THE LEGEND OF THE SHADOW

Prelude

Urad, Poland (January 31, 1942)

It was a really cold and dark night in the small town at the Polish border. Snow was piled up along
the sides of the streets and fresh snow covered the roads. The huge grey factory complex was
spewing smoke even at that late hour. At this point in the war, every tank component produced in
the factory meant an extra “panther” tank for the Nazi forces against the allies. So production was in
full swing in the factory. Since the factory was in territory occupied by the German forces, security
was tight.

The two armed German guards at the gates were pacing up and down to keep the cold away. As was
their usual routine at this time of the night, they met in the middle of their rounds and lit their
cigarettes.

“ Really quiet night isn't it”?

“ Yeah. This is the one hour monthly maintenance shut down. The stupid Polish country bumpkins
that pass for workers should be here in an hour. It will not be quiet then Hans”

“ Damn right, Helmut” said Hans with a smirk.

The night was getting colder and the two guards were considering returning to their posts when
suddenly...

“What was that?”

“ What was what Hans?”

“ I thought I saw something.. something like a Shadow. It just jumped over the wall over there and
disappeared”

“ Probably your imagination my friend. Nothing ever happens in this godforsaken place. Sometimes
I think.. “

Helmut never got to finish that sentence as at that moment a huge explosion knocked the two guards
flat on their backs.

Helmut and Hans watched in horror as the entire production unit was engulfed in flames.

********

Gubin, Poland (February 1, 1942)

Times were hard at the little Polish town at the Germany-Poland border. The war had left its mark
on the picturesque town on the Polish countryside. Most of the buildings were in a state of repair
and rubble was scattered on the streets. Many of the towns' young men were forced into compulsory
work at the German factories nearby. Food was rationed and the harsh winter had taken its toll on
both the health and morale of the townsfolk.

“ Explosion at the Tank factory. Sabotage by mystery man 'The Shadow' suspected” screamed the
headlines at the local newspaper mart.

Sarah Nowak paid no attention to it as she trudged through the ankle high snow and stepped into the
Town's only bakery. As usual there was a long queue for the daily ration of bread.

Sarah joined the long snaking line with a tired sigh. Many of the women had come with their
children. The shop was noisy with the sound of women talking with each other and the children
playing.

“ Had a long day huh?”

Sarah turned around to the sound of the familiar voice coming from behind her. Her friend Maria
had just entered and was dusting the snow off her threadbare coat.

“ Don't even get me started. John has been at it again. He went out yesterday on a odd job at some
nearby village and returned just this morning. He has been sleeping ever since. I bet he didn't take
any money for his work this time too.”

“ But Sarah, John is a good man. He helped my husband fix our roof last week. My children are
feeling a lot better from their cold thanks to your husband.”

“ I know Maria. But if he does not bring in any money, how am I supposed to run the family? I
work two jobs already and that is barely enough to feed us both. How will we manage when we
have kids if this goes on like this?”

“ Hmm .. times have been hard for all of us. Its all because of these damn Germans and their
godforsaken war. I hope the Shadow blows them all up“

“ Shhh ... Maria. If the German soldiers hear you, you could be tried for treason. Everyone knows
the Shadow is a Polish hero, but to be heard supporting him would get us into trouble and we have
enough trouble of our own already.”

“ You are right dear ... Did you hear about the explosion at the factory yesterday. Looks like another
German feather in the Shadow's hat”

“ Yes, but the Germans appear determined to catch him. They have increased the patrols and the
reward money for information leading to his capture has gone up again”

“ Ha.. the day any honest Polish citizen rats on the Shadow will be the day water turns to wine”
scoffed Maria

The two women continued to talk about various things as the line slowly wound its way towards
the counter.

*******

“ WAKE UP JOHN ...... “

John Nowak opened his eyes to look at his wife looking down upon him with an angry expression.
She looked really irritated. John sat up with a sigh. This was going to be a bad fight.

“ I'm sorry Sarah. I was tired from the last job. I had to do fencing for an entire sheep pen”
“ Oh? How much did they pay you?”

“ Nothing yet. But Farmer Paul has promised to pay me as soon as the wool is sold next month”

“ What? WHAT? How are we going to eat this month then? Do you think food magically appears
on the table everyday? Do you know how much I slave just to keep the two of us fed? ...”

Sarah shot the questions like arrows towards John. She knew he would not answer. Tears streamed
down her face and she even brushed off John's hands when he tried to comfort her.

John sighed and put on his coat. He turned near the door and looked at Sarah.

“ I am going out now to the church to see if Father Mikhail needs any repairs”

Sarah answered only with her silence. John left the house with a sigh. This was a common scene at
the Nowak household.

*****

Berlin, Germany ( February 3, 1942)

The huge featureless grey building looked imposing as Major. Friederich Stein entered it with his
customary military briskness. He had the report from the Polish bureau and he was sure General
Zimmer was not going to like what it said at all.

“ What do you mean another factory is out of commission?” snarled General Zimmer.

