Chapter 5
Two days had gone by, and Irmhild still hadn’t called. Lotte wondered if her friend had forgotten about their plan – because it couldn’t take that long to make some fake papers, right?
At the same time, she worried about Rachel and the other three children. They stayed hidden in the barn during the night but left before dawn to venture into the forest looking for something to eat. Mushrooms blackberries, wild garlic, hazelnuts, whatever edible things they could find to supplement the few provisions Lotte could sneak them.
By the afternoon, Lotte was dying from the uncertainty of not knowing what was happening. She picked up the telephone in the living room and called Irmhild.
“Town hall,” her friend’s voice came across the line.
“Irmhild, it’s me.”
“Lotte, you shouldn’t be
