Visit from a Black Raven

If you lived in the Soviet Union in 1938, and you came across a Black Raven, what would be your reaction? Welcome it? Ignore it? Want to run away in terror?

Well, to answer that question, you'd have to know what kind of Black Raven we're talking about. We'll give you a few hints. First, we're not talking about a black bird.

Second hint... The story for Under Jakob's Ladder revolves around a typical arrest that happened in the Soviet Union in the late 1930s. Like so many others, Jakob is arrested in the middle of night. The secret police -- the NKVD -- who handle the arrest are driving what is called a "Black Raven".

And since 1938 was at the height of Stalin's Great Terror, you could be arrested for -- well, practically nothing. This was a time when neighbors denounced neighbors. Even a child saying something innocently at school could result in one of these visits.

So, what would you do if you saw a Black Raven drive by in 1938?

(Although, in all likelihood, you'd probably be asleep when the Black Raven came calling. Because they always came out at night. And by the time they showed up and knocked on your window, it would already be... too late.)