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AR WAS COMING EVER CLOSER AS AUGUST ENDED IN 1939. BUT W THE PEOPLE OF A POLISH TOWN NOT FAR OUTSIDE WARSAW, THEIR CAPITAL, WERE TRYING TO FORGET THE THREAT FROM BELLIGERENT NAZI GERMANY AND A TRAVELLING CIRCUS WAS JUST THE ANSWER. NOW OUR BROTHER ANDOR, CHAINED AND PADLOCKED AS YOU SEE, WILL BE LOCKED IN THIS TRUNK WHERE…

STORY MAC MACDONALD ART REZZONICO COVER JANEK MATYSIAK

…HE WILL FREE HIMSELF OF ALL THAT RESTRAINS HIM, AND EVEN UNLOCK THE TRUNK FROM THE INSIDE TO SPRING FREE!


4 THE HUNGARIAN LAKATOS BROTHERS WERE A STAR ACT. GERGO, THE YOUNGEST, BUILT UP THE TENSION IN CLEAR AND GOOD POLISH AS HIS OLDER BROTHER, FULOP, TURNED THE KEY IN THE LOCK ON THE TRUNK.

NOW ALL IS SEALED AND WE MUST WAIT WHILE OUR OLDEST BROTHER WORKS HIS MAGIC!

OUR NAME LAKATOS MEANS ‘LOCKSMITH’ IN HUNGARIAN, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE ANDOR’S TASK ANY EASIER!

EVEN THE ADULTS IN THE AUDIENCE WERE ENTHRALLED, ALTHOUGH THEY TRIED NOT TO SHOW IT. THE CHILDREN WERE ON THE EDGES OF THEIR SEATS. HE CAN SUFFOCATE IF HE DOESN’T GET OUT FAST ENOUGH. IT’S JUST LIKE BEING TRAPPED IN A SINKING SHIP.

STOP IT, BROTHER, I‘M SCARED.

ENOUGH, CHILDREN. I AM SURE THE HUNGARIAN WILL BE ALL RIGHT.


5 A CRASH LIKE A CANNON SIGNALLED THE BURSTING OPEN OF THE TRUNK AND THERE STOOD ANDOR LAKATOS, FREE AND TRIUMPHANT, HIS CHAINS AND PADLOCKS NO LONGER RESTRAINING HIM.

GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

YOU ARE LOOKING UPON THE GREATEST ESCAPOLOGIST IN THE WORLD!

I WOULD SAY THE UNIVERSE!

THE APPLAUSE WAS STILL RINGING OUT AS THE LADS SLIPPED FROM THE TENT WHERE JOZEF PAWLAK, THE EXUBERANT POLISH RINGMASTER AND CIRCUS OWNER, WAS DELIGHTED WITH ANOTHER GREAT PERFORMANCE.

A STERLING DISPLAY! YOUR SKILLS ARE FIRST CLASS.

THANK YOU, JOZEF. AT LEAST IT TAKES THE MINDS OF THE FOLK OFF HITLER AND HIS THREATS.


6 AS THE TWO YOUNGER BROTHERS MOVED ON, ANDOR HUNG BACK WITH JOZEF.

AND END BADLY IT DID. NEXT DAY, ON THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER, GERMAN GROUND FORCES INVADED POLAND, BACKED UP BY THE LUFTWAFFE.

IS THERE ANY NEWS OF WHAT THE NAZIS ARE UP TO?

NOTHING NEW, BUT I FEAR IT WILL END BADLY. OUR FORCES ARE ON FULL ALERT.

THE NEWS WAS BROKEN BY GERGO WHO HAD GONE TO GET BREAKFAST FOR THE OTHERS.

THE FIRST STEPS HAD BEEN TAKEN WHICH WOULD LEAD TO A WORLD BECOMING EMBROILED IN WAR.

