Květuše Tůmová

"I have the strongest memories of my time as a small girl at my grandma's - that's not coming back. Grandma didn't want to use electricity, trying to save money. So instead, she used the oil lamp which she had ready at all times. In the winter she'd make fire in the stove and flames were licking the walls. I was usually there with Mirak and Cipar. She used to tell us scary stories. She liked to say that the Roma were well off at times of the monarchy. I think she had Franz Joseph I. in mind. She told us that he gave her money - a ducat. For her, that was a precious thing, so she drilled a hole into it and wore it on her neck. I don't know whether they put it in the grave with her or where had it gone but she was proud of it. Every time she'd tell us the story, she'd show us the coin to prove she had it. I don't know exactly what happened - allegedly, he spotted her, got from his horse and gave her the coin. I suppose she was good looking in her young years. My grandma didn't know to write but nevertheless was a very intelligent woman. She was great at counting. She hated writing three crosses instead of her name, and when we started school we had to teach her to write her name at least. 'I won't be doing those crosses forever,' she said. Me and Mirak taught her over and over and she managed. She felt ashamed of not knowing to write."

"One day, the Germans came to the village. They arrested all of the people except for the children and the elderly. First, they drove them to Sabinov and locked them in a prison. There were many Romani people from other villages as well, it was crammed. My mum said that she couldn't move the whole night. In the morning - without food or drinks - they dragged them to the station, put them into railway cars and drove them someplace far. I can't estimate how long it could've taken to Plaveč. They still needed to walk some five or seven kilometers to the camp. The living conditions there were horrible. Russian were also imprisoned there, getting beaten all the time and left without food. When the Romani people had some food, they secretly shared. The Roma were digging trenches. There was one terrible German officer whom everyone feared. He would rape young girls, sometimes in front of the eyes of their family members. He wanted my mum too, but they managed to hide her in a heap of hay. When a German commander arrived, a Romani man who knew some German, took the courage to tell him what was happening to the girls. By miracle, that guy was posted away. My mum said it got a bit better then but she hadn't stayed for long. She was there for about three months, planning an escape. Sometime, she was allowed to go beg for some food in the village. My parents decided that when they'd go dig trenches, they'd excape. Having no shoes, they covered their feet in straws. She told me they only walked at night through the forests. I can't imagine how they found their way home."