Maria Pogroszewska

A library's secret, a grandmother's legacy

August 1st, 1939 Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland Katrzyna felt her heart start to beat faster as she quietly winded through the University library’s corridors. Their train was leaving at 6 am tomorrow, what if they weren’t let on? What if one of the border agents was a spy, and stopped them for questioning? Her mind reeling with questions, and with a stack of books hiding the metal box in her arms, she tried to focus on the task at hand. It might not work, she thought. They could destroy the whole library, just as they destroyed the lives of so many. Someone could catch her with the box in that moment, and wonder if she was doing anything else besides cataloging a few first editions. She had to try, though. If she could save only one thing, she had to try and save at least this.