Damavmaske by Vanessa Zelenović

Sonya expected this trip to be like any other. She would sneak into Poland, transfer the refugees to West Berlin, and then be on her way. She completed this journey many times before with many different people and always ensured they were safe. Not because she cared for them personally, but it was her duty. 

“Damavmaske, they are waiting for you,” Vitaly called out. That was another thing about Sonya, nobody knew her true identity. She was referred to as “the masked lady” or “Damavmaske.” Staying masked was essential, as the Soviet Union would make her “disappear” if they found out who she was. 

She dressed completely in black to blend into the night. Her outfit was simple but effective. The tight black shirt and pants accentuated her muscular physique and signaled that she was not one to be reckoned with. 

She emerged from the abandoned building they had camped in and walked into the woods without waiting for Vitaly. Despite them working together for many years, he still had no idea who she was. Sonya decided long ago it was not safe to trust anyone. 

There was silence as they traveled through the forest. Vitaly communicated to the group that they were to meet deep in the forest, as gathering in the village itself would be too conspicuous. 

“There will be one family, two parents and their daughter. There will also be an older woman who is the grandmother of the wife of a newly-wed couple. There’s also a single man,” Vitaly reported.

Sonya nodded. Research was done by Vitaly before Sonya could accept any new refugees. The village was larger than just those few people; they were just the only ones who proved to be trustworthy. 

“Will the older woman and little girl be a problem?” Sonya asked. She had dealt with nationalistic grandparents who refused to leave and rowdy children in the past. It was never pleasant. 

Vitaly shook his head. “We’ve been observing them for a few days now. They should be fine. In fact, the little girl is deaf.” 

“I see, does everyone know sign language then?”

Vitaly nodded. 

“Then this might be a good thing for us.”

They continued their walk in silence, ignoring the harsh coldness of the Polish winter. The gray sludge made Sonya miss the heavy snow of Russia, but at least their footprints were not very visible. The tall trees also helped disguise them. Sonya used to fear that the expansiveness of Eastern Europe would reveal her operation but, over time, she found that more space meant less visibility. Eventually, she found solace in dark forests.

At last, she saw them in the middle of the forest. They were dressed in dark clothing as instructed, but she noticed pairs of blue eyes peeking out from the grays and browns. That was when she saw the little girl sitting in a woman’s lap. The girl appeared timid and afraid, but those large blue eyes betrayed an innocent and resilient kindness. Sonya could immediately tell that her parents shared the same qualities. 

The grandmother had beady black eyes and a face wrinkled with tragedy. A black headscarf wrapped tightly around her head and matched her dress, as if she were attending a funeral. She sat protectively near her granddaughter, who clutched the hand of her sturdy husband. 

Beyond the group sat a man by himself, not related to anyone by blood, but by their shared sense of community. He looked more like a rat than a man. His tiny and frail body was hunched over, and his dirty blond hair was combed over to hide his receding hairline. Sonya knew enough men to know that they used horrible humor to compensate for their ugliness and shortness. She hoped he wouldn’t be too much trouble. 

“Are you Damavmaske?” The bride asked in Polish. Sonya nodded. 

“So you’re the one who will be saving us?” The groom inquired excitedly. Sonya nodded again.

“Do you speak?” The rat-faced man asked with a grin.

Ignoring him, Sonya turned to the group and said, “We have to leave right now.”

Her journey was cut short, however, when the little girl jumped from her mother’s lap and ran up to her. 

“Can we at least introduce ourselves first?” The little girl signed. 

Her mother scurried to the little girl. “Do not bother her, kochanieńka.” She turned to Damavmaske with a shy smile and apologized. 

Sonya looked into their blue eyes and was able to find some humanity. “It’s fine, just be quick.”

“I am Julia,” The girl signed with a smile and then tugged at her mother’s sleeve, “this is my mama, Zofia, and my papa is Bogdan.” She pointed her little finger at the old lady, “that’s Wisława, and that’s Malina and Tomisław.” She turned to the rat-faced man and smiled, “that’s Aleksander.”

Sonya studied them quickly, matching the names to the faces. “Okay, let’s go.”

“What’s your name?” Julia signed, and Zofia hushed her daughter. 

