A war memoir Thursday teaser
By Scott Bury
The birthday of the main character of The Eastern Front Trilogy will be in two days. In his honour, we present a sample of the book that reveals something about his character and his family.
Chapter 16: Fighting in their own way
Nastaciv, December 1941
Out of uniform, out of the army, out of prison, Maurice was now under the command of his mother. Tekla Kuritsa did not allow her son to do anything but rest for a whole month. The harvest over, she paid young local boys to do what remained: manuring fields and fixing fences.
Day by day, Maurice regained weight and strength. At first, he sat in the kitchen, drinking tea and reading newspapers.
Nothing but German-approved propaganda. This paper actually says we Ukrainians are happy to be occupied by Germany.
Idleness quickly lost its allure. Maurice decided to make sure the farm was ready for winter. He started with chopping firewood. Just a half-hour a day, relishing in his ability to split logs with a single blow, chopping and sawing harder, and lasting longer each day.
One evening, Tekla took Maurice to the shed beside the barn for a chore he would find much more enjoyable.
“Is that a still?” he asked. “Mama, are you making vodka?”
“It’s not very good, but the German officers like it,” she said. She set him to work.
Maurice liked the opportunity to concentrate on a task, drawing a spoonful of clear liquor, carefully closing the valve then setting fire to the spoon. If the liquor burned with a blue flame, it was “proof,” good enough for sale.
One evening, Maurice filled six four-litre jugs and put them on a small wagon.
“Good boy,” Tekla said and buttoned her coat. “I’ll take this to the village.”
“Why?”
“To sell to anyone who wants it, of course. But mostly it goes to German officers.”
“It’s getting too late to go out, Mama,” Maurice said. “It’s almost curfew.”
“That’s the time men want to buy vodka,” she said, buttoning her coat.
“It’s too dangerous for a woman out in the evening. Let me go.”
She shook her head. “Maurice, you strong men don’t know how things work in wartime,” she said, patting his cheek. “An old lady out in the evening is much safer than a man. What would the patrols do if they caught you out after curfew?”
“Throw me in jail.”
“They would probably shoot you on the spot, sweetie. But they see an old lady struggling with a heavy wagon, they think of their own mothers.”
“Some of these bastards would just as soon shoot their own mothers.”
“That’s when I sell them some vodka.” She smiled and kissed him.
Maurice watched her pull the wagon to the road until she vanished into the evening gloom. He did not realize he was smiling as he shook his head.
My mother. After all I’ve been through, she’s going to sell cheap liquor to the Germans. She’s the bravest person I’ve ever seen.
The Eastern Front Trilogy
The true story of a Canadian drafted into the Soviet Red Army during World War 2, just in time to be thrown against Nazi Germany’s invasion in Operation Barbarossa.
Caught in the vise between Nazi and Communist forces, Maurice Bury concentrates on keeping his men alive as they retreat across Ukraine from the German juggernaut. Now the question is: will they escape from the hell of the POW camp before they starve to death?
Find it exclusively in paperback on:
For a limited time, the Eastern Front Trilogy is available in three volumes for reduced prices, or free, in e-book form from Amazon.
Scott Bury
can’t stay in one genre. After a 20-year career in journalism, he turned to writing fiction. “Sam, the Strawb Part,” a children’s story, came out in 2011, with all the proceeds going to an autism charity. Next was a paranormal short story for grown-ups, “Dark Clouds.”
The Bones of the Earth, a historical fantasy, came out in 2012. It was followed in 2013 with One Shade of Red, an erotic romance.
He has several mysteries and thrillers, including Torn Roots, Palm Trees & Snowflakes and Wildfire.
Scott’s articles have been published in newspapers and magazines in Canada, the US, UK and Australia.
He has two mighty sons, two pesky cats and a loving wife who puts up with a lot. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
Learn more about Scott on his:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter
