This story took place in Germany many years back. It was the time of World War. Angela and her family were Jews. The Germans were hunting and killing all the Jews.
Angela’s father worked in a bank. But when the danger came, he decided to leave Berlin secretly and run away to Switzerland. At midnight, he told his wife, “Maria, wake up. We need to go now. Where is Angela?”
Maria woke up. They silently packed up their things. They knew that the police would be watching them. They needed to be careful.
Angela was inside her room. The electric light was still on. The parents thought that she was getting her bags ready. She did not have many things to carry. So, she was expected to finish her packing very soon.
But even by the time the parents were ready, Angela did not open her room. The mother whispered from the door, “Angela, open the door. We need to move now, darling!”
But the door would not open. The mother repeatedly knocked. She knew, she should not knock loudly. That would wake other people up, and their plans would fail. She needed to do everything slowly.
After some minutes, Angela opened the door. Her small bag was ready. But she asked, “Mom, I am looking for an empty bag. Don’t you have one?”
Mother wondered what Angela was going to carry along. She asked surprisingly, “What more are you going to carry along, Anzy? We need to make our bags light. We may have to run at times and crawl at times on the way.”
Angela did not answer why she needed a bag. She only persistently asked, “Please find me an empty bag, mom. I will not be stupid.”
The mother went to the living room, and got a plastic bag that was lying on the floor. She took it to Angela and said, “Hurry up, honey. Be wise. We need to be going now.”
Angela secretly put something inside it, and lifted both the bags. The mother did not see what was inside.
The family silently moved out of the gate. No one noticed. After a night-long walk, they reached the region where they were out of danger. Then the mother asked, “Angela, what is that you have put in that bag?”
“I broke my piggy bag, mom. All my birthday coins. See, they are many, and heavy.”
“Yes, I understand. Saturday is your twelfth birthday. Do you remember?”
“Yes Mom. They have killed all my friends. I know they will kill me too,” she said and started crying.
The mother took Angela into her arms and said, “We are out of danger now. We are safe, you know.”
“My friends too said the same. I will not be alive for my twelfth birthday.”
“Why do you say so, Angela? See I am there,” the mother tried to console.
“They also had their parents.”
The mother kept quiet. Angela handed her coins to the mother and said, “Mom, no more cakes and no more candies. No flowers and no more songs. Please lit candles in our names, one for each of my friends, and one for me. We will not be there, though.”
The mother held her daughter tight in her arms. Tears were rolling down their cheeks heavily. The father who was listening to their conversation silently wiped his eyes, turned his head towards the sky. It was already morning, and the bright sun had come fairly up. From a distance away, they could hear soldiers practicing their shots.