“ Sir, it was sabotage sir. The Shadow ... “

General Zimmer a.k.a “Iron heart” Zimmer cut Major. Stein off mid-sentence. He never let people
finish their sentences.

“ The Shadow again? What are the imbeciles stationed in Poland doing? They cannot capture one
stupid Pole?”

“ Sir, he is very good at evading capture. His identity is unknown and he has the support of the
Polish people”

“ I don't want to hear it. I want your down there personally overseeing things and I want him
captured and shot within the month.

Major Stein saluted the General and left without another word. The General was not one for small
talk and when he gave an order it had to be obeyed immediately. Stein would leave for Poland the
very next day. He knew failure to capture the Shadow would be the end of his career. He had
worked too hard to let that happen.

He would lay a trap for the Shadow .....

*****

Gubin, Poland ( February 23, 1942)

The entire town was buzzing. People were out in the streets talking. German soldiers were
everywhere. Something was going to happen. The anxious shopkeepers were ready to close shutters
at the first sign of trouble.

The two youth were standing at the street corner engaged in a serious discussion. They did not pay
any heed to the lone Soldier staring at them from his post at the end of the street.

“ Did you hear the Shadow was captured yesterday?”

“ Naah ... he got away”

“ How do you know that Danek?”

“ I know a friend who works as Major Stein's manservant. Seems like the major set a trap for the
Shadow at the munitions factory. He was almost caught but he managed to escape. Don't know
anything more that that. The Germans look pretty determined to catch him somehow this time”

“ That Major Stein is a cunning bastard. Hope the Shadow gets away...”

The two youth walked away as a convoy of German vehicles came down the street. The German
soldiers trooped in, blocked all the streets and ordered everyone indoors. Shopkeepers shut shop
and women hurried to get themselves and their children indoors. It was not advisable to irritate the
Germans when they were in this mood.

****

Major Stein stepped out of his vehicle and scanned the fast emptying streets. He wanted everyone
indoors as soon as possible. He felt really close to capturing the Shadow.

“ The bastard will not evade me this time” muttered Stein.

“ Sir?” Corporal Kohl enquired politely.

“ Nothing Corporal. I want a door to door search started immediately. Ask the men to look for the
identification mark that I told you about.”

“ Yes Sir. The men have all been instructed and the search has already begun”. Corporal Kohl
turned and left with a smart salute to join the search.

****

The Nowak residence was quiet. Sarah was washing the dishes and John was in his usual place
napping. The sharp knock at the door brought them both to the door.

“ Guten Morgen. We are here to look for a criminal. Ask everyone in the house to come to the living
room” the stern faced soldier ordered.

Sarah looked up at the three soldiers at the door with a defiant expression.

“ There's only me and my husband here”

The soldier looked over at John standing behind her.

“ Hey you ... raise the sleeve of your shirt” came the curt order.

John looked at Sarah and then back at the soldier and did as he was ordered. The long fresh scar
was visible to everyone in the room.

“ How did you get that?” asked the soldier.

“ He slipped and hurt himself while fixing a fence” answered Sarah.

“ We'll see about that. You are under arrest Mr. Nowak.”

Sarah could not believe what was happening as the three soldiers handcuffed an unresisting John.

“ There must be some mistake.. What did my husband do? Where are you taking him?” Sarah was
in tears.

“ Your husband my dear lady is 'the Shadow' ” Sarah looked up at the speaker with a quiet, but
authoritative voice.

Major. Stein looked back at her with an unblinking eye and a smug expression on his face. He had
succeeded in capturing the Shadow. He was jubilant and trying hard not to show it. He had been
disappointed when his carefully laid animal trap at the munitions factory had failed to nab the
Shadow, but he had been excited when he found blood on the trap. He knew that the Shadow had
been injured and the trap would have made a distinct scar on the mystery man. He had quickly
ordered the search and that search had not been in vain. Nowak was the only one in town with a
fresh scar and Stein did not believe for an instant Nowak's story about getting the scar while fixing
a fence.

The soldiers left with John leaving behind an hysterical Sarah who was clinging to her friend Maria
and weeping. She still could not believe that her lazy but kind hearted husband was 'the Shadow'.
This was a total nightmare. Within a blink of an eye, her entire world was collapsing around her.

****

“ He is to be shot by the firing squad first thing in the morning. General Zimmer is coming here to
witness the execution. I want everything to go like clockwork”

Major Stein kept up his rapid-fire series of instructions to Corporal Kohl as he paced his office.

“ Don't worry Sir. I have made all the arrangements. He is to be shot in front of the town hall at
0600 hours tomorrow”

“ Good. That’s all Corporal”

Major Stein returned to the seat behind his desk and leaned back. He had done it. General Zimmer
was going to be pleased. His career was secure and capturing the Shadow was the crowning
moment of his military service. He was sure to get a promotion for this. This could well be his
ticket all the way to the top.

Major. Stein continued to daydream about the places he would go to and all the glories that he
would garner. He had a slight smile on his lips. This had been a very satisfying trip.

