By Sokrat Shyti
Part Fifty-Nine
Memorie.al /The writer Sokrat Shyti is the “great unknown” who for several years has shown the tip of the iceberg of his literary creativity. I say this based on the limited number of his published books in recent years, mainly the voluminous novel “The Ghost Night” (Tirana 2014). The novels: “BEYOND MYSTERY,” “BETWEEN TEMPTATION AND WHIRLPOOL,” “THE DIGGING OF NIGHTMARES,” “THE SHADOW OF SHAME AND DEATH,” “COLONEL MAIN HAND,” “THE FADING HOPES,” “THE TWISTS OF FATE” I, II, “SURVIVAL IN THE COWSHED,” as well as other works, all novels with 350 – 550 pages, are in manuscripts waiting to be published. The dreams and initial enthusiasm of the young novelist, returning from studies abroad full of energy and love for art and literature, were cut short early by the harsh blade of communist dictatorship.
Who is Sokrat Shyti?
Having returned from studies at the State University of Moscow right after the rupture of Albanian-Soviet relations in 1960, Sokrat Shyti worked in “Radio-diffusion” (which at that time was located on Kavaja Street), in an editorial office with his journalist friends – Vangjel Lezho and Fadil Kokomani – both of whom were later arrested and subsequently executed by the communist regime. Besides the radio, 21-year-old Sokrat had passionate literary interests at that time. He wrote his first novel “Madam Doctor” and was on the verge of publication, but… alas! Shortly after the arrest of his friends, to fill the cup, one of his brothers, a painter, escaped abroad.
Sokrat was arrested in September 1963, and in November of that year, he was interned along with his family (his mother and little sister) in a place between Ardenica and Kolonje of Lushnje. For 27 consecutive years, the family lived in a cowshed made of reeds, without windows, while Sokrat was subjected to forced labor. During those 27 years, he was legally obliged to report three times a day to the local authority. He had no right to leave the place of internment, was deprived of any kind of documents, etc. In these conditions, amid a cowshed, he gave birth to and raised his children. Precisely from this event, or more accurately a very long story of persecution, he based his writing of the book “Survival in the Cowshed”!
Agron Tufa
Continued from the previous issue
EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK “SURVIVAL IN THE COWSHED”
The next day, before the morning light had even dawned, the order of the General Command arrived in the division in encrypted code: “Let the approved NBU soldiers depart for the new location, in the hills of the village of Hamallaj in Sukthi, accompanied by the officers in charge”!
The captain’s cry, like a cry of a lubie, shook every pore of our bodies, down to the marrow! We jumped out of bed in fear, convinced that “Red” had been consumed by the rage of revenge, so he wanted to play with our nerves one last time, forcing us to crawl away, so that when we leave here, the silhouette of the torturer would remain in our trembling imagination, and our minds would finally be filled with the fact that this being was not born from a woman’s womb, but emerged from the waters of the Red Sea!…
However, this time the line up in front of the bed had nothing to do with the usual training, since the first cry was not accompanied by the subsequent screaming commands, and surprisingly, a deep silence settled! After a while, instead of screaming sobs, we heard the soft voice of the sector chief, who told us to make our beds, take care of our personal needs, prepare our backpacks, eat breakfast, and immediately line up in front of the dormitory, where we will board the cars to go where the Homeland calls us.
We set to work diligently, carrying out the orders of the sector chief, now excited, without the initial fear, because instead of the threatening nightmare, we were overwhelmed with the intoxicating pleasure of the transfer.
Although none of us knew where we were going, each of us believed in the hope that we would emerge on dry land and breathe freely. First of all, we were sure that nowhere is there another creature as terrifying as the sykuk captain. And just as important: many of the soldiers were convinced that in the new unit, they would not be called newly arrived recruits, but with two-month experience, which meant that the quarantine was over, and that its cycle would not be repeated.
Consequently, the soldiers were given the right to leave. And if luck would have it, the unit’s location was right next to the road, a twenty-four-hour leave would be enough to go home to their family for a while! This opportunity is a radical change, compared to the life here, isolated as in a concentration camp, where at most the dream extended to going to Burrel!
While we were waiting in line for the command for further action, I noticed the company commissar, who approached a small officer to say something. Perhaps he was giving him an order to keep in mind, or explaining something to him. But after a while the officer’s gaze was fixed on my portrait, and I realized that their conversation was mainly about me. And so it turned out: the commissar motioned for me to come over to them.
– “This will be your new commander,” the commissar explained.
– “Since you are both almost the same age, I believe you will understand each other very quickly. For your information: I expressed my opinion that you should be his right-hand man, in the role of deputy, to perform the duties of the commissar.
Because in the new structure, there is no officer, salaried company commissar in the organizational chart. Therefore, this duty is performed by an educated soldier, as your job.”
– “Thank you for your appreciation and trust, comrade commissar! I also thank you, comrade commander, for accepting the proposal of our esteemed commissar, with whom we worked together in a spirit of complete understanding”! – I addressed the petite officer.