Sonya kneeled down and signed, “My name is Damavmaske, that’s all you need to know.” The group was taken aback by her ability to sign in Polish. They wanted to ask more questions but Sonya was already moving toward West Berlin. 

Sonya looked at the entire group and signed, “I will be heading to West Berlin now, follow me.” Sonya started walking and, within a few seconds, heard loud footsteps behind her. “Vitaly, ob’yasnyat’.”

Vitaly told them to remain as quiet as possible during the trip. As Vitaly addressed the group, Sonya could feel someone walking up to her. It was the rat.

“Go back to the rest of the group.”

“Ah, so harsh.” Even though she was not looking at him, she could tell he had a big annoying smile on his face. “I didn’t expect you to be so tall though. You’re almost two meters. I wish I were tall. Hell, I’d be happy to reach 1.8 meters-“

“Stop talking.”

He was quiet for a moment then said, “I am not a big fan of talking anyway, I much prefer singing.”

“Aleksander, if you begin to-“

” Hej, hej, hej sokoły! Omijajcie góry, lasy, doły.” Everyone looked up as Aleksander began singing. Even Sonya was amazed at how soft and beautiful his voice was. “Dzwoń, dzwoń, dzwoń dzwoneczku, mój stepowy skowroneczku.”

Bogdan and Tomisław sang along like drunks instead of as sad refugees. “Hej, hej, hej sokoły! Omijajcie góry, lasy, doły. Dzwoń, dzwoń, dzwoń dzwoneczku, mój stepowy. Dzwoń, dzwoń, dzwoń.”

Tears formed in Wisława’s eyes as the sound of the familiar folk song reminded her she was leaving her beautiful nation, and Malina embraced her. Young Julia, not being able to hear the singing, could still feel the excitement and danced with her mother. Even Vitaly smiled. 

Aleksander extended a hand to Sonya and sang, “wiele dziewcząt jest na świecie, lecz najwięcej w Rosjie.”

“Enough! Your singing will get us all killed,” Sonya snapped. Glaring at Aleksander, she signed, “stay quiet, this is not a game.” Sonya turned to the group. They all looked lost and scared. Though she had to remain tough to keep control, she couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic. “I understand that leaving your home country is hard, but I never said this trip would be easy. You will be using fake passports to sneak into East Berlin. You will then hide until nighttime before you illegally cross the Berlin wall. That will require crawling through dark, tight, dirty tunnels. However, I’ve made this journey many times before. It is difficult but possible. The only question is, are you ready to go?” 

Everyone nervously glanced at each other. Bogdan protectively put his arms around Zofia and Julia. The newlyweds hugged Wisława. Only Aleksander remained confident at that moment.

“We have been wanting this for such a long time. No, we cannot stay here any longer,” Aleksander turned to the group. “I know you will miss it here, I know I will, but we miss a time that never existed. Over there,” he pointed in the direction of West Berlin, “is where we’ll have our freedom.” He fought to keep his smile despite the gravity of the situation. As Sonya scanned the crowd, she could finally see why. He was smiling at little Julia who, holding her parents’ hand, now looked fearless instead of terrified. “Are you all ready?” The group nodded, all of them looking more assured about leaving than when Sonya first came. He turned to Sonya and signed, “we will go.”

Everyone turned to her. Their eyes told the story of a group kept down by a repressive government for years, who were now willing to risk anything, even death, for their freedom. She could not fail them. 

“Okay then,” Sonya signed, looking at all of them, “follow me.”

As they got closer to the East German border, Sonya explained the fake story they were to use. They were arriving on a work permit and taking their families with them. East German guards were lazy, so as long as they had passports and sounded believable, they would be let through. 

“Vitaly, passports.” Sonya said, and Vitaly distributed them. “These are the fake passports,” she continued, “you will use to get into East Berlin. Once you get inside, you will board a train that will take you to Boris. Boris and Vitaly will then take you to a hideout where you will stay until nightfall. When the night comes, I will take you to cross the border. Now, I must go,” she stood up. “Good luck and,” she looked at Aleksander and said, “try to remain as unsuspicious as possible.” 

He only smiled in response. 

After Sonya left, Vitaly led the group to the East German border. 

* * *

As the train doors opened to East Berlin, they revealed Boris standing tall in the middle of the crowd. Vitaly led them to him and, before Julia could ask for introductions, Boris was already moving. 

