The sky was grey. The mood was black. 1948 Czechoslovakia was not a nice place to live.
Anika Novakova had hoped the end of the war was a sign that things would improve. They did not. The ruling Communist Party was only interested in cementing their power and not improving the life of their citizens.

Together with her husband Damek, they had been allocated a small one bedroom apartment that was cold as hell in the winter and almost intolerable in summer. They hung sheet curtains for some relief and privacy.

Their limited work restricted their true earning potential, and they often pooled resources with other neighbors to ensure they had at least some variety of food, in addition to the standard loaf of bread and a slab of butter.

On top of that, the Communist Party regularly carried out raids looking for "dissidents" or evidence of enrichment. That simply meant if you had food left over.

On one occasion, her husband had been taken and spent five days in the local police cells. He was tortured in the belief he had been encouraging people to look for another country to live. America was the dream of most. Yes they wanted to leave, and America was their first choice, but to get there would involve a miracle.

A miracle did come, but in a different form than they could have ever anticipated.

The Tuesday local distribution of basic necessities, bread and a small slab of butter, had the usual long line up. This time though, there was an additional person near the line. He introduced himself as Tony and he was from Australia, as part of their consulate group and there was some information he would like to give her. The leaflet was of one page and mostly in bold printing, AUSTRALIA- LAND OF TOMORROW. (1)

Damek was beside himself after reading the leaflet and insisted they speak further with Tony. They did. Forms were completed, signed and a tentative date for leaving was set. Could this be true?

True it was, but the communist party officials continually pulled them aside, telling them that there were no jobs in Australia and of the terrible heat and dust storms. Neither of them could be swayed.

Neighbors claimed they were so brave but Anika would always reply " When you can see no future, what do you do?"`

The trip was long and not at all comfortable. Train journeys, some buses, but mainly chartered sea vessels. Anika clung to her Passport to Bonegilla as if it were her last possession. Bonegilla, they were told, was a purpose made town which would house immigrants from all around the world. They would learn the Australian way, be housed, fed and entertained. Importantly, they would be allocated work with payment.

Anika and Damek were not disappointed with the reality of Bonegilla, despite it being a converted military base. Some disliked it, but in comparison to where they had come from, it was heaven. Their allocated space within a long dormitory style of accommodation was comfortable enough. Again, they hung sheet curtains for privacy and some protection from the searing sun.

Anika`s keenness to work became evident, and she was assigned many tasks by the Australian administrators. Within six months an offer for her and Damek to leave and take an employment opportunity became reality. It was their first step towards real freedom. However, there were still many battles to come. In particular, there was one battle that cemented their acceptance of Australia as their new home.

Their home in the outer suburbs of Sydney was not large nor was it new. It had very basic furniture. They hung sheet curtains on all the windows. She was acutely aware that their home was the only one with them in the street. Unlike in Czechoslovakia and Bongellia, their home was stark in its lack of proper curtains. It stood out like "dogs balls" ( an expression learnt from her Aussie experience at Bongellia). However, her disappointment was tempered by her knowledge that it was better to be behind these sheet curtains than the Iron Curtain.

Disappointingly, some of the local children had made a point of targeting the home. One youngster delighted in testing his bravery by running to her front wire screen door and thumping the door and yelling "Wicked Witch, Wicked Witch" before turning and racing to a gutter ditch, to accept the applause and backslapping of his three comrades. Anika likened them to the Communists, as they relied on nothing more than assumptions as to what lay beyond the curtains. All the time, they were no doubt building up the evil nature of the inhabitants and the terrible things they were doing to fictitious others. The boys declared the attacks must continue until ultimate victory was accomplished. Their egos also demanded it.

However, like many battles, the foes are rarely equally armed. Anika held a number of advantages:

First she had position. Her home was on the raise of the land and unbeknown to the attackers, there was a clear view of their position at all times. The slight opening of her curtains, provided a wide vista of their meeting spot and occasionally she would overhear some of their plans. She had already learnt the name of the leader, through their cheering when he approached the gutter ditch. Eddie was his name. He was likeable and clearly had a lot of sway with the others.

Second she was compassionate. Boys testing their manhood and evolving into life always found a way to be greater than they were. Whilst they may be shy in the presence of their parents, once released, they were warriors, achieving great feats and righting despicable wrongs. They built up a false belief. Anika was not angry with them but it was now time to cease the battles and win the war.

Third she had a secret weapon.

The day of what was to be the final attack, came on a Sunday. This was unusual, as all previous attacks had been between 3pm and 5 pm weekdays and clearly related to after school activities. In addition, two other comrades had joined the group. Anika was wondering whether or not this was a full on assault. Perhaps they had purposely changed their tactics or was it simply Eddie wanting to play to a bigger crowd. She thought the latter, but it mattered not.
She was able to set the trap quickly. By luck the secret weapon had been lovingly prepared that very morning. There was plenty of ammunition and the location of her wire screen door allowed for the secret weapon to be revealed to the attacker at the very last moment. There would be no escape.

Eddie broke from the pack, and amid cheers, stretched out towards his goal.
He reached the alcove to the screen door and turned sharply. There was an obstruction he could not escape. He braced quickly. Mouth open and eyes popping, he just stared.
Calmly, Anika greeted him, "Hi Eddie, I am the "Wicked Witch."

Eddie silently assessed. His name was known and nowhere to go. Defeated, perhaps, with a face saving option that only surrender would provide.

"You are not a witch", he remarked, as he eyed the weapon just below his feet.
"Would you like some?", and before he could answer, "Oh and your friends as well."
His smile and eyes told the answer. "What type are they?"
"My famous Vanilla Biscuits. A real treat from where I come."
"Where are you from?"
"Czechoslovakia."
" Wow, I think that is a long way away."
Anika invitingly said "Yes it is, but those biscuits will make it seem like it is here."
Eddie took the hint, and picked up the plate full of biscuits and stepped out into the open until he could be viewed by the others.
"Hey you lot, come on up .Seems I found some treasure."
He smiled at Anika and tasted a biscuit.

The war was won. A new friend gained.