***

Gubin, Poland (February 26, 1942)

It was early morning and it had snowed the previous night, but the street leading up to the town hall
was crowded. The people were here to witness the execution of their great hero. Some of the
women in the crowd were openly weeping. Emotions were running high. The crowd was ready to
riot. Heavily armed soldiers lined the streets keeping order. Battle tanks were stationed nearby in
case of any trouble.

“ Are you sure this peasant is the Shadow?” grunted General Zimmer.

“ Yes Sir, quite sure. The scar on his right hand is definitely from the trap that I personally setup at
the munitions factory” replied Major Stein.

“ What about his claim that he was injured while fixing a fence? He does not look like a criminal to
me and from what I hear he is considered a lazy bum”

“ Sir, I assure you. He is our guy.”

The General did not reply. The time for the execution was fast approaching. Corporal Kohl was
overseeing the execution. He was reading out the charges against Nowak. John with both his hands
and legs chained was scanning the crowd looking for Sarah.

“ John Nowak, you are hereby accused of sabotage and treason. The punishment for your crime is
death by the firing squad. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Whatever John was about to say was drowned out by a huge explosion at the top floor of the town
hall where all the German records were stored.

Everyone present there witnessed a Shadowy figure jumping down from the roof and fast fleeing
the scene. Before anyone could react the figure disappeared around the corner.

Shouts of “The Shadow!!” .... “ Long live the Shadow!!” came from various parts of the crowd.
Soldiers were dispatched to pursue the Shadow. Other soldiers struggled to control the emotional
crowd. John Nowak was whisked away to the local jail.

The officers including General Zimmer, Major Stein and Corporal Kohl were hurried away from the
scene to the local headquarters.

It was total pandemonium.

****

“ Well Major. What do you have to say for yourself?” snarled General Zimmer. He was furious.

“ But Sir.. “ stammered Major Stein.

“ You caught a stupid peasant and tried to pass him off as the Shadow? What were you thinking?”
“ I was quite sure ...”

“ Shut up ... Everyone saw what happened. We were made to look like fools. He blew up a building
right under our very noses and to top it all he escaped. Now all we have is a stupid country fool who
you claim is the Shadow”

“ But Sir ... “

“ I have had enough of this. Release the fool and find me the real Shadow. Remember Major, you
are walking on thin ice.”

The threat was enough to freeze the blood in Major. Stein's veins. Everything he had worked for so
far was crumbling all around him. With a sinking feeling he left General Zimmer's office to do as he
was ordered.

***

It was late in the evening by the time John was released. He slowly walked back to his home. He
could not believe what had just happened. He had been sure that he would die today. The last thing
he had wanted to do was to look at Sarah's face but he had not been able to find her in the crowd.
He was worried about her.

His house was in total darkness. It did not look like Sarah was home. With a heavy heart he entered
and started looking around for matches to light a fire.

Suddenly a figure leapt at him from the shadows. With a surprised shout John tried to defend
himself. But the shadowy figure came close and .... hugged him.

A surprised John finally found the matches and got the fire going. He found himself face to face
with a figure clothed fully in black and wearing a black mask that covered the entire face leaving
just a slit for the eyes. He recognized those eyes ....

“ Sarah?”

Sarah pulled off her mask and hugged him again.

“ But how?” John was finding it very difficult to find words.

“ I know you are 'the Shadow' John. I found your disguise and your bombs in our backyard after
they took you away. I realized that the husband that I thought was lazy was actually a great hero of
our nation. I decided to help free you or die trying. I donned your costume and planned the town
hall explosion with the help of Maria and some other women of the town and as it turns out we
pulled it off.”

John was speechless. He had hidden the secret that he was the Shadow even from his wife. He had
gone all over the countryside at night sabotaging the German occupiers. He had faced great dangers
and overcome many hardships but all that paled in comparison to the courage and resourcefulness
shown by his wife.

“ Thank you, my darling” John finally managed.

Sarah smiled.
“ John, I solved one more mystery. I now know why you sleep so much during the day. It must have
been hard work going around at night blowing up buildings right?”

John grinned sheepishly at her and opened his arms wide. Sarah came into his arms and they both
hugged each other for a long time. They both believed that the love that they had for each other had
brought them together again and they were destined to be together for the rest of their lives. All
their troubles were forgotten. They had each other and that was all that mattered.
 Epilogue

The Shadow continued to trouble the German forces in Poland. The popular support for the Shadow
grew and resistance against the Germans increased all around rural Poland.

Major. Stein was forced to accept defeat in his efforts to capture the Shadow and was transferred
back to Germany. He opted to serve in the invasion against Russia and was killed in action in the
battle at Stalingrad on 1st February 1943.

John and Sarah Nowak were blessed with a son whom they named Andros. John set up his own
business selling hardware. He continued to go around the countryside for some more years selling
his goods. Except for his wife and a few close friends no one else knew what he was really doing.

The Legend of the Shadow continued to inspire people in Poland for many more years.

**** The End ****