Shadows of Yesterday

 

‘Shadows of Yesterday’ on Wattpad

These are stories of the courage and stoic endurance of everyday citizens of the tiny country of Denmark, under German Occupation in World War Two. Many accounts exist of heroes of wars throughout history and I know WW2 has been exceptionally well-represented – but I have chosen to recount stories of ordinary people showing extraordinary courage to survive their new and unimaginable day-to-day life. In 2017, I wrote the first quotation I used in:-

PART ONE – The Nightmare Begins

Bizarre – the strange beauty waiting to be found in the shadows of yesterday.

Unexpected shades of light and dark eternally highlight the best and worst of mankind.

 

The first chapter is called  ‘The Shadows Deepen Swiftly’,  using the imaginary words of a young journalist in a fictitious daily newspaper to express the shock and outrage of the ordinary Dane in the street. In the earliest days of the Occupation, an unimaginable amount of freedom of speech was allowed, in order for Hitler to achieve his ultimate goals.

 

In the second chapter,  ‘When Yellow was Pure Gold’ , King Christian the Tenth sets himself up as an example to his people of what courage and disdain of any other person or country to rule over patriotic hearts. Through the words of the young journalist and the eyes of a workman, we learn how it is possible to bend, but never break in your love of King and country.

 

And then the noose begins to tighten, along with the people’s belts, as rationing begins and flourishes… in  ‘The Hungry Years’ . Seen through the eyes of a small family, the simplest but most essential needs of Life require tremendous improvisation and creativity. Suddenly, those with rural backgrounds find themselves with greater ‘copability’ than they knew possible.

 

‘Small Matters’  is a record of an important victory for two loving parents who grieve for their small child and his loss of quality of life, growing in these troubled and frightening times. It’s a small win, compared to the happenings all around this beleagured country, but to this couple and their ‘treasure’, this is a memory that will never fade… for them.

 

In these earliest stages of WW2, the Larsens (who feature largely in this story, being the inspiration behind it) were permitted to visit and enjoy a short holiday with their country family on their farm. The reasoning for such generosity by the enemy is unknown, but it is believed to have been a short-lived thing. This chapter is called  ‘War on the Farm’  (and please note this one is still ‘under construction’ – soon to be complete).

 

PART TWO  – FIGHTBACK

I will add the same type of chapter synopsis as I write and rewrite the following chapters. At this time, these are the planned chapter names.

Abruptly Adult

Acts of Defiance

Industrial Workers Arise

Media, Mutinies and Mayhem

General Resistance

 

PART THREE – HUMOUR

Humour in the Midst of Horror

??Legends??

 

PART FOUR  –  THE UNDERGROUND

Underground

Freedom Fighters

Secrets in Stitchery

Cross Stitch

Saving Jews

 

PART FIVE – ENDINGS

At Last… It’s Over

Aftermath

Gone but not Forgotten

 

EPILOGUE

 

PART SIX – AND THEN?

The Place for New Beginnings

 

Christine