THE NAZIS ARE INVADING POLAND! THE POLES ARE RESISTING AND THEY SAY BRITAIN AND FRANCE WILL DECLARE WAR ON GERMANY! IT’S HAPPENING, JUST AS WE FEARED.

SO WE MUST DECIDE WHAT TO DO.


7 THEIR PARENTS HAD DIED IN A ROAD CRASH SOME YEARS BEFORE AND ANDOR HAD BROUGHT THE OTHER TWO UP. THEIR FATHER, ALSO HUNGARIAN, HAD BEEN AN ESCAPOLOGIST, THEIR MOTHER A TRAPEZE ARTIST. SHE WAS FROM SWEDEN AND THE LADS, SWEDISH CITIZENS, HAD MADE THEIR HOME THERE WHEN THEY WERE NOT TRAVELLING AND PERFORMING. OUR BEST OPTION IS TO HEAD NORTH FOR THE BALTIC AND TAKE A BOAT TO SWEDEN, WHICH IS NEUTRAL AFTER ALL.

AGREED, BUT WE SHOULD MOVE FAST. THE POLES WILL FIGHT, BUT THEY ARE UP AGAINST HEAVY ODDS.

THEY SAID THEIR GOODBYES AND HIT THE ROAD AS SOON AS THEY COULD. THE BROTHERS HAD CRISS-CROSSED EUROPE SINCE THEY WERE YOUNG AND KNEW THIS AREA WELL, BUT IT WAS SOON CLEAR THAT THE GERMANS WERE ATTACKING ON A WIDE FRONT.

THERE’S MORE SMOKE TO THE SOUTH AGAIN. THEY MUST BE USING BOMBERS, BUT I HAVEN’T SEEN ANY.

WE WANT TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.


8 BUT EYES IN THE SKY HAD ALREADY SPOTTED THE VEHICLE.

THAT COULD BE AN ARMY TRUCK…

THE PILOT OF THE JUNKERS 87 WAS NOT SURE, BUT HE DECIDED TO ATTACK ANYWAY.

STRIKE WHERE WE CAN ARE THE ORDERS OF THE DAY.

THE BROTHERS DID HEAR AN AIRCRAFT ENGINE BUT THE BULLETS FOLLOWED TOO FAST AFTER THAT SOUND FOR ANDOR TO TAKE ANY EVASIVE ACTION.

GOOD GRIEF!

THE MANIACS!


9 THIS WAS ONE PREDICAMENT NOT EVEN ANDOR COULD ESCAPE FROM. THE VEHICLE LURCHED OFF THE ROAD AND BEGAN TO TOPPLE. HOLD ON…AAGH!

URGH!

THEIR ATTACKERS TURNED AWAY, SATISFIED THAT THEIR TARGET WAS OUT OF COMMISSION, WHETHER IT WAS A CIVILIAN OR MILITARY ONE. NO SIGN OF ANY SURVIVORS AND IT’S STARTING TO BURN.

A JOB WELL DONE. WE’LL HEAD FOR BASE NOW.


10 SOMEHOW THE THREE LADS HAD SURVIVED, ALTHOUGH FULOP WAS UNCONSCIOUS. ANDOR PUSHED GERGO OUT OF THE WRECKAGE FIRST AND THEN THEY PULLED THEIR BROTHER FREE. WHY DID THEY DO THAT? WE ARE CIVILIANS AND NEUTRAL ONES AT THAT!

THE NAZIS HAVE TORN UP THE RULE BOOK, I FEAR. IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.

FULOP SOON CAME TO WITH NO MORE THAN A SORE HEAD AND BRUISES LIKE THE OTHERS. THEIR VAN WAS A SMOULDERING WRECK BY THE TIME IT ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF A GERMAN MOTORCYCLE PATROL PUSHING AHEAD OF THE MAIN ENEMY FORCE.

WE’LL CHECK THIS OUT, SEE WHAT THE LUFTWAFFE FOUND FOR US TODAY.

GERMANS… LET ME DO THE TALKING.




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