Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 151 Gina and Anna

Paris, June 1940, on the eve of the German army's entry into the city.

On the banks of the Seine, the Museum of Humanity in the City.

A woman wearing a headscarf walked through a dark alley, holding the hand of a girl who looked to be about 13 or 4 years old. She kept glancing back to see if anyone was following her.

The woman arrived at the back door of the museum, only to find that the door was already locked.

Thump thump thump~ thump thump thump~
Some urgent knocking echoed at the alley entrance, just like her uneasy mood. The little girl beside her was completely unaware of the changes around her, quietly leaning against her mother.

The next moment, the door finally opened, and a young girl's voice came from the crack in the door.

"I'm sorry, the museum is closed to the public right now. Could you please... Aunt Yvonne?! What brings you here?"

"Come in quickly! The whole city is looking for you, so be careful not to let the military police see you."

The speaker was de Gaulle's niece, who had a good relationship with her uncle's family.

The sound of chains being unlocked rang out, the door opened, and the young woman let the two people inside.

The museum was deserted, with only a few scattered exhibits hanging on the walls, and many spaces were left with empty glass cases.

"Don't worry, the curator and everyone else have left. I'm the only caretaker here now." The young woman then pointed to the nameplate on her chest.

"Gina, I need to ask you for a favor." Yvonne pulled the girl next to her closer.

“Charles has left, and Pétain’s men are looking for us, but Anna’s health condition prevents her from traveling long distances. Could she stay with you for a while?”

Looking at her anxious aunt, the girl who worked at the museum bit her thin lips and finally nodded.

“There’s an attic upstairs where Anna can stay for now. I’ll take good care of her. But you should leave as soon as possible; the Germans might come into town at any time.”

Looking at her bewildered little daughter, Yvonne felt a deep reluctance in her heart. She knelt down and hugged the girl tightly, forcing a smile with all her might.

"Be a good girl and stay with Gina, okay? Mommy will come back for you soon."

The little girl nodded, neither crying nor making a fuss. Her language skills were incomplete, and apart from a few words, she could not accurately express her feelings. At this moment, she could only use her slender palms to stroke her mother's face again.

Just a gentle touch almost made Yvonne change her mind. For a moment, she even wanted to drop everything and stay by her youngest daughter's side to take care of her.

But when reason returned, Yvonne knew it was impossible; her husband was carrying the fate of all France on his shoulders.

Her eldest daughter, Elizabeth, was still waiting for her to return, and the three of them must not become political pawns to threaten her husband.

Thinking of this, Yvonne wiped her eyes, composed herself, and handed the storybook in her arms to her youngest daughter.

She then stood up and handed a note from her bosom to her niece.

"This is the address Charles left. If you encounter a problem that you really can't solve, you can go there."

The young woman glanced at the note, frowned, and said, "Auntie, who are those people over there? This place is quite remote."

Yvonne shook her head. "Charles didn't go into details, only saying that the people there are very capable and absolutely trustworthy."

The young woman named Gina nodded and silently put the note away.

Yvonne put on her scarf and disappeared down the street, glancing back every few steps, while Gina led her cousin into her room. (In French, there's no distinction between "cousin" and "younger cousin"; both terms are acceptable.)
The two had met before, and Anna was closer to her cousin.

When they were children, Gina would always read storybooks to the little girl when they were alone together.

"Okay, my little star, what story would you like to hear this time?" Gina put her hands on her hips and tried to strike a confident pose.

Tiny Anna held up the storybook in her hand—"Saints' Lives: The Heroic Legends of Belleville."

Gina glanced at the cover, which depicted a truck charging towards enemy positions, with Germans scattering in all directions.

She sighed deeply, shook her head slightly, and began to speak.

……… ………

"Hmm~ A saintly hero broke through the vicious enemy's bullets and protected the brave soldiers with his own wings."

As Gina closed the storybook, the little girl beside her was still watching her.

She knew what that look meant—say it again.

Just as she was having a headache, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the door.

"Open the door! Temporary inspection! Hurry up!" someone shouted from outside in an unfriendly tone.

"Quick, Anna, come upstairs with me." Gina pulled the little girl to the attic on the top floor, bent down and whispered, "Stay here for a while, I'll be back soon, don't make a sound."

When Gina came downstairs again, the timid look on her face was gone.

"Madam, we are from the city's temporary management committee. I have some questions for you." A man dressed in dark black casual clothes stood at the door, while the person behind him kept looking around the interior of the museum.

"Please speak." Gina shrank back slightly, displaying just the right amount of timidity, like a citizen who had just been frightened.

"There will be an entry ceremony in the city in a few days, and we need to check the arrangements here to avoid any trouble. Also, you don't have any weapons here, do you?"

Gina shook her head vigorously.

Are there any suspicious individuals hiding there?

Gina continued to shake her head, her expression remaining unchanged.

The two exchanged a glance, went inside, and looked around at the museum's layout.

The leader would occasionally ask questions or suddenly request that a door to a certain room be opened.

Gina stood at the door, handling the situation with ease.

Although she was just over 20 years old, she was calmer than her peers, and didn't even look at the attic door once during the whole process.

Half an hour later, the two men finally finished their questioning and left the museum.

The moment Gina closed the door, she turned and ran to the attic!
Ta-da!
Gina rushed up the stairs and pushed open the door. The sight before her made her breathe a sigh of relief—a teenage girl was asleep in a corner of the attic, clutching her picture book.

"Phew~" Gina put her hand to her chest and let out a long breath.

She took the picture book from Anna's hand and tried to move her to a more comfortable place.

However, Gina felt something was off when she got her hands on it.

The girl's body was so soft that it was almost weightless. Even though his movements had been quite vigorous, she didn't react at all.

He reached out and touched the girl's forehead, feeling a slight burning sensation.

Sure enough, Anna developed a fever. The little girl couldn't express herself, only murmuring in her sleep.

The museum curator pulled out a drawer and discovered that the medicine had long been used up.

After looking at her feverish sister, Gina had no choice but to pull out the note her aunt had left behind.

As dusk fell, Gina, dressed in a light-colored unisex top, rode a bicycle and followed the address on the note.

The sun slowly descended, and the surrounding light began to dim.

With the Germans about to enter the city, there were hardly any other pedestrians on the streets.

As she turned the corner, a gust of wind blew by, and Gina felt a chill creeping over her.

Across from us was a cemetery.

(End of this chapter)