I was there when the Russian Imperial Family was murdered. My name is Anna Demidova. I was good friends with Nicholas’ youngest daughter Anastasia and Alexandra. We where held in captivity to look after the Russian Family while the white army was trying to overrun the city whose name I don’t know. We were living in peace and even let out to tend to our gardens and swim in the stream.
Used to take pictures of the girls and the family al together plastering their fake smiles with fear only a word away to bring them to tears. I laughed along with them as well as added in jokes when we all full well knew our fate. I always thought that one day we might get out and I would be able to resume my place as Maria’s servant but fate had other plans.
I don’t know the day of when this betrayal happened because they didn’t allow us to have a calendar. But I knew it was past Ana’s birthday. My beloved Romanov family was murdered in the early hours of July the 17th. At around midnight Yakov Yurovsky was order by Yakov Sverdlov to execute the prisoners. Yakov.Y ordered DR. Eugene Botkin to get us all into the basemen. He was told that we were going to leave and gave us all false hope. When we got in there Nickolas and the Grand Duchess Olga sat down on 3 chairs. Letting The Empress sit on the other.
Yokav.K stood in front of us all and read out “Nikolas Aleksandrovich, in view of the fact that your relatives are continuing their attack on Soviet Russia, the Ural Executive Committee has decided to execute you”. Nickolas turned to us all and said “What”? Yokav repeated and I shrunk back into the corner of the room. The guards raised their guns and fired at Nickolas, The Empress and Grand Duchess Olga. The Empress and the Grand Duchess tried to protect themselves but failed. Nickolas was killed instantly and they all fell to the floor.
The soldiers then continually fired and Ana, Tiatiana and Maria. The bullets hit then but the jewels they were wearing saved them from the first onslaught. When Nick had fallen smoke was clouding the room and guards were opening the doors. Ana, Alexi and Maria were the last. Alexei was shot twice in the back of the head trying to escape. He was so young. Tatiana was killed by a single bullet to the back of the head and Maria and Ana were trying to protect their heads in the coroner of the room and Maria was obliterated with bullets and Ana was speared several times with bayonets.
I saw one of the back doors open and saw my chance. My eyes were cloudy and I never saw it coming. He jumped out at me smacking me into the back window covered in bars. I felt my bones crack form the force. He was panting and out of breathe. I struggled to get back up and kicked him in the side of the head. He fell to the ground with out a word.
I limped my way towards the door sending pain up and down my back from each step. I got outside the room and found a window. I looked out it and knew if I jumped I would die. I was still clouting onto my pillow. The last thing that I had of my second family. I was half way down the hall when I heard that the guards had finally found their fallen Conrad. I tried to quicken up my paced and made it to the end of the hallway. I turned right I always wonder what would have happened if I turned left.
I limped as fast as I could to end of the hallway and looked out the window. I saw river that was probably deep enough to stop my fall. I stepped up onto the ledge and was about to jump when someone grab me around the stomach. I tried to hold onto the wall with my free arm but the pain was excruciating in my back. I was forced to let go and I started to kick and scream for him to let me go. He covered my mouth with his hand and I knew that since no one could hear me on one would come to save me. I thrashed and kicked with all my until several more pairs of hands toke control of my body rendering me useless. I am a small person but that didn’t stop them from chucking me in between them like their personal puppet.
I was still clutching to my pillow and saw the moonlight shining in through the bared window. I could feel the tears stinging my eyes and saw my second family piled up on the floor in the corner. I saw that they had tossed the man that attacked me in the other corner. The guard holding me tossed me down onto the floor letting the diamond in the pillow cut into my hand. I stood up and thought that I wasn’t going down without a fight. I looked around and the guards had smug looks on their faces. I was going to wipe them off or die trying. I saw on pull out a knife and I kick him in the leg making him fall onto the ground. I was about to turn around when something pierced into the back of my gown.
I could feel the warm blood trickle down my back. I turned to face my attacker and he went to slit my throat but I raise my pillow up in defense. The knife sliced it open and all of Maria’s diamonds scattered onto the floor. He stabbed me in the heart and held it there letting go. I knew I was going to die so I yanked it out and sliced the top of his chest blood pooling out and he collapsed to the ground. I could feel my strength fading so I threw the knife and fell onto the floor. The last thing I saw before my eyes closed forever was the beauty of Maria’s favorite diamond glimmering in the moonlight.
Paul M