Colonel Josifi approached us, to tell the commissar to deliver the greeting, as the moment of departure had come. The officers were placed in front of the soldiers, according to their ranks. The commissar raised his voice and began his usual speech, repeating several times the following phrases: “Our glorious Party”, “Comrade Enver”, “Revolutionary vigilance”, “We dance in the mouth of the wolf”, “We live and train as if in a siege”. “They turn the rifle back on us, we have them in the muzzle of the cannon”, etc. In the end, he expressed the confidence of the party organization and the command of the unit, that the soldiers of the NBU will honorably carry out the duty assigned to them by the Fatherland, as effective soldiers in the regular structure of the Armed Forces.
After the commissar’s welcoming speech, the soldiers began boarding the covered trucks, sitting on the wooden benches, according to the list.
– “Why wasn’t my name called?”!… – I asked the commissar anxiously.
– “You are the commander’s right-hand man, you will sit in the cabin with the accompanying officer,” – the commissar replied with some pride, as if to say: “Do you see how far-sighted and important we, the loyal assistants of the Party, are?”
The two military vehicles set off, headed for the checkpoint, where Commander Sula was waiting to shake my hand. – “Every time you look at the photographs where we have been, you will remember our conversations,” – he said with a parting smile.
The cars continued their slow drive until they reached the bend in the road. Then they picked up the appropriate speed, according to the regulations. Behind us remained the dense fog, the wooden barracks like horse stables, the red-earth hills and the piercing cries of the captain, which made our flesh shiver and made us cry!
Along the way, the accompanying officer, Commander Aliu, wanted to quench the main curiosity: how did it happen that a journalist performs military service in an agricultural enterprise, when in the meantime the need for a commissar is felt like never before, due to the fact that these officers must have comprehensive political preparation: in addition to military education, they must necessarily have graduated from the party’s higher school.
– “Or in your case, the final age limit served as a condition”? – he added at the end.
– “It depends on how the Military Branch saw it”, – I replied, wanting to end his curiosity with this.
– “However, regardless of why you were taken as a soldier in this unit, I was glad that the leaders of the NBU appreciated you”! – the lieutenant expressed his approval.
– “Do you know why this appreciation came? – I addressed the slender lieutenant. – Because the military unit is headed by a highly trained major officer, who graduated from the academy in Moscow, and with his personal example, he radiates politeness to all subordinates. I believe you must have noticed during this time, that you were in the NBU, what a compactness there was among the officers of the unit, how polite and humane they were! These relations were created thanks to the personal example and politeness of the colonel. I would very much like to find the same situation in the new unit, where we are going…! This is especially important for you, young career officers”.
– “Since we are new formations, we don’t even know who our superiors will be – said the lieutenant. – But a friend at the FUD headquarters mentioned the name of the regiment’s commissar, with the rank of colonel, who graduated from the party’s higher school.”
– “Where do you come from, comrade lieutenant?” – I asked him, so as not to thicken the conversation with military details.
– “From Kuçi i Kurvelesh. We are a livestock family; we mainly raise and breed goats, since the pastures are suitable. Usually, many boys from our villages are sent to the United Military School”.
– “What if they asked you what you want, which branch would you choose”?
– “I like teaching”! – the lieutenant immediately answered.
– “This means that you love children and will be a caring father in your family”, – I added.
– “Are you engaged?” – he asked me.
– “I got engaged two months ago”.
– “How unfortunate it was for you: right after the engagement, you were drafted into the army!… – Why did it happen like that? They should have left you at least two or three months…”?!
– “But even if they let me, I would get up now with the general mobilization”, – I told him to avoid curiosity.
– “If we settle in the village of Hamallaj in Sukthi, I say we will be fine”, – he expressed his opinion. – “So you know this village”? – I asked.
– “In fact, the village lays further down, near the coast. But we will settle in the hills. I have wandered all of them on foot. They are gentle and beautiful hills, with vineyards. There was a regular military unit among them. So there are sleeping buildings with sailor beds, a kitchen with its equipment, there is water for cooking and drinking, there is a food warehouse”.
– “This is wonderful”! – I expressed my satisfaction.
– “You have to fix it: we will run and administer the company together,” the lieutenant emphasized. “I will be in charge of the military side, while you will be in charge of the political side and deal with the economic side.”
– “So I will be doing a quarter of the commissar’s duties and a full warehouseman’s duties”?…
– “The most urgent task for us is finding a cook,” the lieutenant said. “Have you heard the expression; ‘with our own strength’? Which means: only the master can pull the donkey out of the mud”?
