cursing and shouting of angry boys and there was a sharp intake of breath from the crowd behind us, followed by a long moment of silence that was punctuated by one or two giggles and people stifling their laughter.

Lisa and I could only stare.

‘You!’

I shook my head and looked across at one of the older boys pointing right at us.

‘You! Lisa Herz!’

He was a big boy, probably seventeen years old, almost a man really. Taller than Stefan and thicker set. His uniform was pristine, making him look like a real soldier.

‘You did this!’ he shouted as he began to work his way through the collapsed boys who were trying to get to their feet. He took off his cap as he came, gripping it hard in his left fist, and I knew what was on his mind. He wanted to hurt someone for ruining his parade.

I started to look around, searching for a way out, but there was nowhere to go. The road in front of us was blocked by the chaos that had once been a well-organised parade, with many of the boys now looking at Lisa and me – and they didn’t look happy. Behind us, the crowd of bystanders was jostling for space, trying to see what was happening.

There was no escape route.

The boy was coming closer now, pushing others out of his way, his eyes fixed on us like he couldn’t see anything else. Anger burned in his eyes. He stepped over boys still on the ground, his head lowered like a bull about to charge. His thick shoulders were raised and his face was set hard like concrete.

Beside me, Lisa planted her feet firmly on the ground and waited for him to come. She was preparing to fight him, but she was a girl. She wasn’t supposed to fight.

As the boy came closer, I stepped in front of Lisa and put up my fists.

He was far too big and bullish for me, though; I didn’t stand a chance.

‘You stupid weakling,’ he said as he stepped over the nearest boy and swung his fist.

To my surprise, I deflected the first strike. I feinted to the left and knocked his fist aside, sending it swinging wildly into thin air. His other fist came in right away, but I leaned back and managed to deflect that too, then I stepped towards him and punched straight up at his face.

He was too tall for me to reach my intended target, but I was shocked when my fist connected with the underside of his chin. There was a clatter of teeth for him and searing agony for me. Pain exploded in my knuckles, ballooning out across my hand and right up my wrist.

The boy stepped back to steady himself, and I shook my hand to wave away the pain, but it blinded me. It was like my hand had been plunged into a furnace. I looked at my fingers, half expecting to see flames licking about them, and that’s when the boy came at me with his third punch.

It was like being hit with a steel bar. The Führer would have been proud of that boy’s strength. His fist caught me on my left cheekbone, jarring my head to the right, shooting pain down my neck and shoulders. I spun to one side as my legs gave way and there was a moment when my head filled with darkness. The shadow swallowed me up, and when it spat me out again, I was lying on the floor beside my bicycle and the big boy was standing over me.

I looked up at him, wondering, for a moment, who he was.

As it came back to me, the boy lifted one foot and cocked his leg back as if he was about to kick a football. Except instead of a football, his boot was aimed at my head.

‘No!’ There was a cry from behind me and Lisa came into view, flying at my attacker, flailing her fists in front of her. Slamming straight into him, she forced the boy backwards so that he bumped into one of the Deutsches Jungvolk who was struggling to his feet.

The boy who had hit me lost his balance. His arms whipped out in front of him as if he might be able to grab Lisa and stop himself from falling, but he was too heavy and too far gone. His fingers raked along the front of Lisa’s dress as he dropped, his right hand catching in her pocket and ripping it off, and then he hit the ground.

Even from where I was lying, I saw the carved flower spin away from Lisa’s torn pocket.

Up and up, it went, round and round, turning in the air as it arced upwards before tumbling towards the ground. Except it didn’t ever reach the ground.

Instead of hitting the road and bouncing away where it could cause no harm, the small wooden edelweiss dropped right onto my attacker’s chest.

For a moment, Lisa stood over him, triumphant, while I lay behind her, dazed and shocked.

Then the boy noticed the flower lying on his chest, and some kind of recognition flashed in his eyes.

He lifted a hand and picked up the carving, holding it between his finger and thumb so the petals were pointing towards the sky.

He stared at it for what felt like a very long time, then looked at us once more as a clear expression of distaste spread across his face. His lip curled and he took a deep breath before pointing a finger and shouting two words.

‘Edelweiss Pirates!’

He might as well have shouted ‘British soldiers!’ or ‘Russians!’ or even ‘Spies!’

First the boys around him looked at their comrade lying on the floor at their feet. Then they looked at his finger pointing in our direction. Then they looked at us.

Lisa took the chance to help me to my feet as the boy who had hit me drew himself up to his full height. He held the carved flower out towards us as if it were some kind of accusation, and spat the words again.

‘Edelweiss Pirates.’

He threw the wooden flower at me so that it bounced off my chest and landed on the road at my feet.

Lisa put a hand on my arm and together we stepped back so that the kerb was against our heels.

The crowd pressed up against us, blocking our escape and I glanced left and right, seeing no way out.

Other boys fell in behind the one who had hit me. First two, then three, four, five, six, until it was impossible for us to count how many boys were standing in a semi-circle around us.

The world closed in on me. My heart pounded like a blacksmith’s hammer. My vision swirled and brightened and became crystal clear. It was as if there were nothing in the world but me, Lisa, and those boys in front of us. My body was preparing itself for what was about to happen. There were only two things for me to do. I could either run or I could fight. But there was nowhere for me to run. No way out.

I would have to fight.

My tongue was as dry as summer dust and it stuck to the roof of my mouth as I edged in front of Lisa. I knew I couldn’t beat these boys, but I had to do what I could. I had to put myself before Lisa. They would have to deal with me first. Except Lisa disagreed. She moved out from behind me and stood by my side, shoulder to shoulder.

She raised her fists when I raised mine.

The boys didn’t laugh at our defiant stance, though; they didn’t even smile.

They advanced.