Germany, September 1943
Germany, September 1943Lotte Klausen rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen only seconds after she woke up. Near the stove, Aunt Lydia and her five children stood in line, youngest to oldest like stair steps. Washed, combed, and adorable like never before.
The moment Lotte flew inside, they opened their mouths in unison and sang “Happy Birthday,” their sweet little voices filling the room. Despite Lotte’s disgruntlement about having to spend her birthday in some godforsaken village in Upper Bavaria, far away from her family in the capital, she was moved to tears.
“Happy seventeenth birthday,” Aunt Lydia beamed and pressed Lotte against her belly, swollen with cousin number six. Her children did the same, and Lotte could barely breathe from being hugged by so
