Irma Joubert - The Girl From the Train

ACCLAIM FOR THE GIRL FROM THE TRAIN

Richly imagined and masterfully told, a love story so moving it will leave you breathless. And deeply satisfied.

TAMERA ALEXANDER, USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF TO WIN HER FAVOR AND THE INHERITANCE

A riveting read with an endearing, courageous protagonist... takes us from war-torn Poland to the veldt of South Africa in a story rich in love, loss, and the survival of the human spirit.

ANNE EASTER SMITH, AUTHOR OF A ROSE FOR THE CROWN

Captivating. Emotional and heart-stirring. Joubert masterfully crafts every scene with tenderness and hauntingly accurate detail. Its a stunning coming-of-age novel that packs emotion in a delicate weave of hope, faithand the very best of love.

KRISTY CAMBRON, AUTHOR OF THE BUTTERFLY AND THE VIOLIN AND A SPARROW IN TEREZIN

A fresh voice and a masterpiece I could not put downone I will long remember.

CATHY GOHLKE, CHRISTY AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF SECRETS SHE KEPT AND SAVING AMELIE

The Girl from the Train is an eloquent, moving testament to love and its power to illuminate our authentic selves.

SHERRY JONES, AUTHOR OF THE SHARP HOOK OF LOVE

The Girl from the Train 2015 by Irma Joubert

Irma Joubert, Tussen Stasies 2007 by LAPA Uitgewers (Edms.) Bpk, Pretoria, South Africa

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Publishers Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

Translation: Elsa Silke

ISBN 978-0-529-10292-8 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Joubert, Irma, author.

[Meisje uit de trein. English]

The girl from the train / Irma Joubert; Translation by Elsa Silke.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-529-10237-9 (paperback)

1. Afrikaans fiction21st century. I. Silke, Elsa, translator. II. Title.

PT6592.2.O795V4713 2015

839.3636dc23 2014047546

15 16 17 18 19 20 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my son Jan-Jan

CONTENTS

biltonga dish of jerked meat

Bloedsapa staunch supporter of the United Party, South Africas ruling political party between 1934 and 1948

Boer War/Anglo-Boer WarThe Second Boer War was fought from October 1899 to May 1902 by the United Kingdom against the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic) and the Orange Free State. The war ended in victory for Britain and the annexation of both republics.

Brandwag, Die (The Sentinel)a weekly Afrikaans magazine, discontinued in 1965

eisteddfoda competitive festival of music and poetry

Great Trekan eastward and northeastward emigration away from British control in the Cape Colony during the 1830s and 1840s by Boers

Huisgenoot, Die (House Companion)a weekly Afrikaans-language general-interest family magazine; SAs biggest and oldest family magazine (est. 1916)

Jan van RiebeeckDutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town

kraalan enclosure for cattle or other livestock surrounded by a stone wall or other fencing, roughly circular in form

kugelnninepins/cones

lamettatinsel

matric (matriculation)the final year of high school and the qualification received on graduating from high school

oomuncle

oumagrandmother

ragfor raise and give; university-level, student-run charity fund-raising organization

ruska hard, dry biscuit

sakkie-sakkiea simple, rhythmical style of Afrikaner music and dance

Slagtersnekan early nineteenth-century rebellion in the Eastern Cape that played a role in the Great Trek

tannieaunt

tickeyOn February 14, 1961, South Africa adopted a decimal currency, replacing the pound with the rand. The term tickey is applied to both the 3d and 2c coins.

volkspeleSouth African folk dances

weinachtskerzenChristmas candles

SOUTHERN POLAND, APRIL 1944

Let go! her grandmother said.

She held on for dear life. The metal edge bit into her fingers. Her frantic feet searched for a foothold in the air. The dragon swayed dangerously from side to side.

Gretl, let go! Her grandmothers shrill voice cut through the huffing noise of the dragon. Were nearly at the top, you must let go now!

The child looked down. The ground was a long way below. Strewn with sharp stones, it sloped down into a deep gully.

Her arms were aching.

Her fingers were losing their grip.

Then her grandmother pried her fingers loose.

Gretl hit the ground. Shock jolted through her skinny little body.

She fell, slid, rolled down the embankment, stones grazing her face and legs. She clenched her jaw to stop herself from screaming.

At the bottom she slid to a stop. For a moment she lay panting, her heart pounding in her ears. It was so loud that she was afraid the guards might hear.

Roll into a ball. Tuck in your head and lie very still, her grandmother had told her. And dont move until Elza comes to find you.

She rolled into a ball. The earth trembled. Beside her, around her, she felt sand and stones shifting. She kept her head down. Above her the long dragon was still groaning and puffing up the hill, spitting smoke and pumping steam. She could smell its rancid breath, but she didnt look.

It was at the top now. She heard it panting, the iron wheels clickety-clacking faster and faster on the track.

She was very thirsty.

It was dead quiet.

Slowly she opened her eyes to the pitch-black night. There were no stars.

What if were afraid? Elza had asked.

Then you think about other things, Oma had said.

Mutti had just cried, without tears, because she had no more water in her body for tears. Im not afraid, Gretl thought. I escaped from the dragon. First Elza, then me. Im brave. So is Elza.

Carefully, painfully, she rolled onto her back and straightened her legs. They were still working, but her knee burned.

At the next uphill, Mutti and Oma would jump out as well. Then they would all go back to Omas little house at the edge of the forest. Not to the ghetto.

There was sand in her mouth. No saliva. If only she could have just a sip of water.

Gingerly she rubbed her smarting knee. It felt sticky and clammy.

The water had run out yesterday, before the sun was even up. At the station the grown-ups put their arms through the railings of the cars and pleaded for water. But the guards with their rifles made sure that no one gave them any. The dogs with the teeth and the drooling jaws barked endlessly. And drank sloppily from large bowls.