Treasure of Sanssouci Park

In the spring of 1937, the dreadful day arrived when Kare needed to remember the instructions given to him such a long time ago. The words that his mother had told him echoed in his mind: “In case anything ever happens to your father or to me, you mustn’t come home.” After receiving the phone call, Kare left school in a hurry. Lila’s instructions proved that she had had a premonition for things to come, and she had confided her thoughts to her friend, Max. Max Van Devel was of Dutch origin and a personal friend of the family. He resented the Nazi regime but kept his views to himself. Kare had worked part time in his gourmet shop during his Keno Academy school years, and the family knew that he was a trustworthy man. Kare’s mind filled with many thoughts. Why did they arrest Dad? Was Mom arrested too? What will happen to me? Kare took the U-Bahn metro to Max’s gourmet shop, which was only a few train stops away from his home. As he walked from the station, his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to walk past his house. He strayed toward the opposite side of the street and noticed two black cars parked next to his driveway. In one of them sat a sinister looking man with greasy black hair and a perfectly groomed, equally greasy, moustache and beard. Kare recognized the infamous Nazi insignia sewn onto the right sleeve of his shirt. He lowered his head and walked past his house quickly, not daring to look back. When Kare arrived at Max’s gourmet shop, he told Max what had happened. Max was surprised to hear the terrible news but remained calm and reassured Kare that everything would be all right. Max was a short, plump, grey-haired man in his sixties. He sported a moustache and had pleasant, friendly green eyes. “Just listen to me and follow my instructions,” Max said as he walked Kare to the basement of the shop. In the basement was Max’s office with a filing cabinet, a desk, and a small sofa. He instructed Kare to stay there for the night. After closing the store, Max brought down some food and a blanket. He lived in an apartment above the gourmet shop with his wife and did not want her to know that Kare was staying there. As Kare lay on the sofa, the room was quiet, except for the sound of the clock on the wall. Tick tock, tick tock. His eyes were wide open, as he thought about his mother. He realized that she had been right. They should have left Germany when they’d had the chance. When Uncle Andrew was in Berlin last year, Kare had overheard a conversation between his father and Uncle Andrew. Andrew had told Eric to move to London. He had been able to line up a job for him and was convinced that things would not get any better in Germany. Kare had dismissed this conversation at the time, but it now weighed heavily on his mind. He now knew that they should have left Germany long ago. If father had only listened, he would not be in this predicament now. Eric was stubborn, loved his teaching job, and didn’t care for money. He spoke his mind, which is what had gotten him arrested. Kare could not believe that his father was sitting in jail at that very moment. He wished that it was all a bad dream, but the sound of the clock snapped him out of thought. Tick tock, tick tock. As a single tear trickled down his cheek, Kare’s eyelids slowly closed, and he fell asleep. Kare woke up early and heard Max coming downstairs. The man entered the room holding a towel and soap and said, “Guten Morgen (Good morning). How did you sleep?” Kare nodded his head. “I slept well, thank you.” Max instructed him to wash himself and then come upstairs to help in the store. When Kare arrived in the shop, he was told to work in the back room chopping and preparing salads. The employees knew him and thought nothing of having him there. The day passed uneventfully, and when night fell, Kare retreated back to the basement. The next day, at noon, Max asked Kare to come help in the shop again. This time, he would be helping the customers. As Kare looked at the line of people waiting to pay, he noticed his mother in the back of the shop. Max whispered to Kare that he could not show any sign that he knew her or show any favoritism toward her. He thought the Gestapo might be watching her since Eric had been arrested. When Lila got to the front of the line, she ordered half a kilogram of veal sausage. When Kare handed her the meat, she handed him twenty reichsmarks and slightly squeezed his fingers. “Keep the change,” she said in a hushed voice. Kare had a strong feeling that his mother was saying goodbye to him for the last time. He held her hand just a little bit longer without saying a word, and then let go as tears filled his eyes. As he put the money into the cash register, he noticed a folded paper tucked between bills. Kare took it to the storage room and unfolded it slowly.