I am standing in a hut in Camp II. It is cold in here. Damp and musty smelling. Before me is a thin man, impeccably dressed in a white military coat. He has brown hair hidden under an SS cap. He tells me his name is Captain Stangl, and that he is the Kommandant.

He looks at me disdainfully.

'What is your name?’

'It is Avraham sir,' I reply.

‘Avraham. I want you to know that my authority here is unquestioned,’ he says. ‘I have the power of life and death in this camp.’

He motions for me to sit in a chair by a table. I do so, and he takes a seat opposite.

‘So you are a goldsmith. Do you have any gold with you?’ he asks.

‘Yes, a little.’ I reply.

‘And your tools. Are they in the bag?’

I nod.

'Show me them.'

I knew he was testing me. A Jew would say he had a skill so that his life might be spared.

I open my bag and remove my tools. A small kerosene burner with a wick, a glass tube, some wire and chisels, and a piece of charcoal.

‘Tell me,’ said the Kommandant. ‘I want to know. How do you make things with these tools?’

'Sir, I heat the charcoal with this burner and I blow on it until it glows. Then I place the hard gold in a hole in the centre of the charcoal. When it melts, I pour the gold into a mold, which I have made with wire. I use the chisel to make the final shape. Sometimes I put lime on my hands to protect it from the heat, but I am so used to the high temperatures that I can work without.'

'Good, good. I want you to make me two rings. One for myself and one for Captain Wagner. How long will you need?’

'I can make them for you in a day.’

‘Excellent,’ he stands.

‘Herr Kommandant?’

‘Yes?’

‘I was wondering about my wife. Her name is Henya,' I say. 'She was taken to Camp III yesterday. When might I be able to see her?'

The Kommandant averts my gaze and rubs at a piece of dirt on his hands. 'Soon,' he says. 'She is happy and well, and enjoying her work in the fields. She is lucky. The work there is easy. You will join her soon.'