Page 61 of Library of Forbidden Books

Helene was close to Lena’s house and did not pull over. Before she turned onto Lena’s street, she heard the motor of planes and the shooting of Berlin’s antiaircraft guns. The afternoon sky lit up with explosions like a macabre New Year’s Eve. Bombs visibly going off on the horizon shook Helene out of the illusion that they were just powerful fireworks.

She parked and ran to Lena’s house. No one answered the door, so she hopped the fence to the backyard and ran to the basement door. She found Lena huddled over Mark in a corner.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m terrified. I’ve never felt afraid like this before. It’s not for me—it’s for him. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to him.” Lena snuggled Mark even closer to her chest.

When it seemed like there would be no more explosions, they went upstairs. Everything seemed unscathed, but both women were shaking.

“If there’s one thing I’m proud of in life,” said Lena, “it’s that you’ve never walked behind or in front of me. You’ve been right here beside me every step of the way, no matter how hard.”

Lena’s words bolstered Helene. Their friendship was the last ray of light left on Helene’s path. It was modest, only illuminating a step or two ahead, but it was enough to keep Helene going. Her relationship with Lena was a bedrock Helene did not have to question: No matter the obstacles, she would not be alone, and Lena would always be there to help her get up when the terrible injustice of life made her stumble.

Helene rested her head on Lena’s shoulder, and Lena stretched her free arm across Helene’s back. Theirs was the faithful friendship that stories told of.

Chapter 36

The Human Library

Berlin

November 2, 1940

In his nightly conversations with Alban, Derek sensed that he was at the feet of a philosopher. It was the only enjoyable part of his monotonous days. He came to see that wisdom, far beyond simply knowing things, was the capacity to reflect on the meaning of life and the purpose of existence. When the guards took Alban away and did not bring him back, Derek was thrust right back into the pit of loneliness.

One day the door opened. Kummer would come by at random intervals to question and berate Derek, so he braced for another of the SS official’s mocking greetings. Yet the silhouette illuminated against the doorframe was shorter.

“Derek von Sholtz?”

“Yes,” Derek replied, shielding his eyes with his hands to try to make out who was speaking. He did not recognize the voice.

“My name is Wilhelm Schmidt, and I’ve come to get you out.”

The name was not familiar to Derek, but the man explained that Blaz von Sholtz’s persistence in trying to locate Derek had paid off. They had found where he was being held, and he was now being released.

“You’d best forget all this and go on with life,” Wilhelm said.

Derek’s legs were so weak that Wilhelm had to help him stand. His skin was sickly and pale, his long, blond beard flecked with gray.

It took quite some time for Derek to limp, supported by Wilhelm, up the stairs, out of the building, and to the car that took him to his parents’ house.

Two days later, he woke between clean sheets. At first he did not recognize where he was. Then he saw his mother’s smiling face and assumed he had died and was now in heaven.

“Where am I? How did I get here?” he croaked.

“Your father managed to get you out. You were very weak when they brought you in. You still are. It’ll be a few weeks before you can be up and about.”

Gisela called for the maid, who brought Alexander and Matilde in. He hugged them as tightly as his arms allowed. “Oh, my darlings, I thought I’d never see you again. You’re alive, you’re healthy, you’re well—oh, how beautiful you are!” He sobbed when he heard their little voices call him papa.

“They’re safe and sound here,” Gisela answered, pleased at the reunion.

“Here? What do you mean? Where’s Helene?”

“We don’t know where she’s staying, and that’s for everyone’s safety. She calls almost every day and comes to see the children several times a week when your father is at work. She had to leave them here with us when you were . . . Blaz said . . . well, it was safer that way. But I haven’t heard from her in a couple of days, and I don’t have a way to reach her. I’m always nervous with the bombings. I never know if . . . Berlin is no longer safe. Blaz and I have been talking about going back to Königsberg.”

Derek was in no frame of mind to understand any of what Gisela explained. It sounded like Helene had abandoned the children, but Derek knew she loved them more than anything in the world. He sagged back against the pillow and barely had strength to wave when Gisela led Alexander and Matilde out of the room.

Derek stayed in bed for a week. Several times a day he called Lena’s house and the Neukölln library, but the lines were dead. In desperation he even tried the line at the Secret Library, but there was never any answer.