Candles in the Darkness

The gothic steeples of Saint Jakob’s and Saint Nikolai’s glowed steadily above the dark road, twin beacons drawing Pastor Reinhardt Gottlieb to safety. He was less than a kilometer from town, but the pastor’s thoughts lingered with the refugees he had sent off only an hour before. They were travelling by boat to Italy, to freedom. When the sun rose tomorrow, the Third Reich would be four people closer to solving its Jewish Question—though perhaps not in the way the Nazis intended. Reinhardt’s auto topped a gentle rise, and another pair of headlights cut a swath through the night. The pastor took a deliberately slow breath and fought the fear that rose in his throat. He had not expected to encounter anyone this late, but he clung stubbornly to the sense of peace that had flooded his heart at the river. The approaching car flicked its headlights on and off, signaling him to stop. Reluctantly, Reinhardt complied. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me... The unmarked car ground to a halt only meters in front of Reinhardt’s vehicle. The headlights blazed directly into the cab of the pastor’s auto, and Reinhardt had to squint to glimpse the two shapes that moved toward him. They were Gestapo, he guessed. Villach’s ordinary police force did not enforce the new Nazi curfew... Reinhardt swallowed hard as he recognized Fredrik Schmidt, the notorious head of Villach’s Gestapo. The little rat-like man seemed to swagger as he strode the remaining distance to the auto. He rapped on the window of the car as if he would like to smash it. Reinhardt slowly rolled it down. “Pastor Gottlieb? It is quite late. You were not aware of the not aware of the curfew, perhaps?” The Inspekteur’s voice was high; mocking. Reinhardt set his jaw and stared straight ahead. “I am aware.” “Then surely the clergy are not above the law, pastor?” Reinhardt closed his eyes and resisted the urge to look back; toward the river. The faces of the two little girls and their parents seemed to burn in his mind. They had not had enough time! Their tiny boat would still be on Austria’s—Germany’s— side of the border. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. The Gestapo could easily trace his route back from the river, and when they searched the river they would find the craft and the precious lives it carried. Unless... In that instant, Reinhardt made an impossible decision. “I am under a law higher than any edict of the Reich.” Forgive me, Eva, his heart pleaded, even as his blue eyes flashed defiance. The shadows in Fredrik’s face seemed to deepen with anger. “Do not play games with us, Gottlieb,” he warned. “You are hiding something, and I will have the truth!” “The truth.” Reinhardt smiled sadly, looking past Fredrik to the tall man who stood behind him. He thought he glimpsed a flicker of discomfort on the agent’s proud features. “The Truth has been with you for a long, long time. ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.’ You have laid eyes on Truth in these cathedrals, and replaced Him with a swastika. You have held Truth in your hands and you have cast Him into the flames. You have mocked the One Who Is True; you have spit on Him; you have taken your stand against Him. The lies that you serve will not last, and when the fire burns out, do you know what will be left? Not the man you swore your soul to. Not the empire you strove to build. In the end, Truth is all that will remain, shining in the midst of shattered lives and your broken promises, calling men and women to Himself!” “Treason!” Fredrik’s eyes smoldered with rage as he pronounced the fatal word. “By order of the Gestapo you are under arrest. Out of your car! Now!” Reinhardt did not tremble as he opened the door and stood. Fredrik shoved him down to his knees. “So now this is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Reinhardt continued in the same vein, still baiting the Inspekteur. Fredrik swore and spun toward him again. “You! Remember whose power you are under!” Reinhardt met Fredrik’s eyes calmly through the play of light and shadow. “Not yours, I think.” Fredrik aimed a vicious kick at Reinhardt’s stomach. The pastor doubled over, retching onto the ground. “Does anyone see, pastor? Can your God help you? The only power is the might of the Third Reich, and no one, no one, can defy it and live!” Reinhardt dragged the back of his hand across his mouth lifted his head slowly to face Fredrik. That same inexpressible peace rushed over him; through him, until he was no longer afraid. “I have hope of a life that will not end. Can you say the same?” Fredrik shrieked something incoherent as he lashed out at Reinhardt. The force of the blow slammed Reinhardt’s head against the smooth metal of the auto. Fredrik raised his fist to strike him again. “Inspekteur, wait.” The agent who had been forgotten amid the tension of the pastor’s arrest spoke with fumbling urgency. “What, Karl?” “I— should we not... take him into Villach?” Karl glanced from Reinhardt to Fredrik and back again. “They will want him in the records. That is how it is done in Berlin, at least.” He managed the last sentence with an air of superiority. Reinhardt blinked hard and stared up at the agent in dazed gratitude. Fredrik mumbled a grudging concession as Karl stepped between him and the pastor. “Can you walk?” Reinhardt nodded cautiously, and Karl dragged him unceremoniously to his feet. The pastor placed a hand on the hood of his auto to steady himself as he searched Karl’s strong face. The shadow of pity he had seen there was gone. “That was a foolish choice,” the agent warned as he secured Reinhardt’s hands behind his back. The pastor bowed his head in silence. Had he been too rash; too foolish? The Gestapo have me— they will look no further tonight. The family will be safe. These thoughts came automatically; without emotion. Reinhardt breathed deeply and closed his eyes. I’m so sorry, Eva. So sorry... Loneliness tightened at the base of his throat, and he stumbled forward obediently as Karl prodded him toward the Gestapo car.