THE FORTUNATE TALE OF THE HERTZ'S

It was a series of fortunate events that lead to the survival of the entire Hertz familie. Frau Karin Hertz was up very late coming up with new designs for her top notch clothing store. She heard the first lot of inconsistent siren calls and took quick actions to wake her familie. If she had moved slower this tale world be less fortunate and more unfortunate. Her husband had trouble keeping up from his heart condition, lucky she had two adolescent boys to help, while she carried her two year old daughter. They made it in time to the bomb shelter just before it closed. Inside, only a sparse amount of people.

The next day it was immediate hospitalization for Lukas Hertz and Dora Hertz, who inhaled too much smoke fumes. A few days later they were released but the family no longer had a home therefore they had to make do living in their shop, which was okay nonetheless.

It was more fortunate that they had still a lot of Frau Hertz deceased father's money in the bank. Enough to buy a cheap house and continue a life as they would elsewhere.

40 Himmel Street was their new address.

He thought his new house was ten times smaller than his previous one, but what could he do? Turn back time? No. Besides he was lucky to survive the bombs at all, and more so with his entire familie.

Gollo remembered this was the street he walked Liesel to, and he planned to look for her very soon.

With a third knock on their new neighbours house, 41 Himmel Street, the door opened revealing a young faced girl who looked near his age or possibly younger.

"Hello, do you know a Liesel," Gollo was aware he was asking a complete stranger this but it was possibly the girl knew who he was talking about, afterall they lived in the same street and shared the same bomb shelter.

The girl replied, "Do you mean Liesel Meminger?"

"I think so... Does she have dark blonde hair and brown eyes?"
"Ja. Who are you?"

Gollo became acquainted with the girl named Kristina Muller. She then pointed the the small house with a wall flourished with rose and vines climbing up alongside it. "I've got to warn you. Liesel, she can be pretty scary sometimes."

In the basement, Liesel's head was buried in her book, her hand jingly a pen.

The rain was warm in the hot air.

Just like the kiss in the tight embrace.

I wanted eternity there,

But eternity doesn't last forever,

in my life.

But he might just be in my life forever...

Liesel wrote more about Rudy than she has of anyone else. Lines and pages, more.

She would be with him now if he was not at Hitler's youth group.

LIESEL MEETS GOLLO AGAIN.

Her ears perked up by the sound of her name.

"Liesel, there's a boy here to see you."

Rosa stepped aside cautiously, revealing a smiling boy with curly dark locks and green, brown eyes.

He survived! He looked well! He was alive! Smiling too.

She ran to him and pulled him into a tight hug as if they were lifelong friends who were lost from each other.

"Gollo! Gollo! You're alive! How did you find me?"

"Yes! And guess what? I'm your new neighbor."

"REALLY!"

Rosa Hubermann watch the strange scene. With her daughter acting strange with a strange boy.

Und wer könnte diese dummer Junge sein? "And who could this silly boy be?"

Liesel explained to her mama that the boy was in fact the son of their most recent and more recently lost customers, the Hertz familie.

It was rare that Rosa Hubermann invited someone over; but her heart that was hidden miles deep pitied the boy for what the bombs had caused on him.

With tea, jam, and bread shared among introductions between the three, Liesel thought it was quite nice. It would be more so, if her mama's eyeballs weren't so curiously focused on Gollo. She could see her stares made him slightly uncomfortable, as it would anybody.

"So, does this mean your familie is no longer at my service?" Rosa couldn't resist asking.