– “I have an idea in my head, but I’m not sure: it seems to me that yesterday the sector chief was interested in knowing if the final list included the name of a soldier he liked. When I asked Commander Sula why this interest was there, he replied: the soldier in question worked as a cook in the Peshkopia Tourism, so the chief will not remove him from here without his consent. However, the soldier learned of the sector chief’s intervention and went straight to the colonel, begging him to transfer, explaining that the new unit definitely needs a cook, while here he does not practice his profession. If the colonel has accepted this request, I say that we have solved this important problem. Here is the list of soldiers. Take a look and see if you can find his name”, – added the lieutenant in a welcoming tone.
– “We are lucky: it is in our car”! – I said happily.
– “Since we have found the solution to the most difficult problem, let’s use the time to divide the tasks: As soon as we arrive at the unit, we will arrange the soldiers in the dormitory, according to the list, so that each one deals with the mattresses and blankets, and the environment is thoroughly cleaned inside and out. Next, some soldiers will be assigned to wash and rinse the kitchen utensils, and fill the water.
Some others will clean the bathrooms. The rest will be cleaning the territory, so that everything around shines, since the FUD officers are expected to come suddenly for inspection to see how we are arranged. It is up to us to carry out all the work here, to have the best possible conditions for ourselves. So that when the observers arrive, they do not make any remarks to us, and we have the opportunity to inquire about the supply of food and any other requests. Of course, one of us, you or I, will go to the warehouse headquarters of the FUD, to withdraw the necessary base…”!
– “First it is up to you to go, comrade commander, as an officer and company leader, taking into account that your signature must be filed. A few days later, after the settlement, when I am equipped with special authorization from the regimental command, I will deal with the supply chores, while you will fulfill the training program with the soldiers.
– “Upon arrival here of the regimental commissar, first of all we will talk together, how the political work will be organized, so that we do not have misunderstandings tomorrow. And tomorrow, if by chance the regimental leaders are caught in a tight spot by the FUD chiefs, let them not blame us for not being interested, – said commander Aliu. – On this occasion, the regimental commissar also gives his approval for you, hands you over the theme of each day of political work, the notebook of notes, so that you reflect the issues and main points, exactly like teachers do”.
– “According to you, comrade commander, the commissar will not show any hesitation about my appointment to the role of the leader of political work”? – I asked.
– “Debt?!…On the contrary, he will congratulate me, for giving him this perfect solution ready. We have a wonderful fortune, that we have in our ranks a journalist from the Central Radio, moreover the leader of the youth program! You know from me: as soon as the FUD people find out, they will have to clean up”!…
– “In what sense”? – I was interested.
– “They will pull you to the Officers’ House, at the villa of the former King Zog, in Durrës, and they will engage you with various tasks. First of all, according to my guess, they will ask you to do reports on the Armed Naval Forces, where you describe the enthusiasm and revolutionary readiness, that we are a granite rock on the shores of the Adriatic and Ionian Sea”! – Commander Aliu said in one breath, convinced that this would happen.
Without even spending two days in the beautiful hills of the village of Hamallaj (where I felt like I had come to a holiday camp among clean air, vineyards, abundant water, and deep tranquility, without annoying harassment and unrest, and especially without the terrible cries of the captain Sykuq), they informed Commander Aliu by radio, to report to the FUD command.
Despite the fact that the lieutenant remained one thousand percent loyal to his opinion, that if he were called to engage in important tasks, as he had predicted, I was confused by the terrifying suspicion, perhaps the ill-wishers had raised the alarm, setting in motion the mechanism of the Security, they had set a trap for me so that, as soon as I arrived there, they would handcuff me, with the serious accusation that I had deceived the officers of the People’s Army, that I had appeared before them dressed in the skin of a journalist, hiding today’s reality!
After two hours of radio announcement, I noticed a Chinese “Gaz”-69, the color of sunflower oil, winding its way through the vineyards, which made me shiver, because it reminded me of the “Gaz”-69 of that evening, when they arrested Fadil Kokomani in the dark alley in front of the four-story building of the Radio. But I gave myself courage and encouragement, with the reasoning that the scary suspicion should remain a suspicion, maybe the military “Jeep” has nothing to do with me at all, it’s just coming for an inspection. So I told Lieutenant Ali to stay alert and wait.
He asked me quite worriedly if the company officer was there, maybe some crazy person had run away to the village to buy something at the store. This question multiplied our internal excitement, since at that moment it seemed completely impossible to be certain of the presence of the officer one hundred percent.
My first suspicion went to Private Halimi, a big man from the village of Grabian, who was almost alone in his free time, and during these two days, I had noticed that he was suffering from a pronounced physical weakness, because not only did he walk slowly, like helpless people who have been sick, but even ten rations were not enough to fill him up! Memorie.al
To be continued in the next issue
Copyright©“Memorie.al”
All rights to this material are exclusively and irrevocably owned by “Memorie.al”, in accordance with Law No. 35/2016 “On Author’s Rights and Related Rights”. It is strictly prohibited to copy, publish, distribute, or transfer this material without the authorization of “Memorie.al”; otherwise, any violator will be held liable under Article 179 of Law 35/2016.
