Living against the backdrop of increasingly destabilizing international relations, rising totalitarian regimes, political instability, and economic impoverishment made the people of Hamburg stare at a stark and uncertain future in Europe.

A war was looming ahead, they feared. The ambiance in every house was filled with tense trepidation whenever there was an announcement on the radio.

Schools and factories were shutting down in anticipation, and the Jews were being forced into hiding.

In such a scenario, the children dreaded the worst — being separated forever. They had overheard their parents discuss the possibility of arrests and persecution of members of the Jewish community. This meant that Rachel would have to go into hiding with her family, too.

They understood little about war and its repercussions, though, and were blissfully unaware of the happenings.

“Are we never meeting again, Rachel?” asked a teary-eyed Laura.

“Maybe not, Laura. This could be our last,” said Rachel softly, wiping her tears and those of her friends with her baby hands.

“Father was asking Mother to pack our essentials into small cloth bags and cardboard boxes; we could leave any time soon, and I have no clue where he is taking us. Last night after supper, he whispered into Miriam and my ears that we are going on an underground adventure, but something tells me that we are not returning,”…her voice trailed.

“I want to come with you,” pleaded Laura, but Rachel knew that they couldn’t take her along, no matter how distraught the families were.

The news tore Laura to pieces just as it did Rachel. Rachel was not only her next-door neighbor but also her best friend since childhood. They had memories aplenty — playing, studying, and sharing their little girlie secrets. They attended the same school, too. They were so inseparable that the elders often joked that they were like the fraternal twins joined at the hip.

The situation was growing menacingly dark and grim in Hamburg, as elsewhere. The streets were frequently strewn with strangers whom the residents suspected to be spies in garb. They could trust none.

“Where is Uncle Stein taking his family, Mum? I will miss Rachel dearly…” asked an emotional Laura later that evening.

“So will we, sweetheart! But do not worry, they will be safe. They are going on an expedition, and we shall all meet again,” consoled Anna, but Laura was not convinced.

She looked at her mother with crossed brows and said, “No, Mum, Rachel never lies to me. She tells me that we shall never meet again…” Laura stifled a cry, and Anna rushed to protect her into a motherly embrace, but it was too late. She had by then turned to run into her little room.

In bed that night, Laura replayed Rachel’s words and cried herself to sleep. How they wished they could reverse the timeline and be transported to the past when they were carefree little playful girls.

Laura’s dad served as a paramilitary staff with Schutzstaffel, and Rachel’s father was a merchant at the upscale Markthalle in Hamburg.

The girls were only a few months apart and, like their parents, were thick friends.

They were born during tumultuous times when the German-Jew interactions were under considerable scrutiny and strain, and yet they had always seen their families stay immune to the prevailing hostile climate and refused to align with the political ideologies in the country.

The Müller and the Stein families shared a deep and unwavering bond of loyalty and profound friendship. There wasn’t a single occasion missed, or invitation declined at their households.

And here they were heading towards the inevitable!

Karl, Laura’s father, feared that he would be summoned to join his line of duty, which could have meant following senseless and brutal orders from the top command, including carrying out bloody exterminations.

The tides of time were testing his patience and allegiance towards both his country and friend and his community.

Both the Müller and the Stein families were heartbroken!

There wasn’t anything Karl could do to hold back Aaron. He had to leave fast. The police were conducting raids unannounced and combing each house in the neighborhood. The poor ones who couldn’t escape in time were being dragged into their vans, taken to undisclosed locations, and subjected to unspeakable horrors and atrocity!

The Müllers did not discuss the Steins at home ever since the day they left. But they kept the family in their silent prayers, hoping for their safety and life. They did not hear from the Steins for the next two months.

Then, one day, they received the devastating news that Rachel’s family had been taken to a concentration camp —this struck the death toll, signaling no hope of redemption or return.

No one knew what became of Rachel and Miriam and their parents. Were they on the list of deceased as well? Karl did not have the heart to check and confirm.

The Müllers were shattered, but they knew the news would wreck their young Laura, too. They kept mum.

In the meanwhile, Laura turned ten. How she missed Rachel! She would have been ten too by now if she were here.

Laura kept asking her parents from time to time if they heard anything about Uncle Stein and his family’s whereabouts. As an answer, they could only shake their heads in a sad negative while they felt overwhelmed in the insides.

“They are gone on a long expedition, Dad. I remember how Rachel excitedly shared all their holiday memories with me. Uncle used to take them to such exotic places during school vacations. Too bad they couldn’t make it on either Rachel’s birthday or mine! Only if I knew where they were, I would have sent my hand-made birthday greeting to Rachel. She loved all my drawings. Look, Dad, look, Mum, this is what I wrote — (Laura takes out the card to read the message she had written to Rachel)

“Dear Rachel,

I miss you so much!  I say thank you for your warm greetings because I know you are wishing me from wherever you are.

Isn’t your ‘adventure’ over yet? I was hoping that you all would be back before your birthday, or at least mine.

Mum has prepared a cake for me, but I miss the birthdays we spent together. There was so much laughter and sunshine at home.

Dad and Mum do not talk much these days. I have seen Mum cry, too, in secret. We all miss you. How I wish we all were together again!

When are you coming back, Rachel? Ask Uncle Stein to bring you back soon.

How I hate this war! It has snatched you from me!

Never mind, next year we will have a grand celebration for us both.

Come back soon. And yes, I wish you, too, a very happy belated birthday, my Rachel!! ”

The Müllers were stumped as tears rolled down their cheeks. They did not know what to say.

The next year passed, and the next, and so did the year after. There was no sign of Rachel.

Laura waited patiently, but when her friend did not turn up, it was a given that she wasn’t returning ever (true to her own words). Rachel’s last words rung loud in her ears, “…something tells me that we are not returning.” How Laura wished that Rachel had never spoken those prophetic words.

Laura stopped asking her parents if Uncle Stein and his family were ever returning. At sixteen (and seven years later), as a young, informed lady, Laura somehow knew what could have happened to them during World War II. The Steins were Jews.

So did her parents, just that they never could break the terrible news to her seven years back.

The war was thankfully over but had, indeed, taken a heavy toll on everyone. The Müllers survived, but their tragedy and sense of loss were beyond describable words.

“It claimed so much!”…they often muttered between themselves.

Besides death and destruction, the survivors were forced to now live with piles of carefully erected memories of the happy past of their loved ones. Ravages of time!

Laura grew up into a beautiful and determined lady. How she hoped that she had never allowed Rachel to leave without her.

Carrying the weight of loss inside her for years, she decided to become an educator and worked tirelessly to teach the values of love, peace, and friendship to her students. She warned them against the dangers of wars and the trail of destruction they left behind. She shared first-hand experiences as they looked at her in awe.

Laura often spoke of Rachel to them and turned her grief into a powerful legacy of remembrance. The tides of time could not affect their friendship but immortalized them instead!

In her spare time, Laura often took out the old family album to look at Rachel. She cried as she ran her fingers over her friend’s beautiful pictures!

This was written by our contributing writer, Chandrani Mukherjee.