“Follow him,” Vitaly signed and went after Boris. The group hurriedly tried to follow his path, holding each other’s hands so they wouldn’t get lost in the busy train station. Once they broke free from the crowd, they frantically looked around for Boris and Vitaly.

Aleksander saw them turn in to a dark alleyway. “Come!” he signed and ran after Boris and Vitaly. They feared they would lose them as evening drew closer and it got darker. But, with Aleksander as their leader, they were able to keep Boris and Vitaly in sight. 

Finally, after fifteen minutes of twists and turns, Boris stopped in front of a manhole and lifted the lid. “Go down.” And so they did. As they climbed down, a small room revealed itself. There was a torn-up couch, small wooden table, cramped kitchen, and tiny bathroom. 

“You will be staying here until nighttime,” Vitaly told them, “help yourself to the food in the fridge, but do try to stay quiet.” 

As they got accustomed to their surroundings, Malina openly wondered, “I wonder when Damavmaske will return?”

Just then, as if by magic, a hidden door opened, startling everyone. Sonya, not even addressing the room, sat down on the couch and spread out a map of the Berlin wall. “We will be leaving in approximately four hours. Once we get near the border, we will have to wait a few hours for the right moment to cross.” She pointed to red marks. “My team dug tunnels that will lead you to a safe place in West Berlin. Once you are on the other side, Vitaly will give you new passports, any questions?”

Everyone shook their head.

“Good. Rest up. Tonight will be long.”

While everyone else slept, Sonya sat on the floor, looking over the map, and Aleksander paced the room, trying to act like he was not desperate to talk to her. 

Tired of him walking around in agitation, Sonya finally gave in. “Yes, Aleksander?”

“Just excited, that’s all.” Aleksander sat down near her. “It’s great what you do,” he said, looking at her and then turned away when, despite not being able to see her face, he blushed. “Everyone here really appreciates it.”

“Thank you.”

It was silent for a moment then Aleksander continued. “I’m sorry if I made things difficult earlier. I just wanted to provide some levity. It’s hard, we love Poland, but we had to leave. It’s no longer the country it used to be.” 

Sonya knew she should focus on her work, but she was curious about Aleksander’s comment. “And when did it stop being Poland?”

“When they let the Soviets kill my family.”

Sonya looked at him, finally starting to see the contours of who he was. But, before she could fill that image, the clock struck. 

“Everybody, wake up!”

Everybody groggily got up and stretched before remembering the situation and becoming more alert. They all turned to Damavmaske. 

“It’s time.” 

* * *

As they walked, Sonya instructed them to prepare to crouch and remain silent for a long time. “If you must communicate, use sign language.” Once they reached the spot, it suddenly came to them that they would soon be in West Berlin. They would soon have their freedom. 

Though squatting and waiting was painful, nobody complained. Even old Wisława remained resolute. Whenever she began to waver, she looked at her beautiful granddaughter and grandson-in-law and told herself to stay strong.

Bogdan, Zofia, and Julia all huddled in one spot. It was a cold night, but staying close together made it warmer. 

Then there was Aleksander, who, as he looked at Damavmaske, had new ideas of what West Berlin meant for him. 

A loud noise broke everyone’s train of thoughts. 

The sound was deafening. Deliberately deafening. Everyone turned their wide eyes to Damavmaske. 

Sonya put her finger to her mouth, signaling to remain silent. 

“Siehst du jemanden?” 

“No, I don’t see anyone,” a distant voice answered. “Hey, du da! I see you!” 

Sonya knew that man couldn’t see anyone, but they did not know that. Sonya stayed still, not even turning her head to see their reactions, and prayed they remained silent.

Nobody moved a muscle.

“Should we explore over there, Alexei?” The other guard asked.

“No, there’s nobody. We need to report back by the border anyway, in case Damavmaske appears.”

Sonya listened as their footsteps faded and silence settled again. Even after they were gone for a while, no one dared breathe. Finally, they relaxed a bit and nervously smiled at one another. Looking at them, seeing the courage they displayed, Sonya knew she couldn’t fail them. 

More hours passed, and everyone remained quiet. The aching and pain and hunger was all the price for freedom. As soon as Sonya heard some rumbling by the border, she decided it was time to address the group one last time. 

