LICE AND FILTH

One day, when I came for my food for Esenausgabe, I heard rumours that a sort of spinach sauce was being given out.

I stood in line waiting for my turn. As always, I was excited to see if there would be any food left when I got to the hatch. There was always pushing and shoving in the food queues, and someone always tried to cheat, so it was necessary to defend one’s place in the line. People were pushing from behind, which meant that I was pressed against the person in front of me. This gave me a good view of the lice crawling up and down the person’s clothes, and I was scared stiff that they would crawl onto me and I would have to be deloused again. I concentrated my full attention on the lice, following the small, white animals with my eyes, and tried as best I could to push backward to avoid touching the person in front of me.

But then something completely unexpected happened.

A German officer shouted that the food container should be pulled out onto the courtyard. With his feet far apart and his hands on his hips, he stood there waiting for it to be done. Then he went over to it, looked into it and said that the food was good today. What luck! Then he bent down, took a handful of earth in his gloved hand and let it drop into the bucket, laughing with delight. He ended by saying – in a mocking and contemptuous fashion – that now the food would be tasty.

It was, with the gravel crunching between our teeth.