Anastasie Slaněc

"And then the Cossacks came. Well they were Germans in fact. Even some Russians were among them and they took these people to captivity and they had to work for them. Some young officers used to live in our apartment, when I was ten. One of them, his name was Emil, was about thirty years old. The other one was a little older, he was Igonka. And this Igonka got sick one day. He told to my mom: Mom, put this away somewhere! ´ He was a Czech and was in the German army. They called him up to go to war once and he stayed on the German side. He said: ´ put this bag under my bed; they won’t come here looking for me.´ so my grandma took a sack full of the grain and put hid it under his bed. At the end we kept the grain and that’s how he helped us."

Liberal translation ."The wild madder is coming down the river to us Summer is coming soon to us. She looks forward to red colored eggs, To golden brown Easter bread. What kind of bread it would be, Without eggs and seasoning. Beautiful goody, give us a spoon of butter, If that won’t be enough, please give us also an egg. Then a bowl of flour, so we can bake some biscuits, We invite also your helpers. Saint Peter is coming, coming, coming, Brings a wreath to us, and us. And you, Saint Margaret, take care of our rye, Our wheat and our cabbage let the God share it all between us. Violets and roses can’t get into bloom Until God helps them on the Saint hill. Turn around, bowl, and give us all a coin, Turn around, bucket, and give us all a rap."

"I had to carry all the corn and cabbage from our garden on my shoulders to our house. Our grader was about 70 acres wide. The Germans took everything. I managed to hide some cabbage under the roof and that was all we had left for living."

Liberal translation "The green, beautiful square of Pavlovka, My loving girl is walking by. She is walking, walking, she still be walking, Until the square still be green. When we hear the bells of Pavlovka, Please my love come and say a prayer for me. First Lord’s Prayer, then Hail Mary, I know, my darling, you will do a good job. I heard you, my darling, I heard it all, You and your mummy were having a row. She was complaining about me. I’m not as rich as the other girls. If I’m not, I’m not, I’ll get married for I’m smart. Who come for me, will marry me, I’m clever, not for money. I’m not rich, I’m not poor, I have no debts at all. All I owe is a kiss to my love, I will pay him right after Sunday. My love thinks I never get married Without a nice quilted scarf. I don’t have any, but I will get one, I’ll ask a tailor from Anapa to make it for me. The Anapa´s tailor is very good, She made me a scarf quilted around. Round and round with flowers in the middle, Now you may, young men, want me. Round and round with the edges straight, You see, boy, now I deserve you."

"When they arrived to Tunelna village he said: ´Let’s go to Tunelna and maybe we’ll find some kind of transportation there.´ She was still a young girl, but he was already a man. She was afraid to go with him and so she told him: ´ No, I’d rather walk.´ so he went alone and ran just into those two bakers. And they killed him there. And what have they done to him....They hung him up on the tree; they poked out his eyes, the cut off his nose. They humiliated him. Some people found him there in five days."

"My dad used to have a sister in Novorossiysk region. She got married there. The other day they have celebrated the great October revolution. That was on November 7th. Her husband, Mr. Jára Krebs used to work in the local kolkhoz. He asked his boss for a day off, so he can go to Pavlovka for one day. When they got home, there was some Czech man waiting, his name was also Čech (means Czech in Czech language). Uncle Jara didn’t like him and apparently said some things about him in the past. And there is no evidence of our uncle since. There are strange people among the Czechs as well as the Russians."

Liberal translation "You, the Pavlovka´s church, You are standing on a nice hill. Virgins are coming out of you, They all look like angels too. One came out just like butter, Her heart was all tumbling. Second came out even better, I will like her the most. You are a little older now, boy, My mom doesn’t want you to be her son in law. I don’t want you to be my lover, Stop wandering around. I won’t stop wandering, I’d rather knock off your door. Your new door made out of wood, Tell me who else is coming to your room. A cheater came to us, took the key from my heart away. Took away keys from my and his hearts, didn’t leave any here. He threw one key in the pond, My mom went out looking for it. The other key he threw into the thorn bush, That I used to like so much. Mother, mother don’t you think I will take who you tell me to. I take whoever I want, I will spend the rest of my life with him."

"The Chalupa´s couple has had a daughter. They have had many children in fact, but their youngest daughter married a komsomolets (A Russian Communist Union of Youth member). And for this act the Germans killed all of her family members including her uncle, aunt, mom and dad, grandma and another uncle. They didn’t leave behind even a little one year old girl. Neither her two sisters. The Germans took them all to a park in Supsech village located about three kilometers away from Varvarovka town. They dug a hole, put them all in and buried them alive. Just for the fact, that she married a komsomolets."