“Okay,” Sonya signed, “Boris will distract the guards inside the wall. Vitaly will distract the guards on the outside. Once they are gone, we will go.” She turned to Julia, and signed, “It looks scary, but everything will be alright.” 

“And what about you?” Julia signed back. It was a question on everybody’s mind, especially Aleksander’s.

“This is as far as I can go. I will put you all in danger if I go any further. But don’t feel sad about me leaving,” she said as she wiped a tear from Julia’s face, “be happy about your newfound freedom.”

“She is right, Julia. It’s time for a new beginning,” Zofia signed with a smile, even though everybody was sad about Damavmaske leaving. 

“Will we see you again?” Julia signed. 

Sonya looked at them, all with the same resolute look in their eyes, and signed, “yes.” 

They waited in anxious tension, desperately waiting for some sign that the border guards would leave. Finally, after another fifteen minutes, the guards dispersed. 

“There has been a breach on the other side, everyone must report,” one guard told the others.

“Finally, some action!”

Sonya watched carefully as they left their positions. The others were ready to leave, but she stopped them with her hand. She picked up a rock and threw it out into the open. Everyone held their breath in anticipation, but there was just silence.

“I was just making sure there were no snipers. Come, quickly.”

At her words, the tension in the air dissipated and their legs took control. Sprinting out in the open, they should have been afraid, but there was no time for that. Urgency rushed through their veins, propelling them forward to their long-awaited liberty. 

When they reached the wall, Sonya quickly moved a few fake bushes and tossed aside heavy plates to reveal the tunnel. It would be a tight fit, but it was manageable. Julia and the women went first, then Tomisław and Bogdan. Despite everyone’s wariness, the adrenaline made it easy for them to crawl through the tunnels, even old Wisława eagerly made her way through the dirt and worms. Only Aleksander remained. 

“Aleksander, it’s time to go,” Sonya said coldly. 

“You know, despite your coldness, I do hope you visit us in West Berlin.” He then grew serious, “I am very thankful for all that you have done for us.”

Sonya noticed some movement ahead and repeated herself. “Aleksander, it’s time to go.”

“Maybe I can go with you?” Aleksander asked. “I want to help others too.”

The guards were returning. 

“Aleksander, it’s time to go,” she repeated for the final time and shoved him down. 

Aleksander fell to his knees and sighed. “Once again, thank you for everything.”

He crawled into the hole. His small size allowed him to crawl through it fairly quickly. When it got difficult, he just pictured everybody waiting for him. In his imagination, he also envisioned Damavmaske on the other side. When he got out, he saw everybody covered in dirt and big smiles. 

“Did you say goodbye, lover boy?” Tomisław asked with a wink as he pulled Aleksander up. When Aleksander’s eyes adjusted to the light, he saw they were in some sort of warehouse. 

“Don’t feel sad, there will be many pretty German girls for you,” Malina said and gave him a hug. 

Aleksander smiled at them with tears in his eyes. Everybody had tears in their eyes. They were finally free. 

“Okay everyone, follow me for warm showers. Then I will take you to get your fake passports.” Vitaly smiled and threw up his hands, “willkommen in West Berlin!” 

“Aleksander, you dropped something,” Malina gave him a piece of paper with writing on it. 

“Hmm,” Aleksander examined it. It was a West Berlin address with the initials DvM by it. DvM. Dama v Maske! Aleksander smiled. It seemed like he would be seeing her again after all. 

 Vanessa Zelenović lives in the rainy city of Seattle, Washington. Her studies in political science and writing at the University of Washington allow her to take grand themes such as freedom, ideology, and nationalism and give them a personal touch. She has presented her research on post-conflict reconciliation in Eastern Europe at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium and plans to attend graduate school to continue her studies in diplomacy and international relations. In her free time, Vanessa runs her own blog where she posts her short stories, life updates, and opinions on current events and media.

Blog: https://momasownblog.wordpress.com/

Instagram: @iamtherealmoma 

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-zelenović

This short story was part of the compilation, “6 Good Things About 2020” a collection of short stories of the 2020 Collective Folk Fiction writing competition.

Download the book of short stories in EPUB (most tablets) format.

Download the book of short stories in PDF format.

Download the book of short stories in Plain Text format.

Looking for more information for writers, sign up for our mailing list for the greatest and grandest insights for writers.