| 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚗! |

【5】The Way it Used to be

"Are we there yet?" Bruno's nagging voice called out. "We've been driving for almost a day now..."

"I know, dear," Mother said, stroking Gretel's hair as she snored. "We're almost there. I promise."

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Bruno groaned. "I just want to see Karl, Martin, and... what was his name again?"

"Leon?" Gretel guessed.

"Yes! I can't wait to see Karl, Martin, and Leon!" Bruno exclaimed. "And the way I'm seated isn't comfortable at all... I hate long car rides..."

"Bruno, you shouldn't be the main person complaining," Father murmured. "Your siblings are sitting bunched up together on top of each other, and I haven't heard a peep from either of them since the ride began!"

"Well..." Bruno said, his cheeks growing red. "They might have a higher pain tolerance..."

"I don't want to sit here and argue with you," Father said. "I'd recommend that you go to sleep. You haven't had a nap yet, have you?"

"No, and I don't want to take one! Naps are for little boys!" Bruno exclaimed. "I'm old enough to stay awake all day."

"Yes, but like I said yesterday, you're heavily medicated. We cannot take any chances." Father said, taking Shmuel's arm and pulling the jacket sleeve over it. "And would you look at that? Berlin is twenty miles from here."

"Oh, it is!" Bruno took notice of the sign his father was pointing out and grinned. "Twenty miles from my best friends! Twenty miles from where I was born and raised!" He sang. "Twenty miles left until I'm living it up again!"

"Oh, Bruno," Father chuckled. "Please, just go to sleep. You'll be awake before you know it." 

Bruno rolled his eyes and leaned against the window. "Fine," he replied, cutting off this awful trilling. "Only to make time go by."

"Good," Father said, ruffling Bruno's short hair. "And if you like, I'll invite your friends over for supper."

"Yes, please!" Bruno shouted excitedly. "Can we have a sleepover too?"

"We'll talk about it later," Father replied. "It depends on how far we get in unpacking."

"Okay," Bruno said, closing his eyes and soaking up the sun's glorious rays. 

"Sleep well," Father said. Bruno smiled and drifted off in the short span of two minutes.

"Well, now all the children are asleep," Father said. "We need to get down to business, Elsa."

"What do you mean by that?" Mother raised an eyebrow.

"We need to figure out how we can make people believe that Shmuel is our child," Father said.

"We could say he is Bruno's twin... they do have the same birthday, after all," Mother said. "All we would need is a birth certificate to prove it..."

"Elsa, my father was there when you got your first ultrasound... we all knew it was just one child," Father shook his head. "And where on earth would we find Shmuel's birth certificate without being ridiculed?"

"I don't know, the camp?" Mother sighed. "I'm sure they have his belongings somewhere..."

"It would take a lifetime to dig through everything there..." Father said, looking down at his feet. "And Shmuel and Bruno have two different last names. We'd have to do something more... illegal..."

"Like what?" Mother asked, raising an eyebrow. Father silenced himself and picked at his nails.

"Like, what, Ralf?" Mother asked again because now she was getting impatient. Father shook his head dismissively and didn't respond.