“Do you have any belongings? If so, go get them, come back here and we’ll get you settled in.”
Mindel nodded. She carried her most prized possession – Paula – around with her at all times, but they had a few more things stashed on their bunk. For example, their soup bowls, since Laszlo had taken to tying them to the bottom slat of the bunk bed so that they didn’t have to carry them around and that they wouldn’t get stolen. He’d tried to convince Mindel that she could leave Paula behind as well, but she refused. Whenever it wasn’t a good idea for Paula to be out in the open, Mindel simply tucked her inside her dress.
She grabbed Laszlo’s hand. He was still pouting, but just before reaching their hut, she couldn’t stand it any longer and said, “I like her.”
“She’s an adult, we don’t need her. You sure you don’t want to stay here?”
Mindel looked at the cramped barracks, the latrine that constantly made her gag, and nodded. “Their hut seems less crowded and much cleaner. And we would have other children to play with, now that Ruth is gone and Fabian is too sick to play.”
“It’s only a test. If I don’t like it over there, I’ll return here,” Laszlo said.
She climbed their bunk, and grabbed all their belongings: the blanket, several threads of wool, a sheet of paper, a shard of glass, chalk, two round pebbles, and several small sticks. She handed their valuables down to Laszlo, who stored them in the big pockets of his pants.
“Let’s go.”
Clara and Hanneli were waiting for them outside when they exited the hut a few moments later. “Where are you going?”
“We’re going to stay in the orphans’ barracks for a few days. But we can still visit each other every time we want,” Laszlo answered.
“Oh, you lucky ducks,” Clara squealed. “The SS rarely ventures down there, as long as Mother Brinkmann keeps her children out of trouble. I’ll certainly come and visit you.”
They made plans to see each other every day, and promised nothing would change, but Mindel somehow doubted that would work. After walking the long way twice this day, she was at the end of her strength, and only the prospect of a better place to live kept her on her feet. She certainly wouldn’t walk all the way up here every day.
Waving good-bye to her friends, she hurried to catch up with Laszlo, who’d already walked ahead.
“Laszlo, wait for me.”
He stopped for a moment and waited for her, but wouldn’t talk to her the entire time until they reached the orphans’ barracks.
There, Mother Brinkmann showed them the only vacant bunk bed. “I’m sorry that I don’t have a bunk for each of you.”
“You should see how crowded our old barracks are. This is actually great,” Laszlo said.
“I’ll introduce you to the other children.” Mother Brinkman motioned for them to follow her and then every child said her or his name. Mindel lost track after the third or fourth one, but they all seemed friendly enough and curious to meet them.
That evening, Mother Brinkmann gathered all of the children together and pulled out a dilapidated book with torn pages and faded images. “It’s the only book we have,” Mother Brinkmann said, “my children know the story by heart, but I still read it every night.”
A warm feeling swept through Mindel’s body and she crept nearer to Laszlo. She’d almost forgotten how it was when her mother or Rachel had read stories to her at nighttime. It felt so raw, she had to hold back her tears. Judging by the concentrated look on Laszlo’s face, he seemed to struggle with similar memories and she took his hand, whispering, “We’ll be fine.”
When Mother Brinkmann finished the book, the children began to beg her to tell them a story about Fluff.
“Who is Fluff?” Mindel asked, confused. She couldn’t remember any of the children being called by such a peculiar name.
Mother Brinkmann smiled and answered, “Fluff is a little dog. He loves all the children and always goes on adventures. Tonight, since you and Laszlo are new, you get to choose the adventure Fluff will embark upon.”
Mindel bit her lip while she thought about something exciting and fun for Fluff to experience. Laszlo leaned forward and whispered in her ear. It was a good idea. She said loudly, “I want Fluff and my doll Paula to climb a really tall tree.”
Mother Brinkmann nodded and began to talk, “Fluff and his new friend, Paula, are walking through the forest. They have been walking for quite some time, and it is getting late.
“Fluff looks up, trying to see the sky and the sun, but there are too many trees. He walks in a big circle, but realizes he can’t remember which way they have come or should be going. They are lost.
“Paula is very scared, and she sits down and begins to cry. Fluff walks over to her and licks her hand, telling her that he will find a way out for them.”
“How does he do it?” one of the boys asked.
Mother Brinkmann smiled. “Fluff has a hidden talent that not even his friend Paula knows about. He is an expert at climbing trees, but there is a problem: Fluff is scared of heights. He knows that he will be able to see the way out of the forest, if he reaches the top of the trees. But he has only ever climbed small trees, and these ones are really, really high.”
“It’s alright, Fluff. You can do it,” a little girl murmured.
“Yes, he can. Paula promises to go with him and she climbs onto his back. Fluff climbs the tree, jumping from one branch to another, while Paula holds her arms tight around his neck. It is very hard work, but soon he and Paula can see the blue
