Zenia's Brave Acts in the Forest

A PASSAGE FROM LAUREL CORONAS ORIGINAL DRAFT One day in January 1945, Zenia stood in a clearing and watched as the small parachutes descended from Soviet planes through a pale gray sky. Earlier, AK partisans had been spotted nearby, so the pick-up had to be done swiftly. She and several dozen others ran toward the containers as they fell, and within a few minutes they had scooped up almost everything. The lid of a crate had popped open and she pulled out several boxes of medical supplies and began carrying them towards the trees. Just then, behind her she heard gunfire and saw a small group of AK trying to drive off her group from the last of the supplies. She tucked the smallest box under her arm and carried the others in front of her as she rushed along the path back to the camp. Bullets nicked trees a few feet from her, sending splinters of wood into the air, but the AK did not follow them far. Zenia arrived back at the camp unharmed, but shaking. She took the supplies to the medical bunker and sat down to calm her nerves. She watched a nurse unpack the little box she had tucked under her arm. Kerosene, shampoo, scissors, and a couple of fine toothed combs, the nurse said. Everything we need for every louse that hatches within twenty miles this winter. She held up one of the combs. Would you look at this, she said. I ve never seen anything like it. What? Zenia said, taking the comb. There, caught in the bent and broken teeth, was a bullet. You were carrying that box under your arm? Zenia nodded, speechless. Under your arm? the nurse said. You are one lucky girl. [cont,}

[cont.] Leizer worried about Zenia back at the camp almost as much as she worried about him out on missions. There was the nagging although remote chance of ambush while the fighters were away. Smoke from their campfires could not be disguised and the swamp was now frozen, making access to the island easier. However, their thoroughly camouflaged bunkers and the disorienting density of the forest made discovery unlikely. Still, as fighters were injured, captured or killed, and as the pace of missions stepped up despite having fewer fighters to carry them out, people like Zenia had to leave the safety of the camp more often, to fill in as couriers between the partisan camps. One day shortly after the parachute drop, Zenia left the base with one of the fighters, the woman who had been shot in the arm a few days before and was recovering in the camp. The delousing supplies had been far more than they needed and the other units had none, so the two of them set out to see what they could get in trade. Her companion carried a pistol, just in case, because there were more and more stray people in the forest army deserters and escaped prisoners of war hoping to join a partisan unit, and bands of thugs calling themselves partisans but without any mission beyond predation for their own benefit.

THE SAME PASSAGE REVISED BY MICHAEL BART One day in January 1944, Zenia stood in a clearing and watched as the small parachutes descended from Soviet planes through a pale gray sky. Earlier, AK partisans had been spotted nearby, so the pick-up had to be done swiftly. Zenia and several dozen others ran toward the containers as they fell, and within a few minutes they had scooped up almost everything. Behind them they heard gunfire and saw a small group of AK trying to drive them off from the last of the supplies. Zenia arrived back at the base camp unharmed, but a little shaken. She unpacked her supply bag that she was carrying on her shoulder. She held up one of the combs in her bag used for de-lousing There, caught in the bent and broken teeth, was a bullet. I m a lucky girl. She said to one the partisans. Being in the forest had become more dangerous because there were more and more stray people in the forest army deserters and escaped prisoners of war hoping to join a partisan unit, and bands of thugs calling themselves partisans but without any mission beyond predation for their own benefit. [cont]

[[cont.] Leizer worried about Zenia back at the camp almost as much as she worried about him out on missions. There was the nagging although remote chance of ambush while the fighters were away. Smoke from their campfires could not be disguised and the swamp was now frozen, making access to the island easier. However, their thoroughly camouflaged bunkers and the disorienting density of the forest made discovery unlikely. Still, as fighters were injured, captured or killed, and as the pace of missions stepped up despite having fewer fighters to carry them out, people like Zenia had to leave the safety of the camp more often, to fill in as couriers between the partisan camps.

THE SAME PASSAGE REVISED BY LAUREL CORONA One day in January 1944, Zenia stood in a clearing and watched small parachutes dropping from Soviet planes through a pale gray sky. Earlier, the AK had been spotted nearby, so the pick-up had to be done swiftly. Zenia and several dozen others ran toward the containers as they fell, and within a few minutes they had scooped up almost everything. Behind them they heard gunfire and saw a small group of AK trying to drive them off from the last of the supplies. She tucked a small box of medical supplies under her arm and carried the others in front of her as she rushed along the path back to the camp. Bullets nicked trees a few feet from her, sending splinters of wood into the air, but the AK fell back and did not follow them. Zenia arrived back at the camp unharmed but shaken. She took the supplies to the medical bunker, and she sat down to calm her nerves as a nurse unpacked the little box Zenia had tucked under her arm. The nurse held up a delousing comb. Would you look at this, she said. I ve never seen anything like it. What? Zenia said, taking the comb. There, caught in the bent and broken teeth, was a bullet. You were carrying that box under your arm? Zenia nodded, speechless. Under your arm? the nurse said. You are one lucky girl. [cont.]

[cont]. Leizer worried about Zenia back at the camp almost as much as she worried about him out on missions. Smoke from their campfires could not be disguised and the swamp was now frozen, making access to the island easier and increasing the chances of ambush while the fighters were away. Their thoroughly camouflaged bunkers and the disorienting density of the forest made discovery unlikely, however, and Leizer s worries about Zenia were mostly of other sorts. As fighters were injured, captured or killed, and as the pace of missions stepped up, with fewer fighters to carry them out, camp personnel, including Zenia, had begun filling in as couriers between the partisan camps. More and more often Zenia would spend her days going through the Rudniki woods to one or another of the Jewish camps. To be a fighter took a certain kind of personality, and Zenia had always been content to support the fighters by doing her job well back at camp. But she greatly admired the women fighters, including Fania Yocheles, who slept in her bunker. They would not stay away from missions even while they were nursing wounds, and Zenia had hoped there might be some way that she herself could play a more significant role beyond the boundaries of the camp. Despite the potential for danger posed by the AK, hostile partisans, and German scouts, as well as the scattering of bandits and renegades who prowled the forest, when Zenia was needed as a courier she took on the